The Labyrinth of Drowning

‘Good,’ Griffin said. ‘You look much better.’ He stared at her. ‘You’re very cool. All the other women I’ve had were sobbing by now. They all beg. I couldn’t do it because of my family, you must understand that. I couldn’t do that kind of work, or No, I won’t tell anyone. You can trust me. The men are no different. They cry too. You’re trained, but you’re human. Why aren’t you crying?’

My backup are coming for me. They must be.

‘Maybe I don’t believe this is real,’ she said.

‘Oh, it’s real,’ Griffin said. ‘What have you got for me?’

The ape handed Griffin two items, one after the other. He held them up for her.

‘Watch. I have a Rolex. I don’t need this.’ He tossed it on the floor. ‘Photograph. This is different. It’s unique.’

The photo showed Grace with Ellie in her arms, immediately after she was born. Her exhausted face. Everything that followed. All that love. Grace looked it at, her mouth closed against the uprush of emotion. Tears were in her eyes. I can still feel myself holding you. If only I was with you. Who will look after you if I’m not there?

‘You can cry,’ Griffin said. ‘Talk to me.’

‘Where’s Paul?’

‘Waiting for you,’ the ape said with a cackle.

Griffin put the photograph in his trouser pocket. ‘I’ll keep this. I’ll take your hair too, before I finish. They’ll be my keepsakes. Whenever I think of you, I’ll go and look at your hair.’

I’ve dealt with people like you before. In the end you’re all the same. I’m not crying for you. You are not touching what matters most to me.

‘Where’s Paul?’

‘You know what people are going to think?’ Griffin said. ‘He murdered you and committed suicide.’

‘No one’s going to believe that. Not our families, not the police, no one.’

‘Your partner wrote a letter and signed it. It’ll be posted on his website tonight. I’ll show you. I spent most of last night matching his signature. I think I’ve done it pretty well.’

He reached into his inside jacket pocket and took out an envelope. It was addressed to Toby care of the University of New South Wales. The information that Toby was a student there was on Paul’s website. Griffin held up the letter for her to read. The words jumbled in her mind. Know she’s been cheating just not sure who. Never been sure. Made me leave my job.

‘No one will believe that rubbish.’

‘People believe what they want to believe. There are enough rumours out there for people to wonder if maybe it is true. And it’s his signature. Who can argue with that? People will say, who knows what he was thinking? He was always a private man. It’ll muddy the waters enough for people never to be sure.’

‘Where is he?’

The anger came out of her, a frustrated force. He stepped back a little, then laughed.

‘You won’t be like that soon. You’ll get down on your knees and you’ll beg and crawl like all the others. Enough talk. Everyone outside.’

‘In that little white Camry? The police have its registration. Did you know that? Anyway, where are we going?’

He stepped forward, looking her over.

‘The police aren’t here. There’s no one out there. You need to understand the situation. Everybody begs. I told you you’d kiss me. You will. You’ll do more than that, much more. You wait.’ He searched her face, looking for a fault line. She saw him look at her scar. ‘I know how to do it.’

Nothing will make me do anything for you.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

‘Wait till we get there. Remember, I’ll kill you if you do anything stupid,’ he said.

‘I’ll get going,’ the ape said.

‘Where’s his car?’ Grace asked.

‘Where you wouldn’t see it. I told you, I always take precautions.’ He turned to the ape. ‘Give me her shoes. I want to take them with me.’

‘Sure.’

‘Before you go, I’ve got a message for Tony senior. I’ve kept my side of the bargain throughout.’

‘I’ll tell him.’

‘No, you won’t. Because he’s double-crossed me.’

Grace’s shoes in his spare hand, Griffin shot the man dead. His body lay on the kitchen floor.

‘Why did you do that?’ she said.

‘The only people who know about my houses are the Ponticellis. They must have stolen my records and my money. If the old man sent Joe after you today when we had an agreement that I’d kill you myself, then he’s broken our bargain. If he thinks he can get me to pay him for those records, this is a message for him. He’ll be dead first.’

He pushed her out in front of him. There was no way to run. At the garage, he motioned her to sit in the Camry’s front seat. He tossed her shoes in the back, then fastened her seatbelt. She was pressed back uncomfortably in the seat, her hands losing circulation. He drove up the driveway and out onto the street. Sara had left the gate open.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

‘Back the way you came.’

‘Who’s Coopes?’

‘Coopes is a thing, not a person.’

‘What is it then?’

He took one hand off the wheel, took out his wallet and placed it on his lap. He flicked it open and eased out a photograph, which he then held up to her.

‘That’s Coopes,’ he said.

She recognised it immediately. A stone axe from New Guinea. Her father had one not unlike it.

‘Why do you call it Coopes?’

‘Mr Coopes,’ Griffin said. ‘The headmaster at the last school I went to. He said I could achieve anything I wanted to if I just tried. Every time I use Coopes, I think, yes, this is something I’ve wanted and I’ve achieved it. He wanted to be nice to me. It was insulting. I didn’t need his pity.’

The resentment in his voice was genuine. More than twenty-five years ago and he still thought about it.

‘Did you use it on him?’

‘No, I don’t know where he went. He was due to retire. He’s probably dead by now.’

Silence.

‘I kept my bargain,’ Grace said. ‘You didn’t keep yours.’

‘That’s not true. As far as I was concerned, we had no deal. I made my deal with Tony senior. And he broke it,’ Griffin said.

‘What was the deal?’

‘A personal contract for the old man. We’ve worked together on and off for years now. He wanted to get back at your partner before he died and he asked me to do something special. I was pleased when he named you. Chris had already told me all about you and I liked the look of you. Chris may not have been able to have you, but I can. Then Kidd told me you were with Orion. And then Marie said you had something to sell. I didn’t have to chase you any more. You walked into my hands.’

‘Why choose me?’

‘Tony wanted your partner to suffer the way he did when his daughter was killed. He wanted you and your daughter. But we couldn’t get to her so I decided to get you and your partner together instead. Tony would have liked it. We’re giving him a bit extra. Now I’m doing it for me. And Sara. It’ll be a buzz.’

Grace felt relief so powerful it made every bone in her body ache. You’re safe, she said to Ellie. But was she really going to die? Was she really never going to see her daughter again? She had to protect her. Somehow she had to see Ellie and Paul-

Griffin had said they’d die together. That meant Paul was alive now.