Down Among the Dead Men (Entangled Ignite) (13 page)

Chapter Thirteen

A couple of hours later, Caitlyn handed over the last meal of the night to Brenda and sank into a chair. More satisfied customers. The job was going well, but she couldn’t say the same for the search for her father. Things had happened, but none of them had brought her closer to the answer. They didn’t even seem to be connected. If there were dots to be joined, she couldn’t see them.

Brenda bustled back into the kitchen. “Caitlyn, lovey, why don’t you go and have a drink with Dale? He said he’d like a word if you have time before you leave.”

She leaped up, forgetting her fatigue, and hurried out to the bar. A beer awaited her on the table as she slid into the vacant chair. “Hi. Is this for me?”

Dale nodded. “How are you? Not too tired?”

“Depends what you’re expecting me to do. Brenda said you wanted to talk, and I can definitely manage that. I want to tell you what happened last night.”

She launched into an account of her meeting with the three men. Concern creased his forehead when she got to the part about being grabbed and then his frown deepened when he heard about the threat toward Max.

“You shouldn’t have spoken to them on your own. You should have gotten me.”

“I didn’t want to risk them disappearing before I had a chance to find out anything.”

“But you didn’t actually find out anything, did you?” he reminded her. “All you succeeded in doing was bringing their attention to the fact that you exist, and quite likely putting yourself in danger in the process.”

“I think that’s a bit unfair.” Disappointment gushed through her and indignation drove her voice up a notch. “I’m not stupid. I had to do something. We were getting nowhere fast and it might have been exactly the breakthrough we needed. Besides, you weren’t here because you were too busy with something else to help me.”

She watched him visibly relax his clenched jaw. “You’re right. I’m sorry. This case I’m working on is very important, but I think I’ve broken the back of the work now, and I’ll make sure I’m here every night from now on.”

She nodded. “I know you’re doing me a favor, and I do appreciate it.”

“I’m not doing it for your gratitude.” He paused. “He didn’t give you any clue as to what they were looking for?”

“No. And when I mentioned gambling, there wasn’t even a flicker in their faces. But one answer did come out of it, I guess, because Chet didn’t seem to have any idea where Wally was, either, or else why wouldn’t he have told them?”

She sipped her beer and gave him a moment to think about what she’d said.

“How did you know it was Chet? I don’t suppose he introduced himself, did he?”

“The green and white Kombi van was parked outside.”

He frowned. “They were definitely together? It wasn’t a coincidence?”

“They all sat together. Oh, and I got both his license plate number and the make of car the other guys were driving.” She dug into her jeans pocket for the note and handed it over. “Look, I know I made it sound like it was no big deal, but it was, actually. I was shit scared. I’d think twice about approaching strangers like that again.” Holding out her wrist, she pushed up the broad plastic bangles she’d borrowed from Sally to hide the bruise while she was working.

“Hell.”

He reached out to stroke the bruised skin, and his touch reminded her of thoughts she’d made an effort to bury.

She pulled her arm away. “It’s okay now,” she said, pushing the bangles back into place. “It doesn’t hurt much. The worst part was that they followed me when I left here—”

“What?”

“But when I sped up to get away from them, Sergeant Peterson pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket.”

“You could have killed yourself going that fast on these roads.”

“Their car drove past while he was writing the ticket. I think they were following me, but the police car pulled out in front of them when I passed him.”

“Perfect.” He leaned back. “We have to get this business sorted out, and soon.”

“I know.”

“We need to know who owns the contents of those beer bottles. If we return them, it should stop the local police nosing around. I think it’s a fair assumption that they belong to the miners who kidnapped you—”

“Baldy and Bushy.”

“Right. And they’re the reason they want Wally—to get their property back.”

“But why would they get the police involved?”

He frowned. “It’s unusual.”

“How can we find out whether they own them? We can’t come straight out and ask them, can we?”

“I don’t think we have a choice.” He thought for a moment. “I’ll go and see them early tomorrow morning when it’s a good bet they’ll be working their claim. The sooner we sort out that part of the mystery, the better.”

“I’ll come, too.”

“Don’t you think you’ve seen enough danger for one week?”

She pretended to think about it for a moment, but her mind was made up. “You’re not going without me.”

He sighed. “All right, I’ll pick you up. Be ready early.”

She leaned closer. “Bring the shotgun.”

…

When she climbed into Dale’s truck the next morning, she was dosed up on caffeine and primed for whatever was going to happen. After exchanging greetings, they drove in silence for several minutes. “Do you have any contacts who could find out who owns that BMW from the other night?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it.”

“Oh. What are you going to do with it, then?”

