To the Sea Read online

  The wind was continuing to pick up and the moon had disappeared behind clouds. It was cold. The temperature had dived down to single digits. The only light now was the faint glow from the kitchen at the back of the house.

  ‘It’s a big ocean out there,’ said Paul, ‘drowning’s the most likely outcome here. But they’re from a planet I don’t recognise. I’ve got two kids and I can tell you what sports they play. And according to Terri, I’m pretty useless. And I can tell you what they were both wearing this morning before I came to work. No one in that room knows a damn thing about Zoe. It’s weird.’ He paused. ‘And really sad.’

  ‘Maybe the mother will be able to fill in some of the gaps tomorrow,’ suggested Narelle.

  ‘Maybe. OK guys, let’s call it a day,’ said Tony. He ran through the details for tomorrow.

  He saw them both nod although they were not much more than shadows now in the dark of the gathering storm.

  Paul and Narelle left. Tony wandered over to the low dunes. He could see Ben’s alert silhouette standing guard on the closest dune. The waves were big and close. Tony thought about walking down onto the beach. But there was nothing down there for him.

  The rain started as he hit the highway. Just a few spatters at first but within minutes it was spearing into the windscreen, almost horizontal. The tall gum trees on either side of the narrow road were waving wildly and leaves were blowing out of the dark and slapping against the car bonnet. Tony thought of Zoe and hoped she wasn’t lying injured somewhere in this wildness. They had wasted most of the daylight hours following the family’s dead-end lead that Zoe had drowned in Driving Sound. Unless this storm blew itself out tonight, the divers wouldn’t be able to dive tomorrow. Any possible tracks or evidence of Zoe in the bush surrounding the house would be washed away.

  He should have commenced a missing person search immediately and done a thorough search of the bush while it was still light. Always assume the worst. Never believe anything a witness or suspect tells you until you can prove it. He’d make sure he was better prepared tomorrow.

  Tony had always wanted to do something that made a difference. People could live their whole lives and never be tested, really tested when it really mattered. Tony needed to know how he would score in such a test. He knew it all sounded pretty corny but the feeling was real and persistent. He spent the summer holidays after grade twelve swimming and fishing at the shack with his family wondering what he was going to do for the rest of his life. His mum wanted him to go to university. He had got good marks; he could be the first one in his family to get a degree.

  One day at the end of January, not long after everyone had gone back up to town, Tony observed some cops arresting two guys on a slick million-dollar cruiser anchored out in the bay at Port Arthur. He watched the cops for hours as they went about what he now recognised as a standard crime scene lockdown, a search and the eventual arrest. It was clean and perfect in its purpose. When he got back to town, he applied and was accepted into the next intake at the police academy.

  His father had surprised him when he said, ‘I am proud of you, Antonio.’

  His mother wasn’t opposed to him becoming a cop; she just didn’t understand why he would want such a life. But she always cooked him a meal when he got in after a late shift in his early days as a constable and she would be up early to feed him again and iron his shirt before he left for those early shifts on dark icy Hobart mornings. She polished his badges and washed and ironed his uniforms the regulation way during those uniform years. She never asked him about his gun.

  Driving through the storm, Tony thought about the Kennetts and about his own parents. It was late but he decided to call his dad. He knew his parents would be in bed but awake and worried for him.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘Ciao, Papa. It’s Tony. Sorry I didn’t make dinner tonight but I’ve been tied up in an investigation all night.’ He could hear his mother’s voice in the background and his father quietly telling her that yes, it is Antonio and be calm, Lucia, he is fine. Work.

  ‘Good that you called, Antonio. Your mother was worried.’

  Tony smiled in the dark of his car as the storm raged outside lit up by his headlights.

  ‘Sorry I didn’t call earlier,’ he said. ‘Give my love to Mum.’ He was about to hang up when he found himself continuing.

  ‘Papa.’ There was a long pause with only the sound of the rain and his windshield wipers. ‘Do you remember what sport I played in grade twelve?’

  ‘Is everything all right, Antonio?’

