The Investigator (35 page)

“We need to get some members of the Tactical Response Group in here to knock it down. They’ll have to fly up from Sydney.”

His words sent cold shards of pain through her heart. “Y-you think it’s a possibility? You th-think my mother could be behind it?”

He stared at her and didn’t reply, but his silence told her everything. She read the confirmation in his eyes. Turning away, she hugged her arms around her waist, willing the surge of nausea to remain at bay.

They didn’t know for sure. Just because Darryl had built two walls in the house for no discernible purpose didn’t mean he’d stored her mother’s body behind them. There could be many reasons for its construction. Surely, as a former police commander, he wouldn’t be so stupid. He would know of any number of places to hide a body. If she could just take a few minutes to think, she was sure she’d come up with some other explanation.

Then again, the fact that it seemed so obvious could be the very reason he’d been confident it would work. Who would be stupid enough to dispose of a body in their house? It was the last place the police would look.

A low, keening cry escaped her tightly compressed lips. It all made too much sense. She jammed her fist against her mouth, welcoming the discomfort against her teeth.

Riley’s arms encircled her and drew her back against the solid safety of his chest.

“
Shh
, Kate. We don’t know anything, yet. It might not be what you’re thinking. I need you to stay strong. You can get through this. I know you can. You’re the strongest, bravest, most heroic girl in the world. You can do this.”

She turned in his arms and buried her face against the soft folds of his shirt. Tears ran down her cheeks. She sniffed and swiped at her nose. She riffled in her pocket for a tissue and was grateful when Riley handed her his handkerchief.

“I’m sorry, I’m really making a nuisance of myself. This must be the third time I’ve cried all over you.”

Riley smiled down at her, his eyes filled with love. “Fourth, actually. But who’s counting?” He pulled her back in against him and held her tight. “I’m here, sweetheart and I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to take care of you for the rest of my life. Nothing’s going to hurt you ever again. I’ve told you that already, and I mean it.” He pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “Whatever’s behind that wall, we’ll deal with it. Together.”

Her eyes filled with fresh tears. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They separated with reluctance, both acutely aware of the work that had to be done.

“I need to make some calls—”

“Yes,” she interrupted him, pressing her lips tightly together.

“I’d better—”

“Go. Go and do your job. I’ll be okay.”

He frowned down at her, his face showing his struggle. He reached the only decision she knew he could.

His shoulders slumped on a sigh. “I’ll drive you back to the motel.”

“How long…?”

He grimaced. “I’m not sure. It depends when the TRG can get a flight. I’ll tell Reynolds to put in a request that they get here ASAP, but it might not be until late this afternoon, or even tomorrow…” He shrugged. “Bureaucracy. It’s not always easy.”

“I take it Reynolds has taken over since Hannaford was arrested?”

“Yes. He’s the acting LAC until they advertise the position properly.”

“I guess whatever’s behind there isn’t going anywhere.”

Closing the gap between them, he clasped her by the arms, his dark eyes intent on her face. “
If
, Kate.
If
there’s something behind there. We don’t know anything yet.”

She forced a smile. “You’re right. It could be just a stupid wall.”

His answering smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Exactly.” He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. “Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

In the end, it was another two days before the TRG Unit arrived from Sydney and commenced hammering down the wall. Two long days where Riley watched Kate’s face grow more pale and anxious by the hour. Two long nights where he held her in his arms and whispered words of love and comfort, knowing nothing he could say would take the sadness and uncertainty away.

He stood with Chase and a couple of uniformed officers, watching as the hole in the brick wall widened. With each blow, the gap became bigger and the cold dread in his gut weighed heavier. Concrete and brick crumbled and fell to the floor.

A huge halogen light had been set up in one corner. Directed toward the wall, it illuminated nearly half of the room. The heat of it burned across Riley’s back.

He’d left Kate at her motel, knowing it was the best place for her to be. He didn’t want her here. She didn’t need to witness what might or might not lie behind the brick facade.

A shout from one of the men snagged his attention. “There’s something over there.”

