The Italian Affair (20 page)

She was still alive, she realized with a jolt, and she was going to try and stay that way. Even so, she didn’t know if she’d see the sun rise.

The forensic team had finished. Rick stepped over the plastic yellow tape stretched across the front of the beach house and made his way down the driveway. Brougham was squatting beside a set of car tracks, a short distance away.

‘What do you think?’ asked Rick.

Brougham stood up. ‘Whoever it was must have parked in that clearing, fifty metres back up the track so Gina wouldn’t have heard the car engine. Then he’d crept towards the house.’

Rick exhaled. ‘It has to be Gallagher. Everything points to him being the one. Dumping the car over the cliff and leaving the suicide note had to have been a ruse. All along he’s been tailing her. Just waiting for the right moment.’ And Rick had given him all the chance he needed when he’d left Gina on her own to pick up his sister.

He had to find her, Rick thought, over and over again. God damn it … he loved her. He just hadn’t had a chance to tell her.

Brougham was sitting at his deck when a phone call came through from reception. Denise Thompson, Anthony Monopili’s secretary, was at the front desk demanding to see him urgently. He drank the dregs of his cold coffee and made his way down the corridor to the interview room.

She was already seated at the Formica table when he entered. The
detective sat down opposite her. ‘Ms Thompson, what’s this about?’

She shifted position, her gaze darting around the room. ‘I … I need help.’

Brougham spoke calmly, taking in the pale, tear-stained face. ‘Help? Why?’

‘Jason Gallagher is going to kill me. He’s crazy.’ She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. ‘He killed Maria and now he’s threatened me. He phoned up last night and said he wanted me to deliver a message. He said he had Gina, and that the Rosselini family were to give him fifty million dollars or he will kill her. He wanted them to pay for treating him the way they did.’ Her voice was almost hysterical as she added, ‘You have to understand. I didn’t want to be part of this. But everything’s got out of hand.’

Brougham leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. ‘How do you know Gallagher?’

She took another breath. ‘After he got out of rehab he came to me, asking for help. He promised that if I did, Anthony would come back to me.’ She gave a sob. ‘I guess I fell for it. I was just so angry that Anthony dumped me to marry Maria I went along with Jason’s plans. I was the one who wrote the anonymous letter to Gina under his instructions. He wanted to scare her a little.’

‘Any idea where Jason might be hiding out?’ demanded Brougham.

Her voice shook as she twisted her handkerchief round and round in her hand. ‘No, I don’t. He left the flat he’d rented. He said he was heading for the bush.’

‘Where is his flat?’

Denise gave him the address. ‘I told him that I didn’t want any more to do with him. He was furious. Said if I didn’t do as I was told, he’d come after me as well. Please, you have to help me. I’ve not been well.’ She leaned forward. ‘I need police protection.’

Denise was crying uncontrollably and Brougham, although he had a million questions still to ask her, decided he had to give her a break. The last thing he wanted was the police being accused of
harassing a sick woman. But he also knew when her lawyer got here, she might not be so helpful. Brougham looked up at the woman police officer standing near the door. ‘Make her a cup of tea, will you?’ He turned to another police officer. ‘Get me Rick Caruso on the phone. I need to speak to him urgently.’

Later that night, Rick was sitting in the bar of the Club Italia when a newsflash came over the television. The news reader announced that one of the wealthy Rosselinis had been abducted. Rick’s stomach clenched tightly, souring the brandy he had just drunk. Gina’s photo flashed across the screen. His hand curved tightly around his glass, almost crushing it. He felt so helpless. He had to find her, but he didn’t know where to look. He’d spent hours scouring the hillside near the beach house but there had been no sign. No clues. Nothing.

He paid for another drink, downing it in one go, then checked his watch. Time to get going. He’d only called in briefly to question some of the patrons to see if he could get any leads on Gallagher. No one knew anything. He was just about to leave when his mobile rang. It was Brougham. ‘We’ve got something. Get down here as quick as you can.’

‘On my way.’

Twenty minutes later, he sat opposite the detective.

‘Looks like Denise Thompson’s been in on this all along,’ said Brougham. ‘But says she didn’t know Gallagher was going to shoot Maria.’

