Chapter 30: Saturday March 19: Part Three

The phone call came right on time.

'Good tell him to come straight round. Tell him it's all clear little brother.'

I did and we waited for the car to come into view. When it did Anne and Meredith jumped into the back while I sat in the front.

"Just what sort of headlines am I going to read in tomorrows papers Winston, just what sort of bloodbath will they be describing? How many bodies Winston, how many?"

"Seven," I said as casually as possibly.

"SEVEN!" His voice began to rise along with his blood pressure. "What are you after some sort of a bloody record? I mean it's more than twenty isn't it?"

"Thirty five if you're really counting, but we're only responsible for thirty two of them. I mean the brother of that girl Tracey Carpenter really did kill his friend and himself. So did Bristoll — kill himself I mean."

"Oh well that makes it okay then." He turned and looked at me for a second. "Promise me one thing." I didn't answer choosing to wait until my father finished. "Promise me that it's all over and we can resume something remotely approaching a normal life, that is aside from the benefits we'll be getting from Colin."

"Yes pop it's finally over."

I was waiting for some kind of input from Colin on what our father said but there was no response, which to me was a little surprising.

"Good because I don't know how much more I could have taken."

Dad dropped Anne and I off at the multi-storey car park and after telling us he'd see us at the party, raced off.

Anne and Meredith pulled me into a dark corner and pulled me tightly into their soft and welcoming bodies. "You know what we've been itching for don't you. I mean shit Meredith and I have been wanting a proper fuck ever since we left that place."

"She's not wrong," said Meredith with a giggle. "God if I didn't think we'd be disturbed I'd drop my shorts and panties and let you fuck me right here."

'Not the best idea little brother, and besides from what I can see you may have to call into a bottle shop and stock up on beer and spirits. It seems too much has been drunk and not enough replaced.'

'Where have you been? I thought I wouldn't have been able to shut you up after such a successful morning, especially with the way dad was carrying on.'

'Let's just say that I was busy and leave it at that.'

"I gather the answer is no then?"

"Huh? Oh sorry Meredith I was miles away. What did you say?"

"Could only be Colin couldn't it." I started to respond but she held up her hand as we reached the van. Don't worry," she kissed me briefly as did Anne, "I guess I can wait until we get home."

I waited until we were in the van and on our way out of the car park before I responded. "Don't feel too bad girls we've got plenty of time, the rest of our lives in fact."

A quick visit to the closest bottle shop for two slabs of Vic Bitter, two bottles of whisky, brandy, vodka and bourbon plus the necessary mixers took fifteen minutes. It took another five to clear the town before I finally relaxed and held up my hand to take 'High Fives' from Anne and Meredith.

"You know what we're gonna do?" I asked. Meredith and Anne merely smiled. "WE'RE GONNA PARTY!"

I was in a hurry to get to the house but I was taking it slow. I should've been savouring the moment of final triumph, anticipating the celebration to come but I was puzzling over the sudden disappearance of my brother at a time he should have been bubbling over with happiness. Then out of nowhere three police cars flashed past us with lights blazing and sirens blaring.

"Where do you suppose they're going in such a hurry?" asked Anne as she snuggled close.

"Who cares," I said as I put my left arm around her shoulder and she in turn put her arm around Meredith's. "We know where we're going."

A short while later I pulled off the side of the road and slowed down. I was going to stop and open the gate but I didn't have too, it was already open and one of the three police cars that had passed us was parked outside blocking the entrance! Instinctively I looked up the length of the driveway. Anne followed my gaze and matched my gasp as we saw the other two police cars.

I stopped the car and just continued staring, wondering what the hell three police cars could be doing here. Naturally my first thoughts were the events at the Mitchell place. Maybe the carefully laid plans had come unstuck. Maybe, just maybe the police had been able to link the three of us with the murders. But if they had then why hadn't they stopped us on the road instead of just driving past and taking a chance we'd run for it.

'Because they don't even know about the murders at the Mitchell property yet Winston. Now I suggest that you drive up to the police car, and when you do, remember one thing.'

'And just what would that be?'

'You've been at flat seven, sixty three Redwood Ave all day. And if the police ask who you were with tell them that the young lady's name is Marilyn Murphy and the three of you were there all day.'

'And just who the hell is she?'

'The girl at the bowling alley who signed you up all those weeks ago, you could say that I've convinced her to be your alibi in case the police think you could in any way be responsible for what happened here. Now I suggest you move up to that first car, the police are starting to wonder just who you are.'

By the time I started off again Meredith sat up straight and looked across Anne to me. "Were you talking to your brother, to Colin?" I nodded. "Does he know about the police cars and what they are doing here?"

I nodded again. "He's not telling us though, all he's doing is offering some kind of an alibi." I told them about Marilyn Murphy and how we were supposed to have spent the day with her, then I pulled up behind the police car. "Remember this Marilyn Murphy alibi, I have a feeling it's going to be important."

I wound down the window and stared up at the uniformed figure as he approached. "Winston Hillman," I offered as I indicated Anne and Meredith next to me. "This is Ann Bingham and Meredith Brooke-Adams we've been at a friends place all day." Then I indicated the booze in the back of the van. "All this is for a party we were returning to. Nothing special you understand, just one of our regular Saturday night get-togethers. Why is there something wrong officer?"

"I'm afraid there's been some kind of... er... some kind of a fight. Maybe the two of you should walk up to the house. I think that detectives Marsh and Parker might like to talk to you."

