Deadly Diplomacy (30 page)

Squealing tyres…

Jess froze. She closed her eyes, and saw little Amy waving through the car window.
G’bye mummy!

The sound of crashing metal.
Boom…
the crack of the explosion, like thunder reverberating around. She could
feel
the heat of the flames, spiralling up from the street into the sky,
smell
the thick, acrid smoke that stung her eyes and clogged her throat. She couldn’t breathe.

“
Amy! Jack!
” she cried out. “
Oh no!
” Her heart was racing, her body trembling as once again she saw her beautiful daughter and husband being ripped apart by the explosion and burnt to ashes in the heat and flames as they sat trapped in the car. Obliterated…

“Jess?”

She couldn’t answer Susan.

“Jess, what’s wrong?”

She stared blindly ahead.

“
Jess
?”

She could hear the rising panic in Susan’s voice and dragged her hands up over her eyes. “The fire and explosion,” she whispered, fighting to control her emotions. “The fire and explosion – in Jakarta – my husband and daughter.”

“
Jess?
”

“I can’t get the sight out of my head… I see it every day… a nightmare. That day… the accident… over and over.” Her rasping breath filled the silence. “I’m standing in the hallway… I can hear tyres… I-I hear crashing metal… a loud explosion… I can
feel
the heat of the flames…
smell
the choking smoke. I can’t breathe… I can’t move… I can’t get to Jack and Amy… I’ll never get to them…”

Susan stared at her, eyes wide.

Gasping for air, Jess went on: “A petrol tanker smashed into Jack’s car as he turned out of the driveway, and burst into flames.” Jess struggled to find the words. “My little girl, I see her face every single day. She was
so
full of life.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “And it was all
my
fault.”

There, it was, out in the open, finally.

There was a shocked silence.

“
Your
fault?”

Jess nodded.

“I don’t understand. You said it was an accident?”

Jess shook her head. “I can’t talk about it.”

Susan sank back in the seat. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing
to
say. They’re gone. And I have to live with that.” Jess took a deep breath. “And with what I did.”

“What
you
did?”

Jess nodded. And then she knew that of all people, Susan was the one who would understand the grief… the guilt. “You see, I
always
took Amy to nursery on my way to work. Every morning without fail, except…”

Susan looked at her.

“Except
that
morning.” Jess felt the nausea rising in her stomach. “I was running late. The house was a tip. I couldn’t find my computer memory stick for my presentation. I blew up at Jack for not keeping the house tidy, for not helping me more.” She looked at Susan with stricken eyes.

“What happened, Jess? Tell me.”

“I upset Jack; made him angry. He grabbed Amy. He said he’d take her to nursery to give me time to get ready.” Her voice had lowered to a whisper now. “He stormed out and slammed the front door.” Jess jolted as if she could still hear that door slamming. “I went over to the door, and poked my head out to say goodbye. And that’s all I ever see. My little Amy waving through the back window of his car, shouting
G’bye mummy!
as Jack drives off. Then I hear the sickening screech of tyres; the explosion; the fire.
Oh God!
” Jess leant forward and put her head on the dashboard.

They sat together in silence, each with their own pain. Then Jess took a deep breath of air that burnt her lungs. “I’m sorry, Susan. I shouldn’t have burdened you with all that.”

“If… if I’d given the police Ellen’s diary yesterday,” Susan stuttered, “none of this would have happened.” She turned to Jess, eyes pleading. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Jess reached over and took her hand. “Now let’s get that diary and take it to the police before anyone else gets hurt.”

The moon shone bright in the sky, making the billowing smoke appear translucent as it drifted high into the air. Sangster got out of the car and looked up. It gave Brisbane a weird, other worldly feel that he’d never experienced before. He felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. A lunatic was wreaking havoc across the city, and no one knew what he was going to do next.
It’s like being in a thriller movie, without any script.
Jess’s words hit home. He coughed as the acrid smell permeated his eyes and nose, competing with the lingering stench of death. For the first time since becoming a detective, he felt powerless and apprehensive. A feeling that scared him.

“Evenin’, Sir.” The young porter’s eyes shone with excitement. “That’s the
Brisbane Echo
building goin’ up in smoke!”

