The Candidate (29 page)

Ginny felt bile surge up into her throat again. She remembered that move — vividly. Only this time she wasn’t face-down on the ground at Mission Bay. He was looking at her closely, and she knew he hadn’t decided yet what he was going to do next.

‘But you,’ Daniel leant forward and ran a hand up her leg, pushing up her skirt, ‘wouldn’t bloody well let it go. Vanessa. Claire. Mark … the way you were going I was ready for you to announce you’d exhumed poor bloody Charles to do your precious fucking reference check.’ He laughed at his joke and Ginny looked at him, stock-still with fear.

The two roofs were close together and it was no big deal crossing onto Ginny’s. With no clue what was going on inside but knowing surprise to be the crucial element, Mac moved as quietly as he could to the section of roof above her bathroom.

Hearing him say Claire’s name, seeing how his mouth twisted as he did, Ginny felt a fresh rush of fear. ‘You killed her, didn’t you?’ Daniel looked at her steadily. ‘Claire.’ Her voice was shaking, and she was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

‘What do you care? But now you ask — yeah. She found out Mark and I were taking a little extra we were due from those tight-fisted bastards and threatened to dob us in. Couldn’t have that, could I, Ginn? Not after all my hard work.’

He was chilling, she thought wildly, terrifying. He sounded as if he was rationalising an unpopular management decision, not a murder. Not wanting to see his face any longer, she closed her eyes, tight, willing Mac to appear.

Daniel put his hand back on her thigh and started gently stroking her skin. He smiled as she tried to back away. ‘Just relax, Ginny.’

He liked the feel of her, he had to admit, and he liked her scared. He wished he had more time, he really did. But he didn’t. She was a loose end, he reminded himself. So if he couldn’t have her now, he’d make do with the next best thing. Moving fast, he hit her again in the face, stunning her. Pulling her legs until she lay flat on her back, he straddled her, wrapped his hands around her throat, and started squeezing.

The window wasn’t a doddle — dangling over the roof, holding onto Ginny’s rusted guttering as his feet sought the window ledge, was a tad precarious … but once he found the sill he managed to push the window open easily enough. From there all Mac had to do was edge over, using the window to steady himself before swinging through. He sat briefly on the sill, then landed, cat-like, with a gentle thump between the basin and the shower.

He eased open the door and looked out … then acted.

It came out of nowhere but the kick to the kidneys nearly lifted Daniel off the ground and he rolled off Ginny in agony. He was just gaining some breath when another blow came down, hard, on his face, and he felt his nose give way.

The moment Daniel was off her, Mac heard Ginny drag in a breath before choking it out again in a harsh, ugly cough.

‘Hey.’ He pulled her up off the floor and close to him. ‘Just try to take it easy. In, love, out. Jesus, I’m so sorry. In, out. That’s it.’

‘Mac …’ Ginny gasped as she grabbed for him.

‘Shhh, don’t talk. Just breathe, Ginny. That’s it.’ He kissed her forehead, hard, then pulled back to look at her. He saw the bruise starting on her temple, the fear still in her eyes. He held her close again, intent on her, too intent, and didn’t see Daniel until he was all but on them.

Blood streaming from his nose and kidneys on fire Daniel launched himself at Mac. This had definitely not been part of the plan. He had seen Mac walk away from the building earlier, and he sure as hell hadn’t come back because Daniel had watched the front entrance all fucking afternoon.

Lover-boy wasn’t due until later, much later, and was certainly not expected to come tearing out of the bathroom with a kick any fly-half would envy.

He went for Mac’s eyes, confident he’d be able to disable him enough to finish Ginny off. Or perhaps, he thought, making a grab for a knife from the block on Ginny’s bench, he could teach the prick a real lesson.

Instead, something hard hit Daniel in the wrist and pain shot up his arm. The knife went flying, landing near the table and skating under a bookshelf. As it did, Daniel’s head snapped back and he felt his teeth close around the soft flesh of his tongue. He yelped as he tasted blood in his mouth. He tried to spit it out but coughed instead as another hit connected, winding him. He fell to the ground, then pushed up onto his hands and knees, trying to get air back into his lungs. He got a breath or two and went to stand, but only got one foot under him before Mac’s arm banded like steel around his neck and the other forced his head up, wrenching him back onto his knees.

‘You fucker,’ Mac hissed into his ear. ‘I always knew you were.’ He tightened his arm and Daniel’s fingers clawed at his forearm as his breathing got suddenly, uncomfortably, restricted. ‘Doesn’t feel too good, does it?’ Mac squeezed tighter. ‘Not being able to breathe. Now you know what it’s like.’

Mac hauled Daniel up to standing. ‘See that woman over there? That shining light of beauty and goodness and grace? She means more to me than she will ever know. Certainly more than a piece of shit like you could ever understand. And you’ve hurt her. Twice, if I’ve worked things out correctly. And that,’ Mac pulled Daniel’s head higher, pushing his arm further still into his throat, ‘is not on.’

