Without Consent by Kathryn Fox

Author:Kathryn Fox
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

27

Anya arrived at the cabin by the beach and unpacked the car. She’d booked the weekend away at the last minute, to examine first-hand the site at which Eileen Randall had been murdered, and was grateful for cheap, decent accommodation. The drive to Fisherman’s Bay had the normal Friday night exodus crawling along the freeway. So much for getting away, she thought, but as the traffic thinned along the coast road, the drive became more relaxing—and liberating. Even in the moonlight, the scenery was impressive.

She placed a box of groceries and wine on the kitchen bench and opened the sliding door. The fresh sea breeze cooled the cabin almost immediately.

The best part was no interruptions, just privacy, sea air and the sound of the ocean. And the pile of papers to review. The clock on the wall chimed eight. She decided to go for a walk to buy milk and other perishables. And maybe even fish and chips followed by some decadent, fat-filled ice-cream.

The Bay was smaller than the internet pictures suggested, but there were a number of takeaway shops, equipment-hire sheds and a discount supermarket on the way into town. Two cafes, a restaurant and all but one of the takeaways were closed.

Over the jazz band, Anya asked at the pub why almost everything was shut on a Friday night. The woman at the bar just laughed.

“Darl, people moved here to get away from the city. None of the locals wants to work twenty-four hours, seven days a week.” She poured a beer. “Here’s a tip. If you want a hot chicken tomorrow, you’d better pick it up in the morning or they’ll be sold out. They only cook once a day.”

Anya had to smile. Tourists wanted it all—the nature and unspoilt atmosphere of a coastal town, with round-the-clock conveniences.

“We never asked for tourists,” she said, not hesitating to take a hundred-dollar note from a group who looked anything but local.

On the way back to the beach cabin, kids hovered on the corner, some riding bikes, others egging drinkers on; all of them smoking. Friday nights and boredom in a country town hadn’t changed since she was a child.

With an increased appetite, she opened the wine as soon as she reached the house, devoured the hamburger—beetroot included—and consumed half the calamari. Why was it that the smell inside takeaways always made her buy more than she could ever eat?

A cushioned wicker sofa proved much more comfortable than it suggested. Anya put her glass on the wooden floor and began to read the musty file.

The half-dressed body of Eileen Randall was found at two a.m. on Koonaka Beach. From the police report, a local teenage girl and friend of the deceased had seen a man with blood-stained clothing holding the dead girl’s underpants. The witness identified the man as Geoffrey Willard.

At the time, Willard had been arrested for malicious damage to a car and had been cautioned about antisocial behavior. One of his former teachers said that Willard had always been different from the other children and, as a result, was the victim of bullying.

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