  ‘Yeah. I just wondered.’ He was being silly. The stuff you say at the end of a long day.

  ‘You rowed in summer and played soccer in winter. You were a good defender. You knew the other boys’ moves before they made them.’

  Tony could hear his mum asking more questions.

  ‘Grazie, Papa. Buonanotte.’

  Paul was right.

  Day two

  Tony

  THE STORM HAD BLOWN ITSELF OUT OVERNIGHT. IT WAS PROMISING TO be a cool day after a cold early morning. The sky was a hard metallic grey and full of high clouds but the wind had dropped away to not much more than a squally breeze. The heavy rain had stopped just before sunrise and the forecast of scattered showers throughout the day looked accurate. The pine trees were still dripping and the sandy road was wet and sluggish under the car tyres. Gum leaves, pine cones and small branches lay across the road or flattened against fences. With luck the day would brighten and the sun would be out by lunchtime.

  Everyone was already waiting at the front gate to Rosetta when Tony pulled up shortly before seven-thirty. Narelle was standing near the gate under an old black-trunked pine tree with the Sorell boys, going through some notes. Forensics were there but Tony didn’t know either of them.

  Paul was talking to two new guys from Liverpool Street who Tony had asked him to organise. A beagle was sitting up straight and alert at the feet of one of them. It wasn’t much more than a puppy and it bounded over to Tony as he got out of the car, looking up expectantly and searching for his hand with her wet nose.

  ‘Sorry, sir,’ said the younger of the new uniforms as he came over to get the dog. ‘She’s still young and is easily excited.’

  ‘It’s not the dog’s fault. The DI has that effect on young females,’ said Paul, grinning as he looked over at Tony. ‘He’s used to it. Isn’t that right, sir?’

  Tony knelt down and patted the pup. The new guys were smiling, a bit uncertainly Tony suspected, and the Sorell boys looked over. Everyone was waiting for his response. The team had to bond again and make room for the new guys. He wouldn’t get anywhere with this case without a good team. A dig at the boss was always a winner. How he took it would set the tone.

  ‘Beagles are a new addition,’ answered Tony as he rubbed the pup’s ears.

  ‘What, no coffees, sir?’ This was Narelle. She and the Sorell boys wandered over to Tony’s car and they were now all standing around in a group looking to him.

  ‘Actually, DS Clarke,’ he replied. He reached into his car and pulled out a large cardboard tray with eight cups of coffee and a pile of sugar packets.

  They all burst into a round of applause.

  ‘How did you know mine is a skinny soy macchiato decaf latte?’ asked Jack, grinning at his audience. ‘Have you been reading my personnel file, sir?’

  ‘Take the cappuccino and enjoy, Constable.’

  ‘A DI that shouts coffee?’ said the older of the new blokes. ‘I have now seen all the force can offer me.’ He introduced himself as Sergeant Col Turner and the younger officer as Constable Sean Watters from Hobart.

  ‘The dog is Sean’s and her name’s Lulu. She’s good even though she’s young. Another two dogs can be made available later this afternoon or tomorrow if we need them, sir.’

  Lulu pricked up her ears at the sound of her name and trotted over to sit at Sean’s feet. She seemed to know the workday was beginning and Sean rewarded her with a gentle rub.


  ‘Caroline West and Bruno Passi, Forensics,’ said the thirty-something woman standing next to the forensics van. She and Bruno were in the dark blue overalls of their department.

  Tony noticed that she hadn’t mentioned rank in her introductions. Forensics liked to believe they were above all that. Tony hadn’t met her before but he’d seen Bruno at other scenes.

  Everyone took a coffee and leaned back against the cars waiting for Tony to talk them through the day in front of them. They all looked relaxed.

  ‘Have you had a chance to bring everyone up to speed?’ he asked Paul and Narelle.

  ‘I think we’ve covered just about everything, sir,’ replied Paul. ‘We’re good to go.’

  ‘Good. This is how I see the day going. Speak up at any point to add something or ask a question. I will take your silence as understanding. Clear?’

  They were all drinking their coffees but they nodded at Tony.

