A Pathway of Adversity
Chapter 50
Sergeant Charlie Buckton and Constable Peter Riley searched the safe house from top to bottom, finding very little evidence of Joey having been there.
"Where the hell could she be, Pete?" Charlie asked, running her fingers through her hair in an agitated manner.
"Don't know, Serg."
"But you were supposed to be watching her for God's sake!" Charlie snapped.
"Sorry, Serg."
"That's all very well, Constable, but I'm responsible for this girl!"
Constable Riley remained silent. He wasn't quite sure how the Sergeant expected him to know where her client had disappeared to.
Charlie took out her mobile phone and dialled Joey. Suddenly, her hopes were raised as she heard noise upstairs.
"She's upstairs, Pete!" She cried, rushing for the stairs.
"I don't think so, Serg! I did check just now!" The Constable called behind Charlie.
The mobile phone continued to buzz until Charlie found it in an empty draw in the dressing table. She picked it up and looked at the screen. It read; 'Charlie'.
"Oh Joey, honey." She moaned.
"What was that, Serg?" Asked the Constable who joined the sad looking young woman.
"Nothing, Pete. Nothing."
The morning was getting warmer by the moment. The crickets clicked and the flies buzzed. There seemed lots of flies around – more so than usual.
"These flies are a rotten nuisance, VJ." His mother, Leah Pattison commented as they took a morning stroll together."
VJ grunted in reply. Leah had almost forced her son to accompany her, rather than wasting half his morning in bed and the other half on his Play-Station.
"The walk and fresh air will do you good." She commented.
"So you say."
"Yes, I do!"
VJ picked up a stick and slashed a few bushes as he passed.
"Is that really necessary, love?"
VJ grunted again and Leah raised her eyes to the sky. Why did God invent teenagers anyway?
"Oh mum!" VJ cried. "There's a swarm of flies... and something stinks!"
At that moment, Leah noticed something large laying by the side of the cliff.
"Hold on Veej. What's that?"
"What?"
Leah inclined her head in the direction of the mound.
"Dunno. Let's go take a look!" VJ said with interest.
"But that's where all the flies are coming from."
"Probably a pile of shit!" VJ explained.
"Don't use that word. A pile of manure, if you must!" Leah corrected.
VJ laughed and trotted forward, then stopped abruptly.
"Geez!"
"What?" Leah asked, quietly.
"I think it's... It's a body, mum!"
Leah stopped in her tracks.
Charlie returned to the Police Station and opened her computer. She had seventeen emails waiting for her attention. She scanned them for Joey Collins name, but was disappointed. Here was the promised email from Doug Smooter. She opened it and read:
'Charlie... Please, I need your help! I got involved in some dirty stuff cooked up by Hugo Austin. Gambling, drugs, etc... Not very nice stuff. I'm not proud of myself, or for what I did, but I'll tell you now, I didn't get involved in the selling side of stuff, I was just a look-out really. Kept a look out all over the place – I turned a blind eye at the SBF&C when they were selling the fish illegally, also on Austin's gambling nights and sometimes when he met with the drug pushers. I'm not proud of this, Charlie, but I'd previously got hooked on gambling and lost a lot of money – I couldn't pay up and things got nasty. But I managed to negotiate myself a deal with Austin that if I kept my mouth shut and worked 'quietly' for him, he'd give me more time to find the dough I owed him. I haven't managed to pay it all back yet, but I fear for my family. They're in the City at the moment, where I hope they're safe, but if I join them, I'll put them at risk again. So I'm gonna lose myself for a while until everything calms down. I don't believe that Austin killed Irene Roberts, but I strongly believe that it was someone close to him. She's a bitch, Charlie! She goes around kidding everyone that she's a decent human being, but she isn't! You've got to believe me! She's the one you need to put in gaol.
I don't know when I'll be in town again. I love my family, Charlie, and I don't want them mixed up in all this and put in danger. I'll be in touch at some time.
Regards, Doug Smooter.'
Charlie read and re-read the email. Doug was obviously very frightened. He had tried to contact her but at last, fearing the worst, had disappeared. A pang of guilt touched Charlie's heart. Whilst she had been rushing around looking for Joey, here was a man removing his family to a place of safety and leaving the bay himself, in fear. Everything was getting out of hand – she needed to be doing more to tidy up this situation. Yes, she was off the case as far as Joey Collins was concerned, but there must be something else she could do. Suddenly, her desk phone rang.
