Free The Betrayal by Chris Taylor

guises, Chloe. It’s often the ones who least look the part that are the most dangerous. Believe me, even I’ve been caught out.”
    Chloe grimaced, recalling another man who’d duped her with his easy charm. It had been a decade and a half ago, but she could still remember like it was yesterday— and she couldn’t forget her solemn vow never to be taken in by a Colgate smile again.
    Determination surged through her. There had to be something on Declan Munro that she hadn’t found, something that explained his penchant for child pornography.
    With a nod of thanks in Webber’s direction, Chloe straightened in her chair and reached for her keyboard. Within moments, she’d accessed the New South Wales Police database. A few keystrokes later and she’d found what she was looking for: Declan Munro’s State Police file.
    Scanning the first few pages, she digested the enviable array of recommendations and honorable mentions he’d been awarded over the course of his career as a New South Wales police officer. They were impressive; but then, she knew they would be. She’d already read his AFP file.
    His initial application to the AFP had included references from his State colleagues and commanding officers, as well as mandatory background checks. Everything had come back clear, which was no more than she expected—he’d been accepted into their ranks, after all.
    Tabbing through the various entries on the screen in front of her, a small heading caught her eye. Clicking open the file, she discovered a report from five years ago that involved a complaint against one Declan Andrew Munro.
    She scanned the contents. Uneasiness morphed into shock. Discovering the proof she’d been seeking should have filled her with elation, but instead she felt nothing but coldness and an overwhelming sense of disappointment.
    The phone at her elbow rang. With her eyes still focused on the screen in front of her, she answered it.
    The IT expert on the other end didn’t mince words. The laptop confiscated from Declan Munro’s apartment during the execution of the search warrant had been forensically examined. More than a hundred deleted images of child pornography had been found on the hard drive.
    Chloe’s shock of only moments ago congealed into icy anger. She couldn’t believe that even for an instant, he had taken her in. It just went to show, as far as her instincts went, that lately she couldn’t be more off kilter.
    Reaching for the phone again, she punched in the number for Munro’s lawyer.
    * * *
    Declan pulled into a parking lot within walking distance of the AFP headquarters. It was just after lunch in the middle of the working week and the car park was nearly full. Despite the fact he was on a motorbike, he rode through several levels before he eventually found a vacant spot.
    As he made his way into the building which housed Senior Investigator Sabattini, he wiped his damp palms on his suit pants and tried desperately to hide his nerves.
    He hated feeling this way. He hated that his life had spiraled so far out of control that he no longer recognized it as his own. He hated the fear and uncertainty that stared back at him in the bathroom mirror. But mostly, he hated the feeling of hopelessness that enveloped him every time he thought of the charges that had been brought against him and the nameless, faceless witness who had instigated all this.
    The telephone call from his barrister had taken him by surprise. Apart from his family, calls to his cell phone had been few and far between. He hadn’t even heard from Charlie for over a week. Busy at work, Declan assumed, wishing he could make the same complaint.
    In accordance with the timetable set down by the court, the prosecution had two more days before the brief had to be served, so it was unlikely Roger was calling about the contents of that.
    After the briefest of greetings and an exchange of even briefer preliminaries, Roger had gotten straight to the point: Senior