Cold Justice (19 page)

‘I’ll put you through to the police now.’

‘It should’ve been on the news,’ the woman said. ‘They didn’t get my letter. You tell them.’

There was a click and another voice said, ‘Police,’ but the line was already dead.

Murray pressed stop.

‘I already talked to the girl who found the body,’ Ella said.

‘Maybe we need to talk to her again,’ Murray said. ‘In a more official capacity.’

‘They get a trace on the call?’

‘Public phone in a shopping centre in Miranda.’ He took the tape from the player. ‘Where did you say this girl works?’

Ella drove them to The Rocks ambulance station and gave him the bones of the case on the way. She felt annoyed and second-guessed after having been satisfied that Georgie truly knew nothing more than she’d said. When she mentioned that for the second time, Murray stroked his lip with his thumb and forefinger and said, ‘Let’s just see, shall we?’

The station roller doors were up and a buzzer sounded when they walked in.

Georgie came out of the office. ‘Hi.’

‘Georgina Riley?’ Murray strode up and put out his hand. ‘Detective Shakespeare. I understand you’ve already met Detective Marconi.’

Georgie nodded. ‘Is it about the guys?’

‘What guys?’ Murray said.

‘The ones who wrote the letter.’

‘Not exactly,’ Ella said. ‘Can we sit and talk somewhere?’

The station office was small and had only two chairs. Georgie motioned for them to sit down. ‘Freya?’ she called out.

‘What?’ a woman’s voice replied.

‘Could you bring in another chair, please?’

There was a pause. Ella looked at Georgie and wondered why she didn’t just grab one herself.

‘Okay,’ came the reply. A moment later a chair appeared in the doorway and Ella got a glimpse of a woman in a paramedic uniform moving away.

‘Thanks,’ Georgie said. She seemed disappointed for some reason that Ella couldn’t work out.

Murray opened his notebook on his knee. ‘Can you run through what happened that morning when you found the body of Tim Pieters, please?’

‘Again?’

Murray shot her a look. ‘Is there some reason you don’t want to talk about it?’

‘Not at all,’ Georgie said with a glance at Ella.

Ella wanted to shrug, or roll her eyes a little, to show Georgie she knew how this was and she was sorry but what could she do? But she didn’t, and with just the hint of a sigh Georgie began to tell the same story she’d told last week.

Ella could hear Murray’s pen scratching as Georgie spoke. She watched for any sign of fabrication but Georgie recounted the story without difficulty.
See?
she wanted to say to Murray.
We talked already. All is cool.

When Georgie finished, Murray frowned at what he’d written. Ella watched Georgie watching him. She seemed about to speak, then held back, crossing her legs the other way and staring at him.
Good for you
, Ella thought.
Don’t fall for that ‘give them a silence and they’ll fill it with words’ trick.

‘What is it you’re not telling us?’ Murray said.

‘What?’

‘The letter.’

‘It’s bullshit,’ Georgie said. ‘I know the sergeant out at Woolford told you that those guys probably wrote it.’

‘Detective Marconi tells me he said it was possible, not probable.’

‘Well, whatever,’ Georgie said. ‘Who else would’ve sent it?’

‘We’ve had a phone call too,’ Murray said. ‘The caller was a woman.’

‘They have a sister.’

‘The phone call was made last night from Miranda.’

‘Maybe she drove down yesterday,’ Georgie said. ‘They no doubt have friends who’d be happy to help out too. Because again, who else would do this? And why?’

‘You tell us.’ Murray folded his arms.

‘There’s nothing to tell.’

There was an edge to Georgie’s voice now. Ella wanted to kick Murray. There was being a tough cop and then there was being stupid. Georgie was far from a suspect.

‘Why are they telling us that there is?’

‘I just told you,’ Georgie said. ‘What do you want me to say?’

‘I want the truth.’

Georgie threw up her hands.

The phone rang. Ella heard the other paramedic answer it in the next room, speak briefly then hang up.

‘Job,’ she called.

‘I have to go.’ Georgie stood up.

Ella followed her out to the ambulance, hoping to get a moment to smooth things over a little, but Murray was right on her heels. Georgie’s colleague got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. Ella glanced over at her, then saw Georgie watching her with a hopeful expression.

‘I’ll follow up about the letter,’ Ella said.