“Keep an eye on my car,” Sangster said, tersely. “I’ll be five minutes.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Sangster walked up the steps, through the revolving door and into the Riverbank Hotel. He’d been both relieved and annoyed to get Jess’s voicemail. Relieved that Susan Chambers had turned up and they were going to the hotel for the night; and annoyed that his police officer hadn’t shown up. Where the hell was he? Belinda Harris’s corpse sprang horribly to mind. He couldn’t take any more chances; he’d personally take the Consul and Susan Chambers back to HQ.

He went up to the reception desk. “Detective Inspector Sangster,” he said. “I believe the British Consul, Miss Turner, and Miss Chambers have checked in?”

The receptionist nodded. “I’ll have a look, Sir.”

Everyone seemed to be in a state of high excitement. Staff kept rushing out of the front entrance to have a look at the fire in the sky and chat to porters. Then they’d come back in to relay the latest to anyone who would listen. He tapped his foot on the floor and stared at the receptionist who was studying the computer.

Feeling his impatient gaze on her, she looked up. “I’m sorry, Sir, Miss Turner hasn’t checked in yet.”

He frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He felt his stomach turn. He pressed a speed dial number on his mobile quickly as he marched out of the front entrance.

Dalton answered immediately. “Boss?”

“They’re not at the Riverbank.” Sangster could hear the tension in his own voice.

“Where are they, then?”

“How the hell do I know?” he snapped.

There was a pause. “I think I’ve found the connection, Boss.” Dalton sounded strangely subdued.

The young porter sidled up to Sangster again. “Lookin’ for someone, Sir?”

“Hang on, Dave,” Sangster said into the phone, and turned to the porter. “Have you seen two women stop by here within the last half hour? One is in her mid to late 30s, slim, with shoulder-length blonde hair and wearing a trouser suit. The other is in her early 20s, slim too, with short, spiky blonde hair, probably wearing jeans and trainers.”

The porter’s eyes flashed. “Couldn’t miss those two lookers, could I?” He pointed across the road. “They drew up over there in a white car… a Holden it was.”

“How long ago?”

“Oh, about 15 minutes. The young one got out and came over to ask what all the smoke and fire engines were about.” He stopped. “Went sheet white when I told her the
Echo
building was goin’ up in smoke. Ran back to the car and they drove off.”

Sangster put his mobile to his ear. “Dave, the hotel porter saw the Consul and Susan here 15 minutes ago. He told them about the fire at the
Echo
and they drove off again. That’s where they’ve gone… to the fire.” He paused. “You said you’ve found the connection?”

“Yeah.” Dalton hesitated. “You know Roberts worked for a security consultancy in Melbourne in between leaving the Melbourne Police and joining up here?” He stopped.

Sangster tapped his foot. “Yes.”

“Well, we’ve found the company,” Dalton said, quickly. “It advises companies and high profile people on their personal security, and on the physical security of their premises and homes, that kind of thing.”

“Ah.” Sangster realised its significance. “Did Roberts do some consultancy work for Western Energy?”

“That’s what I reckon. And he’s still in touch with them. His mobile phone records show he phoned their Melbourne HQ switchboard recently.”

“That’s it, Dave,” Sangster fired back, excited. “That’s the link.”

“Yep. Our guys in Melbourne have gone round to the Company, to check with the boss.”

“If Roberts has done work for Western Energy, he would have known Ellen Chambers, John Langhurst, and Richard Price… all of them. Maybe even Chen Xiamen.”

“Yep,” said Dalton again.

“Right. Ring me immediately you hear back from the Melbourne guys,” said Sangster. “If Roberts hasn’t already done a runner, he’ll still be looking for that diary. I’m going to the
Echo
to look for the British Consul and Susan Chambers.” He paused. “You stay at HQ, Dave. I want you to call in every colleague who’s been working with Roberts recently. I don’t care what they’re doing. Get them in. They might not realise it, but one of them knows something useful about Roberts, like a girlfriend, or where he hangs out when he’s not at home.”

“What about the DC?” Dalton asked. “I didn’t check with him.”

