acceptance. ‘Fair enough. Just one more question. The settlement is when?’
She took a drag on the cigarette and flicked the ash on the floor. ‘In record time, baby,’ she said.
I rejoined the coast road at Coledale and stayed on it until Fairy Meadow where I picked up the freeway to Nowra, bypassing the city. I took the turnoff and was passing the Warrawong motel shortly after nine o’clock. Time to kill. I drove down towards the Port Kembla steelworks and got as close as I could to the port itself. The harbour was basically artificial, formed by two long breakwaters. A couple of container ships were berthed at the jetties and there were some fishing boats and leisure craft. Seagulls squatted on the boat masts and the rusty machinery on the docks. As I watched, a couple of pelicans flew over from the direction of the lake and settled on the water. Peaceful scene.
I drove back the way I’d come and spotted Purcell’s old Land Cruiser in the hotel car park. The pub had just opened and there were a few early drinkers’ cars parked but none close to the Land Cruiser. I drove in and parked about twenty metres away. I could see Purcell behind the wheel and I decided to let him make the first move. If he wanted to meet in the bar, well and good. If he wanted a fresh air conference that was okay by me as well. I sat for five minutes and he didn’t move. I got out of the little car and stretched. An alert type like Purcell would certainly see me and make his move.
Nothing happened. A couple of cars pulled in and parked, still a fair distance away. The sun was high now and I stripped off my jacket and slung it inside the car. I walked towards the Land Cruiser and felt a tingle in my spine as I got closer. I was well within his field of vision now and he still hadn’t moved. I reached the vehicle on the driver’s side. The window was down. Purcell was strapped into place by his seatbelt and his head was thrown back. The hair at his temple was matted with blood. His eyes were open but he wasn’t seeing anything and never would again.
21
I didn’t stay close to the Land Cruiser for one second more than I needed to. And I didn’t back away. Nothing looks more suspicious than backing. I walked around the front of the car as if I was interested in its age and condition and then veered away towards the pub. The low calibre execution of Purcell was a professional job, carried out within the last hour and possibly within minutes of my arrival in the car park. Presumably Purcell had got there early and the killer had followed him and decided it would be as good a time and place as any. If I’d shown up maybe he would have put the matter off, or maybe he would have decided to make it two for the price of one.
I’ve seen a lot of death but it never fails to register in some part of the brain as a shock. The way you do, I’d built up a picture of how my meeting with Purcell might go. He’d been alive in my imagination and in a way he still was, but now he wasn’t alive in reality and it took a bit of adjusting to. I went into the bar and ordered a scotch and a middy. No eyebrows raised. There are some serious drinkers in the Illawarra. I downed the scotch and took the beer out the side door to a verandah that gave me a view of the car park.
The early crowd was evidently in place because no more cars came in. The dirty old 4WD still stood, semi- isolated.
I put the beer down on the verandah rail, took my mobile from my pants pocket and called Farrow.
‘Hardy.’ His voice was an angry rasp. ‘Where the fuck are you? What was all that shit last night?’
‘Did you find Wendy and her pals?’
‘No.’
‘Did you search Lonsdale’s place?’
‘No comment. What’re you playing at?’
I couldn’t hang around much longer. Someone was bound to spot Purcell. I tossed up whether or not to tell Farrow about it. I decided. I told him where he’d find the body of a man I thought to be an undercover policeman.
‘Stay there,’ he said.
‘Yeah, I’ll do that so you can take me in and keep me on a chair for the rest of the day and probably longer.’
‘Stay there.’
‘No chance, and I’ll give you this for free-I don’t think every single one of your colleagues is playing on your team.’
‘What the hell do you mean?’
I cut the connection and drained the beer. The trick to walking as if you’re unconcerned isn’t to whistle or put your hands in your pockets. It’s a matter of minimal upper body movement and pace and line. I reached the Hyundai, unlocked it, got in and drove out of the car park without glancing at the Land Cruiser, although I gave Purcell a silent salutation as I went past.
I headed back to Wollongong. Two police cars going full pelt with sirens screaming shot by as I drove at a sedate pace. I had very little idea what to do next, particularly as I wasn’t even sure I had a client after last night’s doings. I parked behind the railway station and called Elizabeth Farmer. No reply at home; voicemail at the university. I swore several times, then the phone rang.
‘Cliff, this is Tania Vronsky. I just missed your call.’
‘I was checking to see if Elizabeth was still employing me.’
‘Why wouldn’t she be?’
I told her about the phone call from Elizabeth and she laughed. ‘Oh, she’s like that. Jealous as hell. No, I didn’t get off with Jude. She was much more pissed than me by the time we finished playing. I got her home and then got back myself, very late. All’s well. How’re things working out for you?’
‘I don’t know. When you next see Elizabeth tell her I’m still on it and sort of making progress, but the cops might be calling on her.’
‘How exciting. Fact is, Cliff, this business has given our relationship quite a boost. What does she tell them?’
‘The truth,’ I said.
I was sitting there indecisively when I became aware of someone standing by the passenger window. DS Barton of Bellambi rapped on the glass with his pistol, gesturing for me to open that door and the one behind me. He’d have no trouble shooting me through the glass and no compunction either, from the look of him. I opened the doors. A man slid in to the back seat as Barton got in beside me. I took a quick look in the rear vision mirror. Didn’t know him, but everything about him said cop.
‘You look surprised, Hardy.’
‘I am.’
‘Because you’re not in your car?’
‘Yes.’
He held the pistol low, out of sight. ‘Can’t figure it out?’
‘No.’
‘Your girlfriend reported it stolen. You became a hot item after that performance last night. Wasn’t too hard to pick you up.’
I let out a long slow breath. Marisha Karatsky was certainly full of surprises. I was careful to keep my hands in sight on the wheel. Not that it’d make much difference. If Barton wanted to shoot me he could. It was between trains and there was no one much about and it was a fair bet that either I’d have a gun he could use to make it look okay or he’d have a throw-down to hand. It’d been done before.
‘So what’s this about?’ I said.
‘I thought you were smart enough to take a hint that you weren’t wanted down here.’
‘I’m a little slow sometimes.’
‘That can be just as fatal as speed. Start the car and go where I tell you.’
‘Suppose I don’t?’
‘Then you get a clout on the head from behind and you go where we’re going anyway.’
I started the engine. ‘Are you going to let me know what this’s about?’
‘I don’t think so. Just shut up and do as you’re told. Put your seatbelt on and no heroics.’
