Dead tide, p.34
Dead Tide, page 34
‘Too late, Alannah,’ he said, trying to scramble into the dinghy and not doing a very good job of it. ‘It was the dead tide that spoiled your party. You should have read up on it.’
He’d managed to get a knee onto the side of the rubber craft, making it list, but he’d overestimated what strength he had left to haul himself up.
‘I’ll tell you what, Hawksworth,’ she said. ‘I’ll give you a choice.’
‘What choice?’ Jack felt stupid clinging to the side, unable to do much more than that for now. His arms no longer felt as though they belonged to him.
‘Me or her?’
‘What?’ He sounded dim.
Jack watched Alannah bend down and, with some sort of inhuman strength, drag a groaning Jem over the side of the dinghy, her head soon beneath the water. She began to struggle.
‘Choose, Jack. Stay with me and take your chances, or try to save Jem. Her husband’s already dead, bleeding out into the ocean, so imagine those poor children without either parent.’ She cackled a laugh that seemed to come from the depths of her new madness and without hesitation she slipped Jem fully into the water. ‘Choose!’ she commanded, reaching for the ripcord.
The choice wasn’t hard. He let go.
Alannah gave her trademark sneer. ‘Bye, Jack. Hope you both die trying to save each other.’
‘Don’t ever feel comfortable, Alannah,’ he yelled. ‘I’m coming for you.’
She laughed and gunned the motor again; this time it caught.
Before she could take off, Jack dove away from the boat in search of Jem, who was likely sinking fast in the dark. From beneath the water he heard the motor roar and felt the vibrations of the dinghy leaving him behind.
But he couldn’t think on that now. He was kicking away, angling to where Jem had disappeared. In his heart he knew the water wasn’t that deep, so he had to trust himself and find her.
In the shadows above the beach, Alex Petras couldn’t see much but he heard a wail that could have come from a man or a woman. He could certainly hear the attempts to start the dinghy’s engine, which suggested to him that the yell had not been Alannah. Then came a pause; could he make out a voice? He tried to siphon it into his mind but he knew he might be making it up now that the wind was stirring and the tide was coming back in.
And then he heard the familiar sound of the dinghy’s motor catching and then the revs that told him it was speeding off into the distance.
Alannah or Mark? He was going with Alannah. His wife was a cat; she knew how to reinvent new lives.
This was it.
She was deserting him. He didn’t know what Alannah had been up to, but she was certainly doing something so underhanded that she was prepared to run away from her life, her home . . . and him. Suddenly Alex didn’t care if she could explain it, if she pleaded on bended knee, promised that she would wait for him before leaving.
No. This Lithuanian didn’t forgive. And she knew men like that; she had been raised by a man like that.
‘You don’t mock me, Alannah. You don’t treat me as some lesser being, orbiting around you like a moon to a sun. I am the sun . . . and you orbit me,’ he muttered, needing to hear himself reach his desperate decision.
He paused and listened for the distant death of the dinghy’s motor, gave it a couple of minutes and pulled out his mobile phone.
It felt like a lifetime before Jack exploded at the surface and although he initially felt refreshed from the cold shock of ducking under the sea, he soon realised that the drug was still determined to make him lose consciousness.
He was staying awake on pure willpower.
But he had to keep Jem safe.
He must not surrender.
She was limp in his arms but he was reassured that she coughed as he sucked in his own lungful of air after emerging. She was groaning but not making sense. He needed her to remain lifeless a little longer because if she began to struggle in shock or fear, he didn’t think he’d be able to hold her.
They’d drifted further out than he’d realised and he needed to get his bearings. He knew he must not sink and take Jem with him. He rolled onto his back, Jem’s chin cupped in his left palm, her body sagging against his.
‘Jem?’ He floated, forcing himself to concentrate on breathing slowly and regularly. ‘Jem?’ he tried again.
‘Mmm?’ It was a whimper.
‘It’s Jack.’
‘My Jack,’ she moaned.
‘You’re okay, I’ve got you and I’m not going to let you go.’
