Deserving Death (5 page)

‘His name?’ Ella said.

‘Patrick Green.’

Ella didn’t know him either. Once upon a time it felt like she knew most of the cops in the city. Now there seemed to be swarms of young strangers everywhere.

‘Where do you live?’ Murray asked.

‘Apartment in Coogee.’ He gave an address not far from the beach.

Ella said, ‘Do you know a Maxine Hardwick?’

‘The dead paramedic Maxine Hardwick, or some other one?’

‘Any,’ she said.

‘No.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Yes.’

Ella’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out to see the office number, and glanced at Murray.

‘Interview suspended,’ he said, and she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

‘Marconi,’ she answered.

‘You’re still interviewing Morris, right?’ Dennis asked. ‘The neighbour across the street, the woman who found Bayliss, saw him cruise past Bayliss’s house three days ago. Bayliss wasn’t home.’

‘Beautiful,’ Ella said.

Back in the interview room, Murray restarted the tape as she sat down. Morris glanced at his watch and folded his arms.

‘So,’ Ella said, ‘you broke up with Alicia almost a month back.’

‘Three weeks.’

‘Why did you drive past her house three days ago?’

He didn’t blink. ‘I had some CDs of hers that I wanted to drop off, but her car wasn’t there. I didn’t want to leave them on the verandah where anyone could see them and steal them, so I drove away.’

It sounded rehearsed to Ella. ‘Did you ever have a key to her house?’

‘No.’

‘How security conscious was she?’ Murray said.

‘How do you mean?’

‘If someone knocked on her door late at night, and she didn’t know them, would she open it?’

‘That’s a question you’d have to ask her,’ Morris said.

Ella said, ‘If only we could.’

Five

T
he nameless male patient hadn’t regained consciousness by the time the backup ambulance arrived but the midazolam had stopped him having any more fits. Carly and Tessa helped the crew load, and were given quiet hugs at the back door over Alicia’s death. As the occupied ambulance drove off, Carly thanked Susie for helping out, then got back behind the wheel of Thirty-nine. She felt like an age had passed since they’d been at Alicia’s house.

They were soon part of a line of vehicles queuing to turn from City Road onto Broadway. Carly was waiting for Tessa to speak. Waiting for her apology, if she was being blunt.

Tessa sat in the passenger seat, arms folded, jaw set.

The light turned green and Carly drove forward. The silence grew.

‘So,’ Carly said finally.

‘So,’ Tessa replied with a testy tone.

Ahead, a bus was parked at a stop and Carly saw her own face on the back, three metres high. She felt an instant burning blush.

‘Is that –’ Tessa turned to look as they drove past. ‘What the hell was that?’

‘Nothing,’ Carly said.

‘You’re in an ad for the service?’

‘It’s just about building goodwill since that –’

‘I can’t believe it,’ Tessa said. ‘They’re spending money on advertising when they claim they have none for more staff?’

‘It’s a government bus, they probably got the spot for nothing.’

‘Shit, there’s another one.’

Carly wanted to shrink in her seat. She’d thought she’d have told people by the time the ads came out. She’d managed to let Alicia know – she was easy to talk to like that, and was always asking what Carly was doing, if she had any acting jobs coming up – but there never seemed to be a good time to bring it up with anyone else. For one thing, how did you say it? Every possible wording she’d run through had sounded wanky: ‘By the way, I’m going to be in some ads’; ‘Hey, did I tell you that I got some acting work recently?’ She felt embarrassed now that she’d been proud when the photos and filming were being done; she’d even put it on her acting CV –
face of the ambulance service
– much to the delight of her agent. ‘This’ll do wonders for your exposure,’ he’d said. The memory of her pride made her cringe.

‘And another one!’ Tessa pointed across Carly out the window. ‘There’s no way all that was free. What a load of bullshit. What a complete and total waste of money. If people need us, they call. It doesn’t matter if they like us. They just call!’

Carly touched the tender skin inside her wrist and tried not to listen. She didn’t want to think about what Tessa would say when she saw the ads on TV.

*

Dave Hibbins’s new home was a fifth-floor apartment in a building on a narrow street in Camperdown. They took the lift up, Ella readying her phone on the way, then Murray knocked on the apartment door.

The door opened and a man looked out. Barefoot and tanned, the skin peeling off his nose, he was in his mid-twenties, with brown hair tied back in a short ponytail. He wore jeans and a red Chewbacca T-shirt.

Ella showed her badge. ‘Dave Hibbins?’

‘No,’ the man said. ‘He’s in the shower.’

‘We need to speak to him,’ Murray said. ‘Can we come in?’

‘Sure.’ He opened the door wide.

A promising start. Inside, Ella looked around the living room, saw wide windows with views of Sydney Tower glinting gold in the sun, art prints on the walls, beige lounges, a big TV. She heard a shower running.

‘I’m Detective Murray Shakespeare, and this is Detective Ella Marconi,’ Murray was saying.

‘Sam Clarence,’ the man said. ‘Has something happened?’