Daniel tried to struggle, kicked back with his legs, swung his arms up and around behind him, trying to land a blow and loosen Mac’s hold.

Mac gritted his teeth, willing himself to stay in control. All that training, all that discipline, and his instinct was pushing against it, loud and relentless. He blinked hard; tried to clear his head. Saw Ginny instead, on the hospital bed, bruised face and split lip. The fear on her face. Saw her again, lying on the floor, Daniel above her, squeezing the life out of her. He felt a roar build in him, and instinct rushed up, angry, fucking furious. He didn’t deserve any more, or less, Mac justified to himself, as he felt Daniel’s struggle grow weak. He tightened his arm. He could do it, Mac thought. Easy.

‘Mac.’ He looked and saw her eyes big and wide, shocked and scared. ‘Stop please, Mac.’

Everything went still inside of him. He nodded and, eyes fixed on hers, let Daniel go and stepped back. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.’

Ginny shook her head and looked at Daniel as he lay gasping on the floor. ‘That’s okay.’ She reached out her hand and Mac took it.

Chapter 34

Mac refused to let them talk with her beyond the essentials; anything else could wait until the morning.

‘That’s enough now,’ he told Detective Johnston, seeing Ginny’s already pale skin shift to a more translucent tone. ‘She can do the rest tomorrow.’

Johnston looked at them both and, nodding, rose to his feet. ‘I’m sorry we didn’t get to the bottom of this sooner, Miss Hayes.’

She shrugged and offered him a small smile, then leant back against the couch as Mac showed them out.

‘I don’t want to stay here tonight.’ Her voice sounded sore, and he collected her hand in his as he returned to the couch.

‘No. I don’t think that’s a good idea either. Come on,’ He gently pulled her to her feet. ‘I’ve already spoken to Dad. They’re expecting us.’ Arm wrapped tight around her, wondering if he’d ever comfortably let her out of his sight again, Mac led her out of the flat.

When she was asleep, tucked up tight in his old bed with Jen stationed in a chair and sworn to stay until he returned, Mac went back to Ginny’s building. He retraced his steps from earlier in the evening and, vaulting back over the courtyard wall, saw his shoes, tie and jacket where he’d dumped them. He picked them up, slipping the ring box deep into the pocket of his jeans, then moved the rubbish bin back to where he’d found it.

Letting himself in the front door, he walked upstairs and stood for a moment in the quiet stillness of the flat. The police had done what they needed to do, had taken what they needed to take. He filled the kitchen sink with hot soapy water and, getting down on his hands and knees, cleaned the blood from the floor. He refilled the sink, then wiped down the coffee table and bench. Anything Daniel might have touched. In the bathroom, he closed the window tight, making sure it was locked.

Back in the main room, Mac gave the place a final scan, then turned out the light and left, content that when she came back to their home the most obvious reminders would be gone.

Epilogue

He was waiting for her as he told her he would be. After she’d given her statement, answered their many, many questions, and handed over the information she had on the man she knew as Daniel Baire, they finally told her she could leave.

Ginny’s stomach churned uneasily, and the start of a headache drummed steadily behind her eyes as she walked towards the main doors of the station. Seeing light, the bright sun, and the promise of fresh air, she nearly ran.

Outside, the heat hit her and, dazzled, she looked around. Her eyes quickly adjusted, and the first thing she saw was Mac. He walked the few steps to her, took her hand and led her to the car.

‘How did it go?’

She waited until he got in before answering. ‘I’ll need to talk to the guy from London at some stage, but for now they’re done with me.’ She looked over and saw the tension in his face. Concern, she thought. She reached to place a hand against his cheek and smiled. ‘I’m okay.’

He nodded but didn’t speak straightaway. Instead, Mac turned his head and kissed her palm. ‘Where do you want to go? Home?’

She shook her head firmly. ‘No. Can we get out of here? I need some space.’

‘Sure.’ He pulled out into the traffic and headed west.

Ginny put her head back on the cool leather of the headrest and dozed as he drove fast along the motorway before weaving through the suburbs, his hand resting lightly on her leg.

Eventually, she felt the car start to climb, and opened her eyes as it hugged the corners of the winding road that led them, inevitably, to the coast. The dense bush tumbled down to the road, a deep and vivid green. The colour made her think of Mac and as they started the descent, she put her hand over his.

‘Did you sleep?’ he asked, shooting her a quick glance.

‘Not really.’

He took them to the northern end of the beach. Less populated, wilder than the other side of Lion Rock.

They got out and made their way through the dunes to the beach where they sat down, looking out over the surf. Piha was always like this. A bit violent, a bit angry close to shore but, further out, the deep, brilliant blue-green stretched out across the Tasman, merging with the horizon.

She looked across at him, waiting until he turned to her. ‘I love you,’ she said.

‘I love you too.’

She stood and stepped between his legs. Sitting back down she leant against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

‘Did they tell you much?’

