The Delta Chain (32 page)

‘The poor, young soul,
’
Barbara said.
‘
Costas, what are we going to do? We can
’
t deal with this alone…
’

He was already reaching for the phone.
‘
Adam will be able to help.
’

There was unexpected news for Adam when he returned to the police centre.
‘
Superintendent O
’
Malley
’
s on conference call in the meeting room,
’
the duty officer said.

Arthur Kirby looked up as Adam entered.

‘You
’
re just in time. Seems there
’
s news…
’

O
’
Malley
’
s voice boomed over the line.

‘I have Wal and Megan here with me,
’
O
’
Malley informed them.
‘
Adam, I know you
’
re acquainted with Kate Kovacs, and you
’
re aware she
’
s been in the Northern Territory as a result of her brother
’
s murder.
’

Adam was stunned.
‘
Yes. But what has that to do-?
’

‘Hear me out, Adam. The Feds were called in on that, and they
’
ve been in contact with me to advise there
’
s a link between their operation and ours. With Ms. Kovacs assistance, they
’
ve been satellite tracking the movements of the croc hunters responsible for her brother
’
s death…Adam, those hunters have been stopped for several hours,
in an area close to the rear of the Westmeyer Institute
.
’

‘What…?
’
Adam
’
s mind reeled. There was a brief silence. He and Arthur Kirby exchanged glances.

‘I don
’
t know what the hell is going on at that Institute,
’
O
’
Malley continued,
‘
or whether this is connected with the drownings, but we need to step up the investigation. We
’
ll be in Northern Rocks in the morning. Arthur has organised a vacant house in the suburbs from where we
’
ll set up an undercover op centre.

‘Adam, can you run some surveillance tonight. Take a man with you, but only to observe. We need some intel on just what these croc poachers are up to on the grounds out there. As we speak, a Federal judge is issuing a search warrant.
’

‘I
’
m on it,
’
Adam said.

‘Arthur…
’

‘I
’
m listening,
’
Kirby responded.

‘You have a reasonably close working relationship with the Mayor, Bingham…?
’

‘That
’
s correct.
’

‘
Bingham played an active role in pushing through the approval for Westmeyer
’
s research centre, despite resistance from the town
’
s conservative elements. He and Westmeyer have had a close relationship since then.
’

‘I believe so.
’

‘We don
’
t want Bingham getting wind of any of this until we know where it
’
s going.
’

‘I
’
ll make certain we keep a tight lid.
’

‘Superintendent,
’
Adam said,
‘
Brian Markham did the autopsy on our Jane Doe here. Being on the spot, I believe he would be useful now that the operation is moving full scale in to the town.
’

‘Agreed. We
’
ll get in touch with Markham and arrange for him to be fully briefed at the op centre in the morning. Very well, gentlemen, thank you. Adam
–
good luck this evening. Take it very low key
–
and phone through any info that you feel won
’
t wait.
’

‘Understood.
’

As O
’
Malley signed off, Kirby said to Adam:
‘
Harrison
’
s the most senior man on duty tonight, and I think you
’
ll agree, the best to have with you this evening.
’

‘Yes. That
’
s good-
’

‘I suggest you leave your car, and the police vehicles, here. I
’
ll organise another, unmarked car in case any particular attention is drawn to your drive through the area.
’

‘Thanks.
’

Kirby noticed the disturbed expression on the young detective
’
s face.
‘
Last thing you expected right now, I expect, this news about the croc hunters.
’

‘That
’
s for sure.
’

‘I had no idea Kate had gone back to the Northern Territory.
’

‘Neither did I, Arthur, until this morning.
’

‘Any idea what it means?
’

‘None, other than it
’
s no coincidence.
’

The duty officer appeared in the doorway.
‘
Adam, I
’
ve got Costas Yannous on the phone for you. He says it
’
s very urgent.
’

‘You want to come with me? Now?
’
Kate was incredulous.

‘Not me,
’
Walter said,
‘
your new American friends.
’

Jean Farrow nodded.

‘We
’
re as much a part of this now as you are, Kate,
’
Hank said

Jean entwined her arm around Hank
’
s.
‘
I
’
ve found that once this man decides to follow through on something he
’
s like a bad smell you just can
’
t get rid of.
’

‘I think you could have phrased it a little more eloquently than that,
’
the retired reporter countered with a grin.

Kate had readily agreed to the offer, from the Feds and from Task Force Origin, to join the operation in Northern Rocks, as a consultant on the computer tracking.

The two Federal agents were catching a commercial flight to Queensland the following afternoon. But Kate couldn
’
t wait. She knew she wouldn
’
t be able to sleep; she wanted to go back straight away; and she was bursting to see Adam. She
’
d organised a local Settler
’
s Gorge charter pilot to take her. They were flying out within the hour.

‘Well then, provided you can fit on board, I guess we
’
re going to Northern Rocks,
’
she said to Hank and Jean.

