A Conundrum Read online

  A Conundrum

  P. J. PEACOCK

  Copyright © 2016 by P. J. Peacock.

  Library of Congress Control Number:

  2016915332

  ISBN:

  Hardcover

  978-1-5245-1754-0

  Softcover

  978-1-5245-1753-3

  eBook

  978-1-5245-1752-6

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

  Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

  Rev. date: 09/12/2016

  Xlibris

  1-800-455-039

  www.Xlibris.com.au

  748221

  Contents

  Prologue 1 The Murder

  Prologue 2 The Dream

  Chapter 1 Going Home

  Chapter 2 Prague

  Chapter 3 Meredith

  Chapter 4 Gabriel

  Chapter 5 The Waterhole

  Chapter 6 Tretters

  Chapter 7 Justin’s Apartment in Prague

  Chapter 8 Kamila

  Chapter 9 Meredith … Still

  Chapter 10 The Intruder

  Chapter 11 Lunch

  Chapter 12 Still Justin’s Apartment

  Chapter 13 International Airport Perth Western Australia

  Chapter 14 The Homestead

  Chapter 15 Supper

  Chapter 16 Travel

  Chapter 17 France

  Chapter 18 Back at the Homestead

  Chapter 19 Bede and Gabe in Paris … Still

  Chapter 20 Introduce Damian

  Chapter 21 Paris Again

  Chapter 22 Surprise at the Homestead

  Chapter 23 Justin Arrives

  Chapter 24 Gabriel and Bede Return

  Chapter 25 Inspector Campbell

  Chapter 26 Lucien is Stunned

  Chapter 27 The Club

  Chapter 28 Thieves Again

  Chapter 29 Inspector Campbell Is Concerned

  Chapter 30 Justin Confesses

  Chapter 31 Gabriel Grovels

  Chapter 32 Justin is Very Worried

  Chapter 33 Meredith Shocks Justin

  Chapter 34 World War Three

  Chapter 35 Inspector Campbell is Pissed

  Chapter 36 Mrs Robinson

  Chapter 37 Resolution

  Chapter 38 Gabriel Muses

  Chapter 39 Bloody Dreams Again

  Chapter 40 Surprise

  Chapter 41 Meredith Drops a Bombshell

  Prologue

  The Murder

  He loved the early morning light, and today would be a perfect day for sailing. There was a gentle breeze, and although he knew Hera would not join him, his Savage Nautilus was small enough to sail on his own. At just under twenty feet, it was the perfect size for his use. He could and did on occasions put the boat on the trailer, and take the two girls out for a weekend trip down the coast, but mostly, he sailed ‘Penelope’ on their own inland lake.

  The lake was a combination of nature and excavations over the years. There was a river that meandered down from the hills across the flats, through the waterhole the girls used as their own personal swimming hole, then dispersed itself into the lake. The river eventually made its way to the sea, but at this time of the year, the water levels were down. There was a tendency for the lake to flood during the wet, but that hadn’t happened for years now. The lake was huge, almost like a small inland sea; and because it was fresh, water was used by all the properties around for irrigation.

  There were other boats in the boathouse, but not many were out during the week; and today, being the first Monday of the month, most of the other owners were in town at the council meeting. He never did go to the meetings, and for years, when he was home, spend this day sailing regardless of the weather. He knew he would have the lake almost to himself to think, plan, and dream. A time to be alone with his thoughts, this was the time he allowed himself to think back, to experience again his beautiful wife Penelope’s love. He often felt that he could feel her beside him when he sailed. He missed her with an ache around his heart and in his gut that would never leave.

  It was three years now since her death. He knew the girls missed her also, but somehow, he couldn’t talk about it. He could give them no comfort, perhaps because he could give himself no comfort. There was a hole inside that seemed to be growing.

  Today, he had more mundane and pressing issues to consider. He was determined not to allow that bastard, George, to have any involvement in any way with his business; and he had to make sure he kept the girls away from him and his machinations. He couldn’t understand how George even knew about the new contract, and why he would be interested—his forte was art fraud. But the bastard was a slippery sod, so there had to be an angle somewhere. Some within the family were still ambiguous about his involvement in that Turner fiasco all those years ago. James knew a few of the more conservative members of his family were still unsure of who or what to believe. George was the youngest of his grandfather’s children, and in fact was only about five years older than James himself—just one of the problems of belonging to a family of prolific breeders.

  George was on first acquaintance the perfect gentleman, charming, sophisticated with a fine sense of humour. He was tall, incredibly good looking, with dark hair, and a great body. But he was manipulative, totally self-centred, and with absolutely no discernible conscience.

