"Again, no ID match. A formal request has been placed with Hopeworth for ID."
Sam raised her eyebrows. That could cause a few waves.
"Any response from Hopeworth?"
"Not a fig, sweetie."
Not surprising. What was surprising, however, was the fact that the SIU still had the body. She'd have thought Hopeworth would have tried a clandestine retrieval by now.
"They doing tests on the body?"
"Agent Finley is currently examining the body."
Then she'd have to remember to ask him what he discovered when she saw him at the meeting O'Hearn had arranged for later today.
"I have any mail from that real-estate cretin yet?"
The boa twirled. Response was slightly slower on the portable unit. "Yep. One came through last night."
"Put it onscreen, and thanks Iz."
Izzy disappeared, replaced by a three-page list. She smiled slightly as she scanned down it. He was obviously sending her every house he had that was near the sea, not just those within the metropolitan area. Some of them were as far away as Warrnambool, while others were over on Western Port Bay.
It wasn't until the very last page that one caught her interest.
It was an old A-frame style house, surrounded by trees and close to the top of a hill, so it looked over the bay.
Kingston, she thought with a frown. Hell of a distance to travel to work every day, even with the recently completed Western-Port toll way. Still, she had nearly a whole day ahead of her and nothing to lose by looking. Leaning sideways, she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed the real-estate agent's number.
* * * "You could fit six to eight villa units on a block this size, easy. Great investment for the future."
Sam ignored the agent's ramblings, and stared out the ceiling-high windows. Though classed as a part of Kingston, the house was actually several kilometers out of the resort township. Built on the side of a steep hill, the house had an almost unhindered view of Western Port Bay. Just across the dirt road, the cliffs plunged toward the ocean. With the wind blowing hard, as it was today, the waves reared high, as if trying to escape the bay's grasp, and foam sizzled across the black rocks lining the cliff top. The bay looked stormy— dangerous—and yet it called to something deep within her. At night, she could lie in bed and watch the sea. Watch all the brightly-lit tankers glide by or the storms roll in.
She opened the sliding door and walked out onto the deck.
The wind carried the rich tang of the ocean, and gum trees tossed and shivered. She leaned on the railing and looked at the ground.
The whole place was a rundown mess. Half the fence line had either fallen over or was in the process of doing so. The garden had long turned to weeds, and the driveway had ruts deep enough to lose a football in. The house itself was in little better shape. The kitchen was all orange and green, and it didn't even have an autocook. Apparently, the old couple who'd owned the house had preferred to do their own cooking and had installed an old-fashioned stove. Most of the walls were in desperate need of paint, the carpet covering the stairs leading to the upper floor was threadbare, and the banister wobbled worse than a drunk after a ten hour binge. Sections of both this deck, and the one on the side above the garage, were half- rotten and would need replacing.
It would cost a fortune to fix it up. A fortune she didn't really have. The money she'd got from the sale of her apartment would pay for this outright, and leave enough to buy a car. But that was it. There'd be nothing left for repairs.
It'd be madness to even consider buying it.
She raised her gaze and stared at the ocean for several minutes, watching the foamy fingers of ocean creep across the damp black rocks. She felt the power of the waves shiver through her, until her entire body seemed to tingle with its energy.
Common sense could go hang. There was something about the run-down, out-of-date old house that she just loved. And there was something about the raw closeness of the ocean that she needed.
She walked back into the bedroom. "I'll buy it."
The agent's face lit up. No doubt from the prospect of finally having her off his client list.
"I'll just run downstairs and get my com-unit. We'll get all the paperwork signed now, if you like."
He disappeared in a cloud of dust. Probably afraid she'd change her mind. Smiling slightly, she turned back to the window and its amazing view.
And noted the white Toyota parked down the road.
Under normal circumstances, she might not have taken notice. But the road was private, clearly marked as such, and didn't lead anywhere beyond the last house. The real estate agent had already told her the owners of the other nine properties were summer residents.