Shelter Page 4

  The car.

  The figure moved, bending over to nibble at a plant. Her breath left her in a whoosh.

  Kangaroo.

  Her imagination was running away from her. She breathed deeply for a minute to calm her racing heart. She’d come this far. Keep going.

  With a renewed determination, she continued towards Henk’s property until the map showed her she was opposite it and then scanned the bush she had to walk through. Were snakes active at night? Or did they hibernate in winter?

  It would be her luck to be bitten and die out here.

  She swallowed hard. She’d be careful.

  Moving into the low scrub, her footsteps were muffled by the wet grasses. She walked slowly, keeping her binoculars trained on the ground so she didn’t trip. She halted in front of a wire fence stretching either way in front of her. It wouldn’t be hard to climb through. The wires ran parallel to the ground with enough gap between them for her to squeeze through. Then she’d be on Henk’s property, though there was still bush as far as she could see.

  As she reached out to separate the wire, a male voice said, “You touch it and you’ll get a hell of a shock.”

  She shrieked, whirled around and lost her balance, falling towards the fence. She dropped the binoculars and strong hands hauled her upright.

  He held her close, his chest firm, arms tight and she struggled, hitting him, her pulse pounding in her head as fear took control. “Let go of me.” It was more of a sob than the order she’d wanted.

  “Just to be clear, the fence you almost touched is electrified.” The deep voice sparked a memory and as he let her go, she said, “Jeremy?”

  “Yes. And no, I’m not following you this time. I was investigating who was sneaking along the fire break.” He chuckled quietly. “Imagine my surprise to find you. Should I call the police now?”

  “No. Please, don’t. I can explain…” Except she really couldn’t. Not without knowing if he was involved with Henk. If he was, he could give everything away.

  “I’m listening.”

  The first spit of rain hit her cheek and she glanced at the sky.

  “Zamira, give me one good reason not to call the police right now. We’ve had all sorts of dodgy things happening in Blackbridge this year and I won’t ignore you sneaking around. Too many people died.” His tone was rough.

  The police would call Border Force and she’d be in so much trouble. Another drop of rain hit her face, and then another. His expression would tell her if he was involved. She bent down, felt around until she found her binoculars and picked them up. His face wasn’t clear enough.

  The rain fell faster now and she pulled up her hood with a sigh. “Can we talk at your place?”

  “All right.” He flicked on a torch and the light made her blink. “This way.” He gave her a long look, jaw set and then moved ahead of her.

  She couldn’t outrun him and he’d likely track her down. Someone who ran into a burning building to save a woman couldn’t be all bad — right?

  He turned. “You coming?”

  With another sigh, she followed, drawing her phone out of her pocket. She’d send her sister a message so that if she disappeared, someone would know where to look for her.

  As she typed out a message, her shoulders slumped.

  No signal. Goosebumps leapt to her skin.

  If Jeremy was in on this, she was screwed.

  ***

  Jeremy led the way to his place, but kept a close eye on Zamira in case she tried to hit him over the head. When he’d seen the light bobbing through the trees he’d thought he was imagining it for a minute. But then he’d realised it was a torch and had decided to investigate. He wasn’t calling the cops if it was kids playing spotlight. The guys would never let him live it down.

  He’d been stunned when he’d recognised Zamira in the glow of the torch. He’d followed at a distance and when she’d switched from torch to night vision binoculars — who the hell carried them for legit business? — he’d kept close to the trees, but she hadn’t checked behind. Instead she’d nearly freaked out at something in the bush nearby and when she’d continued on, he’d noticed the kangaroo.

  She was obviously no expert at sneaking around.

  Which meant he couldn’t be cruel enough to let her get zapped by Henk’s electrified fence. Though it would have served her right.

  No, whatever was going on, she wasn’t a seasoned criminal. Perhaps he could help, stop her going down a similar path that had killed or imprisoned so many of his friends.

  As they left the bush at the back of his property, he slowed so she could walk next to him. The rain had begun in earnest now, still light but constant, the type of rain that deceived, appeared soft but would drench you in minutes. The back porch light shone in front, killing his night vision and illuminating the drops. He looked at Zamira.

  What was her interest in Henk?

  She glanced at him but didn’t say a word.

  “Where’s your car?”

  She was silent a moment. “At the entrance to the fire break.”

  A straight stretch of road so it shouldn’t cause a hazard.

  Fetch lay on the verandah where Jeremy had left him. He lifted his head as they approached, and his tail thumped on the wood. Jeremy rubbed the dog’s head, then glanced over his shoulder at Zamira. “Come inside.”

  He stripped off his soaked jumper and undid his boots, leaving them outside.

  She hesitated and he raised his eyebrows. “If I was going to do anything to you, I would have done it in the bush, away from my house.” He was the one who should be worried. She was doing something dodgy and if she had a gun in her bag, he’d be stuffed. “This way.” He led her through to the laundry, handing her a towel for her hair. She’d been sensible enough to wear a rain jacket at least. He hadn’t grabbed one before he’d left and the cold was seeping into his bones. “Hang your jacket over the sink.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer but continued through into the kitchen where he switched on the kettle. When he turned she was there. “Mugs and tea are in the top cupboard,” he said. “I’m going to change.” If she ran, he’d report her to the police.

