The Ideal Couple by Anna Willett

Author:Anna Willett [Willett, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

“Walk me through it,” Veronika said. “I want to know exactly what happened.”

It was early, just after eight o’clock and she was at Jandakot Airport, minutes away from boarding the Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft. After delivering a seriously injured patient from a remote community, the Pilatus PC-12 was returning to Mount Magnet giving Veronika, Jim and their team of six the opportunity to hitch a free ride.

Brian explained what happened when they served Sven Van Horn with the warrant.

“It was my fault,” he continued. “I could see Van Horn was agitated, but I came down hard on him. I played it too heavy.”

She wasn’t happy. The last thing she wanted was to give Van Horn a reason to clam up before they had anything solid to put to him. Or a reason for the man to lodge a complaint that would limit their access to him.

“He’s got a solicitor going over the warrant,” Brian added.

“There’s not much we can do now,” Veronika said. “Let’s hope we turn something up in Van Horn’s car. We’ll talk about the rest when I get back. But let Stacey take the lead on the warrant on Leo Rankin’s car. Got it?”

There was a second of silence. “Got it,” Brian replied.

* * *

“Is it just me, or are these planes getting smaller?” Jim asked when they were seated.

He was right, the Pilatus was considerably smaller than the commercial craft they’d previously flown in. And with so many police personnel aboard, it felt like there was barely room to move, let alone relax and think. By the look on Jim’s face, relaxing was the furthest thing from his mind. Veronika decided a distraction might keep him from worrying about flying. It might also stop her from thinking about her son’s newfound desire to drop out of uni and become a father at twenty-two.

“When we arrive and Oaks is organising the crew for the search,” Veronika began, leaning in so the other officers wouldn’t hear what she was saying, “I’d like to start by questioning Des Helmon.”

“You think you’ll get anything out of him?” Jim asked. “He doesn’t strike me as the cooperative type.”

“I think he knows he might be looking at serious prison time. Especially if we find something on those hard drives that links him to the Rankins,” she replied.

“Do you want me to sit in on the interview?” he asked.

Veronika thought for a moment. If Jim was with her during the interview, it might seem to Des Helmon that she couldn’t face him alone. Any sign of weakness could shift the balance of power when interviewing a suspect, and she didn’t intend to give him any advantage. Besides, after seeing the photographs of her and so many others he’d printed out and pawed over, she wanted to look the man in the eye, to make it clear that nothing he’d done had diminished her in any way.

“No,” she replied. “But I would like your help with something.”

* * *

“Did you get anything out of him?” she asked Oaks before entering the interview room.

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