‘Dave’s name came up in our investigation and we just have to check a couple of details with him,’ Ella said.

‘He leaves for work in twenty minutes, so he shouldn’t be long,’ Clarence said. ‘Or should I go and tell him you’re here?’

‘No rush,’ Ella said. ‘So he recently moved in here, is that right?’

Clarence nodded. ‘Last week. He was on the lounge for a couple of days until my old flatmate moved out. Got a job on the north coast, lucky bastard.’

‘Do you know Alicia Bayliss, who Dave used to share with?’

‘I’ve met her a couple of times, but I couldn’t say I know her.’

‘She and Dave never went out?’ Ella asked.

‘Nah,’ he said. ‘She’s not his type. Why?’

‘So have you and Dave been friends for a while?’ Murray asked.

‘We did uni together,’ Clarence said.

‘You’re a radiographer too?’ Ella said.

He nodded. ‘Not in hospital though. Couldn’t stand the shiftwork. I’m in a clinic in the city.’

‘Day off today?’ Murray said. ‘Great weather for it.’

‘I know.’ Clarence grinned.

Ella heard the shower stop. The clock was ticking. ‘Sam, were you home last night?’

‘Yep.’

‘All night?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Was Dave here too?’

‘He was at Amber’s place for the evening, then he got in at one.’

‘Amber’s his girlfriend?’ Murray asked.

‘Yes,’ Clarence said.

‘Did you see him when he came in?’ Ella asked.

He nodded. ‘I was watching TV.’

‘How was he?’

‘When he got home?’ Now he hesitated. ‘Is he in some kind of trouble?’

‘Not at all,’ Ella said. ‘We want to find out if he saw something related to our case. We’re hoping he can help us out.’

‘Well, he didn’t say that he saw anything weird,’ Clarence said. ‘But he did seem a bit on edge. Anxious, or something. And distracted. I said something to him and he didn’t seem to hear me.’

‘Did he give any indication about why he was like that?’ Murray said.

‘No, but I thought he might’ve had an argument with Amber.’

‘What did he do then?’

‘Well, he put the kettle on and kinda paced in the kitchen, and I asked if he was okay but I didn’t think he heard me. Then he switched the kettle off before it was done, and went into his room. I heard him have a shower then I guess he went to bed. I was still watching TV.’

‘And you’re certain he came in at one,’ Ella said.

Clarence nodded. ‘I was waiting for this crap show to end and the European soccer to come on.’

A door opened and Dave Hibbins appeared. He looked a couple of years older than Clarence. His dark hair was trimmed short and he wore a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark jeans and new sneakers. He was freshly shaved and smelled of cologne. He looked from Ella to Murray to Clarence.

‘They’re detectives,’ Clarence said.

‘Can we have a word, Dave?’ Ella said.

He looked wary. ‘Will it take long? I have to leave for work soon.’

‘We can always drive you there,’ Murray said.

Hibbins licked his lips. ‘Has something happened?’

‘We have some bad news, I’m afraid,’ Murray said. ‘Why don’t you take a seat.’

Hibbins reached behind him to touch the back of a chair, but didn’t sit. ‘I’d rather just know.’ He looked anxious now as well as wary.

Ella said, ‘We’re sorry to have to tell you that Alicia Bayliss is dead.’

Hibbins looked stunned. ‘What happened?’

‘Unfortunately she was killed last night,’ Murray said.

‘Like in a car accident?’

‘Deliberately,’ Ella said. ‘I’m sorry to say she was murdered.’

‘My god,’ Clarence said. ‘Are you serious?’

Hibbins stared at them.

‘Would you like to sit down?’ Murray said gently.

Hibbins sank onto the chair. Ella watched him. His forehead was creased, tears starting to well, hands limp in his lap.

‘I can’t believe it,’ he said. ‘Where did it happen? I mean, was she out somewhere? Or at work?’

‘She was at home, but we’re trying to work out what happened,’ Ella said. ‘So if you feel up to it, we need to ask you a few questions.’

‘Okay,’ he said faintly.

She turned to Sam Clarence. ‘Would you mind giving us some privacy?’

‘Uh, sure. Okay.’ He went down the hall. She heard a door close but had no doubt he’d be listening in. The main thing was that he couldn’t signal Hibbins about his answers.

‘How did you come to move in with Alicia?’ she asked.

‘We knew each other a little through work,’ Hibbins said. ‘I’d been living with my girlfriend then we broke up. The lease was in her name so I had to move out, and Alicia was looking for someone to share her place.’

‘Did you ever have trouble with prowlers when you lived there?’ Ella asked.

‘Never. Nothing like that, ever. It’s a good neighbourhood.’

‘When did you last see her?’ Murray asked.

‘Last week,’ he said. ‘Wednesday, I think. I was doing an X-ray in emergency and she brought a patient in. We said hi.’ He gave a slight smile. ‘We joked around a bit.’

‘About what?’ Murray said.

‘I asked if she was lonely since I moved out, and she laughed and said she was just managing to get by.’

‘She laughed?’ Ella said.

