Free Cold Deception by D.B. Tait Page A

priest was seriously fucked up.
    But she was unfinished business and he didn’t like anything he couldn’t control. If she decided to tell the truth after all these years, someone else might start asking questions.
    “What’d you say to her?”
    Gary shrugged. “Just that we had other business interests now.” He paused again.
    There was something up, something O’Reardon sensed he didn’t want to mention.
    “The thing is, she knows about the supply into jail.”
    O’Reardon stilled. “Anything else?”
    “I think she knows about Ingram.”
    O’Reardon swore. “What did you say to her?”
    Randle shrugged. “That she better not say anything to anyone or her family could get hurt.”
    “How’d she take that?”
    He shrugged again.
    “I need to know, Gary. Is she going to be trouble?’
    He ducked his head and shifted on his feet. “She was angry.”
    Great. Just great. “Angry enough to tell anyone?”
    “Maybe.”
    O’Reardon lumbered to his feet and moved to the front of the desk. Grabbing Randle’s shirt front he slammed him against the wall.
    “You idiot. Your big-noting has got me into quite a bit of trouble over the years. You need to get control of yourself. Smarten up or get lost. I can’t afford your fuck ups anymore.”
    He let go of Randle’s shirt.
    “Get her in here. We need to have a little chat. She needs to understand just exactly what would happen if she told anyone.”
    He glanced toward the safe. He’d kept the DVD in case the person who really knew what happened to the priest started making trouble. But it wouldn’t hurt to tell a little white lie. Make the Taylor woman believe her worst fears could be realized.
    He smiled. Good times ahead.
    *
    The next day as she walked down Katoomba Street, Julia’s heart started a panicky tattoo again. In all the drama of Blossom and Rez, she’d forgotten about being in the world. Apart from her brief visit to Cafe Zuppa and coffee with Sally, this was the first time she’d walked down the main street in ten years. It hadn’t changed much. Not really. Maybe more people, different shops, and a remarkable number of cafes, but there was still a sense of grunge about the place.
    Jail didn’t mean she was completely cut off from the outside world. Far from it. There was always a TV on somewhere, either in someone’s cell or in the main living area. Most of the time the noise drove her mad. Newspapers were available. Lots of women came into custody on short sentences then left and came back again. She knew about the Global Financial Crisis and how it affected communities. Katoomba didn’t look like it was immune. There were a few empty shops and more people who looked like they were struggling.
    Pulling her coat around her, she headed down the hill to get a newspaper. With a growing sense of dread, she spied Nessa swaying in the wind just near the entrance to the newsagency.
    “Hey,” Julia said, softly. “How’re you going?”
    Nessa turned, her eyes unfocused and glassy. She smiled widely and threw her arms around Julia.
    “Jules! When’d you get out? We should celebrate!”
    Julia found herself holding Nessa up as she lost her balance. Struggling with an almost dead weight, she propped her against the wall.
    “A few days ago. Are you okay, hon? Do you want me to call anyone? You don’t look too good.”
    Nessa smiled again like a dreamy two year old. “No one to call, Jules. Not anymore.” She cackled which made her double over into a coughing fit. Straightening she peered at Jules. “Can you lend me some cash, Jules? I can pay you back. Just need to get some ciggies. I get paid tomorrow.”
    Julia's heart sank. She wasn’t prepared for this. Apart from the fact she only had a few dollars on her, she didn’t know what she should do. The money didn’t matter. If she gave it to Nessa she knew she’d never see it again but she hated to think Nessa would use it for more drugs which, inevitably, she would.
    “I’ve only got a