‘You believe her?’

‘I’m not sure.’

Rick’s grimaced. ‘If anything happens to Gina, I’ll find Gallagher myself and kill him.’

‘You do that and you’ll be breaking the law,’ replied Brougham quickly.

His reminder didn’t sit well with Rick.

Brougham stood up. ‘Denise has given us the address of a flat in
town where Gallagher has been hiding out. We’ve sent someone round to check it out now and I’m heading down there in a few minutes.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ offered Rick.

They reached Gallagher’s flat accompanied by two squad cars. When the officers piled out, the neighbours stood looking over the fence at what was going on. They were used to the police turning up in this part of town but seeing this many at once was a little unusual. Statements were taken, but no one had seen their elusive neighbour for some time.

Inside the flat, Rick had a good look in the bedroom. There were no clues, nothing that would indicate where Gallagher had gone. There was an unmade bed, a rumpled towel lying on the floor and some worn trousers hanging in the wardrobe. Rick was just about to walk out when he saw a bit of paper lying on the ground. It had caught underneath the door. He kneeled down and pulled it out. Unfurling it, he saw it was a receipt from a local outdoor and mountaineering shop in town. Gallagher had bought candles, a small camping stove and a length of rope.

Rick shouted through to Brougham. ‘This could mean he’s got a hideout in the bush somewhere.’ He showed him the receipt. The name of the shop was printed at the top.

Luckily, Rick had done the shop owner a favour in the past when they’d had a problem with shoplifting and the owner was only too pleased to help. Rick spoke to all the staff asking if they remembered anyone coming in recently to buy some camping gear, in particular the items listed on the receipt.

‘I remember that customer,’ one sales assistant said. ‘The guy was a bit creepy if you ask me. He wanted a map of the Nelson coast. He mentioned something about Kokorua.’

‘Did he say anything to you about where he was going?’ Rick asked hopefully.

‘Yeah, he said he was living rough for a few days. That was why he needed the candles.’ She thought again. ‘When I asked him what
the rope was for, he clammed up. Then he paid his money and left.’

They were still no further forward, Rick thought, disheartened. Kokorua stretched for many kilometres along the coast and the thick native forest of pungas and palm trees could hide anything since it was so dense. Still, at least it was a start.

‘We’ll get search and rescue on to it,’ Brougham said.

Rick knew it was a slim chance of finding her but anything was worth a try.

The darkness lasted for hours. The cold silence made it worse as Gina wondered when Jason was going to return and what he would do to her. Sometime during the night, she had heard the unmistakable sound of a car and had thought someone had arrived, but quickly realized Jason must have gone out. She tried to move to a better position as she lay on the bed, but it was impossible. Her legs were tied so tightly.

Her mouth was dry and it was painful to swallow. She licked her lips to try and moisten them but all she could taste was the salt from her tears. She glanced upwards, towards the window, seeing a welcome shaft of morning light filtering through the dark green wooden shutters. Odd patterns shifted upon the water-stained walls. She watched the movement for a while, because there wasn’t anything else she could do.

She thought of Rick and wondered if he was looking for her. His strong image appeared, lingering for a few seconds in her mind, and giving her much-needed courage. More memories flooded back as she remembered the strong feel of his hands as they caressed her body and those blue eyes of his as they looked at her.

She loved him. Oh God, she loved him so much. She didn’t want to die like this without him even knowing how she felt. Her breath caught in a sob. Rick would find her. He was a private investigator and an ex-cop, and he was clever, she told herself. She just had to buy herself enough time until he did.

It took Gallagher an hour to reach his flat from the shack. He’d wanted to pick up a couple of things he’d left there. But when he saw the police cars parked out front, he didn’t stop. He increased speed, cruising on by hoping no one would recognize him with his cropped blond hair. The fake suicide note should have thrown them off the track for a while but he should have guessed that Denise would have proved difficult. In the beginning, she’d been only too keen to help him. Anything to get Maria out the way and get Anthony to come back to her. But she’d panicked, especially when he’d told her he’d abducted Gina. So he’d threatened her and, under duress, she had gone to the police just like he had planned with his ransom threat. They didn’t know where to find him though. And he had Gina, he thought, smiling. And very soon he’d have the fifty million dollars as well. He smiled. The Rosselinis would only be too willing to pay up.

