Challis - 04 - Chain of Evidence (13 page)

Into the expectant pause, Ellen
said, The police are doing everything possible. Search parties...

The word is, she was taken by a
paedophile.

We have no evidence of that.

Come on, give me a decent quote.

The police are doing everything
possible and welcome any information the public can give us, said Ellen
flatly.

The reporter rolled her eyes.

Youll be at our re-enactment
tomorrow? Ellen asked.

For what good it will do.

They went to and fro for several
more minutes, and then Ellen showed the woman out. Donna Blasko was there,
sitting forlornly in the foyer. The reporter leapt on her. A quick word, Mrs
Blasko?

Leave her alone, please, Ellen
said. Have some decency. She happened to glance through the glass doors to
the street outside. Look, theres Superintendent McQuarrie. Hell give you a
statement.

The reporter hurried out with small
cries. Ellen turned to Donna, who was wringing her hands, and said gently, Donna,
can I help you?

Any news?

Not yet, but were hopeful.

I feel I should be doing something.

Youre doing more than enough,
spreading alarm about abductions and paedophile gangs.
Ellen took her to a quiet corner of
the canteen. They sipped the awful coffee. The best thing you can do is
maintain things at home, Donna. For your sake and your other daughters. And
Justins, she added. I understand why you wanted to come in for an update,
but we all need you to be strong, at home.

Its hard, Donna Blasko said.

* * * *

In
an office just along the corridor, van Alphen and Kellock were looking out at
Superintendent McQuarrie, who was standing on the forecourt of the police
station, talking to a reporter. A photographer was snapping away discreetly.
Kellock exchanged a wry grin with van Alphen and returned to his seat. Close
the door, Kellock said.

Van Alphen complied and sat too,
resting his heels on the edge of Kellocks desk, Destry got what it takes, you
reckon?

Kellock shrugged. Shes all right.
Covering all the bases. It was almost lunch time. They had a few minutes
before getting back to Katie Blasko. I saw Nick Jarrett in the street yesterday,
van Alphen said.

Kellock gazed at him bleakly. And?

The prick grinned at me.

They thought back to Jarrett in the
Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon, the crime that had put him there, the fact
that he was a killer and roaming free again. I wanted to wipe it off him, van
Alphen continued.

Kellock nodded. He and van Alphen
went back a long way. The Jarrett name cropped up last night. John Tankard ran
a plate number.

Van Alphen stared at him. The
Jarretts were out and about, committing burglaries.

Probably.

Lets get Tanks version.

* * * *

John
Tankard had almost fallen asleep over a pile of folders when Senior Sergeant
Kellock called him. He made his way downstairs to Kellocks office, the bad
feelings of last nights creepy encounter on the back roads still on his mind.
Kellocks door was wide open, Sergeant van Alphen sprawled in the office chair
across from him. Tank could tell from the way their faces shut down that they
were cooking up something.

Kellock spotted him. Come in, John.

Sir?

You were on duty last night?

Where was this going? Tank hadnt
made a formal report of his encounter with the Jarrett clan. He darted his gaze
from Kellock to van Alphen and back again. Sir.

Anything out of the usual happen?

Not really, sir.

They watched him, expressionless but
fully disbelieving and barely civil, a cops gaze. After a while, Kellock said,
The collators have been looking at a spate of recent burglaries.

Tank nodded. The civilian collators
charted chronologies, friendship networks, incident patterns. He knew where
this was going. Sir?

Van Alphen spoke for the first time.
Look, John, dont fuck us around, all right?

Tank went wobbly inside. Of course
his numberplate requests last night had been noted by Kellock and van Alphen. Sir,
the Jarretts.

Thats better, Kellock said. Where?

Tank told them. They werent doing
anything at the time.

Thats because theyd just done it,
said van Alphen, an aggravated burglary a couple of kilometres from where you
saw them.

Oh.

It was only a matter of time,
Kellock said. The occupant was home, and they beat the shit out of him, older
bloke, put him in hospital. He paused. Was Nick Jarrett among these guys you
encountered?

Yes, sir.

Van Alphen gave his sharkish smile. You
didnt log it in.

Sir, there was no crime being
committed and

Our collators depend on that kind
of intelligence gathering, John.

Sorry, sir, wont happen again.

There was a pause, and then
something happened, a silent communication between Kellock and van Alphen that
John Tankard couldnt decipher.

That will be all, constable, said
Kellock. Go home, put your feet up. Big day tomorrow.

* * * *

16

In
Mawsons Bluff, Hal Challis was feeling seriously housebound. At mid-afternoon,
his father said gently, Take yourself off for a walk, son.

But what if

What if I die?

Cut it out, Dad.

Vital signs are in good shape.
Heart, lungs, liver, bowels, bladder. Well, enough said about the bladder.

Challis had heard him at night,
slipper-shuffling to and from the bathroom. Several times.

If youre sure.

Im sure.

And so Challis walked around Mawsons
Bluff for a couple of hours. The town was laid out in a simple grid, with side
streets branching off the main street, which was part of the highway. It felt
good to get his legs and heart pumping. He was curious to see that no one was
about. There were clues to the presence of humanscars parked in driveways and
out in the streetbut everyone was inside, spending a dutiful Sunday with
relatives. Curtains were drawn over every window. Here and there a lawn
sprinkler hissed, a cat arched its back, a dog wandered out from a driveway.
Challis heard TV sport at a couple of the houses. The town was low, flattened,
almost asleep, and all along the drooping telephone and power lines were the
small-town birds, waiting.