  When he returned to the kitchen, the kettle had boiled and she had poured two mugs of tea. He paused in the hallway. She had a weird sense of what was appropriate clothing for sneaking about. A long-sleeved blood red shirt, the type most girls would wear out to dinner and blue office pants — slacks, his granny would have called them. She wore Thor socks on her feet, which was kind of cute. With a sigh, he got out the milk and handed it to Zamira.

  “Thank you.” She looked more subdued tonight, though she no longer had the dark fatigue circles under her eyes. She must have found somewhere to sleep.

  He cleared a space at the dining table, moving design notes, files and models to the kitchen bench, and then gestured to a seat. “What are you doing in Blackbridge?”

  She glanced at him through her eyelashes, worry in her eyes, and slowly sipped her tea.

  “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  She shook her head. “No, but my cousin is.”

  Cousin? Zamira was Malaysian and had asked questions about the fire. All at once everything clicked. “Annisa?”

  She gasped and then nodded. “She’s my second cousin, she called me from hospital…” She paused. “You rescued her. How did she seem?”

  He frowned. “Distressed. A little scared of Henk.”

  Zamira studied him and then placed her mug on the table. “Annisa told me the man who brought her here wouldn’t let her go. She left Malaysia a month ago and no one has heard from her since.”

  Jeremy leaned back. “You think Henk kidnapped her?” It made no sense. People knew she was there.

  “Not exactly.” She closed her eyes. “I work for Border Force. We monitor foreign workers and migrants to ensure they aren’t being exploited. Annisa thought she had a legitimate work visa, but nothing has been registered in her name. She could virtuall
y be a slave.”

  He shook his head. “Isn’t that going a bit far? We don’t have slavery in Australia.”

  Her gaze hardened. “You’d be surprised at the number of people prosecuted each year for what amounts to modern day slavery; from paying incorrect wages to giving no annual or sick leave and not allowing them to leave the premises. And they get away with it because the migrant workers don’t know their rights, don’t speak a lot of English and are threatened with deportation if they do question it.” Her voice rose with passion as she spoke.

  He whistled low. “I had no idea.”

  “Not many people do.”

  He rubbed his beard. “You think Henk is doing this?” He hated to think his neighbour was capable of it, but after what had happened a couple of months ago with a close mate, he wasn’t ready to discount it. You never really knew someone.

  She nodded.

  “So, you’re here on a reconnaissance mission for Border Force?”

  She glanced at her mug. “Something like that.”

  He expected the people hired to protect the country to be less jumpy. “Are all the workers next door slaves like Annisa?” Henk had arranged work placements for them all over Blackbridge. The bus with the workers drove past every morning.

  “Possibly. Annisa’s scared. Desperate, even. She lit the fire on purpose.”

  His eyes widened. That was very risky. She’d almost been killed. He sipped his tea. If what Zamira said was true, then he couldn’t do nothing. He couldn’t let anyone else lose a loved one. “I’m going over there tomorrow to quote Henk for repairs on the building.”

  Zamira raised her eyebrows. “You’re a builder?”

  He nodded. “I can ask Henk if I can talk to Annisa and give her a message.”

  She brightened with a huge grin and the sparkle in her eyes hit him straight in the gut. Shit. Where did that come from?

  “That would be great.”

  He stood, needing the distance, and took a notebook from the bench. He flicked to a blank page and handed it to her with a pen.

  “Thank you.” She gazed right into his eyes, her expression full of thanks before she bent her head to write the note.

  He let out a breath. He always fell fast for a pretty face. A psychologist would probably say he was searching for the affection he’d lost, but he knew better. Caring too much for anyone was just asking for heartbreak and he had enough pain to deal with.

  He shouldn’t get messed up in this more than he already was. Besides, Zamira had more important things to deal with than him making a move on her – if she was telling the truth.

  Zamira ripped out the piece of paper and folded it in half and then half again before giving it to him.

  He unfolded it. He could understand the gist of it. “You’re working on a plan and if she feels threatened she should come to me?” Great. She was drawing him in.

  “You speak Malaysian?”

  “A bit of Indonesian.” He tucked the note in his pocket. “Why can’t you just get her out?”

  She played with her pendant, passing it along the silver chain. “The Task Force is putting a case together. If I move too soon, we might not have all the evidence we need.”

  Fair enough. “Where are you staying?”

  “At a bed and breakfast.” She wrote something on the pad and handed it to him. “My number.”

  So now she was willing to give it to him. “You still got mine?”

  She nodded, looking down at the ground.

  “All right. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.” He collected her empty mug from the table and put it in the sink. Get her out of his house and then he could think things through. “You want me to give you a lift back to your car?”

  Hurriedly she stood. “Yes, please. If it’s not too much trouble.”

  “It’s fine.” Though he wasn’t entirely convinced Zamira wasn’t a whole lot of trouble in herself.

  Chapter 4

  The next morning Jeremy drove over to Henk’s place and parked his ute near the remains of the dorm building, not far from all the tents. Henk was already there but the rest of the property was deserted.

