One By One: Erika Lawson, #3

CHAPTER ONE

Schoolies Week

Jess tossed her hair back, with a bright laugh. She danced to the pounding music that filled her small hotel room with joyous noise. Outside, past the iron railed balcony she could see the streets of Surfers Paradise, glittering with nightlife, teeming with teenagers, volunteers, and police. Even the white sandy beach was packed with revellers, stumbling arbitrarily through the dunes or splashing each other in the shallows. This was Schoolies. After twelve long years of school, they were free. Now it was time to party. She and her friends had been planning it all year, and she was finally here. They had one week, and they meant to make it count. She turned to face the two other teens in the room. Her boyfriend, and her best friend. Her face fell, and she stopped dancing. Tina had draped herself across Axel. Jess knew that later, when she confronted her about it, Tina would say she’d been drunk. But Jess knew she’d only had one or two drinks. She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but she wasn’t fast enough.

‘Come on Tina,’ Axel coaxed as he extricated himself from Jess’s amorous friend. ‘I’ve got a girlfriend remember.’

‘You’re drunk Tina,’ Jess said, a hard edge of jealousy creeping into her voice. Something about Axel always made her jealous. Maybe it was the way other girls looked at him. Maybe it was the way he encouraged that.

‘So?’ Tina retorted. ‘We’re on Schoolies Jess! Why don’t you have some fun, instead of spoiling mine?’

Jess glared at her best friend. You bitch. She didn’t say it out loud. She didn’t want to start something. Not tonight. Not there and then when they were supposed to be having fun. Axel sauntered over to Jess, ignoring Tina.

‘Come on babe. It’s Schoolies. Lighten up.’

Jess shook her head and looked away, her arms still crossed over her chest.

‘You need to relax. Here, try this. It’ll loosen you up.’ He caressed Jess’s hip casually and offered her a small white pill.

She eyed it warily then closed his hand around it. ‘Come on Axel, I already told you I’m not into that.’ She reminded him, her voice taking on a pleading edge. They’d had this conversation so many times already. She just wanted it to stop.

Axel rolled his eyes, as though he were the one who was tired of this dance. ‘Lighten up Jess. Seriously, when did you get so boring?’ he winked at Tina, who simpered sickeningly with lips smeared in tasteless, garish lipstick.

Jess felt her cheeks redden as she stared down at the cheap strappy heels that cut savagely into her contorted feet. Axel’s hand stroked her long chestnut hair soothingly. ‘It’ll be fun. Trust me. It’s just like, this incredible rush. Everything feels amazing. Trust me, you’ll never want to stop feeling the way this’ll make you feel’ he coaxed, opening up thick fingers to reveal the pill still resting in the palm of his hand.

‘Alright,’ she said almost too quietly for Axel to hear her over the music blaring out from the stereo. ‘Um, I need some water or something.’ She said. ‘I’ll go take it in the bathroom.’ I’ll go and flush it down the toilet and pretend I took it. She thought to herself. ‘Here, just knock it back with this.’ Axel said passing her the beer he’d been drinking. ‘It’s not Panadol babe.’

Jess took the pill between two trembling fingers, the light glinting off her bright red fingernails as she regarded it. Was she really doing this?

‘Come on…’ Axel groaned. ‘It’s not a big deal,’ Jess jammed it in her mouth before she could chicken out and quickly swigged the beer, gagging on the yeasty taste that she despised. ‘Ugh, that beer is awful,’ She said, wiping her mouth with the back of one delicate hand. Axel laughed.

‘Come on, let’s find you one of your chick drinks,’ he said, referring to the sweet and colourful vodka mixes that she favoured. Jess put it out of her mind as he rummaged around in room’s bar fridge and cracked the seal on a cruiser, handing it to her with a wink. At least she had his attention back. Besides, Axel had taken e loads of times. It must be fine.

‘Come on,’ Tina groaned. ‘The party at Dave’s started like two hours ago.’

‘Relax Teen,’ Axel drawled. ‘I’m sure they’ll still be going it’s only like nine thirty. It’ll take like ten minutes to get there. Come on,’ he ushered Jess towards the door, Tina following close behind. The three fought their way through the crowd for the few streets to their friend's hotel. Jess clung to Axel’s hand to avoid losing him in the crowd. She gritted her teeth against the fact that Tina was doing the same. It was a relief when they got to the uncluttered white lobby of the hotel, avoiding the acidic stares or the desk clerks who were no doubt wondering if they were guests or not. The hotel was too large for them to know that they weren’t staying there, so the three passed unchallenged. ‘That pill isn’t doing anything,’ Jess said, breaking the silent anticipation in the elevator. She felt her lungs loosen at the realisation and her heart slow back to normal.

Axel snorted. ‘Duh, it’s been like fifteen minutes.’

Tina made a mocking face, filled with superiority. Jess wanted to wipe that smirk off her face with a good solid slap, but instead, she pretended not to notice. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. When the elevator doors opened, they could hear the music streaming from a room at the end of the hall.

