Inheritance (37 page)

Tom paled, but answered calmly. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen any marijuana growing here. But there could be anything growing in that forest, there’s parts of it probably never even been explored.’

‘I think you know the place I’m talking about.’

‘Look, this isn’t my property, mate.’ He raised his voice now. ‘I’m only the manager. If there’s a problem, you better talk to the owner. She lives over in the big house. Go and talk to her.’

‘It’s you we want to talk to. We have it on good authority that you’ve been seen tending the plants and picking them. We believe you’ve also been selling them.’

‘On whose authority?’ he asked aggressively.

‘I’m afraid that’s confidential, sir. Now, please come with me.’

A wail came from behind Tom, and the Inspector saw Lorna standing there, twisting the ends of her apron together.

‘Oh,’ she moaned, ‘I knew no good’d come of this.’

‘Shut your face, woman,’ Tom snarled at her, turning.

‘Come along, sir. I don’t want to have to use the warrant I have and arrest you.’

‘You just keep your mouth shut. I’ll sort this out,’ Tom said before turning back. He said no more and went without further protest.

***

Cassie and Mark were at Yallandoo, sitting on the couch, holding hands and talking, when Rosie popped her head around the door.

‘Can I come in?’ she asked.

‘Of course, come on in,’ Cassie told her.

At that moment, Daniel appeared at the door behind her.

‘Hi, Daniel. Take a seat.’ Cassie gestured to the chairs, while Mark rose and shook hands with Daniel.

‘How are you, Daniel?’ he asked. ‘I haven’t seen you for a while. And how are you, Rosie?’

‘Pissed off, now you’ve asked. No one seems to know what’s happening. Do you, Cassie?’

‘No, I don’t. But Inspector Bates rang up, he’ll be out later. Hopefully to tell us what’s happening.’

‘I’ve just had the most astounding conversation with Mum. No, don’t go, Daniel.’ Rosie put out her hand to stop Daniel, who had risen at her words.

‘It’s probably not my business, I’ll leave you alone,’ he said, hesitating.

‘Sit down. I want you to hear, it concerns you.’

As Daniel resumed his seat, Rosie continued. ‘I heard that the police had taken Dad away and I rushed over to see her, to see what’s going on. When I got there, she was sitting staring at nothing, her face all swollen up from crying. She hardly seemed to notice me come in. When I asked her what it’s all about, she said “It’s all that woman’s fault.” I finally found she was talking about ‘that hoity-toity bitch Stella Hardwick,’ as she called her.’

Cassie frowned. ‘What on earth could Stella have to do with Tom?’

‘That’s what I asked her. And I finally I discovered, in between her bouts of hysterical crying, that Dad and Stella have apparently been involved in some sort of business deal that’s been going on for years, even before your uncle died.’

Cassie found it hard to believe what she was hearing. ‘But what sort of business could they possibly be doing together?’

‘That’s what I wanted to know, but she swore she didn’t know. But it was bringing in money. ‘A little bit on the side’ she called it. And…,’Rosie faltered, but then went on, ‘and something criminal, obviously.’

Mark took Cassie’s hand again and laced her fingers with his, and squeezed it gently. She returned his pressure before answering, glad he was with her. Then she shook her head. ‘I can’t believe that of Tom.’

Rosie bit her lip. ‘Neither could I, but…’ again she hesitated, obviously finding it difficult, ‘but what she said next absolutely floored me.’ She leant across then and touched Daniel on the arm, looking at him with concern on her face. ‘Sorry, Daniel.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But from what she said, Dad has been jealous of Daniel ever since your uncle sent him to Pastoral College. She said he became the ‘curly headed boy’ who knew everything, and after all their years here they were pushed aside, that he was getting everything while they got nothing. And she said you couldn’t blame Dad for wanting ‘his bit on the side’.’

Cassie was finding it difficult to comprehend what was happening. ‘But they were always such good friends, all four of them. I’ve never heard of any discontent. And certainly Tom’s never hinted at anything like that to me. Or Lorna.’ She thought of all the times she had spent with Lorna, always thinking of her as being almost part of the family. Her throat tightened. ‘Did Lorna take part in whatever it was?’

‘She says it had nothing to do with her. Says she doesn’t know what it’s about, just that she knew there was some business between them.’

Cassie sighed, trying to think of some reasonable explanation. ‘Perhaps it’s all just a big mistake.’