“I’ll ring him from the car and report all this,” said Sangster. “And keep trying the Consul’s mobile. If you get her, tell her to drive Susan straight to Police HQ. Tell her exactly what happened to Belinda Harris. And
don’t
leave out any details.”

For
Chrissakes,
he thought as he hung up, when is that woman going to be frightened enough to stay put?

While Susan sped along, weaving her way through the traffic as though she was on a racing circuit, Jess was strangely calm in the passenger seat. She kept checking the mirror on the passenger sun visor, and twisting round to look out of the back window, but it was impossible to tell if anyone was following in the dark.

She noticed that the pedestrian-clogged streets and city office blocks had given way to wide suburban streets with houses and empty pavements. “Are we nearly there?” she asked.

“Yep…”

“
Watch out!

Susan drove through a red traffic light, just missing a lorry coming in the opposite direction. The driver latched onto the horn.

Susan eased her foot off the accelerator, and swung right so sharply Jess hit her head on the side window. “Don’t look round.” Susan sounded panicky. “But that black Merc has been behind for a while.”

Jess checked her vanity mirror and kept her eyes glued to the Merc while Susan sped on. Up ahead, the traffic lights turned from green to amber. Susan made no attempt to slow down.

As they approached, the lights turned red.

“
Stop!
” Jess shouted.

Susan stamped on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt.

Tensing, Jess watched the Merc draw alongside them and held her breath as the driver opened his window. Loud music thumped out. He grinned at her as he flicked out his cigar ash and closed the window. Suddenly, she jerked back in her seat as Susan hit the accelerator and sped off again.

At the next T-junction, Susan drew up behind a queue of traffic turning right while the Merc sailed on ahead. Racing down a maze of local streets and over traffic humps that almost pitched Jess out of her seat, Susan did an emergency stop outside a house.

As Jess lurched forward, her seatbelt activated and her mobile flew out of her hand.

Susan scrunched the gear, and reversed the car into the driveway.

Pinned to the seat, Jess struggled out of her seatbelt and groped on the floor to pick up her mobile. She looked over at Susan. “There’s no chance anyone would have been able to keep up with you.”

“Come on.” Susan jumped out of the car.

Jess picked up her bag and scrambled out after her. The house was in total darkness. But as they approached the front door, she noticed it was slightly ajar.

Susan hesitated. “I’m sure I closed it this morning.”

“
Wait!
”

But Susan rushed inside and switched on the light.

Cautious, Jess turned and looked both ways along the street. Everything was quiet in the late evening. Lights were off in most houses, leaving only a few security lights to glow in the dark. The moon was out again now, casting shadows through the trees onto the pavement.

She turned back to the front door. “Susan?” she called out, as she stepped over the threshold. But when she walked into the sitting room, she stood rooted to the spot in shock. It looked like a tornado had ripped through. She couldn’t see an inch of carpet for all the ornaments and books littered around. The cabinet drawers lay upside down on top of their scattered contents. The TV sat on its side, with its screen smashed. Even the sofa seat cushions had been slashed open and their insides pulled out.

This was no discreet search like the one in her hotel room. Whoever did this had gone berserk or wanted to terrify.

Susan had sunk to her knees among the debris.

“Come on.” Jess put a ripped seat cushion back on a chair and pulled Susan to her feet. “Sit here while I check the front door.”

Susan did as she was told.

Jess went back into the hallway. The front door lock had been forced open and was broken. She peered outside. Everything looked quiet in the garden and street in the dark. A light breeze blew up and tugged at her hair. She shivered, pushed the door to and slipped the security chain in place.

Back in the sitting room, she went straight over to the curtains and pulled them closed in case he was still out there. “Don’t worry.” She put her arm around Susan. “Everything will be okay.” But her words sounded hollow.

Suddenly Susan jumped to her feet and ran upstairs.

Following her, Jess watched from the doorway while Susan knelt down at the cupboard under the bathroom sink and pulled out a wash bag. Unzipping it, Susan tipped Ellen’s diary out onto the floor. “He didn’t get it,” she said, sitting back on her heels. “What on earth did my sister get mixed up in?” She looked up with such a pained expression that Jess felt tears prick her eyes. “You’ll help me, won’t you, Jess?”