He swallowed. ‘We’re going to slowly head back to the beach. Just float, Jem. I’ll do the rest.’
‘Floating with you,’ she murmured as though slipping off to sleep.
He knew not to complicate this moment with any more information. Besides, he only had room in his mind for gently kicking them back to where he hoped Matt waited. In the distance he heard the buzzing sound of the outboard motor cut to silence. Either she’d made it to the cruiser or Alannah’s dinghy had capsized. He didn’t hold out hope for the latter, much as he wished that might be the case.
No, Alannah had got away from him. She thought she’d won. But all she was doing was holding off the inevitable.
He or someone like him would hunt her down.
He or someone like him would find her and make sure she paid for all the lives she’d taken or ruined.
‘Jack?’
‘I’m here,’ he said, soothing her as he paddled backwards, not rushing, not exerting himself too much. He had no idea how much further they yet had to swim.
‘Where’s Mark?’
‘I don’t know,’ he answered as truthfully as he dared.
‘Am I dying? I need to know Mark’s there for the children. My babies.’
Where was she finding the willpower to be this alert?
‘I won’t let you die. Help is nearby,’ he said, not letting her hear how much of that was simple hope rather than fact. ‘Be still, Jem, let me swim.’
Mercifully, she fell silent.
He paddled on in the dark until he felt a bump. They’d hit the shore and he’d never been more grateful to feel land.
There was a shout, light bobbing around them and strong hands suddenly under his arms, hauling him backwards. He felt the scrape of the sand against his skin as his shirt rode up. It was the most reassuring sensation he could imagine.
‘Jack! Mate!’
He opened his eyes. ‘Matt?’
‘You’re okay,’ his friend said calmly, and Jack thought he may have inwardly smiled at Matt using the same reassuring words that he had used only minutes earlier himself.
‘Look after Jem. Tell me she’s breathing.’
Jem was dragged from between his legs. He felt her absence keenly.
‘Jem! Jem!’ Matt yelled, trying to win a response.
And then Jack heard the words he needed to hear.
‘She’s breathing,’ Matt said. ‘Let me get ambulances down here.’
‘Matt. They made me swallow a lot of tranquillisers.’
‘A lot of what, mate?’ Matt asked as he waited for the emergency call to be answered.
It seemed Jack couldn’t form his words very well any more. ‘Sleeping tablets.’ He wasn’t sure that came out right either. ‘Pump my stomach.’ He sighed and let his head rest against the sand, turning to look towards the cruiser. As he let go completely, Jack saw an explosive flash on the horizon and a booming sound. He closed his eyes against the blinding light illuminating his surroundings.
Alex Petras had held off pressing the button when he suddenly noticed a man running towards the shoreline. Soon he was able to make out two other figures rolling up on the beach and then being hauled away from the water.
He didn’t imagine the smaller of them was Alannah, and then he knew it couldn’t be when he heard the newcomer yelling Jem’s name.
‘So be it,’ he whispered and pressed the button he’d been told to press.
Alex Petras watched his beloved cruiser explode spectacularly against the horizon and with it, the wife he’d considered magnificent since the day he’d met her.
33
When he woke, Jack was in the now-familiar space of a hospital bed, wearing yet another hospital gown. All hospital wards seemed to look and smell the same. His first thought was that he should ask someone to take a photo for Joan, for her private amusement.
A nurse with shiny blonde hair and a warm smile came into view. ‘Hello, Jack. I’m Margo.’
He grinned. ‘Nice way to wake up.’ His voice was croaky and his throat ached.
She chuckled. ‘You’ll probably need a drink. Here, let me help,’ she said, lifting his shoulders so he could sip from a plastic beaker that had a straw. The water felt like a balm as he swallowed. ‘You’re at the Royal Adelaide, if you’re wondering,’ she said. ‘And we performed a gastric suction, which might explain why your throat feels scratchy or painful.’
‘As in stomach pump?’
She nodded. ‘I’m not going to ask why you swallowed so many pills. Tranquillisers, apparently?’
‘I promise you, I didn’t choose to,’ he replied.
