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A family of evil Chapter 26
‘You want to learn to fix bikes?’‘Yea.’‘I’ve got a friend who’s got a bike shop. Want to go see him and ask?’‘Seriously?’ Jacko looked scared.Johnnie shrugged. ‘I can get you in the door, introduce you and then it’s up to you. You’d have to convince the guy you’d be worth hiring. And then you’d have to show up every day and on time.’‘I could do that! Are you for real?’‘Let’s go talk to the man and see what happens.’ Johnnie pulled out his phone and made the call. Minutes later, they had an appointment and thirty minutes later found them entering the bike shop. Johnnie’s mate had taken redundancy and used his money to buy the business which sold new and used bikes, accessories and did repairs as well. The two of them casually strolled up the aisle through the rows of bikes, both in their own way, trying to hide their apprehension.A middle-aged man walked down to meet them, wiping his hands on his black ACDC t-shirt and black jeans. His weather-beaten face broke into a grin as he
A family of evil Chapter 27
‘I didn’t.’ Tommie seemed to be a bit short on air. Or it may have been because Arbruzzio was sucking it all up. He stood, pushed his way out of the booth and deliberately bumped into Michael as he passed.‘Sorry man,’ Michael sounded sincerely contrite. If Arbruzzio was looking for a fight, he wasn’t finding it with Michael . He stood for a moment, spat something in Greek to Tommie and stormed out through the back of the shop. A few minutes later, they heard the four-wheel drive skidding out of the alleyway.‘Hope he didn’t forget to pay for his coffee. Looks like you’re walking home.’ Franklin moved and slid into the booth that Arbruzzio had just vacated. Michael stayed standing.‘Clinton Dawson and Matt Fields.’ Franklin waited. ‘What do you know about these boys?’Tommie opened his mouth to answer, and Michael flipped out his notebook. His pen hovered over the notebook, waiting for what Tommie was going to say.Tommie looked at Michael and back to Franklin again. Franklin
A family of evil Chapter 28
‘That you, Uncle Tommie?’‘No, not this time. What’s the deal you’re offering?’They had him! Their hot suspect was on the other end of the phone. Franklin breathed out to discover he had been holding his breath.‘I have a shipment you should be very interested in. We’ve got a bigger network than anyone else you’re doing business with at the moment. We can supply because we’re global. If you’re not interested, we were going to give the New Zealand franchise to the Aussie team anyway cos your market is so small. So, you either come with us or you compete with someone who will sell better products.’‘I’m willing to look at what you’ve got to offer. And I’d like to know more about the business.’ There was no accent, the voice was as kiwi as they come, and they had no idea who they were talking to.‘Depends how much funding you’ve got.’‘Keep talking.’‘Well, we can sell to you as an end user, or you can buy a franchise. I probably don’t need to tell you that the money isn’t made doing b
A family of evil Chapter 29
She was taking her first sip of her coffee, when Stuart put his head around the door. ‘Ah, Sam, I was just looking for you. Can you give me a minute, please?’‘Sure.’ Sam took her coffee and followed Stuart into his office. She took the seat he indicated in front of his desk, and he sat in the chair beside it.‘Sam, I’m sorry but I’ve got some bad news for you. I know this will be hard for you because this is the first you’ve lost.’Sam had no idea what Stuart was talking about, she hadn’t lost anything that she knew of.‘I’m sorry Sam but we’ve lost Rhonda.’‘What do you mean lost? She’s left Auckland?’‘She’s committed suicide, Sam. She was found in her flat this morning. I’m so terribly sorry.’Sam’s body gave an involuntary jerk, and her coffee flew from the cup, half over Stuart’s desk and the rest over her black jeans. She looked at the damp jeans, it was hot coffee, but she couldn’t feel it. She looked at Stuart and for the first time noticed how tired he looked.‘How?’‘She cu
A family of evil Chapter 30
As the path curved back to the beach, Sam came back into sight again and he could see she had a rock in her right hand, which she was periodically striking on the rock beside her. She noticed him when he jumped down onto the rock shelf she was sitting on. She looked away back out to sea. He saw her face was wet and her eyes swollen from crying and his heart twisted in his chest. His instinct was to scoop her up and hold her until the pain faded, but he had to find out what she wanted, not do what he felt he needed to do.He sat on the rock beside her. ‘Who was it?’She looked at him, a crooked, wobbly smile on her face. ‘Rhonda. She was just starting to talk to me.’ Her voice wavered and he slid closer and put his arm around her. She turned into him and cried against his chest. Franklin held her, stroking her hair, soothing her with meaningless reassurances. But nothing could make any sense of such a senseless act.Slowly, she quietened and pulled back away from him. He slid her hair
A family of evil Chapter 31
Franklin listened to Michael ’s message, deleted it then listened to Mike requesting his attendance at a briefing in an hour’s time. Things were on the move. He walked over to Sam and crouched down beside her. ‘I’ve got to go.’‘I know, and you know what? I’m okay now. You were here when I needed you. You always are.’ She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her palm.‘I have a lot of thinking to do. I have to figure out what I really want to do. I thought I had become this decisive person, but you know, I haven’t even filed for divorce. There I go again, just drifting along. I need to make decisions.’‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’ve been through a lot.’She shook her head. ‘It’s time I grew up, quite frankly.’He smiled, kissed her on the cheek and stood again. ‘Let me know what it’s like when you get there. Being grown up may not be all it’s cracked up to be.’ And he turned and headed down the beach towards the path along the cliff. As he wa
A family of evil Chapter 32
