litter, nothing he could use as a weapon. A Coke machine in the corner. The bottles would be plastic anyway. Fuck. He opened his arms, protecting Isobel, ready to fly forward and tear this guy's face off.
'Joss. Aren't you Joss? We used to go to school together.'
'Joss, what's wrong?' Isobel sounded unsure.
'Henry. Henry Nguyen. Remember me?' He was holding out his hand.
Isobel was trying to get out from behind him.
'I saw you back in the cinema,' Cutter continued. 'I can't believe I recognised you. How long since we've seen each other, man?'
The question hung in the air.
'I think we were thirteen or fourteen. Shit. It's been forever,' Cutter continued.
He'd dropped his hand, but hadn't moved forward. Joss saw Cutter's mouth moving, but the words were faint, muffled by the pulse in his ears.
Ready. I'm ready, motherfucker, he told Cutter with his eyes.
Cutter was laughing. Isobel was really struggling now.
'Joss, let me out!'
'You're squashing your wife, man,' said Cutter. 'I mean, is this your wife?'
'I. Don't. Know. You.' Joss's voice was quiet. His eyes never left the other man's.
Isobel stopped struggling. Went small behind his back. Knew, when she heard his voice: danger.
'Yeah, whatever man,' Cutter laughed again, only with his mouth, his eyes stayed dead. He flicked long black hair off his shoulders, exposing the gaol tats on his neck.
'Good to see you anyway, Joss. Maybe you'll remember me later. And we can catch up. I'm sure you'll be able to find me if you come around the old neighbourhood. Or I can find you. Think about it. It would be good to see you again.'
With a sideways step, Cutter was gone.
A polished circular table had been moved into the library. When Jill and Gabriel arrived, Superintendent Last was seated with his back to the door. Next to him, his uniformed driver stabbed with two fingers at keys on a laptop. David Tran had the dragon seat, facing the door. Derek Reid slouched in a deep armchair that had been pushed against the wall to make room for the table.
'Did ya get lost?' Reid asked, arms folded across his huge chest, a suggestive smile on his face. 'Big house. Lots of rooms.'
Three empty chairs waited at the table. Jill took the seat that showed Reid her back.
'Jill. Gabriel.' Superintendent Last acknowledged them. 'Colin here is noting our impressions before we leave the site.' He pointed his chin at the officer with the laptop. 'David's just begun making his comments,' he continued. 'Help yourself to some coffee.'
Jill took a bottle of water from the centre of the table instead. She sipped as she listened to Tran talking about his impressions of the site.
'I couldn't help but notice,' David Tran spoke respectfully, with a faint Vietnamese accent, 'how many items of value the group left behind. I think that is what struck me the most while here.' He sat straight in his seat, and looked at each of them as he spoke. 'If we assume that the whole gang was here last night, then they had four men to carry away stolen property. I was expecting to find the house more . . . disturbed. I did not expect to find a laptop computer. It was in plain sight in the daughter's bedroom. Also in her room was a box containing some gold jewellery. In the master bedroom, I found an expensive watch, and a mobile phone. These are items that could easily have been taken by the group.'
'Very true,' said Superintendent Last. 'When we first got here, we even found a couple of hundred in cash in the breadbox in the kitchen. Previous victims have reported that all such items were cleared out. What do you make of that?'
'Well, obviously in this case they came for the guns,' Reid answered.
'Has the surviving victim made any comment about the number of offenders?' asked Tran. 'Maybe there were fewer on this occasion?'
'She hasn't been able to cover specifics yet, no,' Last said. 'It is possible there were fewer offenders. That might have left them less time to cover the house
'Joss. Aren't you Joss? We used to go to school together.'
'Joss, what's wrong?' Isobel sounded unsure.
'Henry. Henry Nguyen. Remember me?' He was holding out his hand.
Isobel was trying to get out from behind him.
'I saw you back in the cinema,' Cutter continued. 'I can't believe I recognised you. How long since we've seen each other, man?'
The question hung in the air.
'I think we were thirteen or fourteen. Shit. It's been forever,' Cutter continued.
He'd dropped his hand, but hadn't moved forward. Joss saw Cutter's mouth moving, but the words were faint, muffled by the pulse in his ears.
Ready. I'm ready, motherfucker, he told Cutter with his eyes.
Cutter was laughing. Isobel was really struggling now.
'Joss, let me out!'
'You're squashing your wife, man,' said Cutter. 'I mean, is this your wife?'
'I. Don't. Know. You.' Joss's voice was quiet. His eyes never left the other man's.
Isobel stopped struggling. Went small behind his back. Knew, when she heard his voice: danger.
'Yeah, whatever man,' Cutter laughed again, only with his mouth, his eyes stayed dead. He flicked long black hair off his shoulders, exposing the gaol tats on his neck.
'Good to see you anyway, Joss. Maybe you'll remember me later. And we can catch up. I'm sure you'll be able to find me if you come around the old neighbourhood. Or I can find you. Think about it. It would be good to see you again.'
With a sideways step, Cutter was gone.
A polished circular table had been moved into the library. When Jill and Gabriel arrived, Superintendent Last was seated with his back to the door. Next to him, his uniformed driver stabbed with two fingers at keys on a laptop. David Tran had the dragon seat, facing the door. Derek Reid slouched in a deep armchair that had been pushed against the wall to make room for the table.
'Did ya get lost?' Reid asked, arms folded across his huge chest, a suggestive smile on his face. 'Big house. Lots of rooms.'
Three empty chairs waited at the table. Jill took the seat that showed Reid her back.
'Jill. Gabriel.' Superintendent Last acknowledged them. 'Colin here is noting our impressions before we leave the site.' He pointed his chin at the officer with the laptop. 'David's just begun making his comments,' he continued. 'Help yourself to some coffee.'
Jill took a bottle of water from the centre of the table instead. She sipped as she listened to Tran talking about his impressions of the site.
'I couldn't help but notice,' David Tran spoke respectfully, with a faint Vietnamese accent, 'how many items of value the group left behind. I think that is what struck me the most while here.' He sat straight in his seat, and looked at each of them as he spoke. 'If we assume that the whole gang was here last night, then they had four men to carry away stolen property. I was expecting to find the house more . . . disturbed. I did not expect to find a laptop computer. It was in plain sight in the daughter's bedroom. Also in her room was a box containing some gold jewellery. In the master bedroom, I found an expensive watch, and a mobile phone. These are items that could easily have been taken by the group.'
'Very true,' said Superintendent Last. 'When we first got here, we even found a couple of hundred in cash in the breadbox in the kitchen. Previous victims have reported that all such items were cleared out. What do you make of that?'
'Well, obviously in this case they came for the guns,' Reid answered.
'Has the surviving victim made any comment about the number of offenders?' asked Tran. 'Maybe there were fewer on this occasion?'
'She hasn't been able to cover specifics yet, no,' Last said. 'It is possible there were fewer offenders. That might have left them less time to cover the house
Similar Books
