Rising dust, p.25
Rising Dust, page 25
‘Ah well, don’t concern yourselves, lads. We’ll just pull your phone records.’
Rory was fidgeting alongside Harry and he made to swing around and leave in disgust. ‘You’re both going to lose your badges when I get back home and can get to my lawyers. You’ve got nothing.’
Dave opened his mouth to spew out something about entitled, privileged private school boys, but didn’t. Instead, he said, ‘I’m wondering, you five were obviously all mates together. You four and Brody. Anyone else in your group?’
The four looked straight ahead, not saying anything, but Dave picked up a flicker on Nick’s face.
CHAPTER 28
Dave locked the guns and vehicle keys in the gun cabinet hidden in the rear of the troopy and pocketed the key.
‘Not sure where I sit with Brody’s involvement in this,’ Dave said to Bob as he holstered his gun. ‘What do you think?’
‘We certainly need to ask him some questions, and we know he lied about knowing Rory, so that’s put a dent in his credibility.’ Bob paused and ran his hand through his hair, thinking. ‘I’m still of the opinion he’s not involved. His reactions have been too real to be staged. Anyway, we need him to help out here. There’re two of us and four of them. He also knows the station like the back of his hand, so we need him.’
‘I think you’re right,’ Dave said. ‘He’s certainly genuine in the conversations I’ve had with him. And if there is a problem, we’ve got him close so we can control what he does.’
‘Yeah. In light of that, can you get Brody to take all the keys out of the station vehicles, too, please,’ Bob asked. ‘Lock them away as well. I’m going to have a chat with Jane and see what I can learn about these blokes. Surely she should have some idea about her son’s school friends.’
‘No worries, I’ll go and find him.’ Dave stopped and looked at Bob. ‘Did you hear the bikie reference from Harry?’ he asked quietly.
Bob nodded. ‘The filth. He’s in among them for sure. Interesting what you can learn from people’s language.’ He stretched. ‘Right, you’d better check the coolroom, make sure it’s locked up as tight as it can be. Perhaps you’d better check with Brody, too, and see if he’s got boltcutters or large pliers, or angle grinders that need to be put out of sight. Anything that could be used to force the padlock or chain.’ He looked up at the night sky, tapping his foot on the ground. ‘I wish the bloody drug squad was here. I feel like I’m flying blind without all the information on these fellas.’ He scratched his cheek tiredly. ‘Good bluff with Robbie Buckman’s name. I know it, too, but I can’t think who it is.’
‘Whoever it is, Sam didn’t want to give us his name so there must be something in it.’ He leaned against the side of the ute and tapped his fingers on the bonnet, something he always seemed to do when he was thinking. ‘I agree with your earlier comments,’ Dave finally said. ‘I don’t think these fellas are dangerous. They’re not seasoned or smart enough.’
‘Well, I’m not so sure now. They may not have the smarts they need, but when someone is backed into a corner, you can never predict how they’re going to react. These guys might come out swinging if they’ve got a lot to lose. Rory has a temper and Harry … well, he’s too quiet for my liking. Probably got a few more street smarts than the others.’ He started to head off towards the house. ‘You good, son?’
‘Yep. I’ll go and find Brody. He might be over at the camp kitchen and communal fire by now.’
‘Keep your guard up.’
Dave nodded as he headed off. He recognised his feelings now; they were the same ones he’d felt when Spencer died last year. A copper in the middle of nowhere with hardly any comms and no back-up but plenty of the general public around. Just as they were here.
Bob watched Dave leave and tried to push down the concern he was feeling. The drug squad would certainly be more than useful here.
He felt like he was in a Slim Dusty song, ‘Only the Two of Us Here’.
Light spilled across the verandah from the kitchen and Bob followed the path across to where he knew Jane would be at the table, reading a book or looking at the accounts ledger. Every time he’d been in to see her, she’d greeted him warmly and he liked the way she made him feel when he sat with her talking. Like he was important and what he had to say was interesting and meaningful.