Everyone was still out at the crime scene by the time Franklin called it a day. But he had stepped back and looked at his handy work. He’d filled the whiteboards around the room with To Do Lists.Wanting to have some progress for Mike Keegan was uppermost in Franklin ’s mind when he woke the next morning after a few hours of sleep. He’d lain awake going over the evidence and trying to work out how it all fitted together. The notebook beside his bed was full of ideas that had popped up during the night. He rolled out of bed and came to a sudden stop as his legs locked tight. Franklin took a cautious step forward and painfully headed for the bathroom, his calves felt like solid planks of wood. A soak in a very hot bath might mean he might just be able to walk. That and with the help of Diclofenac, a strong anti-inflammatory, the old man’s best friend.His phone rang as he was drinking his breakfast, a steaming black cup of coffee. ‘Franklin , I want you back in the office today.’ Mike
A family of evil Chapter 33
Johnnie savoured the smoky whisky taste. That first sip was always the fiery best, the rest tended to just turn into a drink. It had been five years, but that flavour was as familiar as yesterday. He took his glass and made his way to a table in the corner of the bar. Sitting at the bar smacked of desperation or despair. He wanted to look like he was waiting, simply waiting. Most people who drank in this bar were waiting. Waiting for time to pass, for the right person to walk into the bar, waiting for a job to turn up or for a Lotto win. Like every other darkened bar in the world as familiar as a favourite armchair, it was full of dreamers and disillusioned drunks. The right person who walked in the bar could be offering to pay well but the cash wouldn’t be showing up on their tax return any time soon. Johnnie took another small sip, the burn overwhelming him with memories of another bar, another life, and a woman. The next sip sat hot in his stomach igniting a molten core of anger. T
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- A family of evil
Chapter 47
Outside, Franklin lifted his head and listened. Everything must have been going to plan in the warehouse, it was always a good sign when there had been no shots. But another sound caught his attention. Franklin knew what the sound was, an approaching motorbike. If the whole gang arrived, they would be totally outnumbered. However, they wouldn’t know that there were police there until they got into the warehouse. There was still no sign outside that there was anything out of the ordinary. It crossed Franklin ’s mind, that if he shut the gate, he would not only stop anyone from leaving, but he would also keep any backup out of the warehouse yard as well. But what the hell, they might as well catch all the rats in their trap. He clicked the radio and let Mark know there was at least one more bike coming their way. As he pulled back into the shadows, Franklin saw a bike move slowly through the gate and pull up in front of the warehouse and then just sit there with his bike idling. Fran
- A family of evil
Chapter 46
He nodded, humbled by her reaction.She took his hand and led him inside. But she didn’t stop in the kitchen or the lounge. She kept walking straight down the hall into the bedroom. Franklin ’s heart thumped in his chest. She turned to face him, and he started to apologise for not being there for her when she put her finger across his mouth. ‘Shut up.’ She pulled him closer and stood on tiptoe to reach his lips. He lowered his head and allowed the feelings to swamp him. And suddenly, he took control. He turned and backed her against the wardrobe door and kissed her the way he’d dreamed of. And she responded exactly how she had in his dreams, but the feeling that surged through his blood was more intense than in the dream. It was pure bubbling champagne in his veins.Later whenever he thought of that moment, he never could figure out how they made it to the bed, but he sure remembered every touch, the taste of her and every movement they made together. It was simply perfect.Lying ther
- A family of evil
Chapter 45
Mark heard the air hiss from Franklin as he called a warning to Tommie to drop the bat. The boy’s sobbing subsided as he realised help was at hand and he scrabbled away from Tommie’s vicinity. Sobbing turned to a soft hiccupping, and they all looked at Tommie, waiting. No one moved. One person prayed for Tommie to try something, there were now four guns aimed at him. Tommie slowly lowered the bat.‘Toss it away from you, towards the back wall.’ Mark’s voice was soft and dangerous, and Franklin wondered if he too would like to take Tommie down.The bat was tossed and before they could say anything else, he dropped to his knees, putting his hands behind his head. He knew the drill.Two of them moved forward, still cautious while two remained with their guns trained on him. He was handcuffed before Franklin made a move towards Bubba. Tears were streaming down his face, leaving tracks in dirt. ‘I think he’s broken me bloody knee.’ His bottom lip wobbled, and Franklin put one arm aroun
- A family of evil
Chapter 44
Johnnie leaned over and put it on pause. ‘Yea,’ corrected Johnnie, ‘except for if you’re recording this and you want to get as much detail in as possible.’ He started it again.‘Okay, keep your hair on. Don’t let your shiny new Gold Wing bike go to your head.’ There were chuckles in the background.Franklin had snapped to attention. ‘Play that again.’ They listened to it again and Franklin sat back in his chair. ‘My god, if we can tie him into that bike, we’ve got him.’‘Really? The guy who’s at the back of all this?’Franklin nodded. ‘Where did you say you got this again?’Johnnie lifted one eyebrow. ‘Apparently, I found it on my doorstep tomorrow morning.’Franklin nodded. ‘Cautious aren’t they.’‘Wouldn’t you be? Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll head home to get some beauty sleep.’ Johnnie finished the last of his drink. ‘Don’t say it, I need more than a sleep to fix that.’Franklin walked him to the door. ‘Thanks man, this could be the best link we have so far.