I saw the recognition in Anne's face immediately, felt the firmness of her grip as she held my hand. Anne had been interviewed by a detective Parker after the bodies of her parents were discovered.

Anne walked straight to the constable when she got out of the car. "They're homicide aren't they? I know because one of them talked to me about the death of my parents." She was raising her voice obviously dreading the thought of what could be waiting for us. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" She was shouting now and worried as I was, concerned about what we would find at the house.

I was starting to feel that it was time to try and calm Anne down.

'Leave her be Winston, it's better this way. And at least she won't be acting, not like she was when she was told about her parents.'

My heart was pounding, I was starting to shake and it took all of my self-control to remain calm. I knew now what we were going to find up at the house. And so apparently did Anne.

"IT'S CYRIL ISN'T IT? AND CONNIE." Anne was literally screaming as real tears began to flow. She was banging on the chest of the policeman while the other officer, a policewoman was trying her level best to calm Anne down. "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" She pushed the policewoman away with both hands and turned back to the constable. The yelling and screaming had taken its toll and her voice was now a little above a whisper as the tears began to have their effect. "How many more is... ? Are they all... ? Tell me they aren't... ?" Her voice trailed off as she turned and pressed her body into mine and buried her teared-stained face one of my shoulders while an equally tearful Meredith did the same to my other shoulder.

'Don't worry Winston they'll rally. And you'd better as well.'

'Then it's true. Are they all dead?'

By this time we were heading down the driveway towards the house. Anne was a lot calmer now as Meredith hugged her close as they walked in front of me, and I was too scared to be anything else.

'I guess you'll find out soon enough, just remember the name Marilyn Murphy and that address. Oh and don't even think about sending me back yet, you could find yourself answering a lot of unnecessary questions. You might even find a couple of your alibis disappearing, in fact I'd go so far as to say that some people might even get their memory back about the night Anne's parents were killed.'

We reached the front of the house where detective Anthony Parker was waiting. "Miss Bingham and the missing son Winston and... ?" He looked at Meredith questioningly.

I introduced her.

"Well it seems that we're making a habit of meeting under tragic circumstances."

I retained a strong grip on Anne's hand in case she should try and do something silly and Meredith walked around and took my other hand. "Are they all... ?" I knew everyone was dead but I had to ask, it just took me a while to work up the courage. I didn't need to act, all I needed was the knowledge that I'd been double-crossed by my brother. "Dad, Connie, the others, are they all... all dead?"

"Believe me when I say that I really am sorry, for both of you. I'm afraid there really is no easy way to say this so I'll tell it like it is. There are bodies by the pool, on the patio, in the games room, kitchen and one of the two back bedrooms. A total of seventeen in all."

"Seventeen! Not counting Anne and I--" she was a lot calmer now, due in no small part — I was prepared to guess — to my brother "--my father and Connie were expecting twelve guests, that would leave three unaccounted for. If they weren't guests then they must have been... ?"

"Responsible? Considering they were armed with fully automatic shotguns and fourteen of the bodies were killed by such means I'd say so. I'd also say that your father died bravely. I know it won't make you feel better but it may give you something to hang on to later on. You see your father was the only one armed with a rifle and he took out all three of the intruders, the last one just before they — just before he died."

Meredith suddenly jumped forward and faced detective Parker. Her tears were flowing now and they were as real as Anne's. "How long ago did this — when did it happen? Come on," she pushed him in the chest with the palms of both hands, "you have to tell me, us, how long ago this happened."

"Less than an hour ago miss," replied the detective holding her hands in his. "The three intruders probably arrived about forty five minutes ago."

"While we were in the bottle shop getting drinks they were breaking in..." Anne slumped to the ground as she broke down hopelessly. "While we were driving home, Cyril, Connie and the gang were all being... Oh God, oh fuck, oh fuck, OH FUCK!" Her face was buried in the concrete of the driveway until finally she looked at me and the two detectives in turn. "Why, why, WHY!"

The other detective put his hand on my shoulder and suggested rather circumspectly that maybe I could help identify my father, Connie and all of our friends.

I followed him around to the back of the house, past the patio and three covered bodies in an area taped off, past the remains of the outdoor furniture to the pool where there lay four covered bodies. One by one he lifted off the covers and one by one I gave him the names Mark Paulous, Bill Pappus, Cindy Davidson and Cheri Collins.

Next stop was the three bodies in the patio area. The first two weren't known to me, dressed in faded jeans, tattered singlets with skinhead haircuts they were clearly two of the intruders. However it was the third body that shook me. It was almost too much when the inspector removed the sheet at my request and I saw the bloodied — bullet ridden body of my father.

"If you wish to take a couple of minutes Mr. Hillman I'll be over..."

"No I don't think so, I think it's best if we get this over with as quickly as possible."

I followed the inspector into the games room where I identified the bodies of Valerie Chesterton, Joe Paulson and Benny Andrews. The forth one was unknown to me and came as a bit of a shock, the body was female and of extremely generous proportions. It seemed that I was finally face to face with Big Bertha, the one that Connie had referred to as being like Dolly Parton with attitude.

From there we went to the kitchen where I identified Morrie and Julie Dixon and Betty Hart. By my calculations that left three unaccounted for and I didn't need the inspector to tell me where they were. I led the inspector into my father's bedroom, went to the bodies laying on the floor beside the bed and identified them as Connie and the Foster brothers. I already had a fair idea what they were doing and their lack of clothing seemed to confirm it.