  George still blamed him for his inability to allow the fraud to progress, and for him calling the authorities in. There was no way James would ever become embroiled in any of George’s schemes nor allow any one he knew to have anything to do with him. He was completely untrustworthy. Somehow, he had to put a stop to whatever George was planning; so first of all, he had to make contact with Justin of course. Justin would know how to deal with him.

  James took his mobile from his pocket; an SMS would be the easiest for a first contact. But the day was fine, the wind just right, James felt himself relaxing. The sails were set, and with the wheel lightly clasped in his right hand, he took a deep breath of the clean clear air. He was looking forward to several hours of sailing to rejuvenate his spirits.

  Relaxing in the cockpit with a beer in one hand, James thought about the immediate answer to his text message to Justin. It was disturbing, even more so than he had first envisaged, and Justin had advised caution and to remain alert. What did that mean?

  He became aware of a boat with an outboard motor approaching from the shore, and someone waving to him. He brought the boat around and waited. Taking out the binoculars, he scanned the occupant of the boat. No one he knew, so he was not from around here. He was young and fit looking, but only the one man. Should not be a problem. It was strange, though, to be hailed by someone unless there was some problem at home.

  James waited for the small boat to come alongside, and was reaching over to take
the hand held out to him when he realised too late that the hand held a small pistol within the palm pointed at his midriff. He started to move away when the gun jerked, and he felt the pellet hit him in the chest then another and another. There had been no sound; the gun was silenced. James felt his limbs becoming heavy, his thinking becoming fuzzy; there was no pain, just his mind clouding. He had been tranquillised. Then he was falling and managed to gasp, ‘Why?’

  He was on his back peering up, as his assailant—he didn’t recognise the young assassin—bending over him. ‘It’s nothing personal. You’re just in the way, but don’t worry, we’ll look after the girls for you.’ James struggled frantically against the horror of those words, as the darkness closed in around him.

  Prologue Two

  The Dream

  They were running silently on the balls of their feet, trying desperately to outrun the darkness following. Somehow, she knew it was imperative to be as silent as possible. Fear filled her mind and her heart. Fear for Hera and herself. She knew they would die this day, and not easily, so they ran, they ran through the darkness, away from the awful fear generating being behind them. The rasping breath being dragged out of her straining lungs wasn’t helping. Her heart was pounding, and perspiration was running down her face and into her eyes. This fear was real, the threat real, but impossible to understand. How had this happened? Bede looked to her left and saw again the dark stranger running beside them. He urged them on with whispered words of encouragement. Where had he come from? Who was he? How had he known they were in danger? What was this insanity that threatened them? And, where, where were they were running to?

  He was running easily with an athlete’s natural grace. His much longer legs kept pace with both of them. Why didn’t he just leave them? He could probably outrun this danger, but was staying with her and her sister. His whispered words were encouraging; and somehow, the words were keeping anxiety at bay. It was like having a guardian running beside them, someone to protect and care for them, something she and Hera had fantasised about when they were younger and their father was away so much. But there was something more about this stranger, some other disturbing element flickering across the nape of her neck, and at the edges of her mind. Something familiar; she felt she should know this person.

  Why had they accepted this insane challenge? What had made them think that it was a prank? This was so serious; it wasn’t possible to let up. Her heart was pounding so hard, her breath rasping in her throat, and her legs starting to shake. Maybe it would be easier to just lie down and see what happened. Let the darkness envelope them all.

  The dark stranger was not only keeping pace with them, he was encouraging them to keep going. Bede heard his whispered words and strengthened her legs to kept them moving. His strength reached across the distance like a physical stroking across her shoulders and down her arms. The warmth was visceral. But the anxiety and fear she felt was very real. Again, her legs started to shake. She stumbled and could not go on. The stranger running beside her, reached out; and to her amazement, swept her up into his arms, and continued to run with her. Clinging to shoulders more like steel than flesh, she wondered how he could do this? But at least her heart was slowing, and her legs had stopped shaking.

  In the next instant, he murmured into her ear, ‘I’m going to put you down again in a minute, so be prepared. You must continue to run. I can only help so much. You must take over again.’ He pressed his lips to her temple, and then slowly moved them down to the corner of her mouth. Their lips clung for a timeless, breathless moment. His breath was warm on her skin, and his lips sent tingling sensations wherever they touched. She wanted to turn in his arms and cling, but he was already lowering her to the ground while still running, and then she too was running. He was no longer there beside them. Was she hallucinating, had he really been there? But she remembered his arms, his lips, his warm breath, and those strong shoulders. Surely he was real. She reached out and touched her sister’s fingers for encouragement and reassurance. Hera managed a small chuckle. They were both running strongly now. They would reach safety this night, and later, they would discover what had really been behind the challenge issued to bring them to this underground tunnel.

