Chapter One Hundred and Two


    “The time now is 2.53pm, Sunday 9^th of July 2023. I am Detective Sergeant Belinda Lee-Shaw, and with me is Detective Constable Grant Hayes in the Forestglade Police Station Interview Room 1. We will be interviewing Lila Moloney, who has her father Robert Moloney as her support person. For the recording, can you all please spell out your last names? I’ll go first…”


    Once complete, Belinda shuffled the papers before her, clicking her pen once. She looked back up at Lila and smiled again.


    “Alright, Lila, before we start, I’ve just got to let you know a couple of things,” Belinda said, her tone adjusting to something more professional. Belinda ran through privacy obligations, the purpose of the recording, and how the information and interview today would be stored and shared. Lila nodded at each appropriate point, her mind unable to take in the full legalese that Belinda was speaking. She supposed it was correct, as her Dad didn’t jump in at any point.


    “Okay, so, my right-hand man for this interview is Grant. I’ve just got him here as a second – not to gang up on you, but in case there’s anything that I’ve missed. Essentially as my second pair of ears. We don’t want to keep bringing you back here if we don’t need to, so he’s basically my insurance policy. We will both take a couple of notes here and there, but the recording is our master copy of today’s discussion. You okay with all of that?”


    Lila nodded again.


    “Alright. Now, Dad, we’ve got a couple of points for you too…”


    Belinda ran through the role of Lila’s support person, including what her Dad could or could not do – in particular, he couldn’t answer questions on behalf of Lila.


    “Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, we can commence the interview. As I mentioned before, you’re just here as a witness as we believe you may have some information for us. Do you know why we would think that?” Belinda asked, her deep brown eyes intense and penetrating.


    “No,” Lila replied meekly. “Besides… you saying you wanted to talk to me about Piper Baker.”


    “Yes, Piper Baker. Did you know her?”


    “Not… really.”


    Belinda looked down at her notebook, scrawling a note, before sharing a look with Grant.


    “Did you, or didn’t you?” Grant asked firmly, his pen poised above his notebook. Lila glanced at her Dad, who nodded encouragingly. It seemed that his expression now exuded a sense of calm, rather than the panic she’d sensed on the way here. It had the welcome effect of allowing Lila to feel far more at ease. She could do this – answer their questions, then help Asher fill out a missing person report, then… go back home. Eat some tocino.


    “We went to school together. Forestglade College. She was in my PE and Study class. But we were never friends. I didn’t even really know who she was until this year.”


    “Tell us a little bit more about that. You say that you didn’t ‘really know’ who she was until this year. What changed?” Belinda probed, her tone measured and expectant.


    Lila took a deep breath. “S-She… she bullied me. In Term One, mainly. I… uh… ahem,” Lila’s throat felt dry, as though she’d just inhaled some sand. Talking about this with police officers was going to be so awkward. What could she even say?


    “Take your time,” Grant said quickly, topping up Lila’s water. She gratefully gulped some down.


    “T-Thanks. Uh… well, I… got paired with Asher-”


    “Asher Wagner, correct?” Belinda interjected. Lila nodded.


    “I’ll just need you to confirm verbally for the recording, please,” Grant asked, his tone polite.


    “S-Sorry. Yes, Asher Wagner. We’re in the same PE and Study class, as well as English. We got paired together for an English assignment at the start of the year. End of January or something. And then I heard a whole bunch of rumours about me. Things like… I was trying to get with Asher, or that I was a slut, or whatever. And at first I thought they were just, y’know, usual rumours. But they were pretty persistent. So… I tried to find the source.”


    “Okay. Why?” Belinda queried, tapping her pen gently against her notebook.


    “Why what?” Lila blinked.


    “Well, why did you try to find the source? Rumours are hard to trace. Surely it would’ve been easier to just forget about it,” Belinda explained, shifting her weight in her chair.


