Killarney, p.6
Killarney, page 6
‘I know, mate, just …’ he placed a steadying hand on Blair’s shoulder. ‘Be careful.’
Dana noted the sharpness in Blair’s eyes, his tight, pinched mouth. As Lachlan backed the car out of the driveway, crunching over gravel, she tried to assess if the man with high colour in his cheeks was telling the truth. Perhaps it was the pallor of his skin or the look in his watery blue eyes, but she didn’t trust him. But Lachlan did and that made her doubt herself. Maybe she’d worked so many sexual abuse cases that her radar was broken.
‘I know Blair’s your friend and you’ve known him a long time,’ she started, ‘but I’m not sure you should be tipping him off about people coming for him if Jayden has done a runner.’
Lachlan’s eyebrows were raised as they headed back into town past the co-op and petrol station. ‘I can tell you with full assurance, it’s fine.’
‘I really don’t think you should let your personal relationship with this man cloud your judgement.’
‘My personal relationship with Blair is my judgement.’ He shook his head. ‘Blair’s biggest problem is that he’s one of those guys who’s always been a bit clueless. Like the time he put an ad in the Warwick paper in the Lonely Hearts column before he joined the ministry. Said he wanted the companionship of a woman with a passionate commitment to Christ and a love of good clean fun. Boy, did he cop it that time.’
‘I’m just saying, you need to be careful. How does that saying go? We are all savages on the inside.’
‘I think you’re taking that quote out of context and I’ll tell you something for nothing – Blair is not a savage. Not even close. In fact, he’s one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I’ve ever met. When I’d just finished high school I was flat broke and couldn’t afford to get my car fixed after I cooked the engine. Well, he paid for the mechanic to repair it. And he never expected me to give him the money back – just told me to pay it forward. Not only that, but he used to volunteer as a phone counsellor for Lifeline. It really used to get him down at times, but he told me he’d never quit because of the regulars who relied on him. He’s a good guy.’
‘Okay, I won’t say anything more.’
Lachlan pulled onto the highway, his foot on the accelerator until he sped up to a hundred and twenty kilometres an hour.
‘You might want to slow—’
‘It’s fine.’
Back in the Toowoomba office, Lachlan and Dana traipsed up the stairs from the car park and into the lift. When they heard the chime at the fourth floor they stepped out into the foyer and were confronted by a burly security guard, arms crossed as he stood in front of the reception counter.
‘Can I help you?’ He gave them a hard stare.
Lachlan sauntered over to him and flashed his ID. ‘We work here, mate.’
The man nodded and Lachlan used his security swipe to enter the side door.
‘Since when do we have security?’ Dana asked, pausing at the door and addressing the guard on her way through.
‘Since a disgruntled dad burst from one of the interview rooms last week and tackled one of the admin workers.’
‘Yikes.’
Lachlan turned back to her. ‘I’m just going to grab a coffee. Do you want anything?’
‘I’m fine.’ As she waited for him down the corridor Dana took the opportunity to type Blair Hadley’s name into the child protection database. She knew she’d get a serious rap over the knuckles if she was found out, but if it helped locate Jayden, then so be it.
The only results that came up were a female Blair Hadley, aged sixty-seven, from Mount Isa and an eleven-year-old, Briar Hope, residing in Far North Queensland. She clicked out of the database in frustration, just as Lachlan returned to their pod. The phone at the empty desk next to him started ringing and he ignored it. After it finally rang out there was a short pause before it started up again.
‘Aren’t you going to get that?’ asked Dana.
‘Not my job,’ he said over the insistent chirp of the phone. ‘Keely’s been on stress leave for the past couple of weeks and they still haven’t transferred her calls. I’m fed up with being her receptionist.’
Dana wondered whether he was still annoyed at her for questioning him about his allegiance with Blair. ‘Keely’s on stress leave?’
‘She was here one day, did a morning on the intake line, then just walked out of the office. No-one has seen her since before Christmas.’ His phone started ringing and he gave Dana a dark look as he picked it up.
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Transfer him to the phone in interview room two.’ He hung up and turned to Dana. ‘One of the detectives from the Killarney Police Station wants to talk to us – says it’s about the drug task force.’
Not long after they had seated themselves in the private interview room the red light on the phone flashed. Dana opened her notebook as Lachlan picked up the call and put it on speaker. ‘Ryan!’ he said, his hands flat on the table after the officer introduced himself. ‘I heard you’d joined the force. Didn’t know you were back in the area. How’s things?’
‘Yeah, good. It’s been a few years. Look, I’m heading up Operation Border Control for the drug task force and we’re trying to infiltrate the drug trade that’s coming through Killarney since we cracked down on the east coast.’
‘I’d heard rumours about that,’ Lachlan said, rubbing his beard and looking to Dana.
‘Anyway, I got word that you lot had been in town this week, and I thought I’d reach out to get a lay of the land. How’s your folks?’
‘Look, mate, as you probably know, ever since I quit the O’Malley clan people haven’t been very willing to open up to me.’
Ryan chuckled. ‘I’m not sure they’re going to talk to me either.’
