Wozza, Jess and I had talked long into the evening to come up with a strategy. In the end, we all agreed that we needed to look into the Millard deaths, but because Wheels and then later the coroner had declared the case closed, we had to do it in the shadows. And, it couldn’t be at the expense of the investigation into Jack and Meg and the pub sexual assaults.

CHAPTER 26: THE GIRL THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE

CHAPTER 26

THE GIRL THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE

Wozza was already in the office when I got in the next morning. There was no sign of Wheels. His office door was closed and it looked like the light was off.

‘Today, we need to focus on finding Meg’s attackers,’ I said, sitting at my desk with a freshly brewed cup of tea.

‘On it,’ said Wozza. ‘Also, I put in the paperwork to check your shed guy’s bank records.’ He looked very pleased with himself. ‘If someone paid Matthew Bunting to hide in your shed with a knife, we’ll know soon enough.’

‘How long do you reckon it will take?’

‘Couple of days, hopefully,’ he said. ‘That reminds me—Lachie Murtog’s back. Saw him getting coffee this morning. He was walking to his car as I pulled up.’

I raised an eyebrow.

‘Someone did a number on his ute. Scratched to high heaven.’

‘Do you mean keyed?’ I sat up and leaned forward.

‘Yeah, but with something much bigger—a chisel or something. Every panel. I asked him about it and he reckons it happened a while back. He can’t afford the excess on his insurance to get it fixed. Pity. Nice-looking ute. Racing red.’

‘Did he report it when it happened?’

‘Nah. I checked the system. No report.’

‘That in itself is suspicious. Someone attacks your car with a chisel and causes damage, why wouldn’t you report it? You need a police report for an insurance claim, even if he can’t afford the excess now.’

Wozza shrugged. In his furrowed brow, I could see the same thought process going through his mind. If Lachie Murtog was connected with Jack Barratt and the sexual assaults in some way, had one of the victims taken revenge on his car? Or could it be one of the young women who had made the allegations a while back—the ones the police didn’t act on?

I nudged the mouse on my computer and the screen sprang to life. Wozza told me the name of one of the young women who had made the complaint against Lachie and another guy—James Tuffin, or Jimbo to his mates. I logged in and searched for that case. It had happened on Australia Day. Not much in the way of paperwork. My predecessor had taken the statement. Wozza’s old partner.