Chapter 19: The Angry Young Man
When Roxy returned to her hotel room she discovered a note that had been slipped underneath her door. It was from Police Chief Butler. He had a few more questions, could she please drop by the station, ASAP? She fetched her Filofax and a pen and jotted down the names: Agnetha Frickensburg and Zoe Callahan, then grabbed her handbag and jacket again, and let herself out. In the hotel foyer, Roxy came across the young barman from the morning before. He wasn’t smiling, just gave her the once over and skulked into the side bar.
‘Hello to you too,’ she thought gloomily and made her way back to the police station, past the empty check-in desk and towards Chief Butler’s office.
‘You wanted to see me?’ she said, leaning in through the open door. His head was down, reading some papers and he looked up, more than a little startled, and then out towards reception.
‘It’s empty,’ Roxy announced, helping herself to a seat. ‘Good thing I’m not a crim’, eh?’
Chief Butler was not amused. ‘I hear you’ve been snooping around where you’re not welcome.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean Sally Duffy. What were you doing talking with her this morning?’
‘Where? Who saw me?’
‘The Speak Easy Cafe, Miss Parker. Jonathan Brownie tells me you were down there with Sally asking her all sorts of questions.’
‘And there’s a law against that is there?’
‘Don’t come the raw prawn with me young lady,’ he boomed. ‘You could be in a lot of trouble here you know? Frank O’Brien didn’t have an enemy in the world and then suddenly you show up and he’s dead.’
‘Are you now saying you think I did it?’
He sighed heavily, then got up and leant out his office door.
‘Boomer!’ A meek voice called something out from another office and a young policewoman rushed in, red faced. ‘Where the hell have you been?’
‘Just going to the loo, sir.’
‘Yeah well wait until someone comes along to relieve you. You don’t leave reception unmanned. Never. Got it? I don’t care if you wet ya bloody pants. You stay at the desk until relief arrives.’
‘O ... Okay Sir, sorry.’
He ‘hmphed’ and then, slamming the door behind him, returned to his seat to glare at Roxy while stroking the scar on his nose. She didn’t dare smile.
‘Look, lady, I don’t think you did it any more than I bloody did, but I can’t have you wandering all over town interrogating the witnesses.’
‘Sally Duffy is a witness?’
‘Well, no, but she’s the only one who seemed to like old Frankie and I don’t need her upset, alright?’
‘You’re one to talk.’
‘Huh?’
‘Sally said you gave her a right working over earlier today.’
The police chief looked taken aback. ‘I thought I was very gentle with her. Short and sweet I was.’
‘Never mind,’ Roxy said, brushing her fringe impatiently off her face. ‘Look, I’m not trying to be annoying. I’m simply trying to investigate another murder—’
‘Yes, well I made a few calls about that, to the guys at the Mosman branch and they tell me there was definitely no murder. It was suicide.’
‘That’s what they say. I suspect otherwise.’
‘Oh, Jesus!’ He was really getting riled now. ‘You bloody journalists are all the same. Looking for a story where there isn’t one.’ He was stroking his cancer scar so hard now Roxy feared he would dig his way right through. She took a deep breath.
‘Beatrice Musgrave was a friend of mine, Chief Butler.’ Her voice was calm, almost mechanical. She had explained this so many times before. ‘I’m just trying to get some honest answers about her death, whatever the cause. In the meantime, I’m also a journalist. You can’t stop me from making some inquiries. Ask your wife, she’ll tell you as much.’
The police chief was not impressed by this comment but he did not challenge it, either. He let up on his nose and relaxed back into chair. ‘All I’m saying is, go easy, okay? I’m tryin’ to run a respectable murder investigation here and I don’t need little smart-asses from the big smoke coming in and twisting the facts. You’ve got no proof that this has anything to do with that Sydney society woman and twisting people’s minds is not gonna help.’
‘And if I do find proof?’
‘You’re not gonna find proof because I want you out of here. As far as the investigation is concerned, you’re free to leave and that’s exactly what I expect you to do. Pronto.’
‘What if I choose to stay in Macksland? Lap up the sights a little?’
‘Well, obviously I can’t stop you now can I? But I don’t want you interfering. I don’t want you talking to Sally or to anyone about the case. At all. You want Frank’s murderer apprehended? Leave it to the professionals.’
