Down Among the Dead Men (Entangled Ignite) (12 page)

“Stolen?” Her eyes wide, she looked from him to Caitlyn and back again. “What sort of property?”

Caitlyn exchanged a glance with Sally.

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Caitlyn leaned back against the door. “Ignore them,” she said to Sally. “Go on with what you’re doing.”

Sally continued Max’s makeover while the two officers worked their way around the furniture. When they’d moved on to the bedrooms, Caitlyn crossed the room and closed the door behind them.

“Can you believe this?” she asked. “I reckon it must have been the bald guy and the bushy-beard guy.”

“The ones who kidnapped you?”

“Yes. They were after something from Wally, and now we know what it must have been—”

“Calm down, Caitlyn.” Sally nodded toward Max. “You don’t know what this is about.”

Max stared. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

The door from the bedrooms opened and Caitlyn swung around. “Well? Find anything? No? Funny, that.”

“We’ll search the sheds and the workshop now,” the officer said. “And the office, of course. Keys?”

“They’re in the workshop,” Max said. “Josh is working in there.”

“I’ll go and get them,” Caitlyn said, rolling her eyes as she headed for the door.

When she returned, the police vehicle was driving away and Sally was looking at her handiwork.

“There, I’ve finished,” Sally said, glancing over her shoulder at Caitlyn.

“Wow, it looks great,” Caitlyn said.

“Really?” Max sounded dubious. “Can I see?”

“Sure. Just a sec.” Sally grabbed a hand mirror from her bag. “There you are. Saucy, sassy, and seductive.”

“Hey,” Caitlyn said. “Forget seductive. She’s too young.”

Max took the mirror from Sally, her eyes widening at her reflection. “It’s…different.”

“I should hope so,” Sally said. “Or I’ve wasted my time. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I think so, anyway.”

“It’s wonderful, Max,” Caitlyn said. “You look great, and nobody else has got a cut like that around here.”

“No. Thanks, Sally. But how will I keep it like this? Who’s going to cut it when it grows again?”

Sally looked at Caitlyn over Max’s head. “Maybe you’d consider moving to Adelaide? I’d keep it styled for you, free of charge.”

Max shook her head. “Can’t do that.”

“Let’s not worry about it now,” Caitlyn said. “We’ve got plenty to concern ourselves with right here without jumping ahead to the future. They didn’t find anything.”

“What were they looking for, anyway? What were you talking about before?” Max said, handing the mirror back to Sally but watching Caitlyn. “You said you knew what those guys were looking for when they nabbed you. What have you found out?”

“There were some opals in the shed,” Caitlyn said. “We don’t know whether they belong to Wally or not.”

“So, why didn’t the police find them?”

“They’re not here now. They’re…hidden.” She decided not to tell Max where they were—not because she didn’t trust her, but the fewer people who knew where they were, the better.

Chapter Twelve

The evening meal rush used up all Caitlyn’s energy, and when Brenda poked her head around the door, she said, “Not another order? I couldn’t summon up the oomph to slice a loaf of bread.”

“No, no, you’ve finished for tonight. You can relax. But remember I told you about those out-of-townies who were asking about Wally?”

Caitlyn’s head jerked up. “The guys in the suits?”

“They’re the ones. Very suave-looking, they are. Definitely from the city.”

“Are they here again?”

She nodded. “I heard them asking Bruce if Wally’s back yet.”

“I don’t suppose Dale’s turned up, has he?”

“No, lovey.”

Why did they have to choose tonight, when Dale was busy with his legal work? Caitlyn rinsed the heavy saucepan while her mind raced ahead. She’d have to handle this herself because if she didn’t, she might miss the chance to find out whether they knew what had happened to Wally. She turned from the sink, wiping her hands on her apron as she removed it.

“Will you point them out to me?”

“Sure, but it’s hardly necessary.” Brenda laughed as she led the way.

Caitlyn saw what she meant immediately. The two men were more than a little conspicuous in their dark suits.

“There’s a third bloke here tonight, though,” Brenda said. “See him? Rough as hessian underpants and a face like a dropped pie. He wasn’t with them the last time they were here and arrived before the other two tonight.”

If Brenda didn’t know him, he couldn’t be local. His clothes looked like he’d slept in them more than once. With greasy hair and a potbelly, he was clearly not every woman’s dream.

“Thanks, Brenda.”

“Do you know who they are?”