  ‘Eric, I want you to go back to the neighbours you mentioned yesterday and find out everything they saw. Talk to those fishermen and get everything you can. Follow up any other boats that may have been out further or in other bays down the channel. Particularly any boats the locals didn’t recognise.’

  Eric was writing.

  ‘Caroline, we need DNA and fingerprints from everyone who was here yesterday. That will include the one who returned to town yesterday, Roger Armitage. And all the kids. We have permission from all their parents but make sure their parents are present when you get them. I don’t want any last-minute changes of heart. Jack, you good with kids?’

  ‘Yeah, I reckon. Two younger brothers. Lots of little cousins.’

  ‘Good. I want you with forensics. Talk to the kids while they’re being printed. Find out what they know, what they saw. Zoe may have spent time with some of them or talked to them. Kids often see or hear things adults don’t. If they like you, they’ll talk to you. Make sure you take detailed notes and statements. I don’t want to have to try and interview these kids again.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Caroline, I need a really thorough forensic search of Zoe’s room. I particularly want to know who else has been in her room and where else they’ve been. We’ll need photos of everything. I also need testing for the presence of blood or any other bodily fluids. Check her bed too. Check all the beds. The parents have consented to us taking and using anything of Zoe’s you need for DNA. There are a number of cars and boats here. I want them all checked. I know I don’t need to tell you how to do your job. The family has given us their information of where Zoe was two days ago, but it has to be considered unreliable. Assume she was anywhere and everywhere.’

  Caroline nodded.

  ‘Sean.’ The young constable looked up expectantly. ‘You need to get something of Zoe’s and start the search with Lulu. There are 150-plus acres here and at least three bays to be explored. The house is enormous and full of nooks and crannies, including an attic and several big walk-in wardrobes the size of small rooms. I need it all searched. There are several boats so if Lulu could give us some idea of when Zoe was last on any of them, it would be a big help.’ Sean knelt down beside Lulu reflexively and held her close as he rubbed her ears. Lulu looked at Sean and stood up, alert. She was in.

  ‘Eric, you team up with Sean if your interviews wrap up early.’

  ‘Col, you’re the senior uniform so I need you to be across everything the uniforms and forensics are doing. I want written statements from all the visiting interstate family members. I’m guessing they may disappear soon. This Christmas holiday isn’t quite what they had in mind.’ Col had taken some notes and gave Tony a little salute.

  ‘You young blokes stay in touch with Col,’ said Tony, looking at the three constables. ‘Questions to him.’

  Three nodding heads.

  ‘You’ve all had SOCO training,’ said Tony, ‘so I expect you all to follow procedure and assist with the management of the crime scene. There are plenty of SOCO suits in the van, I assume?’ he looked over at the forensics guys and Bruno gave him a thumbs up. ‘So use them. Report any and all findings or suspicions of findings to forensics. That suit you, Caroline?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Caroline. ‘We can always discard excess evidence. We can never come back and find it once it’s gone or contaminated. Our motto is “too much is never enough”.’

  Tony nodded his agreement. He looked over at his detectives. ‘Narelle, you and I will meet with the mother after Paul and I meet with the marines. Then, Paul, I want you to do an in-depth interview with the father. You might need to push him.’ Paul looked at Tony and, without another word or any outward sign, both men knew what was required.

  ‘There’s one more thing that we all need to be clear on,’ added Tony. He waited until he had their full attention. ‘The family is telling us that Zoe drowned while snorkelling. We have no evidence of that. In fact, the small amount of evidence we do have is that Zoe didn’t go snorkelling and she didn’t drown in the bay called Driving Sound. That has been all but confirmed by the marines.’ He waited again while this sunk in. ‘We may very well be looking for a body, in or out of the water. Members of this family may know more than they want to tell us. We cannot rule out foul play. We cannot rule out anything so I want you focused and every gut instinct you have finely tuned. We have a missing girl, and every hour she stays missing, the less chance we have of a good outcome. Our search is on land, the marines will cover the water search. Go as hard or as soft as you need to with your interviews and searches to find out everything you can. Do I make myself clear?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  Tony looked at his team. ‘We’ll catch up out here at one and see where we’re at. Any major findings to me immediately. You all have my mobile number, I assume?’