Walter ambled toward her, took her hands in his.
‘
I wish I could be joining you for this-
’

‘You have a family here, a great big family that needs you. And I wouldn
’
t want it any other way. You
’
ve done more than enough, Walter.
’

‘Take good care of her,
’
Walter said with a wink to the other two.

‘You can bet on it,
’
Jean said.

Donnelly had driven to an area, under an overhead pass, from which he knew there would be cell phone interference. He tapped in the number for Tony Collosimo.

Donnelly loved gadgets. The micro recording unit was one he hadn
’
t used for a while. Over the past few weeks there
’
d been dozens of Institute conversations, secretly taped by the bugs that Collosimo himself had placed. Donnelly himself was on some of these.

He
’
d easily edited a word from here, a phrase from there…together with a few smudged or drop out lines, to create the necessary message. Played over the mobile phone with the crackling, hissing interference it would sound perfectly natural. It was a safer way of handling the message than chancing it as a “live” call.

Tony Collosimo answered.
‘
Hello?
’

‘Jackson here, Tony. We
’
ve got…
’
crackle, hissss…
‘
what we need on Melanie Cail…
’
The recorded voice dropped away here, replaced briefly by a loud burst of static, then suddenly, the voice drifting back,
‘…her apartment now.’
Hissss. …
‘
now. Hurry.
’

‘Jackson?
’

Donnelly allowed the static to take over once again, as he pressed stop on the device.

As always, he
’
d planned everything down to the last detail, even to the point of personally enacting some of the moves. He knew it would take the security man twenty minutes to drive from his apartment on the southern side of town to Melanie Cail's apartment.

Fifteen minutes earlier, Donnelly had slipped easily into Melanie Cail
’
s apartment through the unlocked door. She
’
d been in the kitchen, preparing a meal, expecting Stephen Hunter to visit for dinner and sex. Donnelly approached from behind, his weapon drawn. Melanie had sensed a presence and turned.

She had only a moment to see Donnelly
’
s face before he fired the pistol at point blank range, the silencer eating up the sound.

Adam couldn
’
t mistake the distress in Costas
’
voice. He decided to drop by briefly at Barbara Cail
’
s home while on his way to his recon of the Institute.

John Harrison waited in the unmarked car as Adam went inside.

‘Thanks for coming,
’
Costas said as they went through to the living room. Costas had briefly sketched in the details to Adam on the phone.

Barbara and Joey sat at the table with a yawning, recently woken Daniel.

‘I
’
m not able to stay long right now,
’
Adam said.
‘
But I will be back in the morning and, Daniel, you
’
re quite safe here so you can relax and take it easy.
’

‘Detective Bennett is a friend,
’
Costas assured Daniel.

‘Your pursuers have no way of knowing you ended up here with Costas and Barbara and Northern Rock
’
s a big town,
’
Adam told the boy.
‘
Sergeant Kirby
’
s men at the police station are already keeping an eye out for those men from this morning. I
’
m now going to issue a directive that the matter is one of extreme importance.
’

‘Thanks,
’
Daniel said in a small voice.

Adam sat at the table, conscious of the need to generate a non-threatening presence.
‘
I understand you
’
ve travelled a long way and that you had a pretty tough day today.
’

‘Yes, sir.
’

‘Hey, Daniel, you can drop the “sir”. Adam
’
ll do just fine.
’

‘Okay.
’

‘You were living in New South Wales, in the country?
’

‘That
’
s right, sir…um, Adam.
’

‘Daniel
’
s told us he
’
s from a place he calls The Com,
’
Barbara said.

‘What can you tell us about The Com, Daniel?
’
Adam asked.

‘Well, I guess it
’
s a house, except…it
’
s much bigger than this one. Has lots and lots of rooms, some that we weren
’
t even allowed to go in to, like the one with the newspapers from the outside world…
’

Adam exchanged brief, concerned glances with Costas and Barbara at Daniel
’
s strange terminology.

‘Why
’
d you come to Northern Rocks?
’

‘I
’
m looking for my friend, Elizabeth. I
’
m worried about her. So when I saw the picture in the paper-
’

‘Of Elizabeth?
’
Adam prompted.

‘No. Another girl, I don
’
t remember her name. She left the Com ages ago, but I knew her face. She
’
s the girl who drowned at the beach here. I just hoped, that if she
’
d been in this town, then maybe Elizabeth was here as well.
’

Adam allowed Daniel
’
s words to sink in. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. He put a reassuring hand on the boy
’
s shoulder.
‘
I
’
ll be back as soon as I can and we
’
ll get everything sorted out. Okay?
’

‘Okay.
’

Costas and Barbara saw Adam to the front door.
‘
We
’
ve had a look through the boy
’
s journal,
’
Costas said,
‘
and Adam, this place the kid
’
s run from sounds like some sort of weirdo religious sect. What do you think?
’

‘It
’
s possible. And, incredibly, this kid who
’
s come from nowhere recognised our Jane Doe after every other line of enquiry failed.
’
Adam didn
’
t elaborate further that the same investigation had also led, via the owner of the boat and the anonymous phone tip, to Westmeyer
’
s Institute.