“Don’t ask. Just leave it with me.”

It wasn’t as if she could do anything about it herself, but that didn’t make inactivity easier to bear. “Do you miss being a lawyer?”

He didn’t answer immediately. “I don’t miss the lifestyle, but sometimes I miss the work, although I do get the chance to keep my hand in from time to time.”

“Like the case you’re working on now?”

He nodded.

She waited, but he clearly didn’t intend to enlighten her, so she blurted, “What’s your favorite food?”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Why? Are you working on a new menu for the pub?”

“No, I’m trying to make conversation without getting too personal because whenever I do, you clam up.”

“I don’t. I told you about Shane, and that’s as personal as it gets for me.”

She stared out at the lunar-like landscape they were driving through. “Never mind me. I’ve probably had too much coffee this morning.”

He was quiet for a moment before he said, “Oysters, I guess.”

“Oysters?” Smiling but astonished, she looked at him. “You came to the wrong place, didn’t you? We’re as far from the sea as you can get.”

“Yes, but it’s for the best. I’m allergic to them. I like them, but they don’t agree with me.”

“How very shellfish of them.”

He gave her a look that was half grimace, half smile. “All right, in the same vein, what’s your favorite color?”

“Yellow,” she said decisively. “It’s so cheerful. Paint a room yellow and it becomes a happy room. Wear yellow and you feel bright, hopeful.”

“Maybe that’s why the transport authorities paint roadwork trucks yellow? So that you feel cheerful about being stuck in a traffic jam.”

She grinned. “It’s a color. It can’t work miracles.”

He parked at the side of the road. “We’re here.”

He reached under his seat for the shotgun and followed her out of the truck. Baldy and Bushy stood with their backs to a tin shed, watching as Dale walked toward them, holding the shotgun casually, pointed at the ground. Although he gave the impression of being relaxed, she could sense the tension in him.

Bushy leaned on a lever and a rattling conveyor belt stopped, creating a spooky silence. “What do you want?”

Dale nodded at the two men. “Good morning. We’d like to know whether you’ve spoken to the police regarding some stolen property.”

In a synchronized action, both men folded their arms, causing their biceps to bulge.

“What if we have?” Baldy asked. His tone, his stance, everything about him was belligerent. “What business is it of yours?”

Caitlyn glanced at Dale. Baldy had all but admitted they were behind Michael Peterson’s search.

“We may be able to help you find your property,” Dale said.

Bushy started forward. Caitlyn took a step back. She’d already been overpowered by him once and she wasn’t going to let him get the better of her again. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dale’s grip tighten on the butt of the shotgun.

Bushy stopped when his mate held up a hand.

“Do you have it?” Baldy said.

“We might know where it is, but we’ll need a description to be sure.”

Baldy stared at Dale then jerked his head at the shed. “Not her,” he said, jabbing a finger in her direction. His look challenged Dale to argue with him, but Dale nodded and handed her the shotgun.

“What are you doing?” she said in a low voice. “I don’t know how to use this.”

“Just pretend. You won’t need to use it for real.” Without waiting for her to agree, he walked toward the shed.

She watched him disappear inside, followed by Baldy, who pulled the door shut behind them. Her heart beat so hard she could feel her chest throbbing. She held the gun awkwardly and carefully. Anyone watching would know she didn’t have a clue about it. She glanced at Bushy and lifted her chin, trying to look as if she were in control.

Of herself and the gun.

She kept an eye on Bushy and an ear on the shed, straining to hear anything like a scuffle. A small part of her hoped she’d have a chance to use the gun—payback for the kidnap attempt. The greater part of her, the coward, couldn’t believe what she held.

After several long minutes, Dale reappeared. He gave her a brief nod as he made his way over to her. Taking back the gun, he signaled her to get into the truck. They were on their way home before he spoke.

“It’s all sorted out. Those opals are definitely theirs. He described the beer bottles, the brand, the number of stones.”

“You believe they’re the owners and haven’t learned the information from somebody else?”

“I do.”

“Okay, so what happens now?”

“We’ve agreed on a dropoff place. If the opals are there at the time we agreed, they’ll tell Michael it was all a misunderstanding.” He glanced at her. “Once it’s done, they’ll leave you and Max alone. It’ll be one threat we won’t have to worry about anymore.”

“Do you think they’ll keep their word?”

“I’m sure they will. They’re not thugs, they’re miners. All they want is their property back.”

“You don’t think they’ll want some sort of retribution?”

“No.” He shook his head. “They like and respect Max. Apparently, she fixed their truck when they couldn’t work out the problem with it. And as for you, I’m sure I convinced Baldy that you know nothing about Wally’s activities. They won’t press charges against him if he reappears. They don’t want the hassle.”

