The Cabin by the Sea: The Audrey Murders - Book Two Read online

  Something was not quite right. Why did Audrey not tell him they shared a drink last night in his cabin? What was going on?

  He decided to make a telephone call to Audrey. She had some explaining to do.

  C H A P T E R 5 5

  Paul is sitting at the bar at the hotel. He just finished a wonderful dinner at the Thai Restaurant in the village and was enjoying a beer before settling in for the night. He was looking forward to moving into the cabin tomorrow. Nice place, nice lady. It’s the perfect writers retreat. He would begin to do some research tonight online and see what he could find out about the murdered girl found in the bay.

  He saw her walk in - a large lady with long blonde hair. She joined him at the bar and ordered a Vodka and Tonic. She looked upset.

  “Nice evening” said Paul being friendly.

  “I hadn’t noticed” she replied

  “You look a little troubled if I may say so,” he said

  “I have just driven here from Auckland. I have been going like a bat out of hell. My brother is missing” she confided wondering why she was telling a complete stranger her problems.

  “When did he go missing?” he asked

  “The police said he has been missing since last night”.

  “The Police!” Paul said surprised. “Why are the police looking for him?”

  “They think he may know something about the girl who was found murdered in Hihi bay,” she said in a whisper.

  “Your brother is Gavin Jenkins?” he said surprised

  “Yes. I am Diane Jenkins. He rented a little cabin in Hihi and had just moved in about a week ago and the police said this morning he just left without telling the landlady. It is not like him. I am worried”

  “A cabin in Hihi. Paul asked in shock

  “Yes, I found it for him on Trade Me. It sounded nice and Gavin loves to fish and it had a private road to a fishing beach.

  “I am moving into a cabin in Hihi tomorrow.” Said Paul. “It sounds like the same one. Do you want to come with me and ask the landlady if your brother stayed there? And, if so, if she knows where he went? Maybe she didn’t want to confide in the police for some reason. I am sure your brother is OK. Most probably just gone off on a fishing trip somewhere.”

  “Oh, I hope you are right. And, yes I would love to come with you tomorrow. What time.”

  Diane asked

  “I plan to move in about ten. You can follow me in your car. By the way my name is Paul Jamieson. Pleased to meet you.” he said offering his hand. “I am in Room ten. Call me about quarter to ten in the morning and we will head up there.” Paul stood up. “I have some work to do, I’ll see you in the morning.” He left the bar and headed off to his room.

  Paul was curious and decided to Google his new landlady. He typed in Audrey Wetherby, Northland, New Zealand - the name on the email address on Trade Me. He got a hit. Apparently Audrey owned The Three Suites in Whangaroa and there had been a couple of murders in the area only last year. Two middle-aged men stayed at The Three Suites in the same unit before they were found murdered in the area. Could that be the same Audrey Wetherby? He wondered.

  He searched for more information on the murdered men and found a person had been arrested for the crimes. “Damn,” he said. “I thought she might have been the killer. I must be losing it”.

  He then searched for information on the Cunningham case. Reports by the police said she had been asphyxiated before going into the water. A silver Toyota had been seen near the Taipa shopping center where the girl was last seen alive.

  What was the girl doing there? He wondered. Did Jenkins stay in the very same cabin that he was moving into tomorrow? He would find out soon enough now he had a contact on the inside. Diane Jenkins was coming with him tomorrow.

  He stayed up until the wee hours creating a list of questions that needed to be answered. Then turned out the light and fell immediately to sleep.

  C H A P T E R 5 6

  Audrey had heard the six o’clock news and knew the police had found the bloody girl and knew it was murder. If they were looking for Jenkins in relation to the murder she must help them find him – and quickly. If word got out in the media that the man had been staying at her place then shit would hit the fan. Eventually they would look into her background. She knew she had some skeletons in her closet and it would not do to have them exposed.

  The phone rang and she had a feeling she shouldn’t answer it. But thought it might be Paul asking her something about the cabin and she didn’t want to lose him now.

  “Hello” she answered

  “Constable Bromley here. Sorry to disturb you but I have a couple of questions for you. Is this a good time?”

  Fuck! Thought Audrey. She used her soft, welcoming voice and said “Certainly Constable anything I can do to help. I heard you found the girl’s body today. How awful.”

  “We really need to talk to Jenkins and, as you were the last person to see him, I thought you may be of help.” Bromley said

  “I guess I was,” said Audrey thinking on her feet. “What questions do you have?”

  “When was the last time you saw Jenkins? He asked

  Audrey wondered why he was asking this question. Did he know she had drinks with him last night? “Last night about nine o’clock” she answered

  “Where was he then?” he asked

  “Oh, in his cabin” she said

  “So you saw him in his cabin last night?”

  “Yes, I dropped a bottle of wine over to him as a welcome gift. I shared a glass with him and then returned to my cottage.

  “What time was that?”

  “About nine thirty or maybe earlier” she said

  “Well that answers my question… Oh one more thing. Why are you advertising the cabin so soon? Maybe Jenkins has just gone on a fishing trip somewhere. You said he paid a month in advance?”

  Audrey knew she was cornered. She wanted to eliminate any doubts and this was the time to do it.

  “Well,” she said. “I didn’t want to say anything but after what Gavin told me that night I just knew he was not coming back”.

  “What did he tell you?” he asked

  Audrey paused. This was it. “He seemed troubled, depressed even. I asked him what was wrong. At first he wouldn’t say anything but after a couple of drinks he told me he had a lot on him mind and when I pressed him further he got annoyed and asked me to leave.

  I noticed that he had emptied his wardrobe and had a couple of travel bags open on the bed. I asked him if he was going somewhere. He said; “What do you care? I have already paid you a month’s rent – you can keep it. I didn’t know what he meant by that until I noticed he had taken all his belongings the next morning.”

  “Where do you think he was going?” he asked

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But I have been thinking” she paused and took a deep breath. “Last night I thought I heard a gun shot. It was about eleven o’clock. I was watching a movie on television. I was worried Gavin may have done something, and I went over to the cabin, but the lights were all out and there wasn’t any sign of him. I did look inside and saw the cabin was empty. I presumed he had gone out and I went back to bed. Now I think the shot came from up the peninsula somewhere. Maybe he drove up there. I just don’t know. It is most probably nothing at all. But I thought I should tell you. Maybe someone else heard the shot too. One of the neighbors.”

  The constable said he would check on it and thanked her for her cooperation.

  Audrey hung up the phone and smiled. Surely they will carry out a search tomorrow up the peninsula and find Gavin. With the panties and the flash drive in his suitcase and his gun by his side she felt confident Constable Bromley would know he had his man.

  She wasn’t going to let anything spoil her morning tomorrow. Audrey headed off into the bathroom to have a long hot soak in a bubble bath. She would dye her hair tonight and get up early and make herself look gorgeous for the arrival of her new sexy tenant. She found herse
lf singing in the bath. Life was great.

  C H A P T E R 5 7

  Diane didn’t get much sleep. She was worried about her brother. I should have let him stay with me, she thought. It was my idea to send him up here to live in the middle of nowhere and now he is missing.

  She sat at her computer searching everything she could find on the girl’s murder. She also checked online for the Trade Me ad for the cabin but it was nowhere to be found. She guessed it had been taken off now that it was rented. She was hoping to find out the name of the landlady. She couldn’t remember the name on the ad she had given Gavin. But she would recognize the cabin once she got there.

  Diane always felt like a slender woman and was constantly shocked by her reflection in a mirror or a shop window. Most of her life she had been admired by men. She had always taken her nice figure and long hair for granted. Then suddenly she became hungry. The hunger would not go away resulting in the size she was today. At least she was invisible now. The larger she became the more invisible she became. No one admired her or looked her way.

  She enjoyed her singular lifestyle and recently had developed an insatiable appetite for collecting things. At first it was books, magazines and newspapers but over the past few months she had added clothes to the mix. Being overweight prevented her from shopping in store so she shopped online. Only trouble was, it was too easy and it had become an obsession. She was a regular customer on Trade Me. Hence finding the cabin ad for Gavin.

  She looked at her watch for the tenth time this morning. Finally it was quarter to ten and time to call Paul. He answered the phone and said he would meet her out the front of the hotel. He just had to check out. She had booked her room for a couple of nights hoping she would find where

  Gavin was by then. Diane was wearing a navy blue flowing skirt with a matching blue jacket and blue and white scarf. She hated wearing high heels and had opted for a pair of black boots.

  Paul was true to his word. He was parked not far from Diane’s car. Paul led the way out of the village up to the ten highway and took the Hihi turnoff. It was about a ten-minute drive. As they passed Hihi beach Diane looked across the bay and felt really sad for the poor girl who they had found there. It was a gravel road up the peninsula and before long she was following Paul down a long driveway.

  As soon as they reached the cabin she knew it was the same one. She took a deep breath. Why had Gavin left here? Where had he gone? She wondered. The landlady must have known he wasn’t coming back or she wouldn’t have rented the cabin to Paul.

  C H A P T E R 5 8

  The media were like hounds. Newspapers and television reporters from all over the country had gathered into the small town of Mangonui. Bromley looked out the window and decided getting out of the station without being mauled would be a challenge. It was eight o’clock and he had a press conference scheduled for nine. Detective Burt had been overseeing the search and was going to address the media with him. There was no new information since last night so he imagined the interviews were going to be short and sweet. He needed to get up to the peninsula and make sure Jenkins had not driven off a cliff. Surely Audrey was over reacting. He called his uncle to ask if he had heard any shots a couple of nights ago. If Audrey heard a gunshot he was sure Bruce would have heard it too.

  “Bruce” he said as he answered the phone. “Jimmy here again. I was talking with Audrey last night and she mentioned hearing a gunshot a couple of nights ago. I don’t suppose you heard anything?”

  “Funny that” said Bruce. “I did hear a shot. Thought it was pig shooters. You know the pig shooting competition is running at the moment.”

  “Do you remember what time?” he asked

  “Just after the ten thirty news. Must have been about eleven or so. I remember because I had just turned off the tele as I always do after the news. Why? Has something happened?”

  “No, nothing. Just wanted to follow up. Thanks Bruce”.

  Constable Bromley hung up the phone in deep thought. Maybe Audrey was right. He knew Jenkins had a gun. He arranged with the dog handler to meet him at the Hihi motor camp at ten thirty. He heard Detective Burt walk into the station and called him into his office to discuss the latest development. They agreed not to notify the media of their suspicions until they had some concrete evidence. The two walked outside to address the frenetic crowd. A young lady thrust her microphone into Bromley’s face and said

  “We have received a tip that Suzy Cunningham was an under aged prostitute and was working under the name of “Red. Was she working the night she went missing?

  “At this time we can only confirm that Suzy Cunningham’s body was retrieved from Doubtless Bay near Berghams Point. Her death has been confirmed as a homicide. We are pursuing all leads associated with her death. At this time we do not have a suspect. We ask the public, if they have any information relating to the case, to please contact the nearest police station. Thank you.”

  Detective Burt and Constable Bromley had agreed to not divulge any information regarding the girl’s illegal prostitution activities. Obviously her parents had no idea she was leading a double life. However, now that the press had got hold of the information they knew they must talk to the Cunningham’s sooner than later. After that they would head up to the Hihi peninsula to join the search.

  C H A P T E R 5 9

  It was ten o’clock on the dot when she heard Paul’s car coming up the driveway. She was surprised to see another car pull in behind his. She had believed he was alone up here and wondered who it could possibly be. She watched as a large, blonde women stepped out of her car and walked over to Paul. They appeared to be deep in conversation. The woman was obviously very agitated. Audrey didn’t want to interrupt their conversation and decided to wait until they approached her.

  A few minutes later there was a knock at her door. Audrey went to greet her new tenant and was introduced to Diane Jenkins. It was unexpected and quite disturbing to Audrey to realize this woman was Gavin’s sister. How the hell did she find Peter and why were they together?

  Peter soon explained “I met her at the hotel last night and she had mentioned her brother was staying at a cabin in Hihi. We thought it might be your cabin so she followed me up here.”

  “It is this cabin,” said Diane “Where is he? He told me he was pleased with the cabin and was planning on staying here long-term. Why would he leave? He said he was happy here.”

  “I am so sorry,” said Audrey calmly. Your brother is a really nice guy. Although I didn’t really get to know him well. He was only here for just over a week. I did talk to him the night before he left and he seemed distraught, depressed and I noticed he was packing. He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong and got annoyed when I asked him if he was going somewhere.”

  “Did he say he wasn’t coming back?” Diane asked accusingly.

  “No, but he took everything from the cabin. He had unpacked all his belonging into drawers and into the wardrobe and when I went into the cabin the next morning everything was gone. It was obvious he wasn’t coming back. I think he was running from something or someone,” she added. “He seemed agitated -afraid even.”

  “My brother had nothing to be afraid of. He lived a simple life. Why would he be afraid? Do you know something?” asked Diane getting agitated herself.

  “Maybe Audrey will let you look inside the cabin and see if you can see anything of Gavin’s belongings. Would you mind, Audrey?” asked Paul.

  “No, of course I don’t mind.” Said Audrey graciously “Please look in the cabin. I can tell you there is nothing there. But if it makes you feel better - go ahead. Here is the key” she handed Paul the key.

  The two headed off towards the cabin. Diane was now in tears. Paul was comforting her. Audrey was pissed. This morning was not going as she expected. She wanted Paul all to herself. Now he was acting the big protector of Diane. Bloody woman! Why did she have to find her and the cabin? Well she would soon find out where her precious brother was. She hoped the police were
doing a search of the peninsula - she had given them enough clues. Where the hell were they. She hadn’t heard a single car coming up the isolated road except of course for Paul and Diane.

  She watched out her back window at the two of them walking around the cabin. She had left the cabin curtains open to let the morning sun in. It was a beautiful day. Cool but sunny. Blue skies with wisps of white, fluffy clouds. The bay was glistening in the sunlight. “Why did that fat women have to come and spoil it?” she murmured to herself.

  Diane walked out to her car and Paul followed her. Audrey could see them talking. Diane was obviously pissed off. She got into her car and took off down the driveway. Paul reached into his Range Rover and removed a couple of bags and went back into the cabin. Audrey decided to keep her distance. She didn’t want to begin their relationship with Gavin’s disappearance being the main topic of conversation. She would wait until he settled in. She would go over at sunset and invite him over for a glass of wine on the front lawn.

  C H A P T E R 6 0

  Bromley’s conversation with the Cunningham’s was a disaster. They were adamant that their daughter was not selling her body for money. “She was a good girl,” they kept telling him. “We would have known if she was out on the streets prostituting herself.”

  There was no way Bromley could convince them otherwise. They had asked for proof and he had explained that Staci had told them Suzy was working the night she went missing.

  “She is lying!” said Betty Cunningham. “I knew that girl was no good. She is making up stories. Have you asked your Lucy? Does she think Suzy is a prostitute?”

  “We received an anonymous tip a couple of days ago confirming she was working the streets. However this cannot be verified. We were not going to tell you until we had actual proof but it would appear that the media has got hold of this information and may release it to the public. We wanted to make sure you heard it from us first.