  “Thanks for coming over,” Henk said. “The insurance guys are supposed to be out early this week.”

  Jeremy’s muscles were tight. He wasn’t close to his neighbour, but he couldn’t let what Zamira had told him cloud his judgement. She could be lying. He’d played football against Henk for years and sometimes built things for him. The man was a bit arrogant, and always keen to blame his problems on someone else, but he always donated money to the volunteer fire and rescue when they did their annual fundraising event.

  “Has it been cleared to enter?” Jeremy asked as they walked up the charred wooden steps to the front door.

  “Yeah, and the men took out the stuff they could salvage.”

  Jeremy walked in, scanning the front hall, checking for dangers someone might have missed. Smoke stained the walls and its stench filled his nose, but there were no flame marks here. “Do you know where it started?”

  Henk scowled. “The kitchen. Might have been someone smoking inside.”

  Henk didn’t know it was Annisa. That was good. Jeremy raised his eyebrows. “The culprit still work here?”

  Henk’s laugh was grim. “No one’s owned up to it yet.”

  The hall came to an end. Blackened stairs led to the first floor and a corridor branched out each way with doors leading off it.

  “Kitchen is that way.” Henk pointed left where the walls were black with curled paint and the stench of smoke was even stronger.

  Jeremy headed towards it, watching his step so he didn’t trip on the debris and peering into the tiny bedrooms as he went past. Each contained a single bed and a chest of drawers. Kind of like a prison cell.

  At the end, the kitchen was far larger, and now had a gaping hole in the ceiling. Above had to be the remains of Annisa’s room. The window he’d climbed through was boarded up. Debris from the ceiling and charred remains of what would have been the dining table and cabinets were scattered around the floor. Heavy traces of smoke, chemicals and damp wood. He breathed through his mouth as his eyes watered. It would have to be completely gutted.

  He moved back down the corridor, past the stairs and inspected the remaining rooms on the ground floor. A small lounge room and a bathroom. They had smoke damage but weren’t in too bad a state. The fire hadn’t reached this far.

  “You should stay down here,” Jeremy said as he returned to the stairs. “The less weight we put on the floor upstairs, the better.”

  Henk nodded. “You know what’s best. I’ll meet you outside.”

  Jeremy tested each step before he put any weight on it and slowly made his way upstairs. He went through the end furthest from the kitchen first. A couple of doors were closed, so he opened them. Not much damage, though the smell of smoke would linger for months no matter how much they cleaned.

  He continued back along the corridor, his steps slowing as he cautiously approached the source of the fire. Only bedrooms up here and aside from some smoke and water damage, they weren’t in too bad a state. He reached Annisa’s room and peered inside. Most of the floor was gone.

  The roof was in pretty good shape, stained with smoke, but still in one piece. It wouldn’t be hard to replace it with some new plasterboard. The floor was a whole different kettle of fish. He needed to find the main support beams, figure out the damage. His fingers brushed something metal on the door frame. The loop of a padbolt. Frowning, he reached in and drew the door closed, checking the other side. Yep. The door could be locked from the inside.

  Annisa obviously didn’t feel safe here.

  He needed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. He couldn’t turn a blind eye, not now he knew something wasn’t right.

  He never would have guessed it. In the past Henk had provided him with workers to help with big jobs he couldn’t do on his own. Jeremy had always paid the industry rate, but maybe they hadn’t received
it.

  With a sigh, he headed back outside to where Henk waited.

  “How bad is it?” Henk asked.

  “The right side of the structure isn’t too bad. You’ll need some heavy-duty cleaning to get rid of the soot and smoke stains, but you can probably make it liveable fairly quickly if you want to get your guys out of the tents. I can recommend some products to use or a couple of cleaning companies.”

  Henk nodded. “And the rest?”

  “I’d say it will need to be structurally reinforced and rebuilt. Before you do anything you should get a structural engineer in.”

  “Can you give me a ballpark figure?”

  Jeremy shrugged. “Until I know what the engineer says it’s difficult to estimate.”

  Henk scowled. “Hopefully insurance will cover it.”

  “When you’ve got the structural report I can come back and do a full measure and quote, give you an exact figure.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  They walked back to his ute and Jeremy scanned the tents. “You sure you don’t want some of the guys bunking at my place? It’s cold.”

  “Thanks mate, but I don’t want to put you out. If those end rooms are structurally sound, I’ll get them to move back two to a room for the meantime. They’re all pretty shaken up by the fire and they’ll be happy to clean up.”

  Two to a room would be very squeezy, and if they didn’t clean them properly, the smoke stench would be unpleasant, but he didn’t insist. It was Henk’s business. “Is Annisa around?”

  “Ah, no. She had a cleaning job this morning.”

  “On a Sunday?”

  “Some people like to be at home when she comes,” Henk said. “I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

  He couldn’t give her the note. “Can you call me when she gets back?” When Henk frowned at him, he rubbed his beard. “I like to check on people after a fire. Make sure they’re doing OK.” He flashed Henk a grin. “Besides, she was kind of cute.”

  Henk rolled his eyes. “Don’t try to pick up one of my best workers.” He sighed. “I’ll let you know when she gets back.”