The Mak Collection Read online

  “Insignificant?” Makedde said, incredulous. She knew she should just walk away, that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, but she couldn’t contain herself. “Let me just give you a possible scenario, so you can get some idea of the insignificance of this. Say this guy is married. Say he has even more at stake…he’s a politician, someone with a high profile, whatever. I’m getting these letters,” she pushed the neatly folded correspondence in front of him, “where Catherine is saying, ‘It won’t be a secret much longer.’ What if she’s telling him that? What if she’s threatening to expose him? Motive for murder, perhaps.”

  Detective Flynn was poker-faced as he stood up, and Makedde was further enraged that he didn’t even respond to her. She watched him move towards the large mirror with his back to her. With a mixture of fury and humiliation she suspected that he was rolling his eyes for the benefit of his colleagues. Obviously she had wasted her time coming in.

  “Miss Vanderwall, we don’t believe this is an isolated revenge murder. Believe it or not, we think this guy does this stuff for kicks. Thanks again for the information, now let the professionals take care of it.”

  “You have a suspect. Is that it?” she said with surprising calm. “Someone you’ve really got it in for?” To the exclusion of all others? Gosh, I’m just so sorry for threatening to complicate your investigation with a new lead, Mister Hot Head Detective. She held her tongue.

  “Can we keep these letters?”

  “I would like copies, please. And I’d like the originals returned to me at the earliest possible time,” she said firmly.

  “ We can arrange that.”

  He escorted her with exaggerated politeness out of the office to the elevator. “Thank you for your help Miss Vanderwall.”

  She left the building seething. She felt foolish, and underestimated. More than anything else in the world, she hated being underestimated. One look at her blonde hair and model-appearance, and people just stopped listening. She could be talking quantum-mechanics and they’d be staring at her breasts, nothing but air passing between their ears. Did the detectives laugh when she left too? Sure they did. “Fuckin’ women,” he’d said. I guess I was just another one to him. It wasn’t a reassuring introduction to the man in charge of Catherine’s case.

  The taxi snaked slowly through the city. At odd moments Makedde saw vaguely familiar buildings silhouetted by a sun already low in the sky. Directly ahead of her, an enormous full moon hovered silently. The driver snuck glances at her in the rear-view mirror. Irritated, she urged him to step on the gas, and soon they reached the open water of Bondi Beach.

  She entered the lonely flat. Tossing her keys on the tabletop, she mimicked her own voice, “I think I may have some information…blah, blah, blah. Idiot.”

  The empty room replied with silence.

  CHAPTER 7

  On Monday morning the alarm clock buzzed with military authority—4.45 a.m. glowed in angry red neon on the digital face. An inhumane time to be conscious, but a cheap time to make international calls, and Makedde could catch her father before he left for the weekly Sunday lunch he enjoyed with his fellow retired cops.

  She settled in by the bedroom phone and dialled the seemingly endless digits that would put her in touch with Canada. After several clicks and pauses, she could hear the phone ringing. There was a slight delay, and the line had a bit of static. “…Makedde?”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “You sound like you’re a million miles away. How was your flight?”

  “OK. Great service. I loved the green tea, but it was all a bit long.”

  “You couldn’t pay me enough to get on one of those flights,” he said.

  That was probably true. Her father preferred the familiarity of the city he had lived in all his life. Even on holiday he didn’t like to stray too far anymore. She called him every second Sunday, without fail, no matter where her travels took her. She’d been especially careful to do that since her mother had died.

  “How’s my daughter?”

  “I’m fine. Well…sort of. We’ll get to that. I arrived safely, anyhow. How are you?” she asked. She was aware that she was stalling. Mak hated giving him bad news.

  “I’m good,” he said. “Going out with the guys in a few minutes—”

  “I guessed as much.”

  He went on, “Theresa is getting huge. She’s almost seven months pregnant now.”