    “U-Uh…” Lila swiftly looked at her Dad, who nodded encouragingly again. “W-Well, Asher was… dating someone at the time. And he was really worried that the rumours were not only affecting me, but would end up reaching his, um, now-ex. He… kinda implied that we shouldn’t be friends or hang out together or whatever after the project. B-But then I suggested stopping the rumours at the source… and yeah. I just… we were good friends at that point, I think. I didn’t want to stop being friends over silly, unfounded rumours…”


    Lila felt her face reddening deeply as she trailed off. Of course, knowing what she knew now, she was pretty sure that she’d already developed a crush on Asher by that point. Plus… she’d also been concerned about their investigation into his Mum’s disappearance – and what he’d do if he was left alone again.


    “Alright. So, you tried to find the source. Then what happened?” Belinda questioned.


    “I figured out that it was coming from Piper. A-And then I figured out that she… knew where Asher lived. Then… I think it was the next day, but I opened my locker and she’d somehow stuck a picture of me and Asher inside my locker door with my phone number written on it. It said something like ‘WHORE FOR HIRE’ on it, too.”


    “Sorry to interrupt again,” Grant said, raising a hand in a ‘stop’ motion, “but you said that she stuck the picture there. How do you know that?”


    “Well… she admitted it to me. A-After I saw that photo, it turned out that someone kept putting copies in the boys’ bathrooms. I started getting heaps of calls and messages. And basically enough was enough. I talked to her at her locker. And… she opened it and there was just some shrine to Asher. Photos of him and even a couple that I was in, along with stuff of his. She said she loved him – wanted to marry him and ‘have it made’. She sounded completely unhinged. I was… horrified. I ran off and told Asher about it…” Lila contemplated telling the police that Asher had yelled at Piper… but she didn’t think it was necessary.


    She swallowed hard before adding, “So we went to one of the teachers and I guess they told the Headmaster. He asked her to open her locker and she did and everyone saw what was in there.”


    “Everyone?” Belinda uttered.


    “Um, my PC teacher, Ms Wang, then the Headmaster, Mr Lockwood, our Head of Year, Mr Morrison and then Asher saw it. I was there, too, along with Piper, obviously.”


    “Then what happened?” Grant asked, glancing at Belinda who was still writing.


    “Well, Piper got suspended. For the rest of term. Then we came back for the next term and everything was alright for a bit until the teacher’s decided that they should do another surprise check of Piper’s locker. Even though she was told to stop it, she just… didn’t. She’d made a new shrine, basically. New photos. I was in a couple, I think. Asher… wasn’t happy. He tore down the photos and walked off. A-And I told the Headmaster that… I didn’t wanna be in a school that couldn’t keep its students safe. Then… I got an email saying she was expelled soon after.”


    “Alright. Let me just compile my notes for a second,” Belinda requested, looking down at her notebook. Lila’s heartbeat pounded in her chest, almost thunderingly so, as the silence continued to stretch on. She didn’t want to look at her Dad, in case he’d be angry at the reminder of the photos. Plus… if she did look at him, she might end up crying.


    “Sorry about that,” Belinda smiled again at Lila. But this time, something was off. Her eyes didn’t seem so warm anymore.


    “It’s fine,” Lila replied, looking down at her hands to avoid meeting that cold stare again.


    “After Piper was expelled, was that the last time you saw her?” Belinda asked, her voice commanding an answer. Lila stiffened. It hadn’t been. But… she hadn’t gone to the police about her encounter with Piper on that fateful Thursday. Was she going to be in trouble? Was that why Belinda wasn’t so friendly anymore? Was she going to be arrested?


    “Lila,” her Dad’s voice pulled her from her spiralling thoughts. He gently rubbed her shoulder. “Lila, if you’d like to stop now, we can. You don’t have to answer questions that you don’t want to.”


    Lila was tempted – very tempted – to end the interview there and go hide in her blankets at home. But… the vivid imagery of the condition of Piper’s body, alongside the fact that Piper’s parents, friends and family were likely devastated by her death… she had to help. And if she could help put whoever did that to Piper away… then her sister could feel safe again. Lila’s friends could feel safe again. Lila could feel safe again. Then, her Mum wouldn’t be so worried anymore either…


    “I’m fine, Dad. Really,” Lila finally said, smiling at him. Her voice shook, but he seemed to take her word for it. He didn’t remove his hand as he nodded again, inviting her to speak.