Mark pressed her hand again. ‘Time will tell. I’m sure we’ll find out before too long.’

Cassie sighed again. ‘Where’s Lorna now?’ she asked Rosie.

‘She’s gone to bed.’

‘It’s probably the best place for her. Let’s hope we hear from Inspector Bates soon.’

Stella stopped dead in her tracks when she passed an open door in the police station and saw Tom sitting inside the room. Surprise registered on his face as he saw her, but he made no attempt to speak.

Inspector Bates stopped with her. ‘Like a word with Tom, would you?’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she snapped.

‘Well, he’s an old friend of yours, isn’t he?’

Stella ignored him and continued walking. He guided her into a small room and she sat on the chair he indicated while he took a seat opposite her, behind the desk.

‘Now, Stella, I asked you to come in today for another little chat in light of some new facts that have come to our attention. It seems Ben and you weren’t the only ones involved in stealing the paintings. It was Tom who left the door open, wasn’t it? In fact, I’m wondering if Ben was involved at all. Maybe it was you who went out, after Tom told you they were all going to be away for the weekend, and took the paintings yourself. There wasn’t much risk involved, was there, when you knew the door would be unlocked?’

‘I did not steal those paintings. I told you Ben brought them to me to sell. I didn’t know they were stolen.’

‘So your friend Tom had nothing to do with it?’

‘I don’t know who you mean.’ She maintained the same detached demeanour she had shown throughout.

‘Your accomplice, Tom Hanson, who you were so surprised to see a moment ago.’

‘I still don’t know who you mean.’

‘Come on, now. Have you forgotten we know you had more than a dozen phone conversations with him in those days when Ben was missing? Maybe you both got together and planned Ben’s death, for all I know. Perhaps it was a case of thieves falling out.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Is it? Perhaps, perhaps not. Let’s leave that for a moment. I’m sure you’ll be interested to know that Tom has been charged with cultivating and selling marijuana. He saw it was in his interest to pass on certain information to us.’

Stella’s breathing quickened, but her face remained impassive.

‘You sent buyers to him, didn’t you?’ When she made no reply, he continued. ‘Yes, must’ve been a profitable business for you both. You had the contacts. And he had a large plantation in the rainforest on Yallandoo. It all comes back to Yallandoo, doesn’t it?’ He looked up as a constable opened the door. ‘Yes?’

‘Can I see you for a moment, sir?’

‘Excuse me,’ the inspector said to Stella and walked into the passage, closing the door behind him.

‘Mr James asked me to tell you the other one’s ready to talk. Apparently seeing her,’ the constable jerked his head at the door, ‘completely shattered him.’

Satisfaction surged through Inspector Bates. Perhaps they were going to get to the bottom of it now. ‘Good. Let’s go.’

When he entered the room, he saw a changed man. Tom was leaning forward in his chair, his hands dangling between his legs. The fight seemed to have left him.

‘I believe you want to have a talk with me,’ the inspector said to him.

Tom lifted his head. ‘Yes.’

‘Just a moment, then.’

After motioning his colleague to stay, he pressed the record button on a tape recorder sitting on the desk and spoke into it. ‘This is a recording of an interview with Tom Hanson on the tenth of February, commenced at,’ he looked at his watch, ‘two forty six p.m.’ Then he pulled a chair around to face Tom and sat down opposite him. ‘Right, Tom, now, what do you want to tell me?’

‘Well, I suppose that bitch’s told you everything, but I bet she twisted it all around.’

‘Why don’t you tell me your side of it, then?’

‘I wouldn’t rightly know where to start,’ Tom mumbled.

‘Well, let’s go back a bit. How long have you known Stella Hardwick?’

‘About four years, I suppose.’

‘How did you meet her?’

‘I went into her gallery. I was looking for a birthday present for the wife. She was very pleasant, in that la-de-da-way of hers, and went to a lot of trouble to help me find a present. We got talking, you know how it is. She was interested when she knew I was manager of Yallandoo, seemed to have heard of it, wanted to know all about it. Seemed especially interested in the rainforest.’ He sat up straighter now.

‘Go on.’