  “I know. I only saw her last week.” Makedde often had a vague sense of guilt and inferiority when anyone mentioned her sister. There was something about Theresa’s settled, married life that seemed so laudable. It was proper, predictable and good, and Makedde’s life was so, well…not. A bouncing, gurgling, grinning bub would only make things worse.

  “You really should give your sister a call once in a while.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad. I’ll call her. I promise.”

  “They’ve decided not to find out if it’s a boy or a girl.” He paused. “Such a shame Jane never got to see her daughters have children.”

  Makedde had become engaged to a local boy shortly after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, when Mak was twenty. However she soon realised that she’d only wanted to be Mrs Purdy in a desperate effort to make her family happy. It didn’t last long. She dumped George in a supermarket at the checkout counter, flipping his ring into a shopping bag full of milk cartons and cans of baked beans.

  Mak didn’t find Mr Right in time for her mother to meet him, and she certainly didn’t have children in time for her mother to be a grandparent. It was her sister who’d thrilled them with the white wedding and the pregnancy news. Her perfect sister.

  “Dad, I have some tragic news…” She told him about Catherine. As expected, he was horrified and saddened. He had watched her grow up, too.

  “I hope you’re getting on the next plane home. You don’t want to be around when some sicko like that decides he has a thing for models.”

  “Dad, I’ll be fine. I can protect myself. You know as well as I do that Catherine doesn’t have anyone else. I can’t leave until this is sorted out.”

  “You have to look out for yourself now, Makedde. God, that’s so horrible. Have her foster parents been contacted?”

  “Yes.” The thought of the Unwins made Mak angry. They had been neglectful guardians, and Catherine had spent most of her time trying to get away from them. “I’m sure they’re secretly relieved they don’t have to look after her anymore. I wouldn’t expect much of a service.”

  “That’s an awful thing to say!”

  “You know it’s true.”

  “I’d like you to come home, Makedde.” He paused. “You can take some other classes, or maybe do some modelling here for a month or two. You can’t still be stubborn about your tuition after this has happened? I’ll pay for it.”

  “I don’t mean to hurt your pride, but I know you can’t afford it, Dad.” Her mother’s death had been protracted and painful, and the medical bills wouldn’t go away for a long time yet. Multiple Myloma was rare, and mostly found in fragile old men, so it wasn’t often treated. But Jane was still young, so they tried every imaginable form of alternative therapy and chemotherapy over the years, and when those methods had been exhausted, a bone marrow transplant was the only option. Jane died of pneumonia in the end, when living in a bubble wasn’t enough to protect her weakened immune system.

  “Besides,” Mak continued, shaking off the image of her bald mother hooked to machines, “I just got here. I don’t think I could hack the flight back so soon. And even if you could pay, you know I wouldn’t let you. Anyway, this isn’t about scraping up some cash anymore. I can’t leave until Catherine’s killer is caught.”

  She heard him mumble, “Stubborn,” under his breath before he said more clearly, “Is there anything I can do at this end?”

  “Nothing. Please do nothing. I hate it when you meddle.”

  He ignored her reference. “Why don’t you model somewhere else for a while? New
Zealand is close.”

  “Nice try. You know I have to be here. Catherine was always there for me, and there is no one here for her now.”

  A barely audible sigh told her that she had won the debate, for now. She had always been too strong-headed for him to control. Their battle of the wills went way back. Although he had revelled in the undivided attention she gave his cop stories, even as an eight year old her boundless interest in crime worried him, as it did the rest of the family. He was perversely relieved when she started modelling at fourteen. Perhaps he was baffled now at her desire to pursue forensic psychology. Women were homemakers and supermums to his generation, not career types with PhDs and a passion for the criminal psyche.

  “Please be careful, Makedde. Don’t take any chances. Promise me.”

  “I’ll be fine, I promise,” she assured him. “Anyway, I’m an Amazon. Any psycho would be crazy to mess with me.”

  “They are crazy, Makedde. That’s the point.”

  “Not legally, they’re not. Psychopaths may have a predatory, manipulative and violent predisposition, but they aren’t legally insane.”

  “Knock it off.”