‘A little. Detective Johnston had quite a chat to the officer from the UK last night after Daniel was arrested, and he passed some of it on.

‘Apparently the fraud started early — Mark saw how it could be done, but didn’t have the balls for it. Daniel did, and set it up. Fronted it, I guess. By the sound of it they started skimming off cash from deals the firm transacted, and then began to dip into the actual operating accounts. The two managing partners must have been pretty much out to lunch.

‘They’re not sure whether he meant to kill Claire or whether it was the result of an argument gone too far. Either way, Mark provided an alibi for Daniel and pretty soon the investigation ground to a halt.’

‘How did they get on to him then?’

‘Apparently the Fraud Squad was looking into a couple of complaints made by previous clients of Raddle & Smythe, and it started to look as if Daniel and Mark were behind it. DS Roberts was on the original investigation into Claire’s death and when he got wind of the fraud, reckoned that if they were messed up in that, maybe they knew more about what had happened to Claire than they’d let on. But by then Daniel had disappeared, and the information they had on him was incorrect.’

‘I can’t believe they didn’t check that, though.’ She registered the incredulity in Mac’s voice. ‘Different spellings of his name? It’s sort of basic, isn’t it? And it’s one thing to have your employer misspell your name, but what about everywhere else you have to register your details these days? Banks, phone contracts, tenancy agreements, utilities … all of that.’

‘I know … but when I spoke to his reference in the UK she mentioned he’d worked under a company structure, so that would have given him an extra layer to hide under.

‘Detective Johnston told me that they haven’t found any record of him entering New Zealand, and he may have got lucky and left the UK just as sneakily.’

She frowned out over the water, remembering back to when she interviewed Daniel. ‘And he did spend the best part of twelve months in Asia after disappearing from London and before he popped back up in Auckland. They’d only just reopened Claire’s case; it would have caught up with him soon enough.’

‘But why did he attack you? And trash your place? Other than that he’s a psycho …’

She laughed uneasily; it was an apt description. ‘Apparently, Miles told Daniel he’d get him the job at RK and split the commission with him if he got me out of the picture. And he offered a cut of the fee if Daniel could engineer it so Miles got his hands on the uni job. I guess Miles thought I’d frighten more easily and run away with my tail between my legs, leaving things wide open for him to walk in and pick up both jobs.

‘I reckon Daniel was hedging his bets at first; playing Miles and me off to see who could get him into RK. He might have genuinely considered the other role Miles offered, but if he wanted to run the same sideline operation as in London, he was probably better off in a smaller firm. Although I don’t think it would have made a difference in the end. Robert Kendrick would have sniffed him out pretty soon.’

‘Has Robert heard?’

‘Yes — he rang this morning. He was shocked, of course. It was him who called my office last night soon after Daniel turned up. Apparently Daniel had disappeared after lunch and Robert wasn’t impressed. He was already having second thoughts and wanted to ask me whether Stella would reconsider the role if he could get rid of Daniel.’

‘What a mess. Please don’t do any more work for them.’

‘If I do, it sure as hell won’t be at a discounted rate again.’

He laughed. ‘So it was Daniel who burned Stella’s place?’

‘Yep — seems he didn’t like the competition.’

‘I’ve done some crazy shit for a job I really wanted, but setting fire to someone’s house is a bit drastic.’

‘Miles told the police he knew nothing about the fire. Apparently he laid into Daniel about it, said he’d gone too far, and their resulting conversation got Miles hospitalised.’

‘What will happen to Daniel now?’

‘No clue whatsoever. But it will involve a cell and a tightly locked door. A long way from me. Us.’

They sat in silence for a while before Mac shifted slightly, bending low to her ear. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I wish so much that I had.’

‘That’s okay. I’m very glad you got there when you did.’

He couldn’t help but shudder. The thought of arriving even a minute later filled him with a terrified sick feeling. I can’t lose her, he thought. Now that I finally have her — I just can’t lose her. He leant right back so he could reach into his pocket. He lifted the ring box up in front of Ginny.

‘Here. It’s why I was late. There was wine too,’ he explained as she opened the lid. ‘But I think I left it out front.’

‘It really is very beautiful.’

‘Are you going to make me actually ask you? Get down on one knee? Anything like that?’

‘No — I think I can do without that. But I insist you put it on.’

He sighed contentedly. ‘With pleasure.’ He pulled the ring out of its box and slipped it onto her finger. Doing this, seeing her wear his ring, made him feel brave and indomitable and, simultaneously, as if he could shatter. It tied her to him, he realised, and him to her. And he could feel the strength of that connection: enduring and priceless.

Ginny held out her hand and the sun caught the diamond, sending out flashes of fire and colour. Laughing, she turned and threw her arms around his neck, pushing him down onto the sand. ‘I’m never going to let you go, Mac. Never.’

He saw her face framed by the intense, encompassing blue of the sky. She was filled with light, he thought. Reaching up, Mac tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

‘Good,’ he said, and kissed her.