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‘You filthy bastard.’ The voice was louder this time and Panos closed his eyes as fear took over.

The man in black looked away at the water swirling onto the concrete ramp. Panos could hear the incoming tide lapping against the rocks; it was almost to the top of the boat ramp and the night feeders were stirring with the influx of fish.

The man pulled a knife from the harness on his ankle and smiled. Panos’ bladder let go as the pale moonlight glinted on the long blade. The strong smell of urine surrounded them.

‘You fucking coward.’

As he waited, expecting to feel the cold blade of the knife, a couple of pebbles rattled down the ramp behind them. The man turned swiftly, dropping into combat position, the knife poised to attack. His head swivelled quickly from side to side as he scanned the car park above them. Panos’ last hope dissolved as a scrawny cat slunk away and disappeared into the dark gap between the two buildings on the far side of the car park.

‘Enough.’ The man spun around on his haunches.

After one long swipe across Panos’ neck, the man stepped to the side to miss the spray of his blood. With a wet gurgle, a bubbling choke and a final expulsion of air from his lungs, his life was over. His vision faded and he welcomed the blessed darkness.

Chapter 22

4.00 am Friday

Harbourside Motel, Darwin

Ellie paced the sparse motel room, wondering when Kane would be back. She couldn’t sleep; like him, she was wired – the two cups of coffee she had while waiting added to that. She briefly considered using her phone to read the attachments on Emma’s email, but knew her concentration wouldn’t be good enough to focus. Her mind was full of sadness for Susan and sympathy for Kane. A muscle had been pulsing in his cheek ever since she’d arrived at the hospital and she knew he was putting up a strong front. She was glad she’d made the effort to drive to Darwin. There’d been no one else there for him; he was a loner.

She flicked through the dozens of cable TV stations for a while before leaving the television tuned into an old black and white movie, more for company than an interest in the movie. She must have drifted off to sleep despite the caffeine because a light tap on the door and Kane’s voice roused her a while later. Ellie opened the door and he walked in slowly. His face was pale and his eyes were dark.

‘Hey, come on in.’ She kept her voice soft. ‘I’ll make you a coffee.’

Kane put his keys down on the small table next to the sofa where Ellie had been curled up. He sat down and leaned forward, staring down at the floor. ‘Thanks.’

She didn’t want to pry so she left him sitting there and went into the small kitchenette. What Sordina had said, how he had reacted to Susan’s death, was none of her business. She glanced across at her iPhone sitting on the bench; it was just before four o’clock. All was quiet as she waited for the water to boil.

By the time she returned with two cups of coffee, Kane had rested his head back on the sofa and his eyes were closed. She put the mugs on the small coffee table and sat beside him. His dark lashes fanned his cheeks and Ellie let her gaze travel over his face. The hollows in his cheeks appeared gaunt tonight and a rush of feeling ran through her. She wanted to put her hand to his brow and smooth his hair back and tell him everything would be okay.

But it wouldn’t. His mother had died and he had to work through the grief. She thought back to what Susan had said about Kane needing a friend. She could be that; she would be there for him. Apart from her friendship with Heather, Ellie kept distant from most people. Even her relationships with her sisters were distant most of the time. This feeling of wanting to comfort Kane, and be here with him, was very unfamiliar.

Ellie’s eyes were heavy and her eyelids slowly closed as she let Kane rest.

The ringing of a phone on the floor beside them roused her a short time later. Kane jumped to his feet and looked around the room, a frown wrinkling his forehead and his shoulders tense.

‘Your phone?’ he said.

Ellie shook her head as she reached up and pulled her hair back from her face. ‘No, it’s not mine. Mine’s in the kitchen.’ She looked down at the plastic bag on the floor and frowned. ‘It’s in with . . . with your mum’s stuff.’

Kane reached into the bag and pulled out a small dark red phone. He looked at it for a moment before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

*

‘Hello? Who is this?’ He didn’t recognise the number. Who the hell would be ringing his mother at this hour of the morning? It certainly wouldn’t be Panos, would it?

‘Is that Mrs Susan Sordina’s phone?’ It was a man’s voice, deep and authoritative.

‘Yes. Who is this?’

‘To whom am I speaking?’

‘Who wants to know?’ Kane wasn’t telling anyone who he was until they identified themselves first. He knew he was being rude but he couldn’t give a shit. Not after the night he’d had.

‘My name is Detective Sergeant Garrett from the Darwin Metropolitan Command. I need to speak to Mrs Sordina as a matter of urgency. Is she there, please?’

Kane dropped to the sofa beside Ellie, conscious of her gaze on him.