    “It wasn’t the last time I saw her, no,” Lila looked up at Belinda as she spoke. She thought she caught an air of surprise within Belinda’s eyes, but it had disappeared so quickly that she wasn’t certain. Grant leaned forward in his chair, seeming far more captivated by the conversation than he had been for the entire time Lila had been here.


    “Tell me a little more about that,” Belinda nodded, taking a sip of her water.


    Lila sighed, hugging her torso for comfort. “The… last time I saw her was Thursday, on the first week of holidays.”


    “What happened?” Belinda pressed.


    “I was hanging out with Asher that day. Just at the shops-”


    “Sorry to jump in there, but just to clarify the nature of your relationship with Asher. Are you two dating?” Grant asked, looking up from his notebook. Belinda looked affronted by the question, but didn’t rescind it. Lila took a deep breath, taking a quick peek at her Dad. His expression remained neutral, so Lila decided to answer.


    “N-No. We’re not,” she said quietly, her face reddening considerably. “We’re just… good friends. Um. But. W-We do like each other.”


    Grant nodded, scrawling something on his notebook.


    “Sorry about that. Back to you hanging out with Asher at the shops?” Belinda gestured for Lila to continue.


    “Yeah… Uh, as we were leaving, she called out to us. Well, Asher specifically. But… I guess you could understand why he didn’t want a bar of it. He kinda pulled me along towards the carpark and told me we had to go, get out of there basically.”


    “Did you see anyone else that may have stood out – perhaps someone who was watching the entire interaction, or a car that might have been driving a touch too slowly – anything or anyone at all during your encounter with Piper?” Belinda questioned, her tone now urgent. Lila racked her brain, teasing out the memory of her encounter with Piper that Thursday afternoon. There wasn’t anything that stood out. Except…


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    “Actually, Piper looked really bizarre.”


    “What do you mean by ‘bizarre’?” Belinda leaned forward, taking in every word Lila was saying.


    “Like she’d been rolling around in dirt or something. Really messy and frazzled. It didn’t help her look more approachable for a conversation. B-But… as far as anyone else, there was no one that I can think of that stood out.”


    “That’s alright,” Belinda replied soothingly, though her eyebrows were knitted together. It seemed as though Belinda had been hoping that Lila had seen someone – but despite how hard Lila was thinking about it, nothing was coming to mind. Belinda paused, jotting something down in her notebook, before sighing.


    “Back to the interaction with Piper. So you didn’t speak with her at all?” Belinda asked, sharing a look with Grant.


    “No. I… well… knowing what I know now, I really, really wish we had,” Lila’s voice cracked at the end of her statement, tears threatening to overflow. “I think… that’s going to stick with me forever.”


    The room fell into silence for a few moments before Belinda gently offered Lila a tissue. “Would you like a break?”


    “I’ll be okay,” Lila replied with a watery smile, graciously accepting the tissue. She dotted her eyes before taking another deep breath. This one helped to stem the tears entirely, and she looked expectantly at both Belinda and Grant.


    “I have a few photos to show you, Lila,” Belinda said softly, turning her papers around so they were laying face-up now. “We call them exhibits.”


    “O-Okay,” Lila nodded, looking down curiously at the papers.


    Belinda carefully slid an A4 sheet of paper towards Lila and stated, “For the recording, I have just provided Lila with Exhibit 1. Lila, can you please confirm what this is?”


    Lila’s breathing halted in her throat as she drew it even closer to herself. “I-It’s a… photo. It looks like from CCTV. Um, I can see myself standing with Asher at the shops – near the exit.”


    “Okay,” Belinda placed another A4 paper on top of the previous. “I have now provided Lila with Exhibit 2. Lila, can you please confirm what this is?”


    “It… it looks like another still from the CCTV footage. We’re looking behind us. I think I see Piper in the top left corner.”


    “Alright. I have now provided Lila with Exhibit 3. Lila, can you please confirm what this is?”


    “It’s… again another still from CCTV footage. Piper is now hurrying towards us, but it doesn’t seem like we’ve noticed her yet.”