- A family of evil
Chapter 43
‘Yes, I met her in the coffee shop.’‘Her maiden name was Arbruzzio.’Franklin stared at him. ’She’s his aunt? Arbruzzio’s?” He breathed out. ‘She told me Arbruzzio had helped her. I got the impression that she owed him.’‘You got sucked in, man. She must be good.’Franklin shook his head. ‘Unbelievable, I totally believed her. So is she a part of everything too?’ Franklin felt his world shift. He had hoped that she might look out for the boys but there was a strong possibility that she was in it with Tommie and Arbruzzio up to her neck. ‘Damn it, women aren’t supposed to take advantage of young boys. Call me old fashioned, but it’s just not right.’ He took a minute to take it in, then continued. ‘So, what about the finances? Anything shonky?’‘Other than it seems that the place has an unusually high turnover for a coffee shop that size, nothing really.’‘You think they’re laundering money?’‘Looks like it but the tax office did an audit on them and they were able to explain the tu
- A family of evil
Chapter 42
‘You deserve that. You did great, Babe. I’m proud of you.’ And he raised his bottle, clinked it against her wine glass and took a swig.She took a tentative sip. ‘Bit early for this, isn’t it?’‘Nah, let’s live dangerously.’ Johnnie looked down, swallowed then looked at her again. ‘I’m sorry Babe. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea…’‘Johnnie, it’s past. Finished. Don’t get upset about it. I’m sorry you had to hear that but I felt he was getting sympathy and that was the only way I could think of that would change the mediator’s point of view.’Johnnie grinned. ‘Did you see the look on his lawyer’s face?’ He took another swig. ‘Just as well Franklin wasn’t there, he would’ve wanted to kill him. I mean I did too, but I’m glad Franklin wasn’t here.’‘Don’t forget, Franklin investigated the stalking at that time and he interviewed David. He was the one who warned me not to meet him for a while and then only in public. He knows what David had become.’‘Are you going to ring him and t
- A family of evil
Chapter 41
She nodded and walked back towards the kitchen. Some of the boys at the other tables watched her walk past out of the corner of their eyes, but no one made any smart remarks. Not to Maria. None of them were that stupid.Bubba headed home when he had finished his coffee, he didn’t want to hang around while he was carrying his payment on him. He’d got paid and he’d helped Alex and the guys who were trying to find who’d killed Clinton . As he got to the top of the hill at the end of his street, he looked back at the city sparkling below. It looked like a sideshow at a fair, all lit up to tempt you to come and play. But he knew only too well, the kind of playtime this could be. His bruises were healed for the moment, but his scars ran deeper. He looked from the sparkling yellow lights to the clear sky above. Stars were twinkling, some shining brighter than others. Bubba searched the sky until he found one bright enough for what he was looking for. That one. He watched it for a moment, shi
- A family of evil
Chapter 40
‘Calm down, Babe. He’s requested a reconciliation meeting with you through your lawyer, who is obligated to pass it on to you. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.’‘Really? I don’t have to?’ Sam dropped into a chair, relief clear on her face. ‘But that reads as if it is one of the steps to the divorce.’‘Yea, well I believe that they like to try to get the couple to reconciliation if at all possible. Tell your lawyer that you are frightened for your life, that meeting him would be traumatic for you and leave it with him.’ Johnnie crouched down beside her. ‘As long as he doesn’t get either your mobile or your address, you’re safe. And besides, you’ve been doing my self-defence course, you’re better placed to protect yourself if the need arises.’Sam shivered. ‘It was horrible. I didn’t think I would have to see him again. But I’ll sound so much like a coward if I don’t attend that meeting. I should go, tell them that there is no way I would feel safe being in the same room
- A family of evil
Chapter 39
‘He’s really working that table. He’s trying hard to impress.’Martin glanced in at the table again, watching the ceremony of honouring the older men, the showing of respect for these elder businessmen. ‘I think he’s just showing respect. He’s Arbruzzio’s new partner so he’s got to work to be accepted into their business world. And this is the way to do it. Those guys coming and going at the end of the table, they are making an appearance and showing the same respect.’‘How long do you think this lunch is going to go for? They’ve been here two and a half hours so far.’Michael checked out the table. ‘They’re not at coffee yet, so it may go for a while longer. Relax Martin, how often do you get a great meal like this paid for? Franklin would give his right arm to be seated where you are now, but Arbruzzio knows him. Watch out, here comes another one.’ Michael picked up his phone, lifting his sunglasses to get a better look at the screen. He lifted the phone and aimed it at Martin, ‘
