Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)(27)

If they knew one thing about Alice, it was that the woman was good at putting on a front. Or at least, Falk hoped she was.

‘Where’s that CCTV footage from the service station?’ Carmen said. ‘The bit showing the group on its way up here.’

Falk pulled his laptop out of his bag. He found the memory stick the service station attendant had given him earlier and opened the computer screen so Carmen could see. She moved in a little closer.

The footage was in colour, but the screen was mostly a mass of grey as the camera focused on the paved forecourt around the petrol pumps. There was no sound but the image was decent quality. The recording covered the past seven days and cars zipped on and off the screen as Falk fast-forwarded through to Thursday. When the time stamp ticked around to mid-afternoon, he pressed play and they watched for a few minutes.

‘There.’ Carmen pointed as a minivan pulled up. ‘That’s it, isn’t it?’

The footage held steady from its high vantage point as the driver’s door opened. Chase climbed out. His lanky figure in its red fleece was entirely recognisable as he walked to the pump.

On screen, the main door of the vehicle slid open, thumping silently on its hinges. An Asian guy climbed out, followed by two dark-haired blokes and a balding man. The bald man headed towards the shop while the other three stood in a loose group, stretching and chatting. Behind them, a large woman clambered out, stepping down heavily.

‘Jill,’ Carmen said, and they watched as Jill Bailey pulled out her phone. She tapped at it, put it to her ear, then pulled it away, staring at the screen. Falk didn’t need a clear view of her face to sense her frustration.

‘Who was she trying to call?’ he said. ‘Daniel, maybe?’

‘Maybe.’

Just then a woman stepped down onto the forecourt, her long dark ponytail swinging across her shoulder.

‘Is that Breanna?’ Carmen said. ‘It looks like her photo.’

The dark-haired woman looked around, turning as a third woman climbed out of the van.

Carmen breathed out. ‘There she is.’

Alice Russell stepped out, blonde and lithe as she stretched her arms up like a cat. She said something to the dark-haired girl, who was hovering at her elbow. They both took out their phones, their body language mirroring Jill’s from a minute earlier. Check, tap, check, nothing. The slight shoulder slump of frustration.

The dark-haired woman put her phone away, but Alice kept hers in hand. She peered through one of the minivan windows, where a hefty shape was pressed up dark against the glass. The footage was not clear enough to make out the specifics but to Falk, everything about it suggested the relaxed vulnerability of a sleeping form.

They watched as Alice held up her phone to the window. There was a flash, then she checked the screen, showing it to the three men standing nearby. They laughed soundlessly. Alice showed the dark-haired girl who paused, then turned up her mouth in a pixelated smile. Inside the van, the shape moved, the window lightening and darkening as the form shifted. The hint of a face appeared behind the glass, features invisible but body language clear. What’s going on?

Alice turned away, a single wave of her hand, instantly dismissive. Nothing. It’s only a joke.

The face remained at the window until Chase came out of the shop. He was with the service station attendant. Falk recognised the guy’s hat. The two men stood chatting on the forecourt while the BaileyTennants team climbed back into the van.

Alice Russell was the last one in, her porcelain features disappearing as the door slammed behind her. Chase slapped the attendant on the back and slipped into the driver’s seat. The minivan shuddered as the engine started and the tyres rolled.

The attendant stood watching as the vehicle pulled away. He was the only one there.

‘Lonely job,’ Falk said.

‘Yeah.’

After a few seconds, the attendant turned and walked off camera, leaving the forecourt a deserted slab of grey once more. Falk and Carmen watched as the footage ran on, nothing moving on the screen. Finally, Carmen sat back.

‘So, no real surprises there. Alice is a bit of a bitch who rubs people up the wrong way. We knew that already.’

‘She looked relaxed enough then,’ Falk said. ‘More than she ever is with us.’ That wasn’t particularly surprising either, he thought.

Carmen stifled a yawn, hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry, the early start’s catching up with me.’

‘I know.’ Outside the window, the sky had turned a deep blue. Falk could see their faces reflected in the glass. ‘Let’s call it a day.’

‘You’ll ring the office?’ Carmen said as she stood to leave, and Falk nodded. ‘And we’ll go to the hospital tomorrow, see what Alice’s assistant has to say. Who knows?’ She gave a grim smile. ‘Getting a snakebite on company time would be enough to piss me off. Maybe she’s feeling chatty.’

A fresh blast of cold air as she opened the door, and she was gone.

Falk looked at the landline phone on the bedside table. He picked it up and dialled a familiar number, then sat on the bed as he listened to the tone, ringing a few hundred kilometres west in Melbourne. It was answered quickly.

Had the woman been found? No. Not yet. Had they got the contracts? No. Not yet. When would they get the contracts? Falk didn’t know. A pause at the other end of the line. They needed to get the contracts. Yes. It was imperative. Yes, he understood. There was a time factor, others were waiting. Yes, he knew. He understood.