Page 52 of Clear Skies (Stormcloud Station)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DALE PACED TO and fro, wearing a path in the dusty gravel. Where the hell were Robinson and King? It felt like they’d been waiting an eternity for the cops to arrive, while they were left to sit here with Karri’s murderer and a dead body. The rescue helicopter had been and gone, taking River with them, and now the flurry of activity had died it was as if they were in a horrible limbo. The clearing was in the shadow cast by the escarpment towering above them, but all too soon, they’d be baking in the full morning sun. It was going to be a long, hot morning.

Steve, Skylar, and Daisy were all perched on the fallen log where Johnny had so recently sat. All three of them were staring at Sally, who was staring belligerently back at them. Sally’s eyes were red and swollen from the toad poison, but one paramedic had repeatedly flushed them with water to remove the toxin before they left, so she’d stopped screaming that they were burning. Even though rumor had it that the poison could be absorbed through mucous membranes, such as the eyes, Sally hadn’t seemed to suffer any further effects.

Twice, she’d asked how Johnny was faring, and would he be okay once they got him to hospital. Everyone ignored her, but Dale was a little surprised by her questions. She clearly thought Johnny was still alive. The toad toxin must’ve really blinded her, if she hadn’t been able to see that Johnny wasn’t loaded into the rescue helicopter, along with River. That his body was in fact lying where he’d fallen, hidden from view by the long grass twenty yards or so away.

Robinson had called Dale on the sat phone from his vehicle and made it extremely clear that they needed to keep Sally secured and unharmed until they arrived. In other words, he probably shouldn’t go up and kick her in the teeth, which is what he wanted to do. Robinson also mentioned that they’d take Sally Tsun straight into custody, to the Dimbulah lock-up, where two detectives would arrive from Cairns to interview her. And Dale could expect to see a forensics team and a raft of other officers pouring in from Cairns to secure the crime scene. This sounded like it was going to be bigger than Ben-Hur.

Dale wandered over to the log where everyone was sitting. “I think we’re going to need to brace for impact. There’s going to be a shitstorm of police and questions and media coming our way.” Three pairs of eyes turned in his direction.

“We should decide what we’re going to tell the guests. They’re going to want some answers this morning,” Skylar mused. “Perhaps we should call mum, she’ll be the one in the firing line when they all wake up.” Dale felt a stab of sympathy for his mother. He could imagine the conversation that’d taken place straight after his phone call this morning to Steve. Daniella would’ve been determined to come and see for herself. Steve told him he had to almost forcibly hold his mother back. But she finally agreed that someone needed to be there to look after the guests when they awoke, and to take any calls that might come in. She, Julie, Alek, and Bindi would keep it all together until the rest of them returned.

Steve looked up and nodded soberly. “You’re right. I hope Daniella will be able to handle all of this.”

“I hope Daniella will be able to handle all of this,” Sally parroted, screwing her eyes up in distaste, and shooting Steve a sarcastic look. “Daniella this, Daniella that, she’s all you care about. That and keeping the precious reputation of Stormcloud Station intact. You’re all pathetic,” she taunted.

“What did you say?” Steve stood and took a step toward his ex-employee, eyes glittering dangerously.

“Don’t take the bait,” Dale warned, putting a hand on Steve’s chest to restrain him. “She’s not worth it,” he added. Why couldn’t she sit quietly? If she kept this up, he was going to find it hard to keep her unharmed.

Steve’s jaw worked as he tried to contain his rage. Finally, he let out a breath and said, “I’ll be thrilled when she’s locked up for good. Happy when this is all over.” He let out a gust of air through pursed lips.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be happy. You can all go back to your sweet little lives. Secure in your isolation. None the wiser. None of you even guessed how much money we were swindling from you,” Sally laughed haughtily.

Dale’s hands tightened into fists at her innuendo. Then her words sunk in. What had she said?

But Steve beat him to it. “What do you mean?” he asked, stepping around Dale to stare at Sally. “What money?”

Sally laughed again, long and loud. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped inside the woman. They’d only ever seen good Sally before. Now they were seeing bad Sally. Dale didn’t appreciate it one bit. Without conscious thought, he found himself drifting slowly in Sally’s direction a few steps behind Steve. He wanted to hear Sally’s answer as much as Steve did. But then Robinson’s demand echoed in his mind.

“We need to wait until the cops get here. They’ll take her formal statement,” Dale said, catching up to Steve and laying a hand on his arm.

“I think we have the right to know,” Skylar declared, standing up with hands on hips. “If she wants to talk, then why would you stop her?” Her blue eyes flashed with a hard edge in the morning light. “I don’t care about her formal statement. I want to hear why she killed our employee, our friend.”

Skylar might be right. This was their chance to hear things straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. To hear her confession firsthand, before the cops got here and shut down their questions.

Sally made his decision for him when she said, “You don’t want to know. Not really. You’re so wrapped up in your own insignificant lives. You don’t give a shit about anyone else.”

“That’s not true,” Skylar cried indignantly. She always was an idealist. Now Daisy was on her feet, and both women were closing in on Sally. It looked like he wasn’t going to be able to stop their questions, so he may as well join in.

“It is true,” Sally scoffed. “You’re so self-centered, you didn’t even notice I was skimming customer’s credit cards.”

Skylar gasped. “You were doing what?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Sally said. “I was taking all the guest credit card details, right under your nose, and you never even knew. Karri was the only one who suspected anything. She was the smartest of the bunch, I’ll give her that much. She overheard me talking to Johnny on the phone one night outside the staff quarters.”

All four of them drifted closer, forming a semicircle around Sally where she sat on the ground. He was just as desperate to hear this woman’s justification for her actions, but he was also prepared to get in the way if anyone became violent. The last thing they needed was an assault charge.

Sally continued, almost without drawing breath, seeming to need to get it all off her chest. “When she confronted me, I tried to bluff my way around it, telling her she’d misheard. But she knew. And I knew she knew. Then one day, she asked me for money.”

“No, she didn’t,” Skylar breathed.

“Oh, yes, she did. Does it shock you to hear she was no angel, either?” Sally smirked at them all.

Yes, Dale was shocked. That didn’t sound like Karri. Why hadn’t she come to one of them and tell them what was going on?

As if Sally had read Dale’s mind, she said. “Karri hinted she’d tell Daniella everything if I didn’t pay her. I knew I was in trouble then.”

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