It had been a while since he’d really looked at a woman, he’d been burned too many times before. Women saying they’d stay forever, then realising what his job was and shooting through. See, he understood Dave’s situation more than Dave would realise.
Jane was different. A salt of the earth type woman, who had awakened something in him. Her warmth and genuineness, her ability not to feel sorry for herself with everything that had happened. She loved life and still had so much love to give and that had been an eye-opener to Bob. There was no way he could see a future with her, but he’d decided to enjoy her company while he was here and not let any of his feelings get out.
Never again, he’d sworn, after his last girlfriend had left. Nora had hurt him more than the others, because she’d taken his dog, too. Every night, when he sat down with a whiskey, he’d think about her. Only for a second, but she had left her mark and he couldn’t risk putting himself through the ups and downs of a copper’s relationship again.
Tapping on the door, he called out to her. ‘You here, Jane?’
He heard the squeak of the rubber wheels on the floor as she moved her chair. ‘Yep, sure am. Come on in.’ She appeared at the doorway. ‘Everything okay?’
Bob laughed. ‘For once I’m not coming to tell you we’ve found another body or more drugs.’
‘Well, I’ve got to be happy with that, don’t I? I was beginning to think we were getting a reputation.’ She gave a laugh and pushed her hair back from her face. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure? Did you want a drink?’
Bob’s hands itched to hold a whiskey. It had been two days since he’d had one, but he didn’t think he could risk dulling his senses right now. ‘A cup of tea would be nice,’ he said. ‘I can put the kettle on.’
‘So can I,’ Jane said with a smile.
Bob held up his hands and nodded. ‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t be. Everyone offers to do things, but I have to be able to live here by myself and handle all the little things. You never know when Brody is going to be caught out mustering or so forth. I need to be self-sufficient.’ She wheeled herself around to the stove and put the kettle on. ‘After the accident, Brody and Mick changed so many things for me. Well, all the neighbours came and helped, but mostly Mick. Right down to the clothesline so I can hang the clothes out. All their hard work has certainly made life a lot easier than it could have been.’ She got out the cups, and the milk from the fridge, expertly wheeling her chair around. ‘Have you had something to eat?’
‘I’m fine, thanks.’ Bob leaned back in his chair and watched Jane. Her permanent smile and long hair framed what he realised now was a very thin face. ‘Do you get much pain still?’
‘I’m one of the lucky ones. When you read about what can happen to paraplegics, I have very few symptoms. Well, I guess I should add “yet” to that statement. I haven’t been in a chair that long.
‘But I do get neuropathic pain, which is because the spinal cord has been injured. My legs often feel like I’ve got pins and needles or a burning sensation. Nothing that a few drugs don’t help.’
She said the words with the pragmatic tone of someone who had accepted her lot in life and was content where she was. There was nothing bitter about her and it made Bob wonder if he could ever be like that about the car accident that had scarred him. Could he accept the part he’d played in two people’s death, knowing he didn’t actually cause them? Thoughts like this gave him pause.
‘Your outlook on life is amazing,’ Bob said as he took the cup she offered. ‘I don’t think I could be quite as happy. More like bitter and twisted, I think!’
Jane grinned. ‘What’s there not to be happy about? I’m living in the best place in the world, I’ve got my family, everything is great.’ She set her cup down on the table and looked at him. ‘No point in being bitter and twisted. You have to roll with what life throws at you. I’m glad I’m alive. The other option is much worse. What about you?’
‘Ah, not much to tell about me,’ he said, fiddling with the cup. ‘Been a copper for so long, I’ve forgotten there’s anything else out there. But I love it. Get to be on the road a lot and see places like you’ve got here. I don’t think I could do anything else. I don’t want to do anything else.’ He glanced over at the photo of Brody, Belle and Jane. ‘You must enjoy having Brody here. Do you miss Belle?’
‘Oh, she comes out often enough. And to be perfectly frank, she’s always getting on my case about exercising and making sure I’m taking my meds. Belle has always had grand ideas. She was desperate to put a pool in so I could get out of the chair and do more exercises.’
