The Murder Suite: Book One - The Audrey Murders by Leonie Mateer Read Free Book Online Page B

previous night’s events in his mind.  He had noticed the man, he now knew was Doug Blackmore, enter the bar alone.  He had noticed him because he seemed as though he had been drinking. He was unsteady on his feet and his face was flushed. It is only a few miles from the suites to the restaurant but it seemed too far to walk. He had obviously taken his truck and had to park down the road because the car park was full.    Audrey had arrived about ten minutes earlier.  He had seen her order a wine and she had been sitting by herself at a table in the restaurant.  He hadn’t noticed them again until they left together. 
    It was only about five minutes before he left.   He wondered why he had not seen Blackmore walking towards his truck.   He had not seen him in the truck when he pulled away from behind it either and, if he had decided to walk back to the chalets, he would have passed him on the road.
    Maybe someone else had seen him walking and offered him a ride.  It didn’t make sense.  Why would he refuse to ride back with Audrey?               
    Driver returned to the scene and to his colleagues who were talking to the divers who had been searching the ocean floor.   “The harbor is extremely deep in places and there is a strong current by the pier.  A body could have been swept out to sea,” the divers were saying.
    “Found anything?” Driver asked as he scooped under the tape and joined them at the water’s edge.  A tow truck was in the process of pulling the Toyota out of the bay.  Water was gushing out of the vehicle as it was lifted into the air.  Driver noticed that there was a cover over the back of the truck and bits of cardboard and clothing were falling through the gaps back into the water.  
    When it was dropped onto the road Driver walked over and lifted up a corner of the cover.  Inside were soggy cardboard boxes that had broken open and clothes and personal items were everywhere.  Fishing gear and golf clubs were scattered on the floor.  It looked as though Blackmore had his life’s possessions in his truck.  
    Driver wondered if he was trying to get away from someone or something.  Maybe he had staged his own death. So many questions without any answers. 
    He stepped back to let forensics get access to the truck.   
    Police cars, the local fire truck, tow truck and officers were everywhere. Locals were kept back from the scene by the yellow tape.   Driver walked over to some of the locals and started asking questions.  “Had they seen anything?” “Had they seen or talked to the driver, Blackmore?   Did anyone see the truck go into the water?”  No one had seen or heard anything it would seem.    He walked over to the jetty where some of the locals had been fishing.   They said the truck was already in the water when they had arrived at sunrise.   Their mates had called 111.  They didn’t know the truck or the driver.  Never seen it before.  No one was talking.
     
     
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    Audrey sprayed the last nest.  She had counted thirty-two nests, more this year than last year.  The bug man had sprayed inside and outside the units but this just made new nesting places.   Her gardens were expansive and she knew there were, most likely, more nests hiding among the flax leaves but she needed to get on to her gardening.   It was a huge task cutting all the dead fronds from the palm trees.   She cut off eight to ten fronds from each tree.  It took a couple of hours to load all the fronds onto her trailer and carry them in many loads down to the next driveway and dump them on her massive rubbish tip.    She had to wear heavy gloves to prevent the long spiked thorns from ripping into her hands.   As she drove to the dump- site she notice a few birds circling around the pigpen further down the valley.   Audrey liked hard work and, in particular, physical work.  It always made her feel good.   She had told the