An Easeful Death

‘There was a moment or two when I even thought De Vakey might have been our killer.’

Monty raised his eyebrows. ‘Really?’

‘With a job like his, nothing would have surprised me. It turned out he’d already been in Perth two weeks when you sent for him. He was in town when Linda Royce was killed. His wife thought he was in Perth for a seminar, that’s why he went through the farce of having me pick him up from the airport. From the flight schedules and the phone records from his hotel I pieced together his movements. Instead of a conducting a seminar, he was conducting an affair with Ms Cassandra Yardley, proprietor of the Black Velvet gentleman’s club. Apparently it’s been going on for years.’

Monty rubbed his chin. ‘Well, I’ll be.’

Stevie’s faraway gaze rested on a convoy of slow-moving cars winding their way towards the car park. Another funeral procession, she thought, until she caught a glimpse of the Cha

The same couldn’t be said for James De Vakey. He was basking in the centre of a group of clamouring reporters.

‘Oh, God, let’s go, Mont,’ Stevie pulled at the sleeve of his dark suit jacket. Up until now, her near-death experience at the hands of Tye Davis had been kept from the press and she wanted it to stay that way.

‘No, wait,’ he said, stepping closer to the fray. ‘They’re not interested in us. Let’s hear what De Vakey has to say for himself.’

She reluctantly followed Monty to stand within earshot of the crowd.

‘Mr De Vakey, how did you manage to pin the crimes on Tye Davis?’ one of the reporters asked.

De Vakey straightened his already straight tie, smoothed down his new toupee. ‘It was really a straightforward process: a combination of academic theory coupled with a logical examination of the evidence.’

Stevie frowned and nudged Monty in the ribs. ‘What the hell’s he on about?’

‘It’s called taking all the credit,’ Monty whispered back. ‘He used his finely honed profiler’s instincts to single-handedly solve the case, got it all from Justin Baggly, whom he knew all along was hiding some deep dark secret. Didn’t you realise that?’

Unsure if the emotions she felt churning inside her were anger or relief, Stevie decided to settle for a bit of each. Arrogant bloody bastard, she thought but found herself smiling all the same.

Someone else asked De Vakey, ‘So how does it feel to have brought a man like that to justice?’

‘Rather than that, I tend to dwell on how it would feel not to have brought the man to justice. At least now I can sleep again at night with a clear conscience, knowing that I did my best, knowing that there will be no more victims.’

Stevie’s eyes strayed to Vivie

‘How did you manage to tie this to Sbresni and Baggly?’

‘You’ll have to read the book.’

Polite laughter all around.

‘Will you return for the trials?’

‘Absolutely. And the Royal Commission into police corruption, naturally.’

‘When’s the book coming out, Mr De Vakey?’

‘My publisher has scheduled its release early next year. I would like to take this opportunity now to add that part of the proceeds will go to the victims of violent crime.’

To Stevie’s relief, Monty had heard enough. ‘This is making my teeth wobble.’ He indicated his car with a tilt of his chin.

Leaning against the car bo

The regret she heard in his voice made her own words dry up. She stared back at him with incomprehension. Surely he’d realised she was a willing participant? The alcohol may have spurred them on, but it hadn’t affected her judgement in the least.

Then a thought crossed her mind, so sudden and so startling that the carefully rehearsed words she’d pla

Did he know? Did he know everything?

‘I never meant it to be like that,’ Monty continued, his gaze fixed on a nearby memorial fountain or maybe the old gum beyond. ‘I’ve been an idiot. Kept things to myself that I shouldn’t have.’ He paused, took her hand and turned to her. ‘I know you’ve applied for that job in Broome and I don’t blame you for wanting to get away, to start again. But I want you to know that I’ve loved you for years and always will. I should have told you earlier, I know, it might have saved a lot of grief all round, but I had no idea if you felt the same. I guess I couldn’t take the risk of rejection.’

Stevie became conscious of her rapidly beating heart. She should be hushing him up, but found she couldn’t deny herself the flush of pleasure his words were bringing.

‘And then after that night in the car park,’ he continued, ‘the way you never said a word to me about it. I felt ashamed, thought I’d ruined my chances.’

She put her hand on his arm. ‘That night in the car park— did you hear me complain?’

He shook his head and gazed at her for a moment, flabbergasted. ‘What? You mean...?

She met his eyes with her own, slid her hand behind his head and pulled him towards her.

Monty finally broke the kiss. He gazed at her with a widening smile then took her in his arms again and engulfed her in a breath-stopping hug. ‘C’mon,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘Let’s go collect our daughter. Take her home.’

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following for their help and support: Chris Nagel, Carole Sutton, Larry Votava, Trish O’Neill, John Harman, Leone Baxter, Janet Blagg, Leone Dyer, Margaret Johnson, John Robertson, Sergeant A

CITY OF LIGHT

Image I

the city rocks while heads roll

DAVE WARNER

‘Jesus Christ. I found one.’

Snowy Lane, preoccupied with a ham sandwich and the odds of making the football team on Saturday, takes the terrible phone call that signals the begi

...full of surprises and contradictions, wit and suspense ... Another little classic to carry down your own mean streets...

Graeme Blundell, Weekend Australian

Lively, fu