‘Heeey, guys, come on in,’ Dave greeted from the doorway sweeping them inside with a grand gesture. He gave Jess a lingering smile which she returned gleefully. Two can play at this game, she thought to herself ignoring Axel’s black glare. She swanned passed him and into the party, suddenly light hearted again. Jess glanced back over her shoulder, looking for his reaction. He was leaning against the wall and watching her. Tina lounged beside him, but he ignored her. His cocky grin was gone. His lips turned down in a brooding frown, his eyes following her every move. Jess turned away hiding a satisfied smirk from her boyfriend. Let him sulk. He deserves it. She rocked with the music, sweat forming a damp sheen over her skin. She stumbled as the room lurched. She wasn’t that drunk. At least, she didn’t think so. She’d only had two or three. She steadied herself, but her head spun. A dizzying rush surged through her, and she gasped, stumbling again. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Was that the pill kicking in? Jess sucked in hot sticky air. Her lungs were tightening, and her breath whistled as she struggled to drag it in. Was it supposed to feel like this? Suddenly all the noise, colour and heat in the airless flat was too much. Jess made a break for the small balcony. Axel glowered after her but didn’t follow. She wished she hadn’t pissed him off. She wanted someone with her now. Her heart rate climbed. She wanted help. She wanted someone to hold her hand and give her a glass of water, and tell her it was nothing. That it would pass. She burst onto the tiny balcony. The night air was no better than inside the flat. Warm and humid it didn’t do anything to ease the stickiness that clung to every inch of her body, inside and out. Maybe cold water was what she needed. She leaned heavily against the stainless steel railing, her long bare legs sticking to the glass. The glittering street yawned below. She could feel the last reserves of energy slipping from her limbs. The world took on a dizzying tilt. A terrified scream rent the air. Jess closed her eyes, enjoying the sudden breeze that whipped passed her face until she came to an abrupt stop with a sickening crack. Screams and shouts filled the air around her and unfamiliar faces crowded in. Jess realised that she was lying on the concrete. When had that happened? Her body moved without her input, and she looked upwards into the unfocused face of a stranger. She wanted to ask why he looked so afraid, but her lips wouldn’t move. His hands clutched her narrow shoulders with urgency. He was speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words. A hand blurred in front of her face, and the colours in her world began to fade. Her heart raced, spiked into a fearful frenzy as her eyes began to close. As her eyelids met with crushing finality, Jess knew it would be for the last time.

***

Erika leaned back against the couch, propping bare feet on the coffee table and stretching out muscular legs. A humid breeze wafted through the open balcony doors carrying the sounds of drunken revellers. She pressed the phone to her ear harder and plugged her other ear with a finger. She could hardly hear what her sister was saying.

‘Sorry Ash, what was that?’

‘Is it noisy on your end?’

‘Yeah, Schoolies kids. Underage, every last one, I’d bet.’ She complained into the phone.

Her younger half sister laughed on the other end of the line. ‘You really hate this time of year, don’t you?’

‘Don’t you?’ Erika asked. This time of year, the high school seniors had just graduated. Released from school for the final time and high on new found freedom, teenage revellers flooded the beach city Erika called home. To her, Schoolies was two weeks of underage havoc ineffectually reigned in by police efforts and a small army of devoted volunteers.

‘At least I’m not at Surfers. They get the worst of it.’

The epicentre of this annual chaos was further north at Surfers Paradise. Still, there were always some teens that wanted to avoid the high prices and overcrowding and made their way further south. Erika struggled with herself irritably, torn between shutting the sliding door to close out the noise and not wanting to relinquish the meagre breeze.

‘Lighten up Erika. You and I used to get into mischief too.

‘You got us into mischief, you mean.’

‘Come on Erika, we had fun didn’t we?’

‘Well, yeah.’ Erika had to admit they always had. She felt a warm rush of love for her sister. She didn’t find it easy to say so, but Ash really was her best friend.

She laid her head back and tried to ignore the noise outside, just enjoying her chat with Ash. Jeffry lay out on the balcony, his stomach sprawled against the tiles in an attempt to keep cool, his grey tabby tail twitching back and forth. Erika’s mobile phone blared beside her bare feet.

‘Uggh I have to go, sorry Ash. Work’s ringing. Talk to you soon.’ She hung up and scrambled to answer her mobile before it rang out. ‘Lawson.’ She closed her eyes, braced for grim news. After hours calls were never anything good. When the call was finished she dropped her phone down on the table and rubbed her hand over her face. A teenage girl had fallen to her death from a balcony. Erika reluctantly dragged on jeans over sweaty skin and threw on a shirt. It was about fifteen minutes to Surfers. Erika crawled her car through the streets, made crowded by herds of unsteady teenagers, clinging to each other as they dashed across the path of her black Mazda. They giggled in Erika’s headlights as she slammed on the brakes. ‘Idiots.’ She muttered.

The hotel was a glittering tower two streets back from the sandy beach. On the street in front of it stood a white tent, surrounded by a police cordon. A gaggle of onlookers crowded around, equal parts curious and horrified. Erika ducked inside the tent. Even after fifteen years on the force, the sight in front of her turned her stomach. A cop fought her way around the edges of the crowd. Squeezing her slight frame between oblivious teens. She was barely older than they were. Finally, she reached Erika.

