assault and the victim, Jessica Harrington,
indicated she would press charges. The next page was a court
summary. Hawkins was found guilty of provoked assault and sentenced
to a stint in a low security facility for two years with parole in
ten months. The final page was a medical report on the injures
Harrington had suffered.
Hawkins had
broken her nose, fractured her right cheek, dislocated her jaw and
cracked three teeth.
“Dear
God.”
“Bad news?”
Ivan asked, coming in. He sat opposite her. Today his dark hair was
gelled up into frost-tipped spikes, his jeans were respectable and
his T-shirt showed a piñata and the slogan ‘I’d hit that’. Pretty
tame by his usual standards.
She handed him
the medical report. He paled as he read it.
“Run down
numbers for both of them, if you can,” she told Ivan. “Leuwanoski
said that there was provocation and the court summary mentions it
as well. I want to know what could inspire that sort of rage. I
don’t feel like going face to face with this guy without knowing
what sparks his temper. I’d like to talk to Harrington first, if we
can’t track down the court records.”
“Right.”
“Have you had
lunch?”
Ivan shook his
head. “Brad wouldn’t make me a sandwich this morning.”
“Are you that
useless you can’t make your own lunch?”
“Brad would
think so.” Ivan sighed. “Take out from the Chinese place?”
“Yeah. And get
extra prawn chips this time. I do like them as well.”
Ivan went off
to get lunch and Erin tried to call her friend in the court system.
She found out he was on holiday and resigned herself to an
afternoon digging through the public records herself. By the time
Ivan returned she’d exhausted her in-office options, so she took
the bag of prawn chips and headed over the court house.
An hour later,
with a growing headache from arguing, she was back in the elevator
heading up to the office. When she stepped through the door, she
was greeted with a stiff-faced Ivan and Mrs Veilchen. Ivan visibly
relaxed at the sight of Erin.
“Here she is,
Mrs Veilchen.” Wild eyed, Ivan stood and left quickly. “Toilet
break,” he muttered on his way past.
“Mrs Veilchen,
I didn’t know you were dropping by.” Erin nodded to her office and
followed the woman in.
“I came to see
if you had found my man.”
Erin glared at
her back. “I’ve only been on the job one day. These things
generally take a bit longer than that.”
“Mr Sol
assured me you were one of the best.”
“Whatever Mr
Sol thinks, it’s just not possible to move as quick as you seem to
believe. Especially when I had so little to start with.”
Mrs Veilchen
went to the window and looked out at the city. She was in another
rich outfit, with another pair of dark glasses on. Her hair was
pulled back today, accentuating the hollow cheeks and thin neck.
“Have you found anything out at all?”
Erin sat down
at her desk. She studied Heather Veilchen. There was something…
wrong about her. It wasn’t the cool attitude, the stiff formality
or the reluctance to take off her glasses. Or maybe it was. Who
didn’t at least take off their sunglasses to greet someone, even if
they put them straight back on? But it was more than that.
She just
didn’t know what.
Unsettled,
Erin wondered what this woman would do when she learned Matthew
Hawkins’ name. There was a strong possibility she would drop the
professional investigation and go it alone again. There was just
that sense of cold-bloodedness about her.
If there was
provocation for the assault Erin wanted to find out what it was
before letting this woman loose.
“I don’t have
much yet. I just spoke with the owner of the club. He didn’t know
any names. I did learn, though, that the assault wasn’t
unprovoked.” She watched Mrs Veilchen closely for a reaction.
Mrs Veilchen
turned from the window and presumably looked at her. “And that
makes a difference?”
A chill ran
down Erin’s spine. “It
indicated she would press charges. The next page was a court
summary. Hawkins was found guilty of provoked assault and sentenced
to a stint in a low security facility for two years with parole in
ten months. The final page was a medical report on the injures
Harrington had suffered.
Hawkins had
broken her nose, fractured her right cheek, dislocated her jaw and
cracked three teeth.
“Dear
God.”
“Bad news?”
Ivan asked, coming in. He sat opposite her. Today his dark hair was
gelled up into frost-tipped spikes, his jeans were respectable and
his T-shirt showed a piñata and the slogan ‘I’d hit that’. Pretty
tame by his usual standards.
She handed him
the medical report. He paled as he read it.
“Run down
numbers for both of them, if you can,” she told Ivan. “Leuwanoski
said that there was provocation and the court summary mentions it
as well. I want to know what could inspire that sort of rage. I
don’t feel like going face to face with this guy without knowing
what sparks his temper. I’d like to talk to Harrington first, if we
can’t track down the court records.”
“Right.”
“Have you had
lunch?”
Ivan shook his
head. “Brad wouldn’t make me a sandwich this morning.”
“Are you that
useless you can’t make your own lunch?”
“Brad would
think so.” Ivan sighed. “Take out from the Chinese place?”
“Yeah. And get
extra prawn chips this time. I do like them as well.”
Ivan went off
to get lunch and Erin tried to call her friend in the court system.
She found out he was on holiday and resigned herself to an
afternoon digging through the public records herself. By the time
Ivan returned she’d exhausted her in-office options, so she took
the bag of prawn chips and headed over the court house.
An hour later,
with a growing headache from arguing, she was back in the elevator
heading up to the office. When she stepped through the door, she
was greeted with a stiff-faced Ivan and Mrs Veilchen. Ivan visibly
relaxed at the sight of Erin.
“Here she is,
Mrs Veilchen.” Wild eyed, Ivan stood and left quickly. “Toilet
break,” he muttered on his way past.
“Mrs Veilchen,
I didn’t know you were dropping by.” Erin nodded to her office and
followed the woman in.
“I came to see
if you had found my man.”
Erin glared at
her back. “I’ve only been on the job one day. These things
generally take a bit longer than that.”
“Mr Sol
assured me you were one of the best.”
“Whatever Mr
Sol thinks, it’s just not possible to move as quick as you seem to
believe. Especially when I had so little to start with.”
Mrs Veilchen
went to the window and looked out at the city. She was in another
rich outfit, with another pair of dark glasses on. Her hair was
pulled back today, accentuating the hollow cheeks and thin neck.
“Have you found anything out at all?”
Erin sat down
at her desk. She studied Heather Veilchen. There was something…
wrong about her. It wasn’t the cool attitude, the stiff formality
or the reluctance to take off her glasses. Or maybe it was. Who
didn’t at least take off their sunglasses to greet someone, even if
they put them straight back on? But it was more than that.
She just
didn’t know what.
Unsettled,
Erin wondered what this woman would do when she learned Matthew
Hawkins’ name. There was a strong possibility she would drop the
professional investigation and go it alone again. There was just
that sense of cold-bloodedness about her.
If there was
provocation for the assault Erin wanted to find out what it was
before letting this woman loose.
“I don’t have
much yet. I just spoke with the owner of the club. He didn’t know
any names. I did learn, though, that the assault wasn’t
unprovoked.” She watched Mrs Veilchen closely for a reaction.
Mrs Veilchen
turned from the window and presumably looked at her. “And that
makes a difference?”
A chill ran
down Erin’s spine. “It
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