    They continued in this manner for a few more minutes, with the rest of the exhibits displaying the interaction between Lila, Asher and Piper – up to Lila and Asher disappearing towards the road outside the shopping centre, captured by a different camera. Belinda seemed satisfied as she took the photos back, placing them neatly underneath the pile of papers beside her.


    “Thank you for confirming all of that for me, Lila. Does this match your recollection of your interaction with Piper as described to us a few minutes ago?” Belinda queried, picking up her pen again and pressing it to her lips.


    “Yes, I believe so,” Lila replied awkwardly. She hadn’t expected them to have CCTV footage of their escape from Piper that day.


    More silence succeeded Lila’s response, filled only with the sounds of both Belinda and Grant’s pens against their notebooks. Lila wished she could read what they were writing, but the notebooks were angled in such a way that it was difficult for Lila to even see – let alone read upside down.


    “We have a couple more exhibits,” Belinda stated plainly, looking back up at Lila after she’d finished writing her notes. “These aren’t related to the CCTV footage that I just showed you.”


    “Okay,” Lila uttered softly.


    “For the recording, I have now presented Lila with Exhibit 10,” Belinda announced, passing over yet another A4 piece of paper. Lila drew in a breath so sharply that her head spun. It was a picture of a corkboard. One that Lila hadn’t personally seen herself – but one that looked awfully like the corkboard that Marlene had taken a picture of through the window of an unfamiliar house. One that looked almost entirely devoted to Asher, with his Grade 11 school photo pinned front and centre.


    Running her eye across the picture, Lila spotted several photos of herself upon the corkboard – some with Asher, some without. Some of these photos – they were taken right outside Asher’s house, despite Lila’s checking for any lurkers nearby. There was a couple of Lila’s driveway, one of Lila driving off with Clare somewhere, and another of Lila in the garden at home that was clearly taken through the fence. Lila’s Dad sat up stick-straight, peering down at the photo in thinly-veiled disgust.


    Looking at all these pictures, and even the pictures of Asher going about his daily life, playing soccer, and a picture of them eating together at the shops, caused an overwhelming feeling of repulsion to come over Lila.


    She didn’t need to be told that this corkboard had been Piper’s – it was obvious by miles. It was all she could do to keep her stomach from upturning her lunch. Lila’s shaky eyes landed on some Post-It notes dotted here and there about the corkboard – some listed Lila’s address, her phone number, her habits, and where she liked to frequent. There were even details about Elise, Grace and Isaac, and she could faintly see that some of the pictures of Lila had her eyes crossed out. Other pictures of Lila had the word ‘bitch’ or ‘slut’ underneath, written in fancy calligraphy – an absurd incongruity between this flowery, feminine and innocent-looking handwriting and the context with which it was used.


    It wasn’t necessarily unexpected, given Piper’s insistence on keeping shrines to Asher in her locker at Forestglade College, but to be confronted with the level of depth that Piper had gone to… Her body began to shake as she continued to take it all in – the mind of a deranged person like Piper was something she’d never be able to comprehend. This was all too much – there wasn’t a word in the dictionary that would feel apt for this frightening level of alarm, disgust and violation she was feeling all at once.


    “Can you please describe this exhibit for the recording?” Belinda asked politely, snapping Lila from her thoughts. Her stomach heaved in response but she swallowed hard, looking back down at the photo.


    “I-It looks like a corkboard… with pictures of me and pictures of Asher, too,” Lila whispered.


    “This is a wide angled shot of the corkboard,” Belinda explained, pulling out another picture. “I have now presented Exhibit 11 to Lila. Lila, can you please describe this one?”


    Lila closed her eyes for a second in an effort to keep a lid on her nausea. Opening them again, she answered, “This looks to be a close-up picture of one side of the corkboard.”


    “Thanks. Last one, Exhibit 12, has now been provided to Lila. Lila, can you please describe this one?”


    Lila’s heart leapt to her throat, almost entirely preventing speech and even air from passing through. It was a picture of the other side of the corkboard.


    But why…


    Why was the farmhouse here?


