Leah said, Did Jill set this up?
Allynson laughed. Jill? Nah. Shes on your side, stupid cow. But she did let slip to someone, and that someone rang us, and here we are.
Leah watched him. Clearly he knew that the police had been called to this address, but equally clearly he didn’t seem concerned. He’d probably made a few calls and Jills request for police attendance had been countermanded or passed off as a false alarm.
He seemed to read her mind, and gave her a sneering grin. Thats right, sweetheart, no ones coming to this little party, only you and me and Rob. Cosy, eh?
Leah said, The young woman who lives here, Tess, her life’s in danger.
I wouldn’t know about that, Allynson said.
Was she here when you arrived?
He shrugged. We saw a sheila drive off with some bloke in a Saab.
Her half-brother, Leah said. Hes been trying to kill her.
So?
So forget about your beef with me for the moment and call it in: descriptions, make of car, time, direction, everything. There could be something about the car in one of these filing cabinets, like the rego number. Call your mates, or call it in anonymously, I don’t care, but theres no reason she should die just because you two heroes hate my guts.
Shed said it heatedly and could see that Allynson believed her. He began to bite his lower lip as he thought the issues through, now and then glancing at Summers for support.
All right.
He watched while Leah searched the filing cabinets. Eventually she found a folder labelled CAR, which contained registration papers for the Saab. She passed it to Allynson, who took out a mobile phone and a moment later turned away to mutter into it, careful not to give his name or the name of his contact.
He completed the call and pocketed the phone. All sorted. Now were going to sort you out.
Leah tensed. Allynson began to crowd her with his body, Summers flanking him as if to grab her if she gave Allynson the slip. She backed toward the bookcase, half hoping that she could bring it down on the two men. She reached out a hand, tugged on a shelf. It was rock solid.
They grinned, still advancing on her. She said, Are you going to kill me?
Allynson gave her a look of mock surprise. Why? Do you deserve to die? What do you think, Rob? Does she deserve to die?
Well, Summers replied, a mate of ours offed himself because of the filthy stuff she spread about him, ruining his name and his career, so an eye for an eye sounds fair enough to me.
Fair enough to me, too, Allynson said, and he lunged.
At first Allynson and Summers played with Leah, shoving her between them to keep her off balance. One man would slap her face, the other punch her in the stomach—not with any force, but with contempt. Then Summers fondled her painfully and Allynson ripped her shirt at the neck. She fought back, kicking, punching, scratching, ducking and weaving, but they were too big, too solid, too close to her.
When the shot came, Leah expected pain, a punching impact, a sensation of the bullet tearing through her flesh, tendons, bones. Instead, Allynsons neck erupted and his heavy frame was propelled against her. He must have moved into the line of fire at the last moment, his hands reaching for her. He tried to turn, spraying her with blood. He toppled, some of the light leaking from his eyes, then fell to his knees, taking her with him.
She didn’t know why Summers had shot him. She crawled out from under Allynsons massive weight, intending to shelter under the desk, but heard him whisper, Help me. He was bleeding profusely. She tore off her ruined shirt, packed his wound with it, then used her belt to bind it in place. She was splashed with blood now, sticky with it, her hands and knees sliding on the polished floorboards.
Meanwhile she was dimly aware of shouts and movement above her head and all around the room. She tried to map the movements with her ears, not daring to look up and invite eye contact and another shot. She could hear several people. Suddenly Summers was on the floor with her, frightened, bewildered. No gun. Dimly she realised that it wasn’t Summers who’d shot Allynson.
Then some of the shouts resolved themselves, became coherent, orderly. Police! voices said. On the floor! Now! Hands behind your heads!
Leah couldn’t get up. Somehow shed got Allynsons head in her lap. She put pressure on the bandage, wiped his ashen face, and tried to transmit something essentially human and compassionate to his frightened eyes. And she stayed there until other hands prized hers away from Allynson and ambulance officers took him away. Kind arms helped her to her feet and Jill was saying gently, Leah, everythings okay, everythings okay.
chapter 22
It was evening now and they were sitting in the kitchen, a costly room fitted with granite benchtops, teak panelling, copper and stainless steel saucepans hanging from hooks. The table and chairs were the only welcoming objects in the entire room, Leah thought, as she sat hunched over a mug of tea, staring at the wooden table top and years of scars and scratches. She glanced across at Tess, who was chewing at her thumbnail, her face tense. But Tess had also matured in the past few hours. Leah could see resolve in her face, and signs of a furious internal accounting. An old expression popped into Leah’s head: Wake up to yourself. Well, thats what Tess seemed to be doing.
Tess caught Leah’s glance and sat upright, shoving both hands into her lap and arranging a grin. Bad habit, chewing your nails.
It seemed to be a way of saying that shed identified another flaw in herself and would deal with it. A thumping sound came from the study along the hallway. The crime-scene technicians were still in there, taking photographs, videotaping, dusting for fingerprints, diagramming blood spatters and gunshot trajectories. Allynson was in hospital. He was expected to live.
Summers was in custody.
So was Carl Stannage. He’d been questioned in relation to the arrest of the men in the Range Rover, and when he’d denied knowing them or owning the vehicle, and called in his lawyer, the police had placed him under surveillance. Instead of staying put, he’d come gunning for Tess, and walked in on the scene in the study. He’d thought Leah was Tess, fired at her, and hit Allynson instead. But by then the police were pouring into the house after him.
I’m sorry I got you into all this, Tess said.
Leah nodded. She wasn’t about to absolve Tess. The younger woman had a long period of questioning and adjustment ahead of her. She had to take responsibility for her actions and their consequences. After that she could start to feel better about herself.
Am I in trouble?
With the police?
Yes.
Leah shrugged. You should be. You were selling drugs.
The old Tess would have brought an armoury of responses to that accusation: indignation, buck-passing, denial, putting a favourable gloss on it. The new Tess nodded and said, I know.
Leah went on: But you were under the sway of Mitch, and people were trying to kill youa notorious drug dealer and his crew, and your own half-brother. I don’t think the police will charge you with anything, but youll probably have to give evidence in court.
Tess nodded again. She rubbed her wrists, which were red and raw.
Are you okay?
A bit sore.
Shed been bound hand and foot by her brother and stuffed into the boot of his car. Police had intercepted the Saab on the South Gippsland Highway. He’d been heading for an area of swampland and drainage channels near Koo Wee Rup.
You were lucky.
Don’t know how he thought he’d get away with it, Tess said.
Your brother was panicking, not thinking clearly, Leah said. You were the last person he expected to see this afternoon, and when you told him that wed caught his hired killer, he just lost control.