Determined to put a stop to whatever they were up to, she shook her head. “No, but I’m going to ask them. First, I need some fresh air.”

Brenda narrowed her eyes. “You’ll be careful, won’t you? Don’t go getting yourself hijacked like that other time.”

“I won’t. I’ll be much more careful this time. Can I borrow a pencil and a piece of paper?”

She gave Brenda’s arm a couple of reassuring pats before she took the items from her and headed for the external door. She wasn’t as confident as she sounded, but she was not about to miss the opportunity to find out what was going on.

Outside she walked along the street looking for their car, intending to make a note of the registration number. A green and white Kombi van caught her attention and she stopped. Was this a coincidence? Or did it mean that the third guy, the scruffy, greasy one, was Chet, and he was connected in some way with the two men from the city?

Laughter interrupted her thoughts as a group of miners spilled out of the pub door and she wrote down the license plate number before she hurried along the street and located the car she was looking for—a black BMW. No local would drive such a car. After jotting down the license plate number as well as the make and model, she shoved the paper and pencil into the pocket of her jeans and entered the pub through the front door.

She walked straight into Steve.

“I thought you’d left town,” she said.

“I did. I had an urgent work thing to take care of, but I’m back now. Just arrived, in fact.” He touched her elbow and steered her away from the door. “How are you doing?”

“Busy.” She glanced at the three men. They were deep in conversation, but for how much longer? She had to make an excuse to get away from Steve. When she looked back at him, she found he had his eye on the men, too.

“Friends of yours?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“You seem interested in them.”

“No. Just hoping that I don’t look as out of place as they do.”

She chuckled. “Not far off, actually. They’ve been asking about my uncle, so I’m going to find out why.”

Concern flickered across his face. “I’ll come with you.”

She hesitated, but something told her she’d find out more without him. They wouldn’t feel threatened by a woman on her own. “No thanks. We’ll catch up later, okay?”

He stared at her for a moment. “Be careful.”

“I intend to.”

She approached their table, willing her stomach to stop turning somersaults. She was only going to talk to them. Nothing to be afraid of.

“Hi,” she said when she got there.

All three looked up, their expressions wary.

“Excuse the interruption, but I hear you’ve been asking about my uncle, Wally Bracken. Mind if I sit down?” Without waiting for an answer, she took the vacant chair.

“Who are you?” demanded the scruffy one, fidgeting with his glass.

“As I said, I’m a relative of Wally Bracken. How do you know him?”

“Didn’t know he had any relatives.” He glanced at the other two, then slumped in his seat as if he’d finished with the conversation.

“Well, he does.” She turned her attention to the elder of his companions, the one who gave the impression of being in charge. “Why are you looking for him?”

He lifted his glass and took a drink while his dark, narrowed eyes never left her face. “Business,” he said, returning the glass to the table.

“Okay. The thing is, I’m running his business while he’s away.”

He exchanged a glance with the younger guy on his right. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” she said patiently. “The service station, the workshop, and everything else. Is there something I can help you with?”

He smoothed a hand over his silver hair. Judging by the number of gold rings he wore, his business was a lot more lucrative than Wally’s. “When will Bracken be back?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. If I hear from him, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him. What name shall I say?”

He glanced at his partner without answering.

“Is this to do with his”—she paused, unsure how far to go—“with his bit of a gambling problem?”

He made no response, his expression now bored. It was clear she would find out nothing from him.

“Okay then. I’m sorry you don’t think I can help you.”

She stood to leave, and the gray-haired guy grabbed her wrist and squeezed so tightly that her hand tingled. She gasped and was about to demand that he let go when he growled at her, “If you speak to Bracken, tell him his business associates do not appreciate his disappearing act.” He twisted her wrist and pain shot up her arm. “If he knows what’s good for him—and you—he’ll fulfil his commitments to us.”

“What commitments?”

He ignored her question and pulled her closer. “And if we don’t get what we want from him, we’ll come after you.”

“But—”

“And his daughter.”

She sucked in a breath. “But we don’t have anything of yours, and we don’t know what he’s supposed to do for you.”

“Then ask him.” He let go and she took a long step back, out of arm’s reach.

“I can’t contact him. I don’t know where he is. You have no right to threaten us.” Especially Max.

“Until I get what I am owed, I have every right.”