Rick looked up at his sister as she entered his office. She was always so calm. That’s probably why she made such a good nurse, he thought.

‘Ben and Sam are playing outside,’ she told him. ‘Has there been any word?’

He grimaced. ‘None.’ He glanced out the window at the two children, sitting outside in the morning sun beside his father in his wheelchair. They were giggling and playing cards, oblivious to the drama playing out in real life. Innocence, thought Rick. There was a lot to be said for it. Seeing them sitting there, Rick realized it was at times like this he appreciated his family around him.

Elena put her arms around her brother’s shoulders. ‘You should eat, or at least get some sleep,’ she told him. ‘You were up all last night.’

He swung around in his swivel chair still holding the map of Kokorua in his hands. ‘I can’t. I’ve just got to keep going,’ he said, his voice breaking. He laid the map down on a desk already cluttered with a heap of paper. He tried to concentrate, but couldn’t.

‘Come and have something to eat,’ she said gently. ‘It will make you feel better.’

‘The only thing that will make me feel better is finding her,’ Rick replied wearily. He leaned forward, then slumped back again. ‘All I can hear is her voice. See her face. I keep imagining what must have happened to her after I left the beach house. She would have been terrified.’

‘Stop torturing yourself. No one could have known what was going to happen. As far as everyone was concerned the man responsible for Maria’s death was dead. And from the sound of it,’ she added, ‘he’s been harbouring a grudge for a long time. Didn’t the psychiatrist at the rehab clinic mention that in his medical report?’

‘They should have warned her what he might have intended doing.’

‘He could have fooled them,’ she replied.

He got up and opened the cupboard in front of him. He took out his gun and knife. Elena put her hand on his arm. ‘Don’t take those … it could leave you wide open.’

Rick ignored her and took out an orange and black packet. He opened it and pushed the brass .9mm into a spare magazine for his Glock.

‘Elena, we’re dealing with a psychopath: he’ll stop at nothing.’ He flashed her a determined look. ‘And neither will I.’

Ellen nodded as she sighed. ‘You love her, don’t you?’ One quick nod from him confirmed her question. ‘For Christ’s sake, be careful. I don’t want to lose a brother.’ She gave a worried frown and then a smile, as she touched him reassuringly again on the arm.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was his mother. ‘There’s a police car waiting for you.’

Rick nodded. ‘Good. Right on time.’ He grabbed an iced can of Coke from the fridge as he passed. ‘I don’t know when I’ll be back.’ He shut the door behind him and made his way down the steps. In exactly fifteen minutes, they’d be flying in an Iroquois helicopter and begin searching the Nelson coast.

Gina heard a car pull up. Daylight filtered through the shutters. She was desperate to use the bathroom and just hoped Jason would let her. When he opened the door and entered the room, she asked him. He untied the rope binding her to the bed and freed her feet but didn’t untie her hands.

‘The bathroom is through there,’ he said, indicating a door off the hallway. Jason had a broody look on his face and Gina wondered what had happened to make him so withdrawn compared to his arrogant state he was in last night. Even so, she knew any mood of his could be dangerous. He was so volatile, anything could set him off.

She lowered her gaze as she walked in front, hoping nothing she did would antagonize him. After entering the bathroom, she tried to shut the door.

‘Leave it ajar,’ he demanded.

Humiliated, she did as he said and, as she stood in the small bathroom, she spied a small piece of broken glass lying on the floor. It had obviously come from the cracked window above her. If she could get it, she might be able to saw through her ropes. Bending down, she tried to pick it up.

When she almost had it within her grasp, he opened the door and peered in.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked suspiciously. He leaned forward, pushed the door open wider. His hand clamped on her shoulder, digging in painfully.

Gina’s fingers curled around the glass shard quickly as she twisted around to look at him. ‘I was dizzy. I lost my balance.’ She put her elbow on the toilet and hoisted herself up slowly.

He gave one quick look around as if to make sure she was telling the truth and then went back out again.