"Sergeant Buckton."
"Charlie! Thank God you're there!"
"Leah? Is everything okay?" Charlie asked.
Leah Pattison's tone was grave.
"Charlie! You need to get out here as soon as possible!"
"What's the problem, Leah? Where are you?"
"VJ and I were out walking… up by the cliff's. Charlie… It's horrible! We've found a body!"
Charlie's blood ran cold. Was it Joey?
Martha Holden left her desk and headed for a large fireproof cupboard which was situated in the corner of the accounts office. She looked about her and took a key from her pocket. No one seemed to be taking any notice as she turned the key in the lock. It made a clunking noise as its mechanism sprung into action and the heavy door opened easily when prompted. She took out a large ledger and carried it carefully back to her desk. Glancing up once again, she opened it and proceeded to make an entry. Ingrid Peters glanced up wondering what was so important in the cupboard which only Martha seemed to have access to. Since working at the S.B.F & C, she'd tried all the cupboards and this was the only one which she'd never seen the inside of. She approached Alison one day, but was informed that Martha kept some of her personal things in there; something her grandfather had sanctioned. When Ingrid had enquired what sort of things, Alison replied she didn't know. As far as she was aware, none of it had anything to do with the company. Ingrid craned her neck trying to get a better look, but Martha quickly closed the ledger.
Joey lowered her head as a group of holiday makers wandered towards her. They were pointing towards the ocean and expressing excitement as a shoal of Snapper glinted in the bright morning sunlight. Joey turned her face away in case she was recognised, but the group walked on ignoring the blonde girl. Joey ran her fingers through the hair she had cut in haste over forty eight hours before. The bleach had made her hair feel dry, but it had changed her appearance sufficiently to fool anyone she was acquainted with. Seeing the road ahead was deserted, she popped her bobbed hair behind her ears and continued towards the coast road leading to Summerbay.
Charlie stood by the atrociously hacked body of Doug Smooter. The death was estimated as early morning. The blood which had oozed from his open wounds had dried over the dust and dirt along the cliff path. Seagulls had pecked out his eyes and flies had efficiently laid their eggs in the blooded lesions. Their white larvae were already thrashing around enjoying the free meal. The Sergeant felt sick. The smell was repugnant and the flies appalling. Who could have done this to Doug? He had been a strong man and a fit one – how had anyone managed to do such damage?
"Not a pretty site." Constable Watson murmured as she joined Charlie at the heinous crime scene. "Who would have the stomach to hack someone to death like this?"
"Ten to one, he or she is crazy." Charlie replied. "Look, let's move away and let the forensics' get on with their job."
Watson agreed and the two young women moved some yards away.
"Looks like there was a bit of a struggle here." Charlie said, pointing towards an area where the gravel and dirt had been disturbed.
Watson took a closer look.
"Yeah, some splashes of blood here, Serg. Looks like he may have been rolled over and over to the discovery spot... Look at the uneven trail of blood on that pathway, there."
Charlie followed Watson as she followed the bloody trail back towards the body. She looked closely at Doug's clothes and sure enough, his wounds had large traces of dust and dirt from the track.
"Doesn't seem that long ago that you and I were standing over poor Irene's body, does it?" Watson observed.
Charlie nodded.
"Someone is going to pay dearly for this."
"Charlie... Arnold was asking me some odd questions earlier."
Charlie turned sharply to her colleague.
"Like what?"
"About Angelo... and could he be trusted."
"He doesn't think Angelo had anything to do with Irene's murder, does he?"
"No, no... But Ang' mentioned a name who he thinks might be 'Big C'!
"Who?!"
"Arnold wouldn't say. He might tell you, of course."
"Not so sure. Look... Can you hold the fort here?"
"Yeah, no worries. Where are you going?"
"I need to speak to Ingrid Peters."
"Is she still under cover up at the S.B.F & C?" Watson enquired.
"Yeah. I wanna see if she's uncovered anything yet. Watson, I'm sure there is a tie-up with the S.B.F & C, somewhere. Who is the 'X' factor?"