‘Barnes was being extra cautious. He was dressed like a burglar, soft-soled shoes an’ all. And he had a gun as well as his camera. I didn’t like it. I tried to persuade him to take me along, but he laughed at me. Would you believe it? He had a thermos of coffee with him. Told me to drink it and sober up.’
‘Did you?’
‘I drank it, but I spiked it from the flask.’
‘You must have some idea of where you were?’
‘Oh, sure. Between the bloody Blue Mountains and the sea.’ Either the calming effect of the alcohol was wearing off or the memory he was about to dredge up was difficult for him. He looked at me testily. ‘D’you want to hear this or not?’
I nodded.
Sweat was standing out on his forehead. I got some tissues from the glovebox and he dabbed at his face. ‘Thanks. Barnes was away longer than usual. M’ nerves were on edge what with one thing and another. He came running back-first time I’d seen that. He had this bundle with him.’
‘What sort of bundle?’
‘One of those big plastic garbage bags. He shoved it in the back seat and told me to get moving as quick as I could. I did it, too.’
‘Hang on. This bundle-heavy or light?’
‘Pretty heavy. He had to lift it, like.’
‘Did it make a noise?’
He strained to remember, failed and became angry. ‘What is this? The bloody secret sound?’
‘All right. Then what happened?’
‘I drove off but I was pissed. After a bit Barnes drove. I went to sleep in the car and woke up when we got back to his place in Botany. He paid me, called a taxi and I went home.’
‘You don’t know what happened to the bag?’
He shook his head. ‘I let him down. I swore I never would again, but I never got another chance.’ He looked at me; sweat had plastered the red hair to his scalp and his collar was a rag. Anyone else in that condition might look defeated, but O’Fear looked ready to start a fight. ‘I’d like to help now, and that’s not the booze or anything else talking.’
‘I don’t quite understand why this rocked you so much, O’Fear. I mean, it sounds a bit toey, and you were pissed, but…’
‘I’ll tell you. It wasn’t any of that rattled me. I’ve done more than my share of scary things at night. It was this-Barnes Todd was scared that night. Did you ever see him scared?’
I found it hard to even imagine. ‘No.’
‘Nor me. I saw him in Korea, remember. Bloody millions of Chinks around all tryin’ to kill us, and it was like a day at the races to him. It was him being afraid that scared me.’
I had been making notes, preparing to haul O’Fear back from fantasy or evasion, but his account was coherent enough. ‘How many places did you go to that night?’
‘Two or three.’
‘What was the usual number?’
‘It varied. Sometimes only a few, sometimes a hell of a lot.’
‘Did Barnes have a list or a chart of some kind?’
He considered the question and I was convinced that he was making a genuine effort at recall. Eventually he shook his head and then tapped his temple. ‘No. He had it all inside.’
I looked at my notes and wondered what to make of O’Fear’s story. Nothing came.
‘He must’ve had some name for what you were doing. What did he call this midnight rambling?’
‘Reconnaissance.’
The surfer I had watched before was back out in the deep water again. The wave rose and he was up, balanced and forceful; crouched, driving the board, he resembled a powerful machine, perfectly designed for the job it was doing. ‘What sort of car did you drive on these reccies?’ I asked.
‘A Ford Laser. Barnes had a small fleet of them at Botany.’
‘Mulholland, you black bastard.’ O’Fear and Bob Mulholland shaped up and exchanged mock punches. O’Fear’s left jab was just a sketch, and he kept his damaged side protected.
‘You didn’t tell me you knew this lunatic, Cliff,’ Mulholland said.
‘I was trying to forget it. I’ve just bailed him out of gaol.’
‘That’s right! Tell the world me life story.’
‘Calm down, O’Fear.’ Mulholland prodded O’Fear’s belly. ‘Prison’s done you good.’
‘Prison never did anyone any good,’ O’Fear growled. ‘You remember when I was drivin’ for Barnes?’
Mulholland nodded. ‘I remember the dings you put in the cars.’ He stopped when he saw me looking at Anna Carboni’s empty chair with the dead screen in front of it. ‘Oh, Cliff, I left a message on your machine. Anna’s been sick for a couple of days. You’ll have to wait for that work.’
‘Nothing serious, I hope an’ pray?’ O’Fear said.
‘Gastro, or something like that. From the wog tucker, I expect.’
O’Fear waved a finger at him. ‘Prejudice.’
‘When you two get through with your routine,’ I said, ‘maybe I can do some work. I might not need all the details now, Bob. I think we have a closer focus on the problem. That’s if this bloody Irishman can remember where he was on a certain night.’
Mulholland looked puzzled and O’Fear gave him a wink. ‘He owes me money. Makes him testy. Are you goin’ to look at the car?’
It was difficult to stay annoyed with O’Fear for long. ‘I am that,’ I said. ‘Can we take a look at the Lasers, Bob?’
Mulholland pointed to three sets of keys Ranging on hooks near the door. A truck roared into the yard and I heard shouting. ‘I’m pretty busy,’ Mulholland said. ‘Do you…?’
‘Go on,’ I said. ‘We’ll try to keep out of your hair.’
He strode to the window of the office and gesticulated at the truck driver. O’Fear and I went out and walked towards the part of the yard where the Lasers were parked. We had to wait for two trucks to back past us towards the loading bays.
‘Busy around here,’ O’Fear said.
I told him about Felicia Todd’s decision to keep Barnes Enterprises afloat. He glanced at me slyly.
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘a woman in the case. And you have an eye for her.’
I ignored that. We reached the cars and I tossed a set of keys to O’Fear. ‘I don’t suppose you know which one you drove?’
‘I’d say I drove them all at different times.’
‘We won’t find anything, but let’s take a look.’
‘It’s only right,’ O’Fear said.
We searched the cars thoroughly. The only thing of interest I found was a crumpled sheet of paper ruled up into columns with a space for headings. ‘What would you say this is?’
O’Fear, the old truckie, had no doubt. ‘A log sheet.’
Back in the office, we found Bob Mulholland elbow-deep in paperwork and close to bad-tempered. I put the keys back on the hooks. ‘Sorry to interrupt again, Bob.’
Mulholland grunted.
‘Trouble?’
‘A bit. Riley again, and others.’
I turned to O’Fear. ‘Do you know this Riley character?’
‘I do.’
‘Could it have been something to do with him that night?’
O’Fear shook his head. ‘Wasn’t his place, at least. I’d know that joint drunk or sober from some earlier doin’s Barnes ‘n’ me’d had there.’
Mulholland tapped a pencil impatiently on the desk.