    How. Did. Piper. Find. It? Why did she find it? Why did she keep it on her corkboard shrine to Asher? What had Piper known?


    “Lila?” Belinda’s voice alerted Lila to the fact that she was still in an interview with the police.


    “S-Sorry. Um, this one is a close up of the other side of the corkboard.”


    “Thank you. Normally, I wouldn’t want to show you this – however, given the circumstances of Piper’s death, we wanted to check whether there was anything at all that stood out here. Something that may be relevant to the investigation, or something that sparks your memory.”


    Lila shook her head. She was tempted to point out the farmhouse. But… her instincts were screaming at her to keep it in for now, causing goosebumps to rush down her spine. It was jarring – alarming almost to the point of getting up and leaving the interview altogether. Belinda narrowed her eyes at Lila before shaking her head.


    “I understand that seeing this is confronting. I just want to impress upon you again the importance of telling us as much as you can. That will really help this investigation.”


    Lila nodded, avoiding Belinda’s intense gaze for now. Belinda clarified for the recording that Lila had nodded before more silence made its way into the interview. Belinda stayed put as she was for a few moments before running her fingers along the edge of her notebook and speaking again.


    “Alright. If there’s nothing for you to add, then we’ll move on. We have one last major question before we can start wrapping up this interview, Lila. Please describe your whereabouts on the night of Sunday, the 2^nd of July 2023.”


    “So, last Sunday?” Lila clarified, adjusting her posture. She was beginning to feel dizzy. Was that when Piper-


    “Yes,” Grant responded shortly.


    “U-Uh… well… I went to the show at the Mudgeeraba Showgrounds with my family.”


    “What time was that?” Belinda asked, clicking her pen.


    “I think we left… just before 4pm,” Lila replied, glancing at her Dad.


    “I can’t answer for you,” he said, shrugging.


    “R-Right. Um… so, we were there until after the fireworks.”


    “Can you verify this information?” Belinda queried, writing down a sentence or two in her notebook.


    “Yeah. We actually got on the news. I have a link to the video clip somewhere. That was at about, I dunno, 6 to 6.30pm or so. And I recorded the fireworks on my phone, which should be date stamped. Otherwise, I mean, I went with Dad, Mum and my brother Daniel.”


    Belinda nodded at Lila before writing down yet more notes.


    “What time did you get home?” Belinda asked after a few moments of silence.


    “Probably… like, 9.30? 10 at the latest?”


    “Pm?”


    “Yeah.”


    “Okay.”


    “If it isn’t too much trouble to ask, can you please send me your recording of the fireworks and the link to the News video,” Belinda requested politely.


    “No worries,” Lila replied, pulling her phone out already. Belinda spelt out her direct email address to Lila, who promptly sent her the recording and link.


    “One last question,” Grant suddenly piped up, leaning forward across the table. “You can’t drive, can you?”


    Belinda looked at Grant in apparent surprise before gesturing towards Lila to answer.


    “I don’t have my license, no, but I’ve got about, what, 50 hours of practise?” Lila glanced at her Dad, who unhelpfully shrugged. Grant appeared to note that down before looking towards Belinda and nodding.


    “Okay, Lila, that''s about all the questions we have for today. Thank you for your assistance. Now, did you have any questions for us?”


    Lila pondered this for a moment. Aside from whether or not they thought it was safe to go wandering around outside again, or if they knew who killed Piper, she didn’t have any. At least, not any that she wanted to ask with her Dad sitting right next to her.


    ‘Besides, do homicide detectives look for missing people?’ Lila thought, pursing her lips.


    “I do have a couple. Um, is it s-safe? To go outside again?” Lila couldn’t bring herself to look at Belinda or Grant, instead focusing her eyes on her fingers, which she gently pressed together on her lap.


    “That’s a tough question,” Belinda replied, her tone dropping its previous businesslike edge. “We would hope that it is, but protecting yourself is never a bad thing. If you don’t think it’s safe to go outside, trust your instincts. Of course, if you’re involved in an emergency, there’s always Triple Zero, or you can call the non-emergency line regarding suspicious people and the like. I’ll also give you my card, just in case. And if you remember anything at all that you want to tell me, feel free to give me a ring.”


