“You said the bodies had been buried by the time you first got to the house?”
“Yes.”
“By the brothers, and you said John Sullivan gave use of his men?”
“So I was told.”
“How many men?”
“I don’t know.”
“Enough, presumably, to help with the digging and the carrying and suchlike—would half a dozen be a reasonable estimate?”
“The man wasn’t there, Mr. Wells,” MacIntyre protested.
“All right. A good number of them, anyway, moving through the house, trampling all over the yard, and yet you were still ableto find sufficient evidence of what had occurred and a clear set of tracks leading into the scrub?”
“As I said, I am good at my job. A damn sight better than you.”
“And the brothers told you they had seen this man, Joseph?”
“Yes.”
“Plus, how many natives was it?”
“It is in their testimonies.”
“You don’t remember? We could check the document now?”
Noone sighed. “As I recall, they said about twelve.”
“Twelve? Yet when you caught up with them, there were only four?”
“I can’t be expected to account for what the two brothers said. Perhaps they were mistaken. Billy McBride is sitting rightthere—why don’t you ask him?”
“I’m sure we will, Chief Inspector. Still, twelve down to four?”
“It was dusk, they’d just found their family butchered, I think we can allow them a little leeway. For all I know, the othereight may have took off elsewhere.”
“You didn’t go looking for them?”
“We followed the tracks we had.”
“You believed the brothers’ account though?”
“I had no reason not to.”
“They swore the testimonies before yourself, in fact?”
“Time was of the essence, and the bush is hardly brimming with officials authorized to take an oath. I was the only personaround.”
“Where did you do it?”
“At the Sullivan homestead.”
“And did you write them, or did they?”
“The words are theirs. I don’t recall who held the pen.”
“You don’t recall?”
“No. I do not.” Speaking through clenched teeth.
“And then, on the basis of this trampled scene and the testimony of two young boys, you went out after the suspects, withfour civilians in tow?”
“As I have already explained.”
“There was a fight, all four natives were killed, including Joseph?”
“I just said so.”
“In the ranges?”
“If you intend repeating back to me everything I have already said . . .”
“You believe the bodies might still be out there?”
“This is ridiculous. You’re wasting my time.”
“Pull your head in with your questions, Mr. Wells, or you can sit back down.”
Henry turned on Magistrate MacIntyre: “Have you conducted a search for these bodies yourself, sir?”
“What’s that?”
“Have you been to the ranges to look for them?”
“Well, I mean, there are others who’ve been out there and—”
“On your behalf, though? Specifically conducting a search?”
“Not exactly, but I’ve spoken to those who—”
“So, no proper search has ever been conducted in order to verify the Chief Inspector’s account?”
“What’s the use?” MacIntyre said, exasperated. “There’d be nothing left!”
“No search conducted. And do you recall, Chief Inspector, where exactly in the ranges this gunfight occurred?”
“I do not. It was dusk, and the ranges are a very big place.”
“Indeed they are. Indeed they are. Now, as you are aware, Reverend Bean claims he encountered you half a day’s ride west ofthere.”
Noone looked about comically. “Did he? When? I never heard him.”
“It’s in his testimony.”
“Unsworn testimony. Which I have not seen.”
“Sworn before me personally. If you were good enough for the McBride brothers, surely I will suffice for Reverend Bean?”
“I wouldn’t be so certain of that.”
“Are you saying, then, that you have no recollection of any meeting?”
“I am.”
“Never met the man in your life?”
“Almost everyone I have met in my life is forgettable, Mr. Wells, including your good self. So I cannot be certain that yourreverend has not accosted me on some street corner or pressed his hand into mine—if your intention is to scupper me with cleverwordplay I am afraid I’ll have to disappoint. But what I can confirm absolutely is that I did not meet Reverend Bean westof the ranges because I have never been there. We returned to Broken Ridge immediately, as I have said.”
“We being”—Henry made a point of checking his notes—“yourself, your four troopers, John Sullivan, Raymond Locke, Billy andTommy McBride. Nine in total, isn’t that what you said?”
“Your mathematics are improving, Henry.”
“Thank you. And where are your troopers now, Mr. Noone?”
“Retired, or killed in service. The job was equally dangerous for them.”
“Liar!”
Henry stalled. All heads turned. The shout had come from the gallery, from a man standing near the back wall. The crowd parted,and Billy, twisting in his seat, let out a low, pained groan. The hair was thinning, the beard long, there were rings likebulging saddlebags under the eyes, but he recognized Drew Bennett immediately. Billy rose to his feet as Drew yelled, “I knowwhat you done to ’em, you bastard! You killed ’em! And burned down my bloody barn!”
He was drunk. Jabbing a trembling finger, badly slurring his words. People around him began backing away until he was standingthere all alone.
“Drew,” Billy called. “Don’t do this.”
Squinting, his finger wavering as if divining who had spoken, he finally settled on Billy and said, “You ain’t no different, Billy. You’re just as bad as him.”
“Guard!” MacIntyre began yelling. “Guard!”
“Ought we not to hear what the man has to say?” Henry asked.
“He’s a drunk and a fool, anyone can see that—guard!” Finally Donnaghy managed to push through from the lobby. “Get him outof here!”
Donnaghy wrestled Drew Bennett out of the courtroom, through the crowd, and outside. Slowly the gallery settled. Billy retookhis seat. Katherine was staring at him. Billy had been with Noone when he’d gone to Drew Bennett’s place. Just tracking downa missing trooper, he had said. Supposedly they had found him, then left. Nothing about any killing, or burning the Bennetts’barn.
“Sir, I really think we should have heard that man.”
“One interloper is bad enough, Mr. Wells. This is a courtroom, not a bloody town hall. Aren’t you done yet? You don’t seemto be getting anywhere and frankly I’m growing tired of hearing your voice.”
“I’ll press on, if I may.” Henry gathered himself, tried to remember where he was going with this.