“You don’t think they had anything to do with his disappearance?” she asked anxiously.

“No. They saw him the day the opals went missing so they had good reason to suspect him of being the thief. They were going to confront him, but he vanished before they had a chance, and they assumed he’d taken their opals with him.”

“Maybe he’s been hiding from them? Is there any way we can spread the word that it’s safe to come out?”

“No.” He sent her a frowning glance. “The best thing to do is to keep quiet about what happened.”

Good point.

“So why did they go to the police?”

“After the night they tried to kidnap you, they realized that if anything happened to you, they’d be suspects. They decided to take another tack to protect themselves.”

“Baldy told you this?”

He nodded.

“Hmm, I suppose it makes sense in a twisted way.” She frowned. “But I don’t understand why Wally left the opals in the shed if he was going away.”

“Maybe he was interrupted before he had a chance to sell them or hide them somewhere more suitable.”

She sighed. “Yes, you’re probably right. What shall we do next?”

He fell silent, and she leaned back in the seat, wondering whether there was an obvious course of action she’d missed. Around halfway back to town, she saw a dark car parked at the edge of the road ahead and sat forward. “That car.”

“What about it?”

“It looks like the one those guys from the city were driving. Can you see if it’s a BMW? It’s black, isn’t it?”

As she spoke, two people ran to the car from the side of the road, jumped in, and sped off.

“I couldn’t see the number. Too far away,” she said with a frustrated shake of her head.

“I wonder what they were doing out of the car?”

“Answering the call of nature?”

Dale slowed as they neared the spot where the car had been parked.

“What’s that on the ground?” She pointed at what looked like a bag of garbage.

“I don’t know. Let’s take a look. But keep your eyes open in case they come back.”

Dale untied the top of the bag and peeled it back.

Steve
.

Chapter Fourteen

“He’s alive.” Dale’s face was grim as he ripped the rest of the bag away. “Now do you see why I didn’t like you talking to them? This could have been you dumped out here.”

Curled in a fetal position. Beaten and unconscious.

She nodded. “They’re animals. Nobody deserves this. Do you think this has something to do with me? Do you think they did it because he was talking to me before I spoke to them?”

“Who knows?” Dale said. “Maybe he looked at them the wrong way in the pub.”

One of Steve’s eyes was puffy and there was a nasty red graze on his cheekbone. A dried trickle of blood stretched from the corner of his swollen lips to his jaw. Dale checked for broken bones, and when he didn’t find any, they carried him between them to the truck. By the time they had him stretched out in the back and as comfortable as they could make him, he’d started to groan, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Dale said, “Let’s take him to the servo so that we can clean up the blood and have a proper look at him. Then we can decide whether he needs to go to the hospital.”

She nodded. “I’ll sit in the back with him in case he wakes up.”

Once they arrived back at the servo, the truck had barely come to a standstill before Caitlyn jumped out and ran to the workshop to fetch Josh.

As Dale and Josh maneuvered Steve out of the vehicle, several items fell from his pockets—coins, a key on a ring with a plastic tag, and a small wallet. The wallet fell open, face down. As she turned it over, she spotted a badge.

The familiar kangaroo and emu of the Australian coat of arms formed the middle of the badge. Arranged around it were the words
Australian Federal Police
. She froze. This was Steve’s badge? He was a federal police officer?

In the other side of the wallet, a warrant card complete with Steve’s photograph confirmed it. The name on the card wasn’t Steve, though. The card belonged to an Anthony Stevenson. She slipped the wallet into her jeans. Banking, he’d said. So every word he’d said to her had been part of a cover story? What was he doing here? Did Wally’s disappearance have something to do with his investigation? Slipping the key and coins into another pocket, she joined the others inside the house.

Steve had regained consciousness, but sounded groggy as he answered Sally’s questions. He had a bump on his head the size of an apricot, heavy bruising over most of his body, and numerous bloody grazes. No apparent internal injuries, though, and no wounds that needed stitches.

“You poor thing,” Sally said as she helped him out of his shirt. “You’re going to be sore for a while. You should go to the police.”

Caitlyn coughed. Steve turned one eye in her direction. The other was swollen shut.

“No,” Steve managed to say. “No police.”

“No?” Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like them?”

He looked at her in silence, which was only broken when Dale entered the room. She grimaced at the blood on his T-shirt then looked down at her own clothes. They were in a similar state.

“Caitlyn, I’m going to head off now,” Dale said. “You’ll be all right here?” He nodded toward Steve.

“Yes, thanks. We’ll manage.” She walked outside with him. “When are we going to take those bottles to the dropoff place?”

