‘Shit, no, I mean his client.’
Knopf tilted his head to the left and we went across to a table at a distance from the other patrons. I took the nuts with me. We sat and we both had a drink and ate some nuts.
‘So,’ Knopf said. ‘What d’you want to know?’
‘Your impressions about the evidence presented in the Stewart Master case.’
‘Four kilos of top grade heroin.’
‘Handled by?’
‘Master and Master alone.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘No. The supplier usually wipes it clean.’
‘Why didn’t Master wipe it?’
Knopf shrugged. ‘Didn’t expect to be caught.’
‘Careless.’
‘Very.’
‘I feel we’re fencing, Senior. Did anything strike you as unusual about the evidence?’
‘Like?’
‘Christ, I don’t know. Is it possible for someone’s fingerprints to get on that sort of packaging without them ever having touched it?’
‘You should’ve been his lawyer. It’s possible. Prints can be transferred with the right technology. Highly unlikely though.’
‘You weren’t asked that?’
‘No.’
‘And you didn’t volunteer it?’
‘I was a witness for the prosecution.’
‘Looking back?’
He shrugged and drank some wine. I’d finished my beer and a few of the salty nuts and was ready for a refill.
‘Senior?’
‘Don’t call me that. It’s Karl. It’s impossible to say. It didn’t come up at the time and I’d have to look at the stuff all over again from that perspective. And that’s impossible.’
‘Why?’
‘Why d’you think? The stuff’s been destroyed.’ He finished his wine and got smoothly to his feet. ‘My buy. Old, is it?’
I nodded. The place was filling up and the noise level was rising. Something louder was playing on the sound system and the pokies were buzzing along with the conversations. In days gone by the atmosphere would have been smoky. Not now. Knopf came back with the drinks and slid into his seat.
‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘Peter Lo said you were interested when he told you the customs officers had been posted north and west. Why’s that?’
He had white wine this time and took a long swig. His eyes moved around the room as if he was checking it out for the last time. ‘Jesus, I don’t know why I’m talking to you.’
‘Yes you do.’
‘You’re right. Not long after the Master trial an offer came through for me to go on a study course.’
‘Where?’
‘Los Angeles. For a year, maybe two. Guaranteed promotion following.’
I took a long pull on the beer. ‘Nice, but you refused. Why?’
‘My partner’s dying of AIDS. The anti-viral cocktail didn’t work with him. Weeks to go. Their timing was a bit off.’
‘I’m sorry.
‘Are you? He’ll be glad to hear that.’
‘Look, Knopf-’
‘I know. I know. Chip on shoulder. Fuck it, it’s all so unfair.’
We sat quietly for a while and sipped our drinks. He drew in a deep breath and pushed his empty glass aside. ‘That’s it for me. You?’
‘I’m driving. Getting back to it, were there any unusual things about the evidence, the dope?’
‘Yes. You’re asking the right questions. The unusual thing was where it came from. Usually, you can trace the source pretty closely. It’s a matter of the chemistry-the Middle East, India, Afghanistan, South-East Asia-they all have their own stamp. But this stuff was different. It was high grade all right, but different, and the worry was that it might be from another source.’
‘Like?’
He shrugged. ‘The Pacific someplace.’
‘I see.’
‘That was the worry. They didn’t like the idea of a new close-to-home source opening up.’
‘They?’
‘Los Federales. ’
‘They were in it?’
‘Up to their balls-leaning on me for the analysis, sending me samples and literature. I reckon that’s why Master copped such a heavy sentence. I was told he was offered all kinds of leniency if he’d name names and talk places, but he never said a word.’
‘You sound as if you admire him.’
‘I was only in court a couple of days, but you had to kind of admire him. I mean, he’s good-looking, great body, so…but apart from that. He had a kind of dignity.’
‘Yeah, I saw him out at Avonlea the other day. He’s still got it, I’d say.’
‘What’s he doing out there?’
I shrugged. ‘Why not?’
‘Like everything else, it’s just a bit strange. Look, Hardy, I have to go. Hope I’ve been some help.’
We shook hands, both standing up. ‘You have. Thanks. Just one thing. Why’ve you been so… open?’
He smiled and gave the first camp gesture I’d seen, a flick of the wrist as he consulted his watch. ‘My partner’s a cop as well. How do think they’ve treated him medically and professionally? I don’t give a shit!’
When I was younger the sort of interview I had with Knopf would have left me empty and depressed, and even now I found it sobering. But the world’s full of stories like that and it does no good to cry over them. Knopf struck me as basically tough. He’d recover from his loss and just maybe I’d learn something from this case that’d interest him. For now, I had something to report to Lorraine Master before I started going through large amounts of her money. Always best to appear busy before clocking up the big ticket items.
It was raining steadily when I left the Prince Regent and I got soaked walking to the car. It was welcome after the dry spell but probably not enough to break it. Still, I kept my eyes open for any interested parties. No sign. Rain’s never mattered to Sydney’s Friday nightlife and the roads and streets were busy. Normally, I like that kind of bustle, but maybe Knopf’s misfortunes were working on me because I was disinclined to go back to an empty house. I hadn’t had a companion there for some time and there was no one on the horizon. I headed for the office where I could construct an encouraging email for my client with a few questions thrown in. At the office you don’t expect cheery company.
The building was empty the way it mostly is after six o’clock and I turned on the stairwell lights’ timer switches as I went up the two flights. I took off my wet jacket, dried my hair and face on a hand towel, made the obligatory cup of instant, settled down at the computer and tapped out my message with two fingers for the keys and my right thumb for the space bar. Works for me. I filled her in on the anomalies of the trial, told her when I was off to Noumea and that I’d received the authority for the money.
I sent the message and hit the ‘Get message’ button, not expecting anything. But there was a message: You are interfering in matters best left alone. Be advised.
My first threatening email. I printed it out and stored it. I imagined there were ways of tracking it to its