He wandered into the grounds of the
primary school, crossing dry grass and red dirt, stopping long enough to try
the hip-hugging playground slide with an antic joy before continuing among the
gum and pepper trees, drawing in their scent. And then, pushing through a
cypress hedge behind the school, taking a short cut he remembered from his
childhood, he came to the towns sportsground: football oval, tennis courts,
lawn bowls rinks and a tiny enclosed swimming pool.

And there was his niece. Eve wasnt
doing anything, just watching four other teenagers as they hit a tennis ball on
one of the courts, a raucous game of doubles without a net. Like Eve, they wore
cargo pants, T-shirts and trainers. They called to him, Hi, Hal! He had no
idea who they were.

Eve spun around, startled. Hed last
seen her at his mothers funeral last year. Back then shed been wearing a
sombre dress, tall, slim and striking but utterly grief-stricken, her face raw
with it. He saw that an underlying sadness still lingered, even as she ran at
him like a delighted kid and hugged him fiercely.

Hi, gorgeous, he said.

She rested her jaw on his shoulder. Its
so good to see you, Uncle Hal.

Same here.

She let him go. Ive been meaning
to drop in. Hows Gramps?

Cranky.

She cocked her head, amused, but
also half serious. Hes never cranky with me.

Thats because youre perfect.

True.

They sat on a bench and watched her
friends play. The sun washed over them and Chains felt easy, some of his cares
evaporating.

Are you staying long?

As long as it takes, he said.

Eve sighed and edged closer to him.
He couldnt be a father to her, or even much of an uncle, but did she want
something like that from him? He scarcely knew her, and wondered if the things
he might say to her, or the very act of saying them, would perplex her. He put
his arm around her and they chatted inconsequentially. Mum really needed a
break, she said at one point. Thanks, Uncle Hal.

Well, he is my old man.

But not easy.

No. Challis reconsidered his
reply. Look, your grandfather was never mean to us, he never hit us, he was a
good father. Its just that he was.. .stern, inflexible.

Uh huh.

They were silent. Eve said, He didnt
like Dad much.

I know.

Challis guessed that so long as Eve
didnt know where her father was, or what hed done, or even if he was alive or
dead, she couldnt say a proper goodbye to him. The parents of Ellen Destrys
missing kid would be feeling that too, only more acutely. How could he broach
it with Eve, that hed been thinking of Gavin, been doing some digging? Maybe
Eve, like her mother, didnt want him to do that.

Eve sighed. I wish it was the end
of the year.

It seemed to Challis that her words
were loaded with meaning. On an immediate level she was saying that she should
be at home studying for her final exams, not mucking around with her friends,
even if it was a Sunday. She was also saying that her grandfathers decline was
bad timing;not that she was blaming him. And finally she was saying that the
future was huge and beckoning. What were her dreams? Why didnt he know? He
thought back to the culture of the high school and the town when he was
eighteen. It had been assumed by teachers, parents and the kids themselves that
you would marry each other and remain in the district. You didnt leaveor
certainly not to attend a university.

He found himself saying, What will
your friends do next year?

She was sitting so close to him that
she had to scoot away to gauge his face. She shrugged. Nursing. Teachers
college. Home on the farm.

You?

Not sure yet. Id love to travel,
just fly overseas and move around, stay in youth hostels and get waitressing
jobs for a while, you know?

She was wistful and it was
heartbreaking. Do it, Challis said fervently.

I dont know. I cant. What about
Mum, here all alone?

Do it!

Hed startled her. Yes, sir, she
said, snapping him a salute.

Youll come back refreshed, he
said, moderating his tone, trying to be a wise uncle or father. University
will be a breeze.

A white Toyota Land Cruiser with
police markings pulled up. A policeman got out, tall, heavyset and scowling in
a crisp tan uniform. A sergeant. Oh shit, said Eve, and one of the boys grew
wary and still.

What?

Its Sergeant Wurfel. Hes super
anal.

They watched Wurfel advance on the
boy. Whos your friend?

Mark Finucane.

A Finucane. Challis wanted to say, That
figures. Then the sergeant clasped the boy, who went rigid and shouted, Fucking
leave off.

Eve clutched Challis. Uncle Hal,
stop him.

Challis had to be careful. He
approached, gave his name but not his occupation or rank. May I ask whats
going on?

The sergeant gazed at him tiredly. No
offence, sir, but am I obliged to tell you?

Eve reached past Challis to put her
arm around the Finucane boy. Leave him alone. He hasnt done anything.

Wurfel blocked her. Settle down,
Eve, okay? We just need to speak to Mark about a couple of things.

Speak
to him? I know what that means.

Sergeant Wurfel grew very still. Eve,
if you get in my face, Ill take you down to the station, too.

Challis said quietly, Theres no
need for that.

Wurfel looked fed up, and stared at
all of them one by one. You want to know why I want to question him? Your
little pal took the hearse for a joyride last night, okay?

He paused, staring at Challis. You
think this is funny?

Challis straightened his face. One
night when he was sixteen he and a couple of others had stolen a ride in a
shire tip truck. Not at all. Eve, sweetheart, let the man do his job.

Yeah, well, its not fair.

Her temper was up, her colour high,
her eyes flashing, but then it evaporated. They all watched while Wurfel opened
the passenger door for Mark Finucane, who gave them a quick grin and a cocky
thumbs up.

Evo, said one of Eves friends, want
a game? Hal, a game?