“I’ll do it tonight while you’re working.”

“I don’t like the idea of you going alone, especially after what happened to Steve.”

“Different people, different situation. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in the pub after you finish cooking and let you know how it went.”

“Right.” She frowned at him. “Make sure you do, because I’ll be worrying.”

He gave her arm a reassuring rub before climbing into the truck and rolling down the window. “See you later.”

“If you’re not there before we close, I’m sending out a search party.”

“I’ll be there.”

She watched him drive away before she remembered that she’d forgotten to tell him about Steve’s real identity. She sighed and went inside to help Sally.

When she entered the lounge room, she found Sally chatting to a fully conscious Steve.

“Well, that’s a vast improvement,” she told him. “How’s your head?”

“Sore.” He winced. “I think I owe you my life, Caitlyn.”

“No doubt about it. Even if you’d regained consciousness and been able to escape from the bag, with the temperature, no shelter, and no water, I wouldn’t give you much chance of surviving.”

He started to nod, but closed his eyes, lifting a hand to his head. “You’re right. I definitely owe you.”

“Not just me, Dale, too. I couldn’t have moved you on my own.”

“Yes. Dale, too.”

Turning toward Sally, she said, “I’ll take over here for a while. I know you have lots you want to do in the shed.”

“No, I’ve—” A look at Caitlyn’s face made her pause. “Well, yes. I do have some stuff to do. Call me if you need help, okay?” She got up to leave, smiling at Steve. “I’ll look forward to continuing our chat later.”

As soon as Sally had gone, Caitlyn fished the key and coins from her pocket and held out her hand. “These are yours. They fell out of your pocket when we brought you in.”

He reached for them. “Thanks. I wouldn’t have missed them until I tried to get back into my room at the pub.”

“Hmm, maybe. But you might have missed this…
Anthony
.” She held out the warrant card holder.

He tensed. The gaze of his one good eye rose from her hand to her face.

She held her hands palms up. “Seriously, it fell out of your pocket. I didn’t go looking for it.”

He reached for the wallet. Once he had it tucked under the cotton sheet covering him, he said, “Who else knows about this?”

“No one else. Only me.”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it that way, and continue to call me Steve. Will you do that?”

“Sure.” She stared at him, waiting for an explanation. When none came she said, “So, I guess you aren’t here on holiday?”

He hesitated before attempting a half smile. “No.”

“You’re working on a case? And the banking thing was just your cover story?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” She nodded. “Now that we’ve established that…when you were looking at those guys in the suits, was it because you were worried about me, or were you interested in them?”

“Both.”

She pursed her lips. “Were you investigating them?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you could have warned me,” she said, her tone sharp.

“Not without blowing my cover. You could beat me up, but I’m afraid someone got there before you.” He lifted both hands, but the gesture made him wince again. His breathing became shallow and rapid.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” she asked, concerned his injuries might be worse than they’d thought.

“No. Just give me a second.”

She waited until his breathing slowed and the grimace left his face. “Well?”

“I thought you might be involved,” he said after a moment. “I didn’t want to tip you off about my investigation.”

“I see. So you were just pretending to be friendly?”

“Only to a point. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” She huffed out a breath. “What’s the investigation about?”

“I can’t talk about it.”

Surely Wally’s disappearance alone wasn’t important enough to interest the Australian Federal Police. There had to be more to it.

“I can’t imagine what kind of case could bring you here. I thought the Federal Police focused on matters of national security.”

“Yes, that’s true. But also on cases where there are international criminal connections.”

“Oh. So it’s nothing to do with Wally, then?”

“Really, I can’t talk about it.”

“Hasn’t your cover been blown now? Was it the people you were investigating who attacked you?”

He frowned. “I don’t think they know—unless they went through my pockets while I was unconscious, but when they attacked me, they definitely didn’t know. I tried to get close enough to ask questions, and they didn’t like it. I need to keep a low profile for a while.” He attempted a rueful smile. “Not that I have much choice at the moment. It will give me a chance to rest up for a couple of days.”

“Is that all it will take, a couple of days?”

“Yes, it’s only bruising. No broken bones.”

“Good.” She blew out a breath. “I can’t believe you suspected me of being involved in anything criminal. You don’t still suspect me, do you?”

“No, but you’re a mystery. I can’t work you out. I don’t know what you’re doing here, you just don’t fit.”

“Have you checked me out? My background?”

“Of course I have.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “I might not have been completely honest with you about Wally being my father, but there’s a reason for that.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Tell me later.” He let his head drop back and closed his eyes.

Concerned for his health, she left him to sleep. She couldn’t learn any more from him now, but on the plus side, he couldn’t learn more about her, either.