Riley leaped forward and shouldered his way past the curious TRG officers. He looked through the opening to where the officer pointed. Riley’s heart sank like a stone.

It was a trash bag—no, two. Dark green, heavy-duty plastic bags that could be purchased from any convenience store or supermarket. They were tied around the top with gray duct tape, sealing them off from the air. Only the faintest of foul odors reached his nostrils.

Nausea swirled in his gut. He didn’t need to open them to know what was inside. Looking past them, he spied the mangled remains of a wheelchair, twisted and bent to fit into the narrow space.

Fury and anguish torched his veins—for the woman who’d been carved up and thrown into trash bags and left to rot behind a wall; for the woman who waited in her motel room for news; for him, the man who had to bring it to her.

Knowing he didn’t have the liberty to lose control, he cleared his throat and began issuing orders.

“Barrington, make sure the scene’s secure and close the house off from the road. I don’t want any curious onlookers making their way across the garden.”

He eyed the TRG officers, both of them pale and grim.

“Jones, I want you to call forensics. Tell them to get here ASAP. We need photos before we move anything. Davis, you can call the morgue.”

The men scuttled to do his bidding. He pulled out his phone and dialed Reynolds. After giving the acting Commander an update, he tugged on a pair of latex gloves and approached the first bag. Drawing in a deep breath, he steeled himself against what he expected to find.

CHAPTER 30

Kate paced the tight confines of her motel room for the umpteenth time and tried to concentrate on anything other than what could be happening at No.16 Baxter Road. With a groan, she threw herself down on the bed.

The waiting was doing her head in. The uncertainty, the not knowing. She clenched her teeth and made an effort to calm down. Riley would call her with any news. He’d told her he would.

When he’d kissed her good-bye outside her motel room earlier that morning, he still hadn’t known what time the TRG Unit would arrive. It was now after three and her insides had twisted into knots.

It could go one of two ways—either they’d knock down the wall and find nothing, which meant the agonizing search for her mother would continue or, they would find something to indicate their search was over. Neither scenario gave her comfort.

Moving restlessly, she tried to block out the images that formed and shifted and chased one another through her mind. She groaned and pressed her hands against the sides of her head, shaking it in an effort to dislodge them.

Riley would call if there was news. He’d promised. He knew how she’d be feeling—waiting, wondering, not knowing. He hadn’t called, so obviously there was no news. Maybe that was a good sign…

The sound of a motor vehicle idling outside her door suddenly registered. Leaping off the bed, she ran to the window and peered out. Riley climbed out of the unmarked squad car.

Her throat went dry. She fumbled with the lock on the door and opened it just as he lifted his hand to knock.

She knew before he said a word. He shook his head, his eyes dark with pain and regret. She backed into the room—hardly aware that he’d followed her—and stumbled into the chair.

With her head in her hands, she absorbed the news he hadn’t even voiced.

The search was over.

“I’m sorry, Kate. I’m so sorry.”

Tears burned behind her eyes, but she held them back. “You found her.”

He nodded, his face grave. “Yes.”

The stark confirmation was almost too much, but she took a few breaths and reined in her control. “What happened?”

Riley shook his head. “We don’t know yet. Forensics will be there for a few more hours and she’ll then be taken to the morgue. We won’t know exactly how she died until we get the autopsy report.”

Forensics. Morgue. Autopsy
. Words she’d never dreamed she’d hear in a conversation about her mother. And yet, she’d known that was a possibility. Had even felt, deep down inside, that her mother wouldn’t be coming home. That she’d never see her again… Ever.

She thought of the years she’d wasted, hiding ten thousand miles away. The saber-sharp stab of guilt and regret nearly bent her double. Gasping, she let the tears fall.

Riley carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Not even stopping to pull off his boots, he gathered her in his arms and held her close.

She cried quietly though many of her tears were already spent. He pressed kisses against her hair, offering wordless comfort.

After long moments, she lifted her head and looked at him. “Can I see her?”