‘Hi, Kate. What’ve you got?’

‘Hey Erika. Witnesses say the girl fell from one of the balconies. We don’t know who she is yet.’ Kate said, gesturing vaguely at the building behind her, unwilling to turn and see the girl lying on the pavement. Erika couldn’t help noticing that Kate looked a shade paler than usual.

‘Which balcony?’ Erika looked up at the glittering high rise beside them. There were hundreds of balconies jutting from its facade. Most now bristled with onlookers staring at the grisly scene below.

Kate shook her head. ‘Sorry. We’re still trying to find out.’

‘Any ID?’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ Kate shook her head. ‘She didn’t have anything with her at all.’

Erika glanced back up at the hotel. ‘Her bag’s probably in one of those hotel rooms. There must be eight hundred of them.’

‘Eight hundred and ninety two,’ Kate said. ‘The clerks are checking rooms that had young female guests registered, but…’

‘But we don’t know if she was a registered guest or not.’ Erika finished.

‘Right.’

‘We need to get canvassing.’

‘There are some officers already going room to room in the building.’

‘Great, thanks, Kate.’

Erika swept back out of the tent and into the crowd, fighting through it to get to the hotel entrance. Something caught the corner of her eye, and she stopped. There was a girl curled up against the wall, hugging thin and pasty knees to her chest. A mop of badly dyed black hair tumbled over her eyes. Her chin trembled, and the thick plum lipstick she’d been wearing was smeared. Erika couldn’t see her eyes, but she could see the streaks of tears down the girl’s cheeks. The other onlookers were feeding a morbid curiosity and shock. But this girl was desolate. It may not have anything to do with this, but Erika couldn’t just ignore her.

‘Hey.’ Erika crouched beside the girl who looked back at her through a fringe of too black hair. ‘Are you alright?’ Erika’s voice was soft and gentle.

Widely dilated pupils struggled to focus on Erika. Red vessels crazed across the whites of her eyes around pale green irises. The girl nodded then shook her head. She shook her head so violently that Erika thought she would hurt herself. She put her hand out and grasped the girl’s shoulder gently. ‘What’s your name?’ Erika asked.

‘Tina.’ The voice was barely a mumble, thick with tears.

‘What happened Tina?’

‘My friend. My best friend. She-’ Tina’s face crumpled suddenly.

‘The girl who fell. Is she your friend?’

Wordless nodding was the only answer Tina could manage.

‘Is there someone I can call for you, Tina? Your parents maybe?’

Again the violent head shakes. Looking at the girl’s wide pupils, Erika had an idea why. She could smell the vodka on the girl’s breath, but she was hiding something more serious as well. Could it have anything to do with the girl who fell? Erika wasn’t sure.

‘What’s your friend’s name, Tina?’

‘Jess.’

‘Jess who?’

‘Jessica Burnette.’

Good. At least that was something to start with. ‘What room were you in when Jess fell?’

‘Dave’s room.

‘What room is that?’

‘Number 908.’

‘Thank you, Tina.’ Erika took Tina’s details. She’d arrange for someone to take her home. She couldn’t stay here like this.

Erika made her way into the hotel. Ten stories up, she wandered down the hall looking for the room Tina had mentioned. She passed three teens lounging in a doorway sipping vodka cruisers. When they saw Erika, they rushed to hide the drinks behind their backs, or behind the door. Their attempts were so childish that Erika almost laughed. But she just ignored them as they watched her pass with wide eyes. She wondered if they knew what had happened just outside, and the laughter died in her throat.

When she found the right room, Erika rapped on the door, looking out of the narrow hallway window with a chill that was foreign to the sticky summer air. It had been a long way down. Erika looked back to the doorway as she heard it swing open. A skinny teenage boy stood there, his expression a mirror image of the pain on Tina’s face. She had found the right room. He pushed already tousled brown hair back from his pale face as he turned and wandered inside, leaving Erika to follow.

‘She was spiked.’ The boy’s eyes never left the floor as he spoke, answering a question Erika hadn’t asked yet.

‘Dave, is it?’

He nodded.

‘What makes you think she was spiked?’ she asked.

He shrugged and studied the glossy white tiles underfoot.

‘Did she fall from this room?’

He nodded again. ‘From the balcony.’ His hollow eyes swept out to the narrow strip of tiles ringed with a glass balustrade, offering a tempting glimpse of the black ocean beyond.

‘Thank you, Dave. I’m going to have a look, ok?’

Dave nodded, not looking at her.

Erika walked out to the balcony and gingerly leaned towards the edge. She could see the white tent below. Jess could definitely have fallen from here. An accident, Erika thought. She looked around the crowded hotel suite. None of these kids are eighteen, she thought. Their parents will have to sit in before I can question any of them on the record. The devastation in the room was palpable, and she felt like a brash and violent intruder amongst the deep sense of shock and grief. Erika stepped into the hall to make a call. She had found Jess’s room. Now, parents would have to be called. Statements would have to be taken. It was going to be a long night.

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