Georgie nodded.

‘Thanks for your time.’

She and Murray went outside. The ambulance accelerated past them and onto the street and the roller door came down with a clunk.

‘Strange woman,’ Murray said. ‘If I say I want to hear the story again, I mean I want to hear it. Did she think I was kidding?’

‘I guess she feels she’s telling it over and over.’

‘So what? It costs her to do that?’ Murray opened the car door. ‘I’m the detective and it’s my job to ask questions. She’s the witness and it’s hers to answer. What could be simpler?’

Ella got into the driver’s seat. ‘Maybe she didn’t like your attitude.’

‘I have no attitude.’ He gestured at the road. ‘Let’s go.’

Ella rolled her eyes, started the car and pulled out.

Freya roared towards the Cross as if it was trying to get away from her.

‘So what is it?’ Georgie asked.

‘Siege.’

Freya looked everywhere at once going through an intersection. She had the green but that yellow car had spooked her. She trusted nobody.

‘Fun,’ Georgie said.

Freya was just glad to be out of the station and away from those cops. She’d stood nervously in the lounge room, unable to settle, praying and praying for a job. Though it could’ve been one where she didn’t have to sit in the ambulance with Georgie for who knew how long.

‘Thirty-three,’ Control called.

‘Thirty-three,’ Georgie answered.

‘Police advise you are to stand off two blocks from that location,’ Control said. ‘An officer will meet you.’

‘Thirty-three copy.’ Georgie rehooked the mike. ‘Wonder how long this’ll take.’

Freya clenched her jaw tighter and glared at the traffic. She’d spent shifts with paramedics who rubbed her so far the wrong way she could hardly bring herself to speak with them, shifts with idiots who talked nonstop about total shite, who drove through red lights on non-urgent cases because they were talking so much, who didn’t sit with the patient in the back but came up to the resus seat and yakked at the back of her head from there. This, though – this could be a whole new class of torture, because Georgie knew about Tim.

On Saturday night, James had been rabbiting on about the investment strategies Matt had shown him, and she’d been half-listening while she made dinner, thinking mostly about Dion and the letter, and the next thing James was almost in tears, saying he’d let her secret out, he was so sorry, he’d had no idea Georgie didn’t know.

She’d turned with the saucepan still in her hand and he’d actually flinched.

‘Tell me,’ she’d said, slowly, evenly. ‘How does that even come up in conversation?’

A newspaper article, blah blah.

‘And Georgie was shocked, was she?’

He’d nodded.

Freya had thought fast. ‘Not surprised. I made it up.’

James had furrowed his brow. ‘Why?’

‘I thought it sounded better than the truth,’ she’d lied, putting the pan back on the hotplate.

‘Which is?’

‘That I was drunk at a party and I didn’t know who the hell it was.’ She’d stirred the bolognaise sauce with a tense hand.

James had looked unconvinced. ‘But why say it was him specifically?’

‘I thought I’d be more believable if it was someone real, and he was the first boy to come to mind.’

‘But –’

‘Does it really matter?’ She’d banged the spoon hard against the pan rim. ‘I lied, and I’m sorry about that. But you still shouldn’t have told what was shared in confidence.’

He’d looked bewildered, but had the good sense not to bring it up again and she hoped he never would.

The irony was that while he thought he’d let her secret out, he had no idea what her secret really was.

Nobody did. Except Dion.

‘I think that’s the corner,’ Georgie said now.

Freya hit the switches to turn off the lights and siren, and braked by the cop who walked out into the street with his hand up.

He smiled in Georgie’s window. ‘Nice day for it.’

Freya nodded. ‘Where do you want us?’

‘Lob in there.’ He pointed to a small park. ‘Could be a while.’

‘What’s the story?’ Georgie asked.

‘Some twit with a handgun and a grudge against his bosses. He’s got five hostages.’

‘Crap,’ Georgie said.

The cop nodded. ‘We’ll call if we need you.’

Freya parked where he’d said and turned off the engine.

Georgie rested her elbow on the sill. ‘This place gets more and more like the States every day.’

Freya put her folded arms on the wheel and didn’t answer. Down the street, cops were busily doing cop stuff. The sun was warm already and she put down her window. Georgie was in the shade and settling back in her seat. Freya pushed her sunglasses firmer on her face but the glare still hurt her eyes and her head. She felt in her bag for Panadol, then realised she had nothing to wash them down with. She stuck her head out the window. There was one tap in the pissy little park but the council had taken the top off. There were no shops visible in either direction.