‘You didn’t?’
She smiled. ‘I did actually. I have a small pool undercover, so the visitors don’t know it’s here. Otherwise, I’d be inundated with people wanting to use it, even when there’s a beach on their doorstep. Brody rigged up a swing for me to get in and out, and I use it most days, although Belle doesn’t need to know that. Her being a nurse has been a blessing and curse all in one. I like stringing her along sometimes. She does take herself very seriously at times.’
Bob laughed. ‘I can only imagine. And Brody, what does he manage to do in his spare time—does he get any?’
Jane raised her eyebrows. ‘Now come on, Bob. I’m sure you’ve been around farms and stations enough to know there’s always something going on.’
‘Of course, you’re right.’
‘It’s good having Kelsey and Hannah here, they take a bit of the pressure off him, but not all of it. And they can’t do the musters. They haven’t had any experience with stock.’
‘Big job for him. Do you ever get anyone in to help?’
‘Just the contractors. Shearers, and so on. Actually, I managed to get the shearers for next week, which I think will work well because the river should be down by then and I reckon that’s enough time for the sheep to dry out. I guess you know they can’t be shorn when the wool’s wet? Can’t bale the wool.’
‘Yeah, and that doesn’t do the shearers much good either.’
‘I love shearing time. Before I had my accident, I used to work in the shed as the roust-about. The smell of the wool and seeing it come off the sheep and going into the wool packs …’ She traced an outline on the table and looked down, hair falling in front of her face.
‘I used to work in a shearing team,’ Bob offered. ‘Back when Adam was a boy. Don’t think I liked it quite as much as you did, by the sounds of it, but the job was a means to buying beer at the end of the week.’
Laughing again, Jane leaned forward, interested. ‘What job did you do on the team?’
‘Penner-upper. Is that even a word?’ he wondered.
‘’Tis in the shearing industry.’
‘What does Brody do during shearing? Follow in his mum’s footsteps and work in the shed and yards?’
‘He’s got to do all the legwork, unfortunately. Mustering and everything outside. He’ll have a busy few weeks coming up. Kelsey and Hannah will have to grow another leg and take on some of his jobs while he’s tied up with shearing.’
‘We’ll be able to help with the mustering, you know. That’s why Dave and I were here in the first place: to do a muster of your place and others and see where everyone was at for numbers. We still need to look into the sheep stealing report.’
‘Really? That would certainly make things easier for Brody.’ She gave a sigh.
Through the darkness, Bob heard the generator thumping quietly away like an old friend. The grumble of the engine drowned out any other noise.
‘And Brody is happy here?’ Bob asked.
A smile split her face. ‘Of course. Running Corbett Station—that’s what we called the place before the station stay began—was all he ever wanted to do.’
‘But he loved boarding school?’
‘Oh yeah, he really did. Had such a lovely group of friends. Never seemed to be home when I rang. Especially on weekends. He was always off at the movies or playing sport. Was a real champion at footy.’ She stopped and swallowed. ‘The carefree days before all the responsibility he had to take on.’
‘Who were his mates?’
Jane’s brow crinkled. ‘Gosh, I’m not sure I could remember all their names. He doesn’t keep in contact with too many now, I don’t think.’ She stopped. ‘I gave Dave the yearbook actually, but I might have another photo. Hang on a second.’ She wheeled herself out of the kitchen and down the hallway, talking as she did. ‘It’s hard for him to keep in contact with anyone; our phone lines are so dodgy. I do feel for him. I’m sure he’s lonely and would love to meet someone. I’ve often thought about introducing him to some of my friends’ girls, but they’re all down south and probably wouldn’t fit in up here. Got to be of a certain constitution to make it in this country. All I can do is hope he’ll meet someone from around here, or even further north.’
There was a silence as Bob heard her rustle through papers and books. ‘Ah, here it is. This was taken on the last day of school. The boys went to different schools but they all got together right at the end. Actually, I reckon they headed off to the pub after this was taken. Underage of course, but that never seemed to worry anyone! Here.’ Jane held out the photo to Bob and he took it, slipping his glasses on.
