‘Find them somewhere to hide. Drop their bags up at Fisherman’s Hut. Gonna camp there for a while . . . pick them up and drive them to a farmhouse in Ridgley . . .’
‘But they weren’t there when you came,’ said Con.
‘Detective, I think this time he really does need to rest,’ said the nurse.
Jack’s eyes were closed but he continued to speak. ‘Jasmine and Cierra’s bags, nowhere to be seen . . . would’ve been on the town side, or mountain side . . . would’ve . . . would’ve found them by now . . . someone has taken them.’
‘Two backpacks. If Georgia died before she made it, that explains her bag being there,’ said Gabriella. ‘If Bree didn’t take her bag . . . where is she?’
‘I don’t know. The SES are now searching exclusively around Lake Mackenzie, and between there and Lake Nameless,’ said Con, watching the nurses bustle around Jack. ‘Our next step is to call Madison’s parents.’
‘No!’ shouted Jack, lurching forward. ‘She’ll ruin my life! She’ll ruin yours too, detective!’ He started coughing and couldn’t stop. Blood fell on his chest.
‘Out, everyone out!’ hissed the nurse, bustling them out into the corridor.
Eliza followed Con and Gabriella out. Con was already on his phone, stalking down the corridor towards an exit to a courtyard, Gabriella close behind him, shaking her head as she came to grips with the new information.
Eliza’s legs grew weak and she rested against the wall.
Please be okay, Jack. Either way, it was out now. And I’ll become Public Enemy Number One. Not that I deserve any better.
At least she could hope that, when it all played out, Madison wouldn’t know that Eliza had corroborated Jack’s story . . .
As though summoned by the thought, there came the sound of high heels clipping down the tiled floor.
‘Hello, Miss Ellis.’
It was Madison Mason. Her hair and make-up were perfect, and she wore a green, high-end vintage jacket, starched and stiff around the collar, with an albatross brooch.
Eliza straightened. ‘Madison —’
‘I heard Mr Michaels was shot. I was worried. I made Mum drive me here. Because I had to check.’ Madison’s lips pursed even as her eyes moved towards the doorway of Jack’s room. A doctor bustled through there, and another nurse came rushing out. ‘But if you’re here, now things make sense.’
‘Madison, please, before you say anything —’
‘Jasmine’s dad came to visit me last night. We had an interesting conversation. See, the only person who could’ve told him we planned the disappearances is Mr Michaels. But Murphy hates him, so someone else must’ve backed up the story for him to believe it.’ There was a faint twitch above Madison’s left eye. ‘Now, Miss Ellis, you didn’t know about the whole plan . . . I’m guessing one of the other girls told you more? My guess is Bree – she and Denni were joined at the hip. But didn’t we have a chat about what would happen if you interfered? Don’t I know things about you, Miss Ellis, that would destroy you?’
‘Madison, please listen to me. I didn’t tell Murphy anything,’ said Eliza. ‘The girls are really missing now. Georgia is dead —’
‘I know,’ said Madison, voice harsh, a momentary crack in her mask. ‘It’s tragic. I loved Georgia. But . . .’ She forced the pain back behind her mask. ‘Georgia’s dead. There’s nothing we can do. I can’t imagine how horrible an accident that must have been, but now the other three are scared that they’ll get blamed.’
‘Madison, you have to understand how serious this is!’ said Eliza. ‘The publicity isn’t worth it!’
‘Publicity?’ said Madison incredulously, eyes wild for just a moment before she got them back under control. ‘Miss Ellis, you have no idea what we’re doing here, what we’re going to achieve . . .’ She adjusted her jacket. ‘We agreed it would be too difficult if the girls saw any media about their own disappearances, but on the off chance Jasmine breaks the rules and has been looking at her phone or otherwise getting news of what’s happening . . . I can’t have her seeing Jack or her dad being blamed. She’d come back to protect them. But you . . .’ she said. ‘You, I don’t need to keep out of the news. So you’ll be seeing me soon, Miss Ellis.’ She spun and walked away down the corridor.
‘Madison! Please!’ Eliza rushed after her. ‘Madison, you have to call this off! Please!’
‘Even if I could, I won’t!’ She turned on Eliza. ‘You’ll have enough problems to deal with very soon.’ She flicked her hair back. ‘And just for the record, it’s your fault that Denni killed herself.’
Hot rage, unlike anything Eliza had ever felt, rushed through her. It took everything she had not to kick her in the mouth.
‘I always love our little talks, Miss Ellis. Remember: Big Hoop Energy!’ she said, in a cutesy voice. ‘Permission to be empowered!’
Madison sauntered down the hall, high heels clicking.
CHAPTER 27
CON
Con stood in the hospital courtyard, free of the disinfectant smell, but the dial tone was doing his head in. For the third time, only Nelly Mason’s voicemail answered.
‘Call me as soon as you get this, Mrs Mason. It’s very important I speak to you.’ He hung up the phone as Gabriella was ending her own call. ‘Did you get Tran?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, she was with the search controller when I called, Constable Darren Cahil.’
‘Wait, why do I know that surname?’ said Con.
‘His sister was Rose Cahil. Taken during the 1985 abductions.’
Con rubbed at the corner of his eye. ‘Coincidence?’
‘He would have been ten years old,’ said Gabriella pointedly. She clapped her hands. ‘But I love this case, Con. All these little connections, and now it turns out the girls abducted themselves? What a twist. Thanks for not getting us kicked off the investigation just yet.’
Con felt his stomach drop.
‘Follow me, I need to tell you something,’ he said heavily.
Her face lit up. ‘Another plot twist?’
‘You’re not gonna like this one.’ He walked back inside, Gabriella in tow, and found a spare room. ‘In here,’ he said.
‘Oh, detective, you scandalous man,’ said Gabriella, flicking her curls back and putting a hand on her hip. ‘Can’t you wait until we’re off the clock?’
Con grimaced. ‘Gabriella.’
She caught his mood. ‘Why are you using my full name? What’s happened?’
‘Yesterday, when you spoke on Madison’s live stream —’
‘You mean when I correctly predicted she was hiding something?’
‘Yes, well, Commander Normandy spoke to me and . . . I think it’s an overreaction – no, it is an overreaction – but she said that . . .’ He swallowed. ‘What you did, on the live stream, has made the department look bad, has turned a lot of people against us . . . has brought her, the commander, into question, and . . .’ He could barely bring himself to say it. ‘You’re off the case.’