  She laughed. “Just buggin’ you. I’ll call soon and let you know what’s happening. I love you Dad.”

  “You too.”

  She hung up the receiver and drifted back into a fitful sleep.

  She dreamt she was standing in tall grass, looking down at the bloodied, naked corpse of a young woman. Hair obscured the face, and as she pulled it back, she came face-to-face with her own lifeless features.

  “Makedde,” the wind whispered, “I’m coming for you.”

  Makedde walked up the flight of stairs towards Book agency’s huge, glass double doors, stopping briefly to preen in the mirrored wall that lined the stairwell. She studied her made-up face, noting the tired eyes and pale, stressed complexion. She practised a smile and was relieved that the effect was pleasing. Instantly she looked healthy, happy and confident. Looks were deceiving.

  She stood outside for a moment and wondered whether she would be able to pull off the appearance of a successful model unaffected by a personal tragedy. No sense in letting them know she was devastated; they would probably insist she take some time off, and that wouldn’t pay the bills. Lengthening her body, pulling her stomach in and fixing an indestructible smile, she stepped inside. She received a noncommittal raised eyebrow from the receptionist, who obviously didn’t know her from a hole in the wall. Makedde could hardly have been offended; she didn’t know the receptionist’s name either.

  “Is Charles Swinton in?” she asked.

  “Yes, go on back.” The nameless receptionist resumed reading a Vogue magazine on her desk.

  Mak clutched her model bag and strode to the back area where ten booking agents, or “bookers”, sat at a long oval table, handling various phone calls and dealing with the hopeful young things hovering about them. Each booker had a computer screen and keyboard, and a young model staring eagerly at the screen as they pushed buttons to determine who was working, and who was not.

  Stacks of composite cards in holders lined every wall. An impossibly flawless face shone out from the cover of each card, with the words “Book Model Agency” printed boldly across the top, and the model’s name printed across the bottom. The cards appeared to be organised in sections. The “Linda”, “Christy”, and “Claudia” type cards were in one section and the “Anna”, “Louise”, and “Makedde” type cards were on another wall. The categories may have represented who was in town and who wasn’t, but Makedde suspected it indicated who would, or would not, get out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars.

  In vain she tried to get Charles’ attention but for the next fifteen minutes he remained resolutely absorbed in a constant stream of phone calls. He was a slick operator; smooth-talking and complimentary, but firm in negotiation. Charles had a reputation for being able to make or break a model’s career. Such was his pull, many top models had followed him from another big agency when he quit and started up Book with a mysterious business partner. Mak was undecided as to whether or not Book would be good for her, but her mother agency, as each model’s hometown agency is called, was quite enthusiastic about the arrangement. It had been a bit of a coup to have Charles on-side, because he only handled the top girls. Her old ELLE and Vogue covers must have done the trick.

  Finally he turned to her, the phone still glued to one ear. “Ah, Makedde. How did Friday go?” It wasn’t exactly the question she was expecting.

  “Uh, fine. Except for my dead friend lying in the grass. Otherwise it was a breeze.”

  “Oh,” he seemed embarrassed, “that’s right. Poor Catherine. It’s such a shame, she would have done so well. By the way, Sixty Minutes wants to interview you. Here’s the number.”

  “Thanks,” Mak answered bluntly. She took the slip of paper and tossed it into the wastepaper basket as soon as Charles turned his head.

  “The client’s not very happy,” he went on. “They say they need to re-shoot now, and they’re giving us grief about the money.”

  She felt her anger rise. Catherine’s dead, and they’re mad because they didn’t get their precious photo!

  Charles answered another call.

  A female booker intervened, “I couldn’t believe it when I heard what happened. How awful! She was so sweet.”

  Mak extended a hand. “I’m Makedde.”

  “Skye.”

  “I was just about to introduce you,” Charles said absentmindedly, and continued his phone conversation.

  Mak flashed him a wooden smile and turned her attention to Skye. “You left a message on her answering machine. Were you Catherine’s booker?”

  “Yes.”