Roxy jumped to her feet and, unable to help herself, did a mock salute. Chief Butler restrained a smile. ‘I promise to stop seeing Sally,’ she said, ‘if you promise me two things.’
He looked ready to hit her so she quickly said, ‘Just keep a close eye on Sally, that’s all. If I’m right about the motive, then she may be next. She knew Frank’s private business and the killer might want to shut her up, too.’ He nodded slightly not daring to acknowledge her remark but she could tell he understood and she doubted he’d ignore any possibility of another murder in his district. Frank O’Brien’s brutal slaying was probably the first in a long time and, unlike his suspicious deputy, Roxy knew that Chief Butler was not looking forward to another one.
‘And what’s the second thing?’ he asked.
‘It’s just a suggestion, you can ignore it if you like.’
‘Yeees?’
‘Check out the birth files at the old hospital. Frank O’Brien and Beatrice Alexander—that was her maiden name—they should be recorded as birth parents of a baby girl about 50 years ago. But I have a feeling you’ll find the evidence has been, shall we say, tampered with?’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Just a hunch.’
‘You get an awful lot of hunches, don’t ya?’
Roxy bat her green eyes innocently. She was on her way out when he called for her to stop.
‘Just one more thing.’ Now she was the one to groan. ‘If I was you, I’d keep your head down and out of trouble.’
‘Oh?’
‘It seems a few of the locals think you were somehow involved.’
‘Why? Because I found the body?’
‘Because you were asking about Frank just before he died.’
‘But he’d clearly been killed long before I—’
‘I know, I know. But the locals can be a bit bloody paranoid about outsiders. Just keep out of mischief and clear out as soon as ya can. Got it?’
She indicated that she did, and made her way back to the hotel. She had promised not to see Sally Duffy but that didn’t mean she couldn’t speak to her. She would return to her room and call her from there, and was just heading up the wide, wooden hotel staircase when the young barman called out.
‘You still here?’ he said, his lips twisted into a snarl.
‘Yes I am. Got a problem?’
‘As a matter of fact I do.’
She stopped walking and turned to face him full on. This threw him off for a second but he heaved his chest up and said, ‘Me and the boys wanna know what your business was with old Frankie.’
‘Old Frankie? You mean the guy you didn’t even know existed yesterday?’
‘Yeah, well I didn’t recognize him in the suit. But I knew of him. Everybody did. He was a bit odd, but ... well, he wouldn’t hurt anyone. How did you know ’im? Why were ya askin’ about him?’
Roxy sighed and came back down the staircase to the ground level. ‘I don’t think it’s any of your business, but the truth is I didn’t know him either. He was good friends with a woman I knew who was recently murdered. I wanted to speak to him about her. But I got there too lat
e.’
‘Or so you say.’
‘The body had been dead two, maybe three days by the time I got to it. I, on the other hand only arrived in town yesterday. Just ask Chief Butler, and your manager.’
This surprised the young man and he stood staring at her for several dumbfounded seconds. She waved towards the stairs, indicating that she had places to be, people to call.
‘Oh ... Okay then, fine. Just checkin’,’ he said. ‘So you and the other one gonna head off now?’
‘Other one?’
‘Yeah, the skinny bloke.’
This stopped Roxy in her tracks again. ‘What skinny guy?’
The young barman looked perplexed once more and then backed away. ‘The one also lookin’ for Frank. Oh, never mind. Thought youse were together.’
‘There was someone else here? Looking for Frank O’Brien? Did he give his name?’
‘Nah, just came in, askin’ for Frank just like you.’
‘When was this?’
‘About noon. Figured he was with you.’
Roxy squished her lips up to one side thoughtfully wondering who it might be. ‘Was he staying at the hotel?’
‘Not that I know of, just passin’ through he said. Look, sorry if I came on a bit hard. It’s just real odd, you know? First you, then him, then poor old Frankie shows up dead. We’re all just wonderin’ what’s going on, you know?’
Roxy waved him off. ‘Fair enough, too. I don’t blame you, but you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with it. I am trying to sort it all out, though. Can you give me a quick description of this other guy? Was he young, old? Well-spoken—’
‘Look he was skinny like I said. Olive skin.’
‘Old? Young? What was the color of his hair?’
‘Dunno, he had a hat on.’ Suddenly there was a clash of glasses from inside the front bar followed by a smashing sound and several loud roars.
