and most walking tracks eventually took visitors down to the water. Grace followed the blue Audi along the park’s Riverside Drive. She knew before it stopped where they were going. A black Porsche was already parked where Griffin pulled up. A tall, red-haired woman in jeans and a red shirt was waiting near a picnic table. High-heeled sandals made her appear taller than she was. Grace recognised Sara McLeod out of her tracksuit and with her hair loose.
Grace glanced around before getting out of her car. There were walkers nearby, but at a discreet distance, and a cyclist slowly making his way along the road. Against her ribcage, she felt her firearm. She hadn’t come here to step into the abyss.
‘Who’s this?’ she asked Griffin.
‘This is Sara. My associate. Sara, this is Grace.’
‘Yes, I’ve heard about you,’ the woman said. Her look was distant, mocking, even arrogant.
‘Let’s sit down,’ Griffin said. ‘Grace has something for sale, but more than that, she wants in.’
‘Into what?’ Sara said.
They sat at the picnic table where there was a basket waiting. Sara took out a thermos and poured her and Griffin coffee. Grace glanced quickly between them. What was their agenda? Why were they sitting down with her like this? Kidd had vouched for her but was that enough?
‘Don’t be rude, Sara,’ Griffin said with a grin. ‘Offer some to Grace.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Grace said. ‘You were there when Kidd got shot. I saw you.’
Sara laughed as she concentrated on pouring. ‘You do have eyes after all.’
‘What were you doing there?’ Grace asked.
Sara looked up slowly, raising her chin. She stared at Grace with hazel eyes. They were entirely cold, like discs of light shut off from any emotion.
‘What’s it got to do with you? What were you doing there?’
‘I told you,’ Griffin said. ‘Grace has something to sell. She was trying to sell it to Jon. Weren’t you?’
‘He didn’t want to buy. He didn’t even want to talk,’ Grace said.
‘He just ran.’
‘No spine,’ Sara said.
‘But we do want to talk,’ Griffin said. ‘And you want in.’ ‘What does she think “in” is?’
‘Money laundering,’ Grace said, to be met with silence from both Griffin and Sara. ‘That’s what this is all about. That’s my guess.’
‘Is it?’ Sara muttered.
‘Those sex workers at Life’s Pleasures, the ones who don’t get paid. Jirawan. If I got a forensic accountant on to that brothel, then that’s what they’d find. Money laundering.’
‘Then why don’t you?’ Sara threw at her.
‘That depends on what I get offered, doesn’t it?’
Sara looked at Grace with cold-eyed contempt, as if it was an affront to share a picnic table with her.
‘You’re asking a lot, Grace,’ Griffin said. ‘You’re asking my client to trust you.’
‘Who is your client? You?’
Sara snorted with contempt.
‘Don’t be gauche,’ Griffin said. ‘You don’t go around asking other people who their clients are. I’m here to make sure he doesn’t have to be bothered with this. If you want him to pay you, you have to respect his privacy.’
‘If you’re protecting his privacy, what’s Sara doing here?’
‘I’ve already told you,’ he said with a friendly smile. ‘She’s my associate.’
‘In that case, how do I know who I’m dealing with?’ Grace said. ‘If you’re not the main man, then maybe I’m wasting my time.’
‘My client will meet you and deal directly with you when you’ve proved yourself to him but not before.’
‘Why do I need to do that?’
‘Because he has no other way of knowing what your bona fides are,’ Griffin said. ‘It all gets back to what you want. My client can buy your passport and your tape. That’s straightforward enough. But you say you want more than that. That complicates things. You have to do something for him if you want to take that next step.’
‘That’s right,’ Sara said. ‘He wants this girl. Miss Brainless.’
She tossed a photograph of Narelle Wong onto the table, one of the many publicity shots paid for by Mr Wong. Grace picked it up and looked up to see both Griffin and Sara staring at her. No distance in their faces this time. In its place, anticipation and greed.
‘If you want this girl, it’s going to cost you,’ she said.
‘You’ll get paid,’ Sara said. ‘The client wants her, the passport and your tape together.’
‘If I do this, where does that leave me?’
‘In,’ Sara said, raising her eyebrows. ‘The way you wanted.’
‘It’s not enough.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re putting me in the position where I take all the risk. I’m the front. I’ve got nowhere to hide. We’ve talked a little about what the business is. Before I put myself on the line the way you want me to, I want some guarantees myself. I want to know more.’
Griffin was leaning forward.
‘If you agree to this, then I’ll do that. I’ll talk to you about it myself.’
Sara glanced quickly at him, seemingly a little taken aback.
‘When?’ Grace said.
‘After you make the arrangements and before you pick her up. Here. Tomorrow. We’ll have lunch. I’ll be waiting for you.’ He glanced at Sara. ‘Just me and Grace.’
Sara was sitting with a very straight back. Grace looked at her expression and thought she knew what it meant. He’s seeing another woman. Doing it to you again.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll be here.’
‘We need to talk about money,’ Sara broke in. ‘That’s why you’re here. Because you’re the kind of person who can be bought.’
‘Careful, Sara,’ Griffin said quietly.
‘You pay me exactly what I ask for,’ Grace said.
‘Then tell us how much you want,’ Sara replied angrily.
‘I’ll think about it first. I’m not going to ask for too little. You pay me half before and half afterwards. Now, how do you want this done?’
‘Pick her up from her house in Chipping Norton, then drive north,’ Sara said. ‘There’s a service centre on the Newcastle freeway at Jilliby, north of Gosford. Take her there. She’ll recognise the car that’s going to pick her up. You just have to drop her off.’
‘That’s a long drive,’ Grace said.
‘But you’re being paid.’
‘How do I get her to agree to go with me?’
‘She will, believe me,’ Sara said. ‘Just tell her Elliot wants to see her. Get her to bring her ID with her. Her passport, her credit cards, birth certificate, everything. Tell her to dress down, clothes that can’t be traced. Wear something with a hood so she’s not easy to recognise. She’s not to bring any other clothes or personal effects with her and no mobile under any circumstances. You’ll be waiting for her at an agreed location. Don’t use a car that can be traced to you. If you have to, tell her you’re driving her there because Elliot’s going to take her to Coffs Harbour. From there, they’re going to fly to Cairns and then Elliot’s going to take her by yacht to Hong Kong.’
Grace laughed. ‘She’s really going to believe that.’
‘She’ll believe it.’ Sara had a dangerous look in her eyes. ‘If that girl had a brain cell, it wouldn’t just be lonely, it’d be deranged.’
Grace turned to Griffin, remembering Kidd’s words:
