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

  She didn’t dare to clean anything up. He would know she had been inside the cabin. Snooping around was one thing but it looked as though there was a struggle here. Something untoward had gone on and she would find out just what it was. In the meantime better leave everything as it was. She replaced the duvet onto the floor, tore off a paper towel from the roll on the counter and wrapped the panties inside. She would keep the panties until she found out what had been going on here. If he was indeed a child molester, she had her next project confirmed. She looked around the room, dusted off any area she had touched, including the metal box, and quickly left the scene.

  C H A P T E R 1 9

  Lucy watched her father leave through the front door. “Shit, shit, shit” was all she could think. Where the hell was Suzy. She was just fine when she left her at the shopping center. Lucy checked her phone for the hundredth time. There was a new message. It was from Staci. “Where the fuck is Suzy!” she read, “Call me”. Lucy went into her bedroom and shut the door to make the call. Staci answered and sounded really pissed off.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have taken you two last night,” she said. “I had a bloody cop come by a few minutes ago asking where Suzy was and if I’d seen her”.

  “What cop?” Lucy asked already knowing the answer.

  “Oh I dunno… he gave me his card and said to call him if I heard from her. Yeah right! I’m going to call a cop!”

  Lucy felt sick. Her father was obviously now involved and if he found out she had been working with Suzy last night she would be in deep shit. Worse still. What if something had happened to Suzy?

  “Anyway” Staci added “Suzy texted me really early this morning to say she was on an overnight job and would find her own way home. Lucky her! She must have made a mint”.

  Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. Suzy was OK. She would be home soon. Her phone rang again. It was Suzy’s Mother. She wanted to know what time they had left the movie theater. Lucy told her about ten-forty five p.m. and suggested she may have stayed at another friends house and promised to call around and see if she could find her. All she had to do was to fill in time until Suzy got home. Thank God her Dad would never find out. One thing was for sure; she would never, ever go out on a job with them again.

  She had been proud of herself last night. The man who picked her up from Taipa lived on a nearby farm. He had driven her to an old shed on the farm. Said it was his worker’s cottage. It had a couple of bunk beds and an old fireplace. The sheets and blankets smelt of stale cows’ milk. The floor just had thin wooden slats and the cold air whistled through the gaps.

  This was not Lucy’s first time having sex. She had a boyfriend when she was twelve. He was sixteen. Lucy liked having sex. This man was about the same age as her father. She presumed he was married and had his own children. He had wanted straight sex, which was OK with her. She was worried she would get a guy that wanted something kinky. Staci had given her a condom, which the man needed convincing to use. She said she wouldn’t do it without it, so he had no choice.

  Afterwards he drove her back to where he had picked her up. She had called Staci to collect her and drive her home as it was raining hard and there was no sign of Suzy and she was not answering her phone. It was about half past one when Lucy crept back into her house and into bed.

  She noticed her Father’s cop car wasn’t outside the station. He was still out working. Now she realized he must have been cruising the area. Thank God he hadn’t seen them. Lucy had tucked the crisp hundred-dollar note into her diary. She knew she would never write about last night. Last night was best forgotten.

  C H A P T E R 2 0

  Gavin hadn’t meant to kill the girl. They seemed to be having so much fun. She had been OK when he blind folded her and cuffed her hands behind her back. He had talked so softly in her ear saying sweet things and stroking her long slender legs as he pried them open gently and tied them to each side of the bed. She seemed to be turned on by the bondage. He had stroked her thighs, removed her panties and caressed her sweet pussy. She writhed with pleasure when he licked her there and pinched her sweet young nipples. She was so wet and he was so hard. He came in her more than once. She begged for him to use a condom. Said it was in her backpack and could he go get it. Gavin never used a condom. “Like taking a shower with your clothes on,” he would say.

  He had stood back and looked at the beautiful naked body on the bed. Perfect in every way. He took his digital camera out of the metal box and started taking photos. She could hear the click of the camera and pleaded with him not to take any photos. Staci had told her over and over again. No photos! No Photos ever!

  Gavin took no notice of her pleads. He kept clicking photos while she struggled to loosen the ropes from her legs. She started to panic. Twisting from side to side. The handcuffs made it impossible to remove the blindfold.

  Gavin liked the violent moves she was making. It turned him on. Once more he climbed on top of her. He felt his hard penis enter her as he held his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. It took longer this time to come but it was better than before. He knew he should keep her quiet until he could decide what to do with her.

  Gavin was worried Audrey would hear her fretful protests. He took a small white facecloth from the bathroom and made a makeshift gag. Her eyes were wide and frightened as he stuffed the cloth into her mouth.

  Her white skin glowed in the darkness of the room. Gavin had turned off all the lights except for the small table lamp by the bed. The glow enabled him to see just enough to collect all the girl’s clothing and stuff them into her backpack. He knew he must dispose of everything before morning. Including the girl.

  C H A P T E R 2 1

  Staci realized it was time to leave. Her suitcase was packed and ready to go. She had called a friend in Whangarei, two hours away and said she needed a place to stay for the next few days. It was easier to just disappear. She didn’t want the cops digging into her life. She had been a working girl since she was thirteen. It was all she knew. She had street smarts and had a nice nest egg stacked away for a rainy day. It looked as thought that rainy day had come.

  The farmhouse she had been staying in belonged to her cousin. He was due back any day now anyway. She would leave a note thanking him for the digs and promising to call when she had settled into her new place in Dunedin. She didn’t know why she had said Dunedin. It was not only in the South Island but almost as south as you can get. She didn’t know anyone there and seemed liked a good way to mislead the cops. Not that she had anything to hide. Prostitution was legal in

  New Zealand if you were over eighteen years of age. Staci had just turned eighteen a few months ago and figured she could now work in a brothel -which was a lot safer than on the streets.

  Whangarei had a reputable brothel and she would check out the scene there. She didn’t think the girl, Suzy, was in any trouble. She had begged and begged Staci to set her up with work. Staci knew it was a stupid thing to do and it could bite her in the ass. And it had.

  C H A P T E R 2 2

  Constable Bromley knocked at the door of Suzy’s parents, Mark and Betty Cunningham. He and his wife had met them briefly at a local farmers’ market about a year before. Taipa had a great market on Saturdays. His wife liked to pick up plum sauce and apple and plum chutney from the market. He seldom went to the farmers’ market but wanted to spend some quality time with Mary on the weekends. She loved the local scene. The area was known for its olive orchards and local olive oil was sold at the stalls. Fresh bread and preserves, home -made candles, arts and crafts, greenstone jewelry was all on display. Locals played guitars and soft folk music wafted through the school grounds where the market was held.

  Mark Cunningham opened the door. He looked worried and quickly invited Bromley inside. Betty, his wife, was on the phone. He could hear her from the next room.

  “I just don’t know what has got into her” he heard her say. “She always calls home. We haven’t heard from her since early last night
– it was about six o’clock when she left.”

  Mark asked Constable Bromley if he had tracked down the Staci girl.

  “I talked to her just before I came over here” he said. “She said she thought Suzy was staying with Lucy at our house. All rather confusing, I’m sure. She may have stayed at another friends’ house and will be back before you know it”.

  “Betty has called everyone she knows. No one has seen her or heard from her,” said Mark. “We have left numerous messages on her cell phone and tried calling her. She isn’t answering. We are very worried. What if something has happened to her?” he asked.

  “I am sure she is just fine” comforted Bromley. “If she is not back by this evening we can put out a missing person bulletin.”

  “What clothes was she wearing when you last saw her?” he directed to Betty as she entered the room.

  “Jeans, pink sweater, navy jacket and white Reeboks and she was carrying her blue backpack. It has a pink stripe on it.” Betty replied tearfully.

  “Do you have a current photo you can email me?” asked Bromley handing Betty his card. “Please, I wouldn’t worry. I am sure she will be back soon. Call me if you hear anything.”

  Mark walked to the door with Bromley. “Suzy is a lovely girl,” he said. “She has never caused any problems. I am worried about her. She should have been back by now”.

  Constable Bromley was also concerned. As he returned to his car he was still puzzled as to why Lucy had Suzy had parted ways last night after the movies. He would talk to Lucy again and get to the bottom of it. Before he could do that he needed to get the paperwork underway and put out a bulletin to the other stations.

  C H A P T E R 2 3

  Audrey looked at the girl’s panties with distaste. She was careful not to touch them. His DNA would come in handy. She would need to make some mental adjustments to her plan but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

  His car made crunching sounds on the gravel as it approached the cabin. He parked outside the cabin gate and made his way quickly inside. Audrey noticed he looked extremely distraught. He was wearing gumboots and carrying a large bag. She looked at the small alarm clock on her bedside table. It was just after mid-day. She hoped he would clean up the mess he had made in the cabin. It wasn’t a day to work outside. The wind and rain were constant. She turned on the television and checked out the latest movies on her Apple TV. All in good time, she thought.

  The knock at the door startled her. Living in such isolation created an unconscious fear of intrusion by others. She looked in the wall mirror and decided there was nothing she could do to improve her image in an instant. Bravely she approached the sliding glass doors to the patio. A man stood there - balding, short and stocky. He was beaming exposing large teeth and tight lips.

  “Sorry to disturb you,” he said. “I am Bruce Bromley, your neighbor next door. Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.”

  Audrey was pissed. She hated neighbors and hated friendly, chatty, nosey neighbors even more.

  “Pleased to meet you” she said. “I am Audrey”

  “I didn’t know this property was for sale,” he said. “Are you the new owner?”

  “This property belongs to my family,” said Audrey. “I am just making renovations and clearing the land for them.” She gave him a big smile and said “ I am so sorry, I would invite you in for a cup of tea but I am just about to go out. I have an appointment in town. Thanks for stopping by. It is a pleasure meeting you”.

  The man looked disappointed as Audrey reached for her coat and hat.

  “Oh, no worries” he said. “I’ll be on my way. You know where to find me if you should need anything.”

  Audrey watched him walking up the driveway. He had not come in a car or she would have heard it. He must have walked over. It was quite a distance from his property to hers. Maybe he has a track through the bush. She would check it out. She didn’t want anyone keeping an eye on her. That was the last thing she needed. She returned her hat and coat to the clothes rack by the door and went back to her movie. “Bloody neighbors,” she said.

  C H A P T E R 2 4

  Bruce was disappointed to say the least. He had been looking forward to meeting his new neighbor and had changed into his good jeans and best winter jacket for the occasion. He had not told Marge he was going out. She had left an hour ago to meet up with her friends at the bowling club. He had walked down the wide grass track between the two properties. It was a track made by the installation of the old concrete water tanks over forty years ago. The track could not be seen from Audrey’s property. He guessed she didn’t know the track even existed and he wouldn’t divulge the information.

  Audrey. He liked the name. It suited her. He liked her smile too. He just wished he had more time to get to know her. This was one friend he would keep to himself. No need for his wife to get involved. He made his way back down the track to the house. The wind was getting stronger. He watched as the trees swayed precariously. Large drops of rain began to fall making his retreat seem even more depressing. He pulled up the collar of his jacket and walked more briskly.

  As soon as Bruce had taken off his wet clothes and changed into his favorite old jeans and wooly jumper he picked up the phone and called Jimmy.

  Jimmy picked up immediately and sounded distracted “Mangonui Police station, Constable Bromley speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Hey, Jimmy” said Bruce. Sorry to disturb you. You sound busy.”

  “I am” he replied. “I am on a new case.”

  “Oh, what sort of case? Asked Bruce.

  “Missing girl. Been missing since last night. She is a friend of Lucy’s. Damn nice girl. Suzy Cunningham. Do you know her parents? Mark and Mary Cunningham. Nice folks. Live not far from here”.

  “No, can’t say I do” says Bruce. “I’ll leave you to it. Just called to say I met Audrey from next door. Didn’t learn anything new. She said the property belongs to her family and is doing renovations there. Didn’t get a chance to find out more.” He paused. “Oh, by the way, there appears to be someone living on the property with her. I saw a car parked outside the cabin so I guess she is not alone there. A good thing too. Not a place for a lady on her own”.

  Bruce hung up the phone and made himself a nice hot cup of tea and sat down in his favorite chair by the window. He never tired of looking at the vast views across the bay and out to sea. He wished the weather would improve and he could take the boat out and do some fishing. Maybe

  Audrey would like a trip out on the bay. He must ask her.

  C H A P T E R 2 5

  Gavin didn’t waste any time in cleaning up the cabin. The last thing he needed was his landlady seeing what a mess he had got it into. He made the bed and dusted off any fingerprints the girl may have left. He washed the glasses and threw the empty wine bottle into the rubbish tin. He returned the empty tin box to the back of the dresser drawer.

  The morning had been a disaster. Everything that could have gone wrong did. It was just after three in the morning when he put the girl and her belongings into the back seat of his Toyota. Not knowing the area made it difficult to navigate the streets in the dark, stormy night. Finally he made the decision to drop the girl where he had picked her up. He made his way into the deserted shopping area and the small car park facing the main street. He made sure no one was around. The streets were deserted.

  He opened the back door and pulled the girl out and put her back where he had found her the night before. He placed the backpack next to her. Then, he had the most dreadful thought. “DNA” he muttered. “Fuck! Why didn’t I wear a condom?”

  He knew that if the girl was found they would have his DNA. What if someone had seen his car when he picked her up last night? He needed to dispose of the body. Quickly he returned the girl and her belongings back into the car and left the car park heading for the beach.

  In a mindless panic he drove around for what seemed hours with the girl lying on the back seat. The rain pounded o
n the windshield. The wind was howling. His mind was constantly racing. In desperation he decided to take her back to the cabin and hide her in the bush on the property. He had noticed a large wooded area not far from the driveway. He would have to carry her through the bush, but it was far enough away from the buildings and remote enough for a temporary hiding place. Later he would move her to a safer location.

  He parked the Toyota on the driveway just beyond the front wooden gate and carried the girl over his shoulder into the dense bush. It was muddy and slippery and rain and wind made it difficult to maneuver in the dark night. He was grateful for his raincoat, head torch and gumboots.

  Finally he found a hollow in the ground. He dropped the girl and her bag into the shallow grave and covered her with palm fronds and fallen branches. He scooped leaves and pine needles over the body and hoped he had chosen her temporary resting place wisely.

  As he made his way back to the car he cursed his stupidity. Why couldn’t he have just had a pleasant night with the girl? All was going so well. They were both having a good time. Why did he have to lose it? She was such a pretty girl with all that red hair.

  He looked at the clock in the car. Five Thirty. It was almost dawn. He needed time to clear his head and instead of returning to the cabin he backed down out of the driveway and headed off towards the main highway. It took him all morning to find a suitable place to hide the body. He would have to wait until dark before he could risk moving her. In the meantime he would get some sleep.