‘Oh shit, I better go.’
‘Can you tell me anything else? Anything at all?’
The young man scratched his head. ‘Look, speak to Macey behind the front desk, she might’ve taken more notice. I really gotta go.’ He raced off into the bar and Roxy stood staring after him, wondering who this new player in the game might be. Who else was on Frank O’Brien’s trail? And what, if anything, did they have to do with his death, or Mrs Musgrave’s for that matter? Roxy shook herself together, sat down on one of the steps, pulled out her phone and dialed Sally Duffy’s home number. It rang for some time without answering so she placed the phone down and went in search of Macey. The receptionist also wasn’t in and, eager for a shower, Roxy went up to her room. She still felt like she hadn’t washed away the previous day’s grisly discovery. It will take a lot of soap, she thought absentmindedly.
As she reached the top of the landing a ghostly figure emerged from the shadows and Roxy jumped back with a fright.
‘Roxy?’ It was Sally Duffy and she looked like a mess. Her normally neat hair was flying loosely around her face and she was clutching her arms around herself as though cold.
‘Sally? Are you okay? God, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here? Do you realize I’m not allowed to see you? I promised Chief Butler.’
‘Please! I have to speak to you.’ The tremor in her voice sent a chill down Roxy’s spine and she fumbled for her room key.
‘Okay, come with me, quickly.’
They slipped into Roxy’s room and she locked the door firmly behind them, then checked that the verandah door and windows were also locked and the curtains drawn. She pulled Sally to the bed and forced her to sit.
‘What’s happened, Sally? You look distraught.’
‘I am, oh God, I ... I ...’
‘Sally, take a few deep breaths, I’ll get you some water.’ Roxy jumped up and filled a glass from the small jug by the bed. As the young woman gulped it down, Roxy said, ‘Is it Beryl? Does she suspect something? Did you get caught?’
‘No, no, not Beryl.’
‘Who then, Sally? What’s happened?’
The young woman drained her glass dry and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand slowly, as if trying to put something into perspective. Finally she said, ‘There was someone at home when I got there.’
‘Someone? You mean like a burglar?’
‘I don’t know. I could see him there, through the door.’
‘Was he tall and skinny?’
‘Tall and skinny?’
‘Yes, the barman tells me there’s been some skinny guy lurking about.’
‘Oh my God! Yes he was! Do you know him?’
‘Not sure,’ said Roxy. ‘So what did you do?’
‘I ... I just turned around and ran. I came here. I don’t know where else to turn.’ She started to weep then and Roxy moved closer, placing her arm around her shoulder, trying to sooth her.
‘You don’t live with anyone?’
‘No.’
‘And you’re sure there was someone there? That it wasn’t possibly a shadow? Your mind playing tricks with you?’
‘No, no!’ Sally turned towards Roxy and her eyes were dancing excitedly. ‘Jenny threw a surprise birthday party for me last time I was in town and, well, when I walked up to unlock the door after work, I noticed someone through the bubbled glass to the left of the door. I never knew you could see through it, but, well if you pull the fern back, you can. I was just checking the fern, to see if it needed watering and I spotted Jenny standing there and I knew something was up. As soon as I opened the door, there she was, to the left of the door ready to shout ‘surprise!’. For some silly reason I’ve been checking that side ever since, you know, to check she isn’t about to spring me again.’
Roxy smiled. ‘So you checked it tonight and spotted someone?’
‘Yes. I thought, at first it was Jenny again, but the shape was all wrong. And you know, skinny like you said. Jenny’s a fatty, you can’t miss her. In any case I could tell it was a guy.’
‘So what happened?’
‘Well, I stopped. I was right near the door, I was hesitating because I remembered what you said about the murderer maybe coming after us, you know?’ Roxy nodded her head. ‘So I kinda waited a second. I was gonna call out. But then the figure kinda grew even taller.’
‘Taller?’ Roxy wondered suddenly if the young girl’s mind was simply playing tricks on her but remained quiet and let her continue.
‘It was like he was leaning over and then straightened up because suddenly he was quite tall. I just turned around and bolted.’
‘Do you think he saw you?’
‘I ... oh, God, I don’t know! What if he’s still there? What if it’s the murderer?! What are we going to do?’
Roxy considered her words for several minutes and then grabbed her bag. ‘Only one thing to do,’ she said. ‘We’re going back.’