‘Oh?’ she said, full of concern. ‘The medical team believe they got most of it emptied in time. The rest simply relaxed your muscles and ultimately gave you a good night’s sleep.’
Jack gave a painful laugh. ‘I think the aim was to make it a permanent one.’
She frowned. ‘That’s awful. I’m so sorry. Don’t say any more, but I think that explains why there’s a detective waiting outside. Enough?’
He nodded. ‘Thank you. Er, the woman I was with – how is she?’
There was a knock at the door and Matt walked in, beaming. ‘There you are,’ he said. ‘Thought you’d never wake.’
The nurse helped Jack to sit up fully. ‘I’ll let you be. Call me if you need me.’
He nodded and looked to Matt expectantly. He knew he must look nervous. ‘Jemima?’
Matt lifted a hand. ‘She’s going to be okay. Nasty bump on her head, concussed, and she lost a lot of blood but she’s already been in surgery to repair the wound. The blade miraculously missed the artery and nerves, but it has led to partial lung collapse. She’ll be in for a while recovering.’
‘And Mark Maddox?’
‘Not such good news, I’m afraid. He washed up an hour or so after you both.’
Jack nodded. He’d presumed as much. ‘Drowning or . . .?’
Matt shrugged. ‘He’s with our good friend, Dr Alison Moore, who will confirm soon enough but I suspect the slash across his throat will tell its tale.’
‘Good.’
‘Good?’ Matt frowned.
‘I want to hang a murder charge around Alannah Petras’s neck on top of everything else. I witnessed her do it. I know it was dark and I was compromised by the sedatives, but I saw her, Matt. I watched Maddox stagger backwards in the shallows, clutching his neck, probably taking his last breath.’
‘We haven’t told his wife yet.’
‘Are you leaving that to me?’
‘Only if you want to. She’ll be formally interviewed when she’s well enough.’
Jack sighed. ‘No, I’ll tell her. What about the explosion?’
‘The guys are out there now, looking for a body.’
‘I’m only interested in one.’
‘Put it this way: the cruiser’s a wreck and there was no one to be rescued on board. And if she managed to get out first, they’ll find her floating around if the treacherous seas out that way don’t deal with her.’ He shook his head. ‘Did you know it was Alannah Petras running the syndicate?’
Jack sighed. ‘Not at all. I was paying more attention to the husband. Where is he, by the way?’
‘We’re still looking for him. I wondered if we should be looking for two sets of remains from that cruiser.’
Jack shook his head. ‘Unless he found another way to get to the boat, it’s my understanding he wasn’t on the cruiser. I also don’t think he knew what his wife was up to. I think he’s one of the casualties, like Jem. Innocent and yet their lives have been profoundly affected.’ He shook his head sadly.
‘We’ll need a full debrief as soon as you’re up for it.’
‘Of course.’ Jack nodded. ‘Tomorrow for sure.’
‘Looks like you’ll get your joint op, Jack. Major Crimes wants this racket closed down, all the infrastructure and supply chain pinpointed and dealt with. Your boss is delighted, apparently.’
He found a smile. ‘Thanks for everything, Matt.’
‘I should have got to you earlier.’
‘If you had, you’d have been given similar treatment. As it worked out, you were the cavalry arriving just at the right moment.’
Matt’s look suggested that Jack was being generous and Jack wanted to assure him he was being genuine, but the detective was already lifting a hand in farewell.
‘Rest up, mate. We’ll catch up later today if you feel brighter. I’ve left some fresh clothes for you – hope you don’t mind me ransacking your suitcase.’
Jack raised a hand in thanks. He still felt pathetically weak but as soon as Matt had gone, he called Margo again and asked if he might see Jem Maddox.
‘She’s awake but not breathing easily. Leave it a few hours. We need that lung re-inflated fully.’
Jack nodded in understanding, though he was disappointed.
That evening, Jack, now out of his gown and dressed in his own clothes again, was permitted to see Jem. He looked around her room’s door before tapping gently on it.