The boys were on the bow of a yacht, all wearing reflector sunglasses and wide smiles. Their arms were around each other. Brody was in the middle, wearing a T-shirt that said, Like a boss. Bob recognised Rory; he was wearing one that said: I’m already the best, so why try harder?
Bob nodded his head slightly. That was the impression Rory gave, for sure.
Flipping the photo over he was rewarded with the handwritten names of all the boys.
Rory O’Brien, Nick Austen, Brody Corbett, Sam Watson, Harry Wilson, Shane Fletcher.
Shane Fletcher. Now that wasn’t a name he’d heard.
‘Who’s this bloke?’ he asked Jane, tapping on the boy at the end. He had fair hair and freckles and wasn’t as tall as the others.
‘Oh, that’s Shane. He came here a couple of times and spent some time with us during the school holidays. Nice kid. Pretty quiet. I’ve got no idea where he is these days.’
‘And any of the others?’
‘I remember Rory quite well. He used to come out to dinner when we went down to the city and took Brody out. His parents were in Queensland and he didn’t get home very much. Always felt a bit sorry for him.’ Jane took a breath. ‘Funny he should come up now,’ she said reflectively. ‘I actually thought I saw him in the camp yesterday, but Brody said it wasn’t him. They change so much as they get older, don’t they? I’d probably not recognise any of them now.’
‘Yeah, I wouldn’t know any of the kids my daughter went to school with now.’ He didn’t add he probably never knew them in the first place because he was always off solving some type of crime.
Bob examined the photo again, wondering about Shane. Was there any chance, he wondered, that this was the bloke Dave saw talking on the phone at the shed the other night?
‘Can I take this with me?’ Bob asked, holding up the photo.
Jane threw him a curious look. He recognised it now. It meant she wanted to ask why, but she was too well mannered and respectful of the work they did.
‘If you need it.’
CHAPTER 29
Dave could hear the bleating of sheep. He checked his pack for the day: lunch, binoculars, water, notebook. He had his gun with him, but only as a precaution. Bob and he thought they’d scared the four men enough to stay out of trouble for a while. They were still concerned about Shane. If he was out on the station somewhere, he could cause them some problems when they were least expecting it. They’d both have to stay on high alert.
The other blokes hadn’t come out of their units that Dave had seen, and he’d made sure that Brody had been busy getting ready for the muster, so he wouldn’t have any time to see them.
In further conversation with Bob last night, they had decided against talking to Brody yet. Do a muster, let the drug squad get here and then talk to them all. That was their plan. The motorbike he’d unloaded from his trailer was parked near the fuel bowser and it took a few minutes to check the oil and refuel the bike. Even though it was warm, Dave knew that once they got out into the bush, it might be cold, so he’d borrowed another jacket from Bob.
‘Ready?’
Dave turned at Brody’s voice. He was dressed in a heavy jacket, waterproof pants and a beanie.
‘Sure am. You look like you’re dressed for Tasmania!’
‘Surprising how cold the chill factor gets when you’re on a bike.’ He spread out a map on the seat of his bike and indicated for Dave to come closer. ‘If you head up this fence line, I’ll go in the other direction and we can meet in the middle here.’ Brody pointed to an X on the map.
‘Watering point?’
‘Yeah, there’s a mill and trough system there. If we hadn’t had the rain it would be easy to think that’s where all the ewes would be, but with all the puddles around and the good feed, they’ll be spread across the whole paddock.’
Dave nodded.
‘If we push them down this way …’ Dave followed Brody’s finger along the western fence line. ‘The holding paddock is here and, once they’re in, we can guide them to the yards. We mightn’t get them into the yards today, but there’s no reason we can’t make it to the holding paddock.’ ‘Right-oh.’ Dave committed the map to memory and looked for some landmarks. ‘There’s a range to our left?’
‘Yep, those hills aren’t in this paddock, but if you keep them on your left all the time, you’re headed in the right direction.’
‘Great. That I can do.’
