but she blew smoke away from the baby. She pressed herself against the doorway to let me through. The smell hit me like a grenade-fried food, sweat, tobacco smoke and despair.
Coralie pushed past me on her way to the back of the place. 'That fuckin' money's in my hand in ten fuckin' minutes, Tommy, or I'm putting the men on you.'
'No worries,' Tommy said. 'Make it snappy, Cliff.'
I was more than willing. Lou had said she talked to Billie in the front bedroom to the right of the passage. I went there and found it contained a double bed, a built-in wardrobe and a chest of drawers. The room was like an op-shop sorting area with clothes and bedding and plastic bags strewn about. I pushed through the detritus and slid open the middle drawer in the chest. It came easily and I emptied the contents on the bed and turned it over. A polaroid photograph was cellotaped to the underside and I eased it free.
'Hey,' Tommy said. 'That's worth a bonus. How about the fifty?'
After a quick look at it, I put the photograph in my shirt pocket. I picked the stuff up and restored it to the drawer. Slid it home. I gave Tommy his fifty.
'How long's she been here?'
He shrugged. 'Coupla weeks.'
'How many kids has she got?'
'Four.'
'No bloke?'
He shook his head.
'Get her back.'
He went down the hall and after a few minutes returned with Coralie, minus baby, in tow, both of them with fresh cigarettes going.
'Thanks,' I said. I gave her four fifties, making sure Tommy saw them. 'Good luck.'
Her dull, defeated eyes barely blinked as she took the money. She stood crookedly, as if perpetually ready to carry a child on her hip.
'You said a hundred,' Tommy complained as we reached the car.
'She needed it. Let's see if you can deliver.'
'Best to get away from here, brother. When I said no bloke, they come and go, like.'
We drove off and Tommy asked to go back to the shopping centre. 'I'm hungry, man. Wanna get something to eat.'
'Get me a coffee, then.'
I sat on a seat near the car park. If he'd been bluffing about knowing Billie I wouldn't see him again. If he was stalling, working up a story, it might take a while. The day was getting hot and there were fewer people around. The health centre looked to have closed and the homeboys had drifted off somewhere. Tommy came back with a packet of chicken and chips, a bottle of coke and a coffee in a styro-foam cup. He put the lot down and sank onto the seat with a sigh. He reached into a pocket and brought out a stirring stick and several packets of sugar. He tore open his package, ripped off a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth with a fistful of chips. He chewed no more than he needed to, swallowed and sighed again. He was hungry all right.
The coffee was thin so I put in sugar to give it some taste. He ate some more and drank his coke. I took the photo from my pocket and showed it to him. Billie fitted Lou's description pretty well-blonde, good looking, a bit tough but with a good smile and lively eyes. She wore a tight top and even tighter pants. Heels. She was smiling down at the dark-skinned boy as if he was the most precious thing on earth. Tommy looked at the photo, still chewing, but more slowly.
'Yeah, that's her.'
'What about the kid?'
'How old's this picture?'
'I've been told it could be five years.'
'So the kid's grown and that. I dunno, he might be around.'
'Is she around?'
Now he was definitely stalling. He took a long swig on his coke and reached for his cigarettes. I stopped him.
'C'mon, Tommy. If you want the money…'
'Money ain't everything.'
'True.'
'But if you got none, nothin' ain't nothin'.'
'If I want philosophy I can read a book.'
'We've gotta problem.'
'We?'
'You 'cos you want the woman and me 'cos I want the dough.'
'Look, it's hot. I got bashed the other night and I'm hurting a bit. You've earned your fifty but there's not a bloody cent more unless you tell me what you know. Up to you. It's nothing to me, the money-just an expense for my client.'
'Good game you're in, brother.'
I took off my sunglasses and showed him the battered eye. 'You reckon?'
'Shit. You gotta gun, Cliff?'
Because of what I'd heard about Liston and Billie and what I knew about Eddie Flannery, I had my Smith amp; Wesson in the glove box, but I wasn't about to tell that to Tommy.
'I might have,' I said.
'You better. You heard Coralie say something about putting the men onto me if I fucked her over?'
I nodded.
'She's talkin' about some people who sort of run things around here. Mostly coconuts, but with some Kooris and gubbahs thrown in, like.'
'Yes?'
'They handle the evictions and that for the Department. Booted my dad out a while ago and he's gone back to the Block. I'm still hangin' here trying to get a job.'
'The woman?'
'I seen her with one of them. Real tough bastard named Yoli. Lives here, but I dunno if she's still around.'
'When did you last see her?'
'Coupla days ago. Couldn't miss her though with the fair hair. Not usual around here. She looked crook. And I heard Yoli call her Billie-well, he like shouted at her to go inside. Heard you say the name when you was talking to Big Johnny.'
'Another hundred if you show me where he lives.'
He shook his head. 'Two hundred, man. I'll have to get the fuck outa here. If Yoli found out I told you he'd fuckin' kill me.'
'All right. Yoli, is that a nickname? What's his full name?'
'Yolande something-Potare, Potato, the funny names they got, the fuckin' Fijis. I can give you the address but I can't go with you, understand?'
I took out my wallet and gave him two fifties. 'That's for the address. I'll meet you later anywhere you say to give you the rest.'
'Fuck, you mightn't show.'
'So we're both taking a chance.'
'How long're you goin' to be?'
'I don't know.'
He gave me the address and said he'd wait for me at the Campbelltown railway station for the rest of the afternoon. He gathered up the remainder of his food and dropped it with the coke bottle into the nearest bin. He gave me a good citizen grin, lit a cigarette and walked away.
