do.’
‘What’d they do?’
‘Dropped way back. Put your hand under the seat, will you, mate. There’s a little case.’
I found what looked like a small aluminium briefcase under the seat. It was heavy.
‘It’s loaded. Keep it out of sight,’ Cam said.
I unsnapped the lid of the case. Inside, nestled in hard foam, were a long-barrelled revolver, cleaning equipment and about thirty rounds of ammunition.
‘Ruger Redhawk,’ Cam said.
‘That’s nice. What the fuck’s going on?’
Cam had his eyes on the rear-view mirror. ‘Dunno. Could be just two pricks out for a ride. Could be someone thinks we’ve got the cash for the Commissioner on board.’
‘Who knows we’re meeting him?’
‘It’s a her. Just Wootton.’
The Essendon exit was coming up. Cam waited until it was almost too late and then swung off sharply on to it without signalling. ‘I’m going first left, round the sports fields,’ Cam said. ‘Hold your tummy.’
I looked back. Three hundred metres behind us, four cars in between, a motorcycle with two figures in black wearing fullface helmets on it was coming off the freeway.
‘Bloke on the back’s got a little bag,’ I said.
‘His playlunch maybe,’ Cam said. ‘When last you shoot anything?’
I felt fear for the first time. It had seemed a bit of a joke up to then. ‘In the Mallee about ten years ago,’ I said. ‘Shot a few rabbits.’
‘Take that thing out of the box.’
I took the Ruger out and looked back again. The motorcycle was accelerating past the cars, closing the gap between us quickly.
The engine screamed and the tyres squealed as Cam changed down and took the left, but the car held its line. ‘Nice bus this,’ Cam said. ‘But it hasn’t got the legs for this kind of thing.’
The bike leant over at forty-five degrees as it came around the corner behind us, perhaps two hundred metres away.
We were on a street with houses on our right and sports fields behind a high wire fence on the left. We had to turn right at the corner coming up or go into a parking lot for the sports complex.
‘I think we’ve got to show these boys the iron,’ Cam said. ‘Can’t outrun them. I’m going to broadside in this parking lot. Get out quick, I’m coming out the same door.’
My eyes flicked to the speedo. We were doing a hundred when we went into the parking area. There were three cars in it, all near the gate at the left.
I looked back again. The bikers were close now, perhaps a hundred metres. The sun had come out and their leathers gleamed like otter skins.
Cam swung left towards the cars, slowed, then swung right. As the car came around, he hit the brake.
We went into a broadside skid across the tarmac, the right-hand wheels lifting. We came to a stop side on to a fence a few metres away.
‘Out we go,’ said Cam calmly.
I opened my door and half fell out. Cam was right behind me in a crawl.
‘Keep down,’ he said. ‘Give me the gun.’
We crouched behind the front of the car. I could feel the heat from the engine on my face. Cam pulled back the Ruger’s hammer.
The bike came into the parking lot almost without slowing and went right. As it turned half side-on to us, I got a view of the passenger.
His bag was slung around his neck by the strap now and he was holding something black and blunt.
‘Fucking Christ,’ said Cam.
It was a sub-machine gun.
The rider slowed and swung left. He was going to make a run parallel to us.
We both ducked. They must have been about twenty metres from us when the passenger opened up, flat, coughing sounds, not loud. Most of the first burst was high, over the top of the car. But the last rounds hit the front windscreen with sharp tapping noises. A large, jagged hole appeared on the passenger side and the rest turned to mosaic.
A second later, the next burst of hard coughing. They went low. Some hit the car, some hit the tarmac underneath, ricocheted and pinged off the chassis.
The bike was past, accelerating into a turn for another run.
‘Fuck this for a joke,’ Cam said. He straightened up, Ruger in both hands, and leant his long forearms on the bonnet.
I put my head up. The bikers were side-on, just starting the turn towards us. The passenger saw Cam and raised the fat barrel of his weapon.
Cam fired.
He missed.
He fired again.
The bullet hit the back of the gunman’s helmet. His left arm went up as the impact lifted him off the bike and spun him on to the tarmac.
The rider, unbalanced, veered sharply towards us, gained control and swung savagely away.
‘One down,’ Cam said softly, steadying himself for a shot at the rider.
The passenger got to his knees, left hand to his helmet, sub-machine gun still in the other. He was small, no bigger than a fourteen-year-old. He shook his head like a dog, then turned to look at us.
Cam was aiming at the rider.
The small man brought the sub-machine gun up.
‘Down!’ I shouted, grabbing Cam’s coat and pulling him onto me.
The weapon coughed again, bullets whining just over the bonnet where Cam had been.
‘Little fucker,’ Cam said.
The bike’s engine roared.
Cam put his head up. ‘Party’s over,’ he said.
I stood up. They were going out of the parking area exit, sun glinting on their helmets, engine screaming in second gear.
We listened to the sound of the bike going up the road, turning left, getting fainter. Then it was still, just the hum from the freeway and the jungle sounds of small children playing far away. It had taken no more than forty seconds from the time the bikers came into the parking area. Now only the smell of cordite hanging in the cold air spoke of violence and near-death.
I looked around, expecting to see people everywhere. There was no-one. The silenced sub-machine gun had probably gone unheard, Cam’s shots taken for a car backfiring.
Cam finished putting his Ruger back into its case and took a packet of Gitanes out of his top pocket. ‘You smoking?’
‘Just this once,’ I said. I cupped my hands around the lighter flame. They weren’t shaking. Not yet. The first draw almost made me sit down.
‘Well, you can rule out money,’ said Cam. ‘That ain’t the way they go about taking it off people.’
Something was gradually dawning on my adrenalin-soaked brain. ‘Where did you say you first saw them?’
‘Top of Elgin Street. They couldn’t have been behind me long. I’d have seen them on the freeway.’
I took another draw. Another reel. ‘Mate,’ I said, ‘I don’t think this is connected with the horses. Something else. Little job I’ve been doing.’
Cam blew smoke out of his nose, looked around. ‘Don’t take any big jobs,’ he said. ‘You want to get the cops over here?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I’ll have to take care of it myself.’
I didn’t need to think about it. There wasn’t anything the cops could do for you if people wanted to kill you.
