“Are you discharging Lee?”
“Possibly.” The doctor picked up Lee’s chart, glancing through it. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” Lee admitted. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Good.” He turned to Doug. “I’ll get the nurses to organise his discharge papers. If he’s being remanded in custody, there are some things you’ll need to know.”
Doug nodded. “I’ll sort it out.”
Lee watched the detective. He was nicer than Rodney and didn’t have the attitude. Lee wasn’t certain he believed Rodney’s statement that he’d gone back to ‘old’ Rodney as part of his cover, but at least Doug seemed to be on Nhiari’s side.
“I’ll need to take your passport,” Doug said.
Why? Wasn’t he going straight to Carnarvon gaol? “It’s in my backpack out at the Ridge.”
“I’ve asked Darcy Stokes to bring your things into town,” Doug continued. “We’ll need you to sign your statement and be available for more questions as needed.”
Lee frowned. “Am I not under arrest?”
“Nhiari contacted me several days ago to ask about clemency for you. With the information Rodney’s been feeding us and your willingness to cooperate with the police, it has been decided your sentence will be suspended indefinitely. You helped us stop Stonefish.”
Lee stared at him, not comprehending it. “I’m free to go?”
“To a certain extent. Consider it a type of parole. We’ll need your passport, and for you to check in regularly until we can clean up the rest of Stonefish’s operation.” Doug smiled. “We’re bound to have more questions as we go through the files Andrew extracted for us.”
Lee closed his eyes as the disbelief made him dizzy. This was more than he had ever hoped for.
“Your mother’s and your uncle’s bodies are at the hospital,” Doug continued. “They will be released to family in a few days if you would like to arrange what you would like done with them.”
“I’ll give you my aunt’s details. She can decide.” He didn’t care, but his aunt would want Lucas’s body back in Singapore. She’d lost her whole family in only a few months.
“Karen will take you back to the police station to finalise things when you get your discharge papers.”
Lee nodded. His heart pounded with the anticipation which came just before the first dip of a rollercoaster.
He wasn’t going to gaol.
His life stretched out in front of him, myriad paths for him to choose.
There was only one path he wanted to follow.
A couple of hours later, he stood with Dot at the police station entrance.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked.
There were so many people he needed to contact, but only one he wanted to speak with. “Find Nhiari.”
Dot smiled. “She’s at home. Good luck.”
“Thank you.” He walked over to his car where Darcy, Ed, and Matt waited. They’d driven his car with his things into town. He didn’t blame them for hanging around to find out what had happened. There was a lot Lee had to make up for, but right now, he wanted to see the woman he loved.
“They let you go,” Darcy said.
“I’m on parole,” he answered, sizing up the man. “There’s nothing I can do to make up for what Stonefish did to you and your family,” he began. “For what I did to your family. I would have stopped Clark if I’d known what he had planned. Your parents were kind people.”
“You killed Clark and prevented the deaths of more of my family.” Darcy looked him right in the eyes. “For that, I thank you.”
“You killed Tan and saved Tess,” Ed said, holding out his hand. “You have my eternal gratitude.”