‘Next time I was in Cairns, I called in, just to say hello, ’cause she’d been so nice to me, and to tell her the wife liked the present. She asked me into her office and she gave me a beer and we had a bit of a natter. And then she told me how she liked to have a smoke sometimes, but how hard it was to find somewhere safe to grow a couple of plants. She wondered if there was somewhere, deep in the forest, where it could be done. Sure, I told her. It was a jungle in there in parts, so thick no one ever went there. So then she asked me if I’d do it for her, just a couple of plants, she’d pay me for it. So I thought why not? It wouldn’t hurt anyone.’

‘So that’s how it started. Then what?’

‘A bit of time went by and then she told me she had some friends who liked a smoke too, and they’d be willing to pay a good price for it. So I put in some more plants, it was a piece of cake. They grew like wildfire in there and there was never any chance of them being found. No one ever went near the really thick parts.’

‘You weren’t concerned Len might find out?’

‘No. He was too interested in his bloody breeding programme to worry about the other parts of the station. And I felt I was entitled to make a bit on the side.’ He paused and his eyes narrowed, his face taking on a malevolent twist. ‘All those years I worked for him and what did I ever get, bar wages and a bit of a bonus at Christmas? Nothing. Can you believe that? Nothing!’
He spat the last words out, his voice rising. All the lethargy gone now, he thumped his fist on the desk.

‘When you work for someone for twenty years, you expect to be put first, don’t you? But not with him, oh, no! As Daniel grew up, it was all for him; Daniel could do this, Daniel could do that. Always licking Len’s arse, he was, the smarmy little boong. Used to borrow his precious magazines and read them, then they’d talk about the articles together. Oh, yes, Daniel was so clever, he needed a chance to show what he could do, didn’t he? So
he
got sent to Pastoral College, didn’t he? And when he finished, he and Len were always working something out together, just the two of them, the ungrateful pricks. I got left on the outer, didn’t I?’ His face had gone brick red, his eyes stared wildly and his lips were flecked with spittle. He looked like he might have a stroke any minute.

The inspector flashed his colleague a meaningful glance, and when he spoke it was in a soft, calming voice.

‘So what you made on the side was no more than what you felt you were entitled to, is that right, Tom?’

‘Yeah. Too bloody right!’

‘Would you like a cup of tea, Tom?’ he asked him. ‘I must say I’m a bit thirsty myself.’

Tom shuddered and drew a deep breath, pulling himself together. ‘Yeah, that’d be good, ta.’

The inspector nodded and his colleague stepped outside and called an order, then returned and closed the door again.

Tom still breathed heavily but he was calmer now, his fury spent.

‘Now, how did you work things with Stella then?’

‘She used to let me know when she wanted a parcel and I’d pick the stuff and get it ready. Then she’d send a bloke on a motorbike over, late at night, to pick up it up.’

‘And he paid you then?’

‘Yeah, he always had an envelope with the cash in it.’

‘What else did you go into with Stella?’

‘She started talking to me about aboriginal art and artefacts. Said there was good money in it. She’d heard about Len’s collection and said if I could persuade him to sell any of it, she’d pay me a commission. I sounded Len out but he wasn’t interested in selling. Said it’d all been in his family for years and he’d never part with it. Part of Yallandoo’s heritage, he said. All right for him, he didn’t need the money. There are things on that property that are worth millions, believe me, but he wouldn’t ever do anything about them. A sacred trust, he said.’

‘What sort of things would that be?’

Tom licked his lips and a crafty look came over his face for a few seconds. Then it was gone and he lowered his eyes and examined his hands carefully.

Tom shrugged his shoulders. ‘Oh, nothing specific, just things in general, you know.’ He waved his hands about vaguely.

‘Then, of course, Len and his wife were killed.’

‘Yes.’ Tom sounded relieved at the change of topic. ‘Yes, terrible that, but we’ve all got to go sometime.’

‘So how did you feel about having Len’s niece take over?’

‘The bastard. After all I’d done for him, I was sure he’d leave me a share of Yallandoo. But no, nothing. Left me a bit of money, a pittance, but that’s all. Left it all to his niece, can you believe that? A chit of a girl who didn’t know shit from sugar!’

‘So you weren’t happy to have her as a boss?’

‘Oh, Cassie’s a good enough kid. Didn’t think I’d have much trouble with her. She didn’t know anything about running cattle. Grateful to me for staying on, she was. She’d be guided by me, no risk. But then she got this damn fool idea about tourism, putting cabins in the rainforest.’