Genuinely frightened, she hurried away from the table and dashed out to her car, her pulse pounding at her eardrums. She was on the empty road when she saw headlights in her rearview mirrors. Crap, they were following her. Gritting her teeth, she put her foot down. Almost immediately, she heard a siren and red and blue lights flashed in her mirrors. With relief flooding through her, she pulled over, taking deep breaths while she waited. Sergeant Peterson wasn’t her favorite person, but he was a more welcome sight than the three men in the pub.

“Do you know what speed you were doing?”

She looked at him and laughed. “No. How fast was I going?”

“Speed is no laughing matter.”

Over his shoulder, she saw the black BMW glide by. Her instinct had been right after all.

“No, I know it’s not.”

He held out a ticket.

“Great. Thanks.” Her first speeding ticket ever, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

…

“You’re early,” Brenda said when Caitlyn walked into the pub kitchen the next afternoon. She was sitting at the table with a cup of tea and a huge slice of cake left over from the day before.

“Max volunteered to help at Ginny’s birthday party, so I dropped her off.” She’d hoped to talk to Dale about what had happened the night before, but he’d been out collecting something for the party. “I thought I might as well come straight here.”

“Ah, the little angel’s growing up.” Brenda poured Caitlyn a cup of tea. “Sit down with me. There’s no need to start work yet. You know, I reckon it’s a blessing Ginny’s mother left. She would have made their lives miserable.”

It was the first time anyone had spoken about Dale’s wife and Caitlyn sat, keen to take advantage of the opening. “What’s she like, Ginny’s mother?”

“How can I be tactful about this?” Brenda pursed her lips for a moment. “Ha! I can’t. She’s a snob. She likes to put people in their place, you know? Her nose grew longer every time she looked down it at us.” She laughed. “I suppose she’s beautiful, though. In a rich-bitch way. You’d never see her without full makeup and lots of jewelry.” She tilted her head to the side. “I don’t know what Dale was thinking when he brought her here. No one in their right mind would expect her to be happy about it. She was a right fish out of water.”

“So she left because she couldn’t handle the lifestyle?” Caitlyn found she wasn’t surprised—it would probably be difficult for anyone who expected to lead a comfortable life to be thrown into the more primitive life of the opal fields.

Brenda shrugged. “The official story was she missed her family. Missed the fancy stores, more likely. If she cared about family, why would she leave a lovable pair like Dale and young Ginny?”

Why indeed? Caitlyn shook her head. It made no sense to her. “Dale still misses her, doesn’t he?”

Brenda squinted. “Why do you say that?”

“He hasn’t divorced her. So, logically, it seems they have unfinished business.”

“You might be right. I’m sure I couldn’t say.” She shrugged. “Anyway, did you have any luck finding out who those men were last night?”

“Er, no. They weren’t exactly talkative.”

“I’m not surprised. I didn’t like the look of them. Whatever they want with Wally, I guarantee it’s not aboveboard. Your friend took an interest in them, too. He was asking about them, how many times I’d seen them, and so on.”

“Sorry? Who?”

“You know, Steve. He asked me about them after you left. He asked about you as well, but I gave him short shrift there. I told him anything he wants to know about you he can ask you himself.”

She’d forgotten all about Steve. She’d promised to catch up with him later, then gone tearing off. So she’d been right when she’d thought he was interested in those men.

“What did he want to know about me?”

“What didn’t he want to know? Let’s see. Whether you’d ever been to the town before. Whether I’d ever seen you talking with those city blokes before. Whether Wally had mentioned you, which struck me as a particularly pointless question. What does it matter? And there was other stuff along the same lines.”

“Oh, I see.” Caitlyn stared at her. Why did he care about Wally, someone he’d never met?

Or had he?

Brenda drained her cup and went to stand up.

“Hold on a sec, Bren. Do you have any idea what Wally spends his money on?”

“Money?” She screwed up her face. “I’ve never known him to have any.”

“Do you think that when he goes away on trips it could be to gamble at the casino in Adelaide?”

“Maybe. I really couldn’t say, but he’s not overloaded with brains so I wouldn’t put it past him.” She flattened her lips as she picked up her cup and Caitlyn’s. “All I know is, he shouldn’t go off and leave Max to fend for herself. It’s lucky that she’s always been a sensible, self-sufficient child. If there’s one kid who deserves a lucky break, it’s her.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Still, he did the right thing this time, didn’t he?”

Caitlyn gave her a blank look.

“Getting you to come and stay. Best thing he ever did, I reckon.”