Malicious Intent Read Free Page A

wet the paper towel and dabbed it under her cream blouse, cooling her neck. Her temples pounded. This case had been more stressful than she’d realized. All she wanted was to go home and sleep.
    ‘We still have to wait and see whether the jury acquits,’ Anya replied, throwing the paper towel into the bin.
    Kate raised one eyebrow. ‘Anyone with an ounce of sense could see that kid is innocent. The only thing he’s guilty of is being related to his old man’s money. Next there’ll be a wrongful death suit by the drunk’s family.’
    Anya watched Kate run a hand through her short black bob.
    The detective was smart and arrogant, with a reputation as a troubleshooter, among other things. The two had worked together on a number of homicides over the last few years and Anya had been impressed by the twenty-eight-year-old detective’s straightforward approach. Gradually, they had become friends. Anya did wonder, however, why Kate went out of her way to intimidate everyone she met.
    ‘When the kid gets off, you should make the most of the father’s gratitude and double your fee. That’d stick it up everyone who thought you couldn’t make it on your own.’
    Anya smiled. ‘Good to see you’ve taken my advice and had those diplomacy lessons.’
    Kate was one of the few who knew her reason for the job change. The marriage breakdown and losing custody of Ben, her three-year-old son, were still painful. Anya pulled a lipstick from her purse, reapplied the terracotta gloss and walked toward the door.

    KATHRYN FOX
    11
    Kate followed. ‘You look like you could use a coffee. My treat.’
    Anya hesitated. Solo work was isolating and she hadn’t seen Kate for weeks. ‘Only if I can choose the place. Don’t want to end up with salmonella or worse.’
    The pair walked out the court gates, ran the gauntlet through the media pack and crossed Oxford Street. They stopped at the second café they came to. Inside, Kate glanced at the blackboard menu and grabbed a window table. The waitress pounced.
    ‘We’ll have a mineral water and . . .’
    ‘A short black, thanks,’ chimed Kate.
    They sat and watched the activity on the street until their drinks arrived. Across the road, Alistair Fraser left the court-house, a camera crew in his wake.
    Anya sipped her water. ‘You look exhausted.’
    ‘No choice. Without enough staff, I’ve been involved with homicide jobs all over the bloody state. As far as the brass is concerned, I’m only “consulting.” Problem is, the local detectives wouldn’t know shit from clay half the time.’
    ‘And you still have your own caseload.’ Typical police, Anya thought. The hierarchy cut staff, increased workloads and still expected more arrests and reduced crime stats. ‘Something else is bothering you.’
    ‘A coronial inquest.’ Kate heaped two sugars in her coffee.
    ‘The case was treated as an apparent suicide jump. Right from the start, it didn’t add up. This one was all dolled up in designer clothes, but lots of cheap, chunky jewelry – very cheap.’ She paused to lick the spoon. ‘Not something you’d put on to swan-dive off a cliff.’
    ‘Maybe she bought an expensive outfit on a credit card to go out in style.’ Anya had seen women do this many times.
    Sometimes they’d pay for an expensive hotel room on credit, rack up huge bills then kill themselves in the room. ‘The jewelry could have had sentimental value.’
    ‘It’s possible. She must have been attached to the shoes, too.
    They went with her into the water.’

    12
    MALICIOUS INTENT
    ‘Granted, that’s unusual, but doesn’t prove anything,’ Anya said. ‘What do you know about her social circumstances?’
    ‘Well, that’s the interesting bit.’ Kate caught the eye of a passing waiter and ordered a hamburger with the works. ‘She went missing for a couple of months prior to her death.’
    ‘Was it out of character?’
    ‘Totally. She was about to take her final vows. The “I’m going to carry rosary