  Chapter One

  Going Home

  Bede rolled over in bed and slowly opened her eyes. It was very early morning. She turned to the window, and there was light just streaking the horizon. The dream had been so very real. She could still feel her heart pumping, and the fear coursing through her, her legs almost ached with remembered strain. There was something so familiar about the dark mysterious stranger. She was sure she would remember those dark mesmerising eyes and that body like steel. The feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers stirred a deep memory, or was it simply desire?

  She lay quietly, still caught in the miasma of those moments. She could still feel his lips on hers and the fear running through him. She knew in the way of dreams that his fear had been for her and her sister, not for himself.

  Over the last weeks, her dreams had become filled with threats of violence, and this one had been the most explicit. She thought about her young sister. Not that Hera was all that young. She was an adult with her own life, her own dreams, and desires. Still, she was the elder and had always been the decisive one, the one to solve problems.

  It was time to make the journey home. The dream, or rather, the series of dreams, had become more urgent and very insistent. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she picked up the phone. It was not a simple matter now to leave, not since James’s death. There were arrangements to be made for the office, her own apartment she could leave for a few days, and of course, her small staff.

  She smiled when she thought of Mikael. He was totally reliable and had been like a rock since James was killed, providing support and compassion through that very difficult time. James had trusted him completely. She felt secure leaving the office in his capable hands.

  He and James, together, had started the overseas section of the freight service. James organised the contracts, but Mikael was a wizard with computers, and his contacts in Europe and America were invaluable. His was the driving force behind that valuable aspect, the export of their native flowers. He made sure that orders arrived on time anywhere in the world. He and James had built that part of the business together. He was older and had never married, sometimes Bede felt a little guilty about the way they all took him for granted. But he never seemed to mind, and she was only ever a phone call away—thank heavens for mobile phones and laptop computers.

  She never learned the details of how he and James had met. What series of events in their early lives contributed to the complete trust between them? She did know it had been somewhere in Europe, but neither of them had ever talked about it.

  Mikael would organise for someone to come in to feed her cat and water the plants, or he would do it himself. He had keys to her apartment, and she didn’t expect to be away for more than a couple of days—a week at the most.

  Early the next morning, she was on the road, glorying in the freedom of a long and peaceful drive. The road beckoned straight northeast for the hills in the far distance. They loomed a deep purple, almost black on the horizon, haunting in their magnificence. She would drive until dusk, then eat the food she had prepared, roll out her sleeping bag, and sleep under the stars. This was her favourite time of the year; hot, but not blazing hot, the air dry with that desert dryness she loved so much. Christmas always seemed the worst, but now, January was advanced with the hint of cooler days to come. The stars at this time of the year were so clear and low on the horizon she felt she could almost touch them. There were no ambient lights anywhere to dim the brilliance, the air so clear, so free of smog and humidity, nothing to block the startling light display. She relaxed and looked forward to another long drive tomorrow.

  Next morning, with her wonderful little 4WD purring, Bede allowed herself to relax. She shook her mop
of glossy brown hair back from her face and gave a shout of joy. She settled to enjoy this second day on the road. There would be time enough along the way to analyse her precipitous flight.

  She drove quietly with her mind drifting, remembering the last time she had been home for more than a few days. Her father had been alive then. James, her magnificent, handsome, and charismatic father with his wonderful mane of curling chestnut hair, it was always difficult to remember he was well into his 60’s. It was a stupid and unexplained accident that caused his death. Sailing, he had been sailing since his earliest years, so what had caused the explosion? He did his own maintenance on the engine of the boat, and besides with the sails unfurled, the engine should not have been running. The police had never managed to make any sense of it, and even now, the case was listed as unsolved. It may have been murder, and then there had been the suggestion of suicide, which was ridiculous. Her father would never take his own life, but who would want to kill him? A simple accident didn’t ring true either. He was far too careful and methodical with anything to do with his precious boat.

  He had lived quietly on their property for over twenty-five years, his finances were in order, he didn’t gamble or take drugs, but it was still unsolved. The unresolved case was a blot on the record of Chief Inspector Campbell, but the coroner, taking everything into account, had finally decided on an open verdict. Now, with the spate of strange and fearful dreams, it was obviously time to go back, see for herself that all was well at home.

  She was in charge of the business side of the business, running the office from Perth with frequent trips to Sydney and overseas when needed, but it had been months since she had any quality time alone with Hera, well before the accident. Perhaps the threat she felt was not anything to do with the company they ran between them, but something personal Hera had become involved in. She didn’t like to pry into her sister’s personal life, but she needed to be reassured that there was no real danger lurking.