Hibbins hesitated. Ella could see the wheels turning in his head. He said, ‘It may have been sarcastic.’

‘Why would that be?’ Ella asked.

‘Because she kicked me out.’

‘Why?’

‘I can see you already know.’ He glanced away.

‘Tell us anyway,’ she said.

‘Because I asked her out,’ he said. ‘More than once. She didn’t appreciate it, didn’t want me there any more, told me I had to go.’ He glanced away again. ‘In movies the guys who are determined always win in the end. But it’s not true.’

That’s because it only works in movies, Ella thought. In real life it’s called stalking.

‘How did it make you feel when she turned you down?’ Murray asked.

He shrugged. ‘Surprised at first. I thought there was something there. I thought I was part of the reason she broke up with John. I was wrong.’

‘Hurt?’ Murray said. ‘Angry?’

‘Not really.’ He brushed at the leg of his jeans. ‘A bit hurt maybe. Disappointed. More so when persistence didn’t pay off.’

‘Do you know John Morris?’

‘We’d chat now and again when he came over, and I see him occasionally at work, but I can’t say I know him.’

‘What would you chat about?’ Ella asked.

‘Football, workload. Nothing really.’

‘You said they didn’t break up because of you,’ Ella said. ‘Did she tell you the real reason?’

He nodded. ‘She’d told me previously about him being controlling and that she wasn’t happy. Then she caught him with another woman at a party, and that was it. She told him where to go. She came home that night full of such anger and spirit.’ He smiled a little. ‘It was great to see that she’d stood up for herself.’

‘She told you all that in detail?’ Murray asked.

‘We’d make dinner together, and we’d talk. Haven’t you ever shared a place with anyone? That’s how it goes.’

‘And all those chummy times led you to think she had feelings for you,’ Ella said.

‘She’s a very friendly person,’ Hibbins said. ‘She’s big into the little touches on the arm, that sort of thing.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to get going soon.’

Ella took out her phone, as if checking the time herself. ‘Just a couple more things. Where were you last night?’

‘At my girlfriend’s house, then here.’

‘What’s her name?’ As she spoke, she pressed to call Bayliss’s phone.

‘Amber Jacobson.’

‘Where does she live?’ She couldn’t hear any ringing or buzzing in the flat, nor did Hibbins show any sign of feeling the phone vibrate in a pocket.

‘Marrickville.’ He gave the address. Murray wrote it down.

Ella ended the call. ‘What time did you leave?’

‘About eleven thirty,’ he said. ‘Maybe closer to twelve. We fell asleep on the lounge watching a DVD so I was a bit groggy when I left and didn’t really notice the time.’

‘Why didn’t you just stay the night?’ Murray asked.

‘She wanted me to go,’ he said. ‘I always wake up early, and she’s on nights – she’s a nurse at RPA. She wanted an undisturbed sleep-in.’

‘How long have you been together?’ Ella said.

‘A week.’

‘You drive home from her place?’

‘Yep.’

‘What time did you get in?’

‘I have no idea,’ he said.

‘It was 1 am,’ Ella said.

Hibbins glanced down the hall where Sam Clarence had gone.

‘Yes,’ Ella said, ‘Sam told us. He was certain that you came in at one.’

‘So it must’ve been later than I thought when I left Amber’s.’

‘Unless you stopped somewhere on the way,’ Ella said.

‘I did have to get petrol,’ he said quickly.

‘Got the receipt?’ she asked.

‘Who keeps their receipts?’

‘Which service station did you use?’ Murray asked.

‘I don’t remember,’ he said. ‘One on the way home. In Petersham, I think.’

‘Pay cash or card?’ Ella said.

‘Cash.’

Of course.
She studied him. ‘You’re blushing.’

‘Because I know what you’re getting at,’ he said. ‘Sydenham’s not far from Marrickville, I could’ve driven past there on the way. But I didn’t. I had nothing to do with any of this.’

‘We’re just talking to everyone who knew her,’ Murray said. ‘Building the picture of what might’ve happened.’

‘Besides that, we never mentioned what time frame we’re checking,’ Ella said.

‘You said it happened last night,’ Hibbins said.

‘We didn’t say when,’ Murray said.

Hibbins turned brighter red. He stood up. ‘Look, I have to go or I’ll be late.’

‘We’ll drive you,’ Ella said.

‘I’d rather walk.’ He went to the door and opened it. ‘If you don’t mind, I need you to leave.’

‘We’ll go downstairs with you,’ she said.

‘I’m not quite ready. I need to brush my teeth.’

‘Do you know a Maxine Hardwick?’ Ella asked.

‘No. I really have to finish getting ready.’

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘We’ll need to speak to you again.’

Murray held out his card. ‘And be sure to call us if you remember anything else, such as which petrol station you used.’

Hibbins took the card, waited for them to step into the corridor, then shut the door with a bang.

Ella and Murray walked in silence to the lift. When the doors opened an elderly woman was standing there, so they rode it down without speaking.

Once back in their car, Ella said, ‘Can that thing about the time frame be a lucky assumption?’