‘There are worse things than getting divorced, mate.’
‘Try telling it to the Catholics.’ They laughed.
‘I’m trying to find out if that recent hit-and-run might be linked to the drug trade. There’s been a few incidents in Killarney recently. I’ve been working out of the station here for the past few months.’
‘Well, maybe. I know that some of the employees at the sawmill liked to party. We spoke to Buckley’s ex-partner, but she didn’t seem to think that the police were very interested in finding out what had happened.’
‘That’s not true, there’s just been some difficulty establishing who the rider was and who was the owner of the motorcycle. Between you and me, the investigation stalled after we realised it had false rego plates.’ Ryan expelled a large breath down the other end of the line. ‘The plates on the motorcycle at the time of Johnny’s death belonged to a quad bike.’
‘Sounds complicated,’ said Lachlan. ‘Anyway, the main reason we were in Killarney was that a child in our care, Jayden Maloney, seems to be missing. No-one has seen him since last week.’
‘Have you filed a report yet?’
‘Trevor out at the mill had a chat with the local police. We were in Killarney on Monday and again earlier today, checking if anyone had seen him, but no luck.’
‘Actually, this is ringing a bell now. I overheard the constable saying that Jayden’s backpack had been found in the barbecue area of Queen Mary Falls yesterday.’
Dana gave Lachlan a quizzical look.
‘I hate to say this,’ said Ryan, ‘but an abandoned backpack may be evidence that we’re dealing with foul play.’
‘I hope not,’ he said. ‘That’s our worst-case scenario.’
‘It’s something we’ll need to consider.’
Lachlan raised his eyes to the heavens and shook his head. ‘Anyway, mate, I’ll be in touch tomorrow and we’ll talk about next steps if Jayden still hasn’t been located.’
‘We’ll wait to hear from you.’
‘And sorry I couldn’t be more help this time, but I’ll keep an ear out and let you know if I hear anything.’
Lachlan hung up and rubbed his temples. ‘I really hope that’s not true. After everything that kid’s been through, for something terrible to happen to him would be tragic.’ He pushed back his chair and stood up.
‘Agreed,’ she said, concerned by how personally Lachlan seemed to be taking the matter. She closed her notebook and followed him from the room.
Back in the pod, he turned to her. ‘Sorry if I was a bit grumpy earlier. The kids kept me up all night and I didn’t get much sleep.’ He peered out the window, dark grey clouds building on the horizon. ‘How about you let me buy you dinner at pub trivia Friday night? Reckon I’m going to need a few drinks after this week.’
She hesitated. ‘I’d love to, but I have a date.’
‘With who?’
‘Your brother.’
‘Sean?’ He gave a strangled laugh and stepped backwards.
‘I didn’t think you’d have a problem with it.’
‘I don’t.’
‘Okay then.’
‘Okay.’
Perhaps she’d underestimated the rivalry between the brothers. But Lachlan was married, she reasoned, surely he didn’t care who she was dating? As he sat down and shuffled papers on his desk without meeting her eyes, it was clear she’d made a mistake by not telling him sooner.
Dana dropped in at Susan’s house on her way home from work and found her in the backyard retrieving the washing from the line. When Susan looked up from folding a shirt, her eyes were red and puffy and she hastily wiped the tears from her face.
‘Is everything okay? Not more bad news, I hope?’ asked Dana.
‘Nothing like that. I just got off the phone from Tina.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘She’s pleading with me to let Angus stay with her. She’s asked if he can go to school in Killarney and live with her. Permanently.’
Dana walked over to the line and unpegged a pair of jeans, not trusting herself to meet Susan’s eyes. ‘What did you say?’
‘I said, no. She knew the deal was that he’d only be there for the school holidays. He’s got a scholarship to one of the best schools around and is all set to start in a few weeks. It’s infuriating. I used to call her Hurricane Tina. She has this way of manipulating people so it’s impossible to say no, but I’ve learnt that the best way to deal with her is head on, otherwise everyone else gets hurt and she comes out untouched.’ Susan let out a long sigh. ‘Anyway, I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to get him – I’m not feeling well enough for a long car drive right now.’
‘We’re heading down that way again tomorrow morning. I’m happy to bring him back with us?’
‘Would you? That’s perfect. If he’s home tomorrow afternoon I can organise his books and uniform. Then he can head back to Tina’s and spend the final week of the holidays with her before school starts.’
Dana felt her body sag with relief. She took a white linen shirt from the line and folded it against her chest. ‘I’ve missed him, you know. Since he’s been away I’ve felt like I don’t know what to do with myself. I can only imagine how it feels for you.’ Dana watched as Susan folded a pair of socks. ‘Have you told Tina about your diagnosis yet?’
‘No, and I have no plans to, for the moment. As soon as she hears it will be just one more reason why she should keep him.’ She gave a resigned smile. ‘On a brighter note – what happened with that lovely man last night?’
‘It was a really good night, actually. Sean ended up staying for dinner and asked me to go out again on Friday night.’
‘How wonderful!’ Susan touched Dana’s upper arm. ‘Make sure you enjoy yourself. Life’s not meant to be all work.’ She gave Dana a meaningful stare. ‘One day you turn around and suddenly you’re in the twilight of your life.’