…

The next day, Steve insisted he didn’t need medical treatment and asked for a lift back to the pub when Caitlyn went to work that evening. In her opinion, he wasn’t well enough to cope on his own, but he was a grown man; she saw no point in arguing once he’d made up his mind. He didn’t look at all comfortable, half lying in the back seat of the hatchback, but he refused to admit he had made a mistake.

When she’d parked the car, she switched off the ignition and faced him. “I hope you’re going to let me help you to your room.”

“Yes, please,” he said through stiff lips.

“You’ll wish you’d stayed with us when Brenda finds out you need nursing.”

“You’re not going to tell her?”

“Yes, I certainly am. You can’t be left alone, Steve. I’ll tell her you had an accident. She doesn’t need to know any details.”

“You won’t mention my identity, will you?”

“No. I said I wouldn’t.”

“Not to anyone—even Dale?”

She hesitated. She didn’t want to keep secrets from Dale. “Dale won’t tell anyone.”

“Please. Just for now, keep it to yourself. I don’t want to have to arrest you—”

“Arrest me? You’re kidding. We saved your life.”

“I don’t want to, but I will if you don’t keep quiet about this.”

“On what grounds?”

“National security will do.”

She stared at him, astonished. “But…”

He groaned as he tried to move.

“Keep still. I’ll come and help you get out.” When she’d flipped forward the seat in the two-door car and ducked inside, she said, “All right. I won’t mention your identity to anyone, even Dale.”

“Thank you. Thanks for everything. I do owe you one for all this.”

“I hope you mean that because I might need to call in that favor one day soon.”

He gave her a serious look. “Why?”

“No special reason. Not yet, anyway.”

After she’d helped him to his room, he lay back on the bed, with a groan.

“Do you want me to help you out of those clothes? Do you need anything before I go?”

“No, thank you.” He had no color, and she didn’t like leaving him, but he clearly wanted to be alone.

“All right then, I’m off.” She left the room, straightening her clothes as she went. Her shirt had become twisted as she’d supported Steve from the car and helped him onto the bed. One button had popped open. She fastened it with one hand while closing the door with the other.

Hearing a gasp, she looked up to see Brenda, her face a picture of pure shock.

“Brenda, it’s not—”

“Not my business, I know,” she said, hurrying into the kitchen.

Caitlyn followed her. “I was going to say it’s not what you think.”

Brenda fanned herself with a cloth. “Don’t feel you have to explain to me. It’s just that I thought you and—never mind. Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.”

“Steve’s been hurt. I helped him to his room.”

“Hurt?” Brenda stopped fanning and really looked at Caitlyn for the first time. “Badly?”

“Pretty badly, but he refuses to go to the hospital. I can’t say I blame him for not wanting to travel in his condition, and he has made a big improvement since we…since it happened. He’s got plenty of bruising, and his ribs hurt when he moves, but he insists that he only needs a day or two of rest.”

“Does he need anything?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “No, but I told him you’d be in later to check on him.”

“Of course I will. I’ll make sure he has whatever he needs.”

“I know he’ll appreciate it.”

Brenda nodded. “So, you two aren’t…” She flicked her head to the side. “You know?”

“Definitely not.”

“Good. I don’t have anything against him, in fact he seems nice, but he’s not right for you. I can tell.”

Caitlyn made no comment. What could Brenda know about the right man for her when she didn’t even know herself? A man couldn’t be the right one if he was unavailable, but by the same token, being available didn’t make a man right.

She shook her head. Enough. Between her job here and the search for Wally, she had plenty on her plate without tying herself in knots over a non-issue.

…

Dale hadn’t arrived by the time she finished work that night. What could have happened? She shouldn’t have agreed to him going alone to drop off the bottles. Now he could be lying at the side of the road like Steve and nobody would know where to look. She glanced at her watch, trying to calm the nerves coiling in her belly. She would wait until closing time. Then, if he still hadn’t turned up, she would panic.

She bought herself a drink and looked around for somewhere to sit. The pretty blonde—Narelle—waved. Caitlyn checked over her shoulder, not ready to believe the woman was waving at her. But when she looked back, Narelle smiled and indicated the empty chair across the table from her. She hesitated, but it wasn’t as if there was anywhere better to sit. The only spare chairs were at tables occupied by taciturn miners who clearly didn’t want company.

With a mental shrug she made her way over to the table. “Hi. I’m Caitlyn.”

“I know who you are.” Narelle’s eyes twinkled. “You’re the reason I’ve gained weight. Edible dinners and desserts.” She chuckled. “I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you. But I bet you’re glad to sit down after standing all evening.”