He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. Slowly, he shook his head. “No, sweetheart. You don’t want to see her. Best that you remember her the way she was, vibrant, happy, alive.”

Kate bit back another sob and buried her face in his neck. “I don’t know if she was ever happy,” she choked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

“She was for a while—at least, according to Daisy,” he murmured, his hand stroking her softly, rhythmically up and down her back. “Daisy said they had lots of fun together.”

Kate sighed. “Yes, she did, didn’t she? I only hope Mom didn’t suffer. I hope it was quick.”

Riley didn’t answer. She could only imagine what he’d seen. He was right, she was better off not knowing. It wasn’t going to change anything and it would forever destroy the good memories she did have of her mother. “What happens now?”

Riley sighed. “Darryl will be charged with her murder. We found a roll of duct tape in the kitchen drawer and trowel and a bucket in the shed out the back. For a man so much admired for his contribution as a police officer, he was a little sloppy.”

“Or inordinately arrogant,” Kate added. “Perhaps he didn’t think anyone would dare enter his property or, if they did, that the items you found would raise suspicion. He wouldn’t be the only man in town to have things like that around his house and he certainly wouldn’t have counted on me returning. It was highly likely I was the only one who would know the walls were new. I can’t imagine he invited too many of his friends upstairs.”

Riley’s arms tightened around her. “That’s true. Maggie Fitzgerald may have noticed, but it would have taken someone else to even wonder about the brick wall. She had no cause to venture upstairs.” He smiled grimly. “The good news is, the existence of the new all strengthens our case against Darryl. The odds that someone else did it are zero to none. It’s going to be a little hard to explain to a jury how two brick walls were built in your house without your knowledge.”

Kate shuddered. “Will I still have to testify?”

“I’m afraid so, unless he pleads guilty. And then, of course, there’s Hannaford. Just remember, I’ll be there beside you, every step of the way.”

The promise in his eyes warmed her through and helped to dissolve a little of the chill that had plagued her since the discovery of the wall. She lifted her head and kissed him, communicating with her mouth the depth of her love and gratitude.

She pulled away gently and laid her head back on his chest. His hold around her tightened.

“I wish I could spare you the next few days, sweetheart, but you’re strong and you’re brave and you can get through this even if I can’t be with you all the time. I know you can.”

Kate blinked back tears. “I can’t believe she’s gone,” she whispered. “I mean, I know in some part of me I’d accepted that Darryl must have murdered her, but there was another part of me that continued to hope. Now that hope’s gone and I’m left with nothing.”

“I wish I could take the pain away,” he whispered. “I wish that more than anything.”

“Thank you,” she choked. A fat, silent tear slid down her cheek, unheeded. With tender fingers, he wiped it away.

They were silent for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts. Kate thought of her mother and prayed she’d finally found peace—from her debilitating illness and from her unhappy marriage.

“You need to go and see Ronald Westport,” Riley murmured against her hair.

She frowned. “The lawyer?”

“Yes. The one who drew up your mother’s new will. She gave him an envelope with your name on it and left instructions it was to be given to you in the event of her death.”

Kate felt the blood drain from her face. Her voice came out hoarse when she spoke again. “Do you know what it’s about?”

He shook his head. “Westport wouldn’t say.”

Kate closed her eyes and tried to come to terms with this latest shock. A second later, she gasped. “What if it’s the videos?”

She felt the tension in his body, even before he cursed beneath his breath. His jaw clenched and then relaxed. It was obvious he was making an effort to remain calm.

“It still infuriates me every time I think about Darryl filming you. If it is a video, we’ll deal with it. I promise you. He’s not going to have another nanosecond of control or influence over your life.”

He drew her in closer and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry about that right now, sweetheart. We don’t have a clue what’s in there. It could be anything.”

Kate said nothing, but she wasn’t convinced and she didn’t think Riley was, either. The videos made sense. What else would her mother have taken to a lawyer’s office, where she would be assured it was safe, and leave instructions for it to be opened in the event of her death?