The Family Man by Anna Willett

Author:Anna Willett [Willett, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

“Did I wake you?”

Veronika squinted at the clock, 6:00 a.m. “No,” she replied, trying to blink herself fully awake. “Who?” The word came out less than fully formed.

“It’s Allen – Allen Stewart. I’ve tracked down April Teale’s friend to her last known address in Queensland.”

“That’s great.” Veronika pulled herself into a sitting position, trying to figure out how his voice sounded so deep and smooth while hers still came out as a croak. It hit her. The time difference. It was eight o’clock in Queensland meaning Allen had the luxury of coffee before turning his mind to the case.

“Are you sure I didn’t wake you?” he asked. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll call back in an hour.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m up now,” she said, slumping back down on the bed. “Go ahead.”

“Okay.” He sounded unsure, but continued, “I’m sending you everything in an email. Thomas Malicourt’s parents died in a car crash in 1972. The report lists Thomas as being a passenger who sustained only minor injuries. His father, Tobias, was driving when the car left the road and struck a tree. There were no other vehicles involved and the collision was listed as accidental due to driver fatigue.”

“Wow.” Veronika was really awake now. “Both parents in one go. I bet my pension fund that Thomas collected on the insurance.” That would explain where Malicourt got the money to relocate to Perth and eventually open his own business. Two dead parents and only Thomas alive to tell the tale. To Veronika, it all sounded too convenient.

“Probably the family home too,” Allen added. “Oh, and get this. April’s friend, Lisa Howard, moved to Western Australia in 2008. So, she’s in your backyard now. Exact address still unknown, but I should have it by the end of the day. Still digging for something on April’s sister, though.”

“Why are you putting so much work into this?” Veronika asked. “Don’t they keep you busy in the Sunshine State?” She was trying to sound playful, but he was going above and beyond and she was beginning to wonder about his motives.

“I have my reasons,” he replied.

Not sure if he was being funny or shutting her down, Veronika pressed for more details. “Care to share?”

“Yeah, but not now. Sometime after things quiet down. Now,” he said, changing direction, “look out for my email and I’ll let you know when I have something on the sister.”

After the call, Veronika remained in bed, running the new information over in her mind. Whatever happened to Malicourt’s parents, whether it was an accident or something more sinister, couldn’t be proven one way or another. While Veronika’s money was on the latter, it had no real impact on the case at hand. Still, each new fact landed like brush strokes that formed an intricate portrait of a man that had lived not outside the law but beneath it. Hidden for decades like a shark below the surface of the sun dappled ocean.

In a perverse way, he’d created his own family.

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