  More nods.

  ‘OK, let’s go.’

  ‘Narelle,’ said Tony. He waved Paul on as the others drove off down the sandy driveway.

  ‘How did you go this morning?’ Tony had asked Narelle to contact the principal of Zoe’s school.

  ‘Zoe has been at the school since kindergarten so some of the teachers, including the principal, have known her most of her life. She’s a good student. Top one per cent. She’s been elected as a prefect for the coming year and is very popular with the other girls at the school. As expected, she is excellent at sport.’

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘All of them by all accounts. Jessica Armitage was right. Zoe is the captain of the water polo team. Zoe is also a very good tennis player. The principal thought there may even be other sports but she knew these ones for sure.’

  ‘And she sails with a local yacht club,’ said Tony. ‘Busy girl.’

  ‘She’s carrying a full academic load for her TCE as well,’ continued Narelle. ‘A mix of sciences and humanities. She plays the violin in both the school and state youth orchestras and, according to the music teacher, is a very fine musician. It appears there is nothing this girl can’t do, and do well.’

  ‘Any problems?’

  ‘None. According to the principal she is, and I quote, “a thoroughly lovely girl”. She’s well liked by teachers. The principal gave me the name of the PE teacher, a Miss Rebecca Wilkinson, as she thinks she probably knows Zoe best of all the teachers. I left a message for her on her mobile. She’s in Morocco for the holidays but I’m hoping to hear back from her soon.’

  ‘Does the principal know the family at all?’

  ‘The older Kennett girls were all at the same school, but years ago, back in the seventies and eighties, way before this principal’s time. Zoe’s mother is an Old Girl and was there in the fifties or sixties. The principal has met the parents on a number of occasions but doesn’t know them well. They don’t have a lot to do with the school.’

  Narelle paused and looked at Tony. ‘She did say that the mother was a “strange woman”. I’m reading what she said here, sir. “It’s like she lives in another world, away with the fairies.” She also said that Zoe was a bit
like that too. Not strange but quiet. The word the principal used was “self-contained”. She said Zoe often likes to find a quiet corner away from others. Not sure what to make of that, sir.’

  ‘Not like any seventeen-year-old girl I ever knew,’ said Tony. ‘Boyfriend?’

  ‘Principal didn’t think so. Zoe attended the grade eleven formal alone. The principal was surprised. The only other girls without partners were two Korean boarders. She said that a lot of the boys at the formal were “entranced” by Zoe, and that she had plenty of boys asking her to dance. And apparently, Zoe did dance with some of the boys and her girlfriends as well. She gave me the names and mobile numbers of Zoe’s two closest friends: Annabel Wright and Emily Carlisle. Both girls are interstate at a rowing training camp but will be back in Tassie the end of next week. I’ll call them both later today and see what I can find out. The principal was sure that these girls would know all about Zoe’s personal life.’

  ‘This formal. It would have only been a few weeks ago, wouldn’t it?’ Tony was remembering back to all the dances he’d attended at school. Most of the boys at Zoe’s formal would have been Hutchins boys, like he’d been. There were only four private schools in Hobart. Only one of them a boys school.

  ‘I didn’t ask, sorry, sir, but yeah, probably early December.’

  ‘Ask the principal which boys were “entranced” and which boys got to dance with Zoe and who missed out. Maybe some of the other girls didn’t like the beautiful Zoe entrancing their dates. Maybe some of the boys didn’t take rejection well. Maybe a romance blossomed on the dance floor.’

  Tony looked down the long tree-lined driveway towards Rosetta.

  ‘It’d be nice if she was away somewhere now with a boy who’d swept her off her feet. Just two kids sneaking away from families and principals for a romantic few days. That’d be a good outcome.’

  ‘You are way too romantic to be a cop, boss, if you don’t mind me saying,’ said Narelle.