    Though not the answer Lila was hoping for, it at least provided some reassurance that Belinda understood her fears.


    “My… other question. Um, you probably can’t answer it, but I want to ask anyway. Do you have any ideas about who did this? Or even why? It’s terrifying.”


    Belinda gave Lila a gentle smile that somehow seemed to say ‘no’.


    “Unfortunately, as you thought, I can’t give out that information at this stage.”


    “I understand,” Lila replied morosely.


    “Your information has been a great help, though,” Belinda asserted reassuringly. “I’m sure we’re one step closer to answers.”


    “I… hope so,” Lila mumbled.


    “Did you have any questions, Rob?” Belinda asked, looking over at Lila’s Dad.


    “None at this time,” he smiled. “At least, not for this.”


    “With that, we can turn the recording off. The time is 3.45pm, Sunday 9^th of July 2023,” Belinda announced before pressing ‘stop’ on her voice recorder. Grant did the same.


    “You’re free to go now,” Belinda said warmly. “You did great, Lila. Here’s my card, if there’s anything else at all that you’d like to add or talk about in relation to this matter.”


    Lila grasped the card Belinda offered with both hands before clumsily standing up. Belinda crossed the room and opened the door for Lila and Lila’s Dad. She reminded them where to go to leave the police station and they thanked her before exiting the room. Lila felt strangely awkward, now that the door behind them had closed. Her Dad glanced at her before giving her an apologetic look.


    “Lila, since I’m already at the station, I may as well grab some information and details for cases I’ve got going at the moment. I shouldn’t be more than half an hour or so – will you be alright?”


    Actually, this was perfect – though Lila didn’t want to seem too pleased by the fact that her Dad was going to be leaving her. He’d probably be suspicious if she didn’t at least seem a little annoyed.


    “Fine,” Lila drawled. “I’ll see if Asher and Gabriel are floating around.”


    “Brilliant. Thanks, kiddo. Sorry for this, but it’ll save me a bit of time on Monday,” her Dad said hurriedly, already walking off towards the open plan office arrangement.


    Lila whipped her head around, trying to see if Asher and Gabriel were nearby. Were they still in their interview?


    Just as Lila was about to send Asher a message to check where he was, the door to the interview room that she had been in opened again. Belinda and Grant emerged, bundles of paper under their arms.


    “Oh, hello again,” Belinda said genially. “Are you lost?”


    “Oh, I’m waiting for my Dad. And Asher, I guess. You wouldn’t happen to know how much longer his interview would be, or if he’s done yet?”


    Belinda shook her head. “Sorry, we can only really give estimations. It shouldn’t be too much longer, if he hasn’t been released already though.”


    “Okay. Thanks.”


    Belinda inclined her head towards Lila before she and Grant headed towards the open plan office. They talked in close whispers, but, for once in her life, Lila wasn’t too interested in finding out what they were saying. Now that her interview was over, and she was certain that she wasn’t about to be arrested, all she could think about was where Asher was. Was his interview going okay?


    Lila began to pace, as though emulating Asher’s typical behaviour would summon him. What felt like hours ticked by. Had he already left?


    Lila pulled out her phone, checking the time. Her head was beginning to pound, so she stopped her pacing. It had only been about five minutes since her own interview ended. Perhaps she should give it five more… then she’d send a text.


    With a sigh, Lila leaned against the sliver of wall between both interview rooms. She couldn’t hear anything at all, besides the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. It was rather surreal, actually – could it be due to sound proofing in the area? Not that she could see any…


    Click.


    Lila’s eyes fluttered to the door of the interview room Asher had been placed in. It sounded as though someone was about to leave. But there was no movement.


    Then, Lila heard something through the door. Was it… muffled yelling? It sounded like it was getting closer to the door but even with her ear pressed against it, she couldn’t make out anything distinct.


    A prickle of foreboding trailed its way down her neck as she strained her ears even more. Nothing again.


    Then, suddenly, further yelling – this time accompanied by a much more abrupt and loud click – almost too fast for Lila to register.