5
A crowd had gathered in the shadow of the Warwick Court House, a sombre sandstone building silhouetted against a dark sky. The first raindrops fell and umbrellas came out, black with a sprinkling of vibrant colours. Spectators huddled together on the stairs. At the front of the pack, journalists with microphones jostled each other beneath the clock tower.
Dana inched towards Lachlan so he could share her umbrella. As he ducked his tall frame to take shelter, he nudged her with his elbow. ‘I heard about your visit from my brother the other night?’
She looked up at him, trying to figure out whether he was still annoyed. ‘We had dinner at my place after he realised you were out for the evening, and that was about it really.’
‘Did he stay for breakfast?’ Lachlan asked.
She ignored him. ‘Why are they holding the media conference here, instead of at the police station?’ In actual fact, she was thankful for the cool air.
‘They made a huge mistake treating Jayden like someone who’d absconded from his placement and now they’re trying to be professional. And as for making us all stand out here in the rain – they’re probably hoping it’ll prevent the journos from asking too many questions.’
‘Well, I’m glad they’re finally treating this with the seriousness it deserves.’
A woman in a navy pantsuit came through the door with a photo of Jayden mounted on a stand. It was the one Dana had seen in his case file – a side-on shot of him with his Michael Jordan backpack slung over his shoulder. The woman was joined by a male police officer. A hush fell over the crowd as she asked for silence. The only sound was the steadfast patter of rain.
‘My name is Della Baldwin, Media Officer for the Queensland Police. We are gathered here today to hold a media conference in relation to the disappearance of Jayden Maloney. With me is Senior Sergeant Vince Maretti of the Warwick Police, who will provide his address shortly. Can I please ask respectfully that any questions are left until the end?’
Sergeant Maretti stepped forward. ‘The Queensland Police Service are asking for public assistance to locate sixteen-year-old Jayden Maloney who has not been seen for eight days now – which is very concerning for us.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Jayden is from Killarney and was last seen outside the Queen Mary Falls store on the eighth of January at approximately four pm. He is described as being Caucasian in appearance and one hundred and seventy-two centimetres tall with a medium build, light brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark-coloured work shirt, brown-coloured pants and black work boots. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.’
‘We will now open up to questions,’ the sergeant announced.
A female journalist with a glossy black bob and grey steel-framed glasses shot her hand up.
‘Yes, Bronwyn.’
‘Firstly, the obvious question – why did it take so long for you to treat this as a missing person case?’
‘There was some confusion in relation to who had the authority to publicly release information given he is a child in state care.’
Dana whispered to Lachlan, ‘Is that true?’
He nodded. ‘Apparently there was a lot of back and forth between the Department of Families and the Queensland Police because of the confidentiality provisions regarding the media release of information with respect to children in foster care.’
The same journalist put her hand up again before anyone else had a chance.
‘Yes, Bronwyn,’ said Sergeant Maretti.
‘Is it true that a current member of the clergy in Warwick is under suspicion and that you’re in the process of gathering evidence against him?’
‘I can’t comment on specific persons of interest in this case.’
‘Okay, well, is the disappearance of Jayden Maloney in any way linked to the hit-and-run death of Johnny Buckley two weeks ago?’
The sergeant’s face gave nothing away. ‘At this stage we do not believe there is any logical connection between the incidents and we’re treating them as separate enquiries.’
As Dana looked around she noticed a familiar face at the fringe of the crowd. Angus was standing with his mother, her arm circling him protectively. Dana was momentarily confused about what they were doing in Warwick, until she remembered Tina’s AA meetings. Dana felt a jolt of resentment towards the woman who’d monopolised Angus’s time during the Christmas holidays, but tried to tell herself that perhaps it was a good thing he was spending more time with his mother.
The volume from the crowd increased as a volley of questions were fired from the journalists.
‘This is a small town. Why have there been two serious incidents in a week? Is this a case of police negligence?’
Dana and Lachlan both turned as Amber Lanaski started waving her arms and calling out. ‘What are you doing to find out who killed Johnny? Why’s it taking so long?’ She launched herself at the podium and it almost toppled over. ‘My daughter needs to know what happened to her dad.’
Della raked her fingers through her fringe and held up her hand in an attempt to restore order. ‘That’s all the questions we’ll be answering today. We thank you for your time.’ She spun around and hurried into the courthouse, Senior Sergeant Maretti holding the door open for her and closing it firmly behind them.
Dana scanned the crowd looking for Angus as people started drifting off. When their eyes locked across the crowd he gave her a half-wave, half-salute. A deep melancholy radiated through her as she felt him slipping away from her. She waved back, and for a brief moment it was just the two of them amid the chaos.
Then Tina pulled him away and he was gone.
The interior of the Warwick Police Station looked the same as the other headquarters Dana had visited – carpet tiles, computers, walls with procedural charts, high-vis vests thrown over the backs of chairs. Lachlan fist-pumped the sergeant by way of greeting and then introduced Dana to the man who had made the statement at the media conference earlier that morning.