She swallowed her pride. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got any water?’

‘Sorry.’

Dammit.

At the bottom of her bag she found a piece of chewing gum with the wrapper stuck to it. She peeled it off as best she could, then started chewing. Once a bit of saliva had collected she put the two Panadols in her mouth and swallowed. The taste made her eyes water. She swallowed and swallowed but they stuck halfway. She coughed. She felt Georgie looking at her.

Don’t you dare ask me if I’m okay.

‘You okay?’

The voice was male and came in her open window. Freya peered from watering eyes to see a man standing there looking in. She couldn’t see much detail but could smell his body odour and the beer on his breath.

‘She’s fine,’ Georgie said brusquely.

Freya swallowed hard and got the tablets down. She blinked away her tears and found the man leaning against the door, his forearm along the sill like they were old mates living in the country who’d stopped on a dirt road for a chat. She glanced at Georgie and saw she was frowning at the man’s arm, and felt slightly better to know that people draping themselves all over the ambulance annoyed her too.

She looked at the man. ‘Can we help you?’

He stopped chewing his yellowed moustache. ‘What kinda baby you got under the bonnet in this thing?’

‘We don’t build them,’ Freya said, ‘nor do we maintain them. We drive them and look after patients.’

‘Yeah, but don’t they teach you even that?’

‘To what end?’ Georgie said.

‘Huh?’

‘Why would we need to know?’ Freya said.

The man scraped a brown fingernail across a sore on his chin in a thoughtful way. ‘How about you let me look in the handbook?’

‘Confidential,’ Georgie said.

‘It’s just a handbook.’

Freya shrugged. ‘We don’t make the rules.’

The man looked down the street towards the cops. ‘What’s going on down there?’

‘Police stuff.’

‘How come you’re here too?’

‘Paramedic stuff.’ Freya wished he would piss off.

He frowned, then grinned. ‘Hey, which one does the mouth-to-mouth?’

‘Neither of us,’ Georgie said.

‘Then how?’

‘We have equipment,’ Freya said.

‘That’s no fun.’ He smirked.

‘That’s life,’ Georgie said, reaching for the microphone. ‘Would you excuse us, please?’

The man looked confused. ‘What?’

‘Mind your arm,’ Freya said, and pressed the button to raise the window.

He stepped back and stayed watching as Georgie raised the microphone to her mouth.

‘He stinks,’ she said.

‘He’s even worse closer up,’ Freya said.

‘Do I look believable?’

‘Frown a bit. Listen and nod and frown a bit.’

Georgie listened and nodded, then said, ‘How’s that?’

‘Perfect.’ Freya listened and nodded and frowned too. ‘How long do you think we have to do this for?’

Georgie turned her head towards the man. ‘I’m guessing a while.’

‘We can do that.’

Georgie listened and nodded. Freya frowned.

‘I can’t stand it when they lean all over the truck,’ Georgie said. ‘I mean, if they wouldn’t do it to a cop car, they shouldn’t do it to us.’

‘My thoughts exactly,’ Freya said. ‘What’s he doing now?’

‘Watching,’ Georgie said. ‘Nothing better to do, I guess.’

‘What a life.’ Freya leaned on the wheel and nodded.

They were silent for a moment. Georgie sighed. ‘Those detectives wanted the same story again.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Freya said.
I am cool and uninterested, so you might as well change the subject.

‘I asked them why and they – actually the guy did all the talking really – he said he just wanted to hear it. He had the shits too, like I shouldn’t have asked.’

Freya was aware that Georgie was watching her and she leaned casually back in the seat and fake-yawned.

‘He brought up that letter again, and said that now somebody had rung in and said the same thing,’ Georgie said. ‘I told him those guys out at Woolford were probably behind both things, but he had this attitude as if now that there were two things I
must
be lying. Then this job came in.’ She hung up the mike. ‘He’s starting to wander away.’

‘Thank God,’ Freya said. It was getting hot in the cabin. Once the man was well on his way down the street she’d start the engine and run the aircon. If she did it too soon, he might think something exciting was happening and come back to see.