  “What was the message about?”

  “She didn’t make it to her last casting at Peter Lowe’s studio. I wanted to reschedule the appointment.”

  “Did anyone see her leave for the casting?” Makedde pried gently. “Did she get a ride from anyone?”

  “The cops asked me that, too. A few people saw her leave Saatchi’s. She probably caught the bus.”

  “Did you see her much?”

  “Not really. She spoke to me when she called in for her bookings, and I saw her every couple of weeks when she came in for a cheque. She was always kinda bubbly, but she never told me much about her goings on.”

  “Did she ever mention a boyfriend?”

  “No. But we reckon she had one.”

  Mak perked up. “Why is that?”

  “Oh, she didn’t hang out with the other girls much. She had some nice jewellery, too. I don’t know. We just figured.” Skye seemed a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. “Did you know that Tony Thomas is being hounded by the cops? Probably because of that exhibition of his. It’s pretty full on.”

  “What exhibition?”

  “Oh, his S&M photo exhibition. I went to the opening. It’s not my style, but some people think it’s art.”

  Oh, really? “Is it still on?”

  “It’s at The Space in Kings Cross for a few weeks.”

  Makedde decided to give the exhibition a look.

  It took her another ten minutes to get Charles’ attention long enough to check her details for the following day. She found that she had no work to go to, but Charles suddenly remembered that they had just received a fax from her mother agency, Snap! Models back in Canada. He pointed to a tray full of faxes beside the machine.

  She walked over and picked it out of the pile. Her name was scrawled in huge letters across the top of the cover letter. Barbara, the owner, was sending Mak condolences on the loss of her friend. It was a kind gesture, but how could she already know?

  “Did someone tell them what happened to Catherine?” Makedde asked, puzzled.

  “No. I don’t think so,” Skye said. “Catherine wasn’t even with them, was she?”

  “No she wasn’t.” So how did Barbara know already?

  Dad.

  She supposed he was alr
eady spreading the word to the appropriate people. He was taking care of things; looking out for his daughter, pooling resources. He was probably checking up on her, too.

  Makedde took the fax with her and left. With the exception of a few of her favourite agencies, she knew that without ten thousand dollar bookings or a recent Vogue cover, a model becomes invisible. After thanking the table of bookers, the invisible woman made a quiet exit.

  CHAPTER 8

  Catherine Gerber’s lover was relieved to shut the door at midday and take his phone off the hook. He needed time to think. His daily lunch order sat untouched on the desk. He couldn’t eat a bite; not out of grief but annoyance. They had not prepared exactly what he had asked for—a smoked salmon sandwich with capers, horseradish and lettuce on rye. Not on brown, on rye. It was simple. On any other day he would have complained bitterly about the brown bread. Today his appetite had been quashed when he glimpsed the morning paper. He couldn’t think about food. His mind was on that photograph.

  Catherine Gerber.

  There had been an article about the murder every day since Catherine’s body was discovered by that Vanderwall girl on Friday. That was fine. That was to be expected. It wasn’t the article itself that worried him. It was the photo.

  Stupid little bitch!

  He had always been so careful, so meticulous. He had made sure that nothing could trace Catherine to him. He was sure no one of any importance had seen them together. It was crazy that such an ignominious little hussy could end up as such a threat.

  He opened the newspaper, flipped it to page three and stared at the large photo featured in the article titled Canadian Model—Third Victim of Stiletto Killer. There she was, photographed at some social event, smiling innocently, wearing a low cut dress with a thin necklace dangling around her throat, a dainty necklace with a man’s diamond ring suspended from it.

  His ring.

  Lying little slut!

  He’d assumed he’d lost it, but evidently that was not the case. It must have been when he met up with her in Fiji during the autumn medical convention. He had been careful, as always. He gave her cash for the ticket, they stayed in different hotels, and he snuck over to hers in the evening. When he left, he must have forgotten the ring by the sink. It was days after the convention before he realised it was gone. When he questioned her, she swore she’d never seen it.