teams of detectives in various Sydney divisions and the crimes they’d solved were only matched by the ones they’d taken the profits from. His name came up adversely at a succession of enquiries and he eventually retired on full benefits because to pursue him hard would have brought down more of the higher echelon of the force than anyone could handle.
I knew that Frank had had several collisions with him and had come off worse each time. I’d run into him once myself when I was trying to help my client face down a protection racket in the Cross. Black Andy and two of his offsiders had discouraged me to the extent of putting me in hospital for a few days. My client paid up and then sold up.
Frank and I sat silent with our memories.
‘Piper,’ Hilde said. ‘I remember him.’
‘You should,’ Frank said. ‘He put the hard word on you the way he did with every good-looking wife of every policeman.’
‘He had dyed hair,’ Hilde said. ‘And cold eyes.’
Frank sipped coffee that had to be cold by now. ‘That’s him. His hair was as black the day he left as the day he started.’
‘Where and when?’ I said.
Frank suddenly looked weary, as if bad memories and lost causes had tired him. ‘Tomorrow at noon. Greek restaurant opposite the Marrickville RSL.’
‘Does he know where… North is, or where he might be?’
Frank shrugged. ‘The word is that he might, if anyone does. I’d like to go along with you and give him a few kicks to the balls. That’s what he did to you, wasn’t it?’
‘Him and two others.’
‘Time to sleep,’ Hilde said. ‘A kick to the balls never solved anything.’
Peter’s room, still bearing some traces of his presence in the form of books on shelves and rock star posters, was strangely comforting. The three-quarter bed had a secure feel to it, unlike my bed, which somehow always feels as if there should be someone in it with me. As I drifted off I wondered if Peter had ever slept here with a girlfriend. Probably, and with Frank and Hilde’s blessing. Very different in my day… My mind was wandering and I was checking off things that had improved, with painless dentistry at the top of the list.
I slept soundly for a couple of hours and then was wide awake with a mildly buzzing head from the whisky. I dressed and crept around the familiar house in my socks. I drank several glasses of water with three aspirin and sat by the living-room window watching the day come to life. I opened the window and heard the seagulls on the beach and the hum of early morning traffic. I wondered where Lorrie was and what she was seeing and hearing. I knew she was tough, but confinement does strange things to the mind and some people never recover from it.
It had been a mistake to take her to the Balmain meeting. My judgement had been affected by the attraction I’d felt for her. The mistake had made her vulnerable, but North could probably have taken her from wherever she was. I wasn’t going to rack myself about that, but I wasn’t going to give myself good marks either. Again, I considered O’Connor’s role in the scheme of things. Had he been complicit? Had the guard at the hospital backed off too readily? That made me think of Hank Bachelor and his stun gun, probably now in police possession. Like the rest of Jay and Fay’s money. I could use some of that money now. I’d told Frank money was available but I hadn’t thought it through. Another thing for O’Connor to sort out.
The daylight had won the battle with the dark and the water and aspirin had put the headache to rest. I was thinking about eating when I heard the unmistakable sound of someone else in the house trying to be quiet. Frank came into the room wearing a dark blue nightshirt that reached just below his knees. He stopped when he saw me at the window.
‘Looks good on you, Frank,’ I said. ‘No buttons, no cord to lose.’
‘Hilde likes ‘em. Peter takes the piss of course. What’re you doing up this early?’
‘Raking it all over, what else? This could end badly, mate.’
‘Coffee?’
I nodded and went back to worrying. When Frank returned he handed me a mug and the warmth and smell of it lifted my mood a fraction.
‘One thing I forgot to tell you last night,’ Frank said. ‘Carmichael and Hammond are okay. You could bring them in.’
‘Thanks, Frank. That’s good news. Any tips for dealing with Black Andy?’
‘I understand he’s a lot smoother now, married to a judge and with all those legal connections.’
‘Hold on. He was married to some politician’s daughter. A fashion designer or something.’
Frank shook his head. ‘She finally left. No, he’s married to Mary Pappas. She’s-what’s wrong?’
The name had hit me like a short left hook. When I’d told Frank the story I hadn’t given him all the names. ‘Frank, tell me about these legal connections.’
‘Oh, his daughter from the first marriage, she’s married to John L’Estrange, the barrister, and-’
‘Jesus Christ. You’ve just named the judge and the prosecutor at Master’s trial. Black Andy must be in this up to his neck.’
‘I’ve never heard that Pappas is… flexible, but… She’s a hardliner, sure, but I don’t know about corrupt.’
‘She doesn’t need to be. It was mounted as a legitimate undercover federal and state operation, except that there was another agenda.’
Frank absorbed that as he stroked his grey bristled chin. ‘No wonder Black Andy wanted to talk to you. This puts a different slant on it. If he’s in on it with North and the others.’
‘What was your impression?’
‘It’s hard to say with those bastards. Like I said, I thought they were worried about this uncontrolled shipment, but now I’m not sure. Let me think for a minute. I’m hungry. Want something to eat?’
‘About four slices of buttered toast.’
‘Brain food. Come on.’
We went out to the kitchen and Frank loaded the toaster and topped up the coffee mugs.
‘I hope you’re thinking,’ I said. ‘This just about stymies me.’
The toaster popped and he buttered the toast. ‘I recorded the conversations. Let me just play a few of them back and I’ll listen to them again with this stuff in mind.’
He went off with his plate and his mug and I sat there and played with the coffee and the toast. I would have liked to listen to the tapes as well, but Frank was running that part of the show and I had to abide by his judgement. He was still a cop, and a cop’s instincts are different to anyone else’s.
After a few minutes I realised I’d emptied the mug and all the toast was gone and I hadn’t tasted any of it. I stretched and went out into the small back yard where the dew on the grass was just beginning to dry out. I did a few knee bends and flexes and worked the shoulder. It was stiff but not too bad.
Frank rapped on the doorframe and I went back inside. I could hear Hilde moving around in another part of the house and the radio playing the classical music she liked to listen to in the morning.
‘It’s just a feeling,’ Frank said. ‘But I get the impression someone’s pissed off at the way it’s gone ballistic’
‘Hope you’re right.’
I thanked Frank and promised to stay in touch. He looked worried. I felt worried. The early morning traffic was thick and I had to concentrate on my driving. My clothes felt musty and my unshaven face itched. I hit the horn too often and had some narrow escapes from drivers who were as ill-tempered and impatient as me.
My mobile rang as I turned into my street and I swore as I answered it and shuffled the car into a tight parking spot.
‘Hardy.’
‘This is Bryce O’Connor. Have you heard the news?’
‘What news? How’d you get on with Master?’
‘Stewart Master has escaped.’
