Private Sydney (Private 12)

‘The brother’s driving down to get them. Daycare staff will stay until he gets there.’

‘Zoe’s father?’

‘Flying back, gets in at eight.’

I checked my watch. If Louise’s parents didn’t answer their messages or get to somewhere with phone service, they’d be hearing about their daughter’s death on the nightly news.

Vans from all the major stations now blocked the street, with reporters jostling for the best position. Louise Simpson was already a ghoulish spectacle.

There was nothing more for me to do here. Running the gauntlet, I returned to the car without making a comment.

The only way to assuage the guilt I felt was to do everything possible to find that baby alive.

And catch whoever was responsible.

Chapter 25

BACK AT PRIVATE, Johnny and Collette were already working on a computerised composite of the Finches.

It can’t have been a coincidence that the security cameras had been down when the pair came in. If they were behind it, the plan to avoid being photographed was elaborate. Planting a virus and smashing a door suggested they knew the layout of our building and which computer operated the cameras.

They could have met us anywhere. In a park, another office, or a shopping mall. Something didn’t fit.

I racked my brain to recall even the slightest detail. The man was volatile and reacted badly when he thought he was being called a liar. Then again, he backed down with little persuasion. The woman was either genuine or a brilliant actress. She knew exactly what to say to garner sympathy.

Had they deliberately chosen me, today of all days? That meant they knew my personal history and planned to use me to get the information on Louise. But if they were that computer savvy, they could have found all the information on Louise themselves.

Had someone set me up? Someone who wanted me arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. I kept seeing the Simpson children’s playthings through my mind and images of their mother’s battered body.

Mary tapped on the doorjamb, with a coffee cup in hand and a ziplock bag of trail mix.

‘Thought you could use these.’

I hadn’t eaten all day and was beginning to feel the effects. My headache was back.

‘It’s probably fake but we need to check out the address the Finches gave us,’ I said, before sucking back the coffee and popping a handful of nuts and seeds.

Mary slumped in my lounge. ‘Already did. It’s a vacant block. And there isn’t anyone called Gus or Jennifer Finch either. I also tried Angus and Gustav. Nothing comes up on the usual databases.’

It figured. The couple had lied about everything.

The only other lead was the email address used to contact Louise through the surrogacy website.

‘They said they contacted Louise through that, which is how they found out she lived on the North Shore.’ I sat straighter. ‘Could you trace the address the email was sent from?’

Mary pressed both hands on her knees and stood. ‘Whoever owns that site is hiding behind a firewall. I couldn’t get through but we can try working backwards from Louise’s email account.’

‘Thanks. Keep me posted. I want to hear any news, no matter how insignificant it may seem.’

I sounded desperate. I was.

Chapter 26

I FOUND DARLENE in our lab.

‘Anything solid from the fence or kitchen?’

Her blue eyes had a spark as she pulled a white coat over her jeans and baggy shirt.