She was awake, propped up in the hospital bed. She smiled. ‘Jack,’ she said, sounding weak, but her tone was warm and welcoming. ‘I’ve been longing to see you. They said you were going to be fine.’
He moved to the bed. ‘I am,’ he reassured her. ‘And you’re going to fully recover too.’
‘So they tell me.’ She grinned. ‘Not that they’re telling me much. I hope you’ll be more forthcoming.’
He took a silent breath. ‘I’ll tell you what I know. Do you remember much?’
‘I remember that whore stabbing me,’ she said.
He grinned. ‘I see your colourful vocabulary when it comes to Alannah Petras is intact. She isn’t though.’
‘What do you mean?’ Jem frowned.
‘I watched her boat blow up while lying on that beach with you all but unconscious.’
Jem’s mouth dropped opened in surprise. ‘She’s dead?’
Jack shrugged. ‘I wish I could say for sure. But it’s highly likely and, if not, then she’ll be quickly found and taken into custody. I can’t imagine what happened, though. They were bragging about how she was such a good sailor.’
There was a momentary silence as he watched Jem’s forehead crinkle in thought before she cut him a sly look. ‘I wouldn’t put it past Alex Petras to be behind this.’
That surprised Jack. ‘I didn’t think he was involved. Do you know—’
‘I don’t believe he was either. But what I do know is that despite his sophistication, he’s a proud Lithuanian man who came up the hard way. I got the firm impression he was not going to stand by and be humiliated by his wife without taking some action.’
Before Jack could say more, she lifted a hand and made him wait while she took some shallow breaths.
‘I think it’s plausible,’ she continued, struggling slightly with her breathing now, ‘that his suspicions could have led him to take certain steps.’ The oxygen mask she wore kept filling with vapour.
He shouldn’t allow her to exert herself but he needed to hear this. ‘You think this was a husband’s revenge?’
‘Could be, even though for the wrong reason. He left me in no doubt that he would make her pay a price only her kind understood – whatever that meant.’
‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Alex is now on the Major Crimes radar between here and the UK, and there’s probably a European team involved too.’
‘I don’t remember much else. I do remember drowning, or at least feeling as though I was. But you found me, didn’t you?’
Jack nodded.
‘In the dark, even full of sleeping tablets, you found me.’
‘Well, I felt I must because you still owe me seven dollars.’
She burst into laughter and then had a coughing fit.
He waited, feeling guilty for causing it. Nurse Margo arrived.
‘Really, Mr Hawksworth? I just told you she has a collapsed lung.’ It was a mild admonishment, but her tone was warm. ‘You have thirty seconds before you need to let her rest. You too.’ Margo left.
Jack’s gaze met Jem’s and their expressions became more serious.
‘Mark’s dead, isn’t he?’
Jack hesitated only for a heartbeat before he squeezed her hand and nodded. ‘I intend to make sure she’s held responsible for his murder.’
Jem’s chin quivered and he watched her swallow hard for a couple of seconds. ‘Of course, I’m sad, and I need some time to process it, but it’s probably for the best.’
He waited, a query in his expression.
‘I mean, imagine the circus we’d be facing. Mark was guilty, I think I’ve finally accepted that. I don’t think he was a born killer or a bad man in his heart but he was weak and led by that woman down a path I would never have thought possible.’
‘Yes. I’ve confirmed that he did participate directly in killing someone.’
Tears leaked over her ears and rolled around her oxygen mask. ‘The Mark I married was all about preserving life. A doctor, for crying out loud. I think it’s probably a good thing that he doesn’t have to publicly answer for his sins, for his sake as much as mine and the children’s.’
‘That’s very rational of you, Jem.’
‘It’s the drugs,’ she quipped. ‘Let’s see how I am in a few days. Who knows how I’ll adjust.’
Jack nodded. ‘Well, there are three children to adjust for.’
‘Yes, they are the loves of my life. We’ll have to learn how to live without their dad. They worshipped him, you know. He was always the fun one.’
‘You’re fun too,’ Jack said.
She smiled sadly. ‘When do you leave?’
