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Back Man at the Window Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Acknowledgements
  61. About the author

Cardilini pushed himself into a sitting position. His head spun, he tried to steady it by placing his hands to his face. It didn’t help. Sheppard was pulling at his shoulder.

‘Stand up man. You’ll feel better.’ With Sheppard’s help, Cardilini got to his feet. He tried turning his head slightly to ease the throbbing. ‘You went down like a sack of spuds. I thought you coppers were supposed to be tough,’ Sheppard admonished. ‘Come on inside we’ll say you had a turn and get some ice on your face.’ He was smiling, ‘You can have a crack at me later when you’re feeling better if you like. Can you walk?’

Cardilini pushed Sheppard away and stood alone swaying for a moment. ‘It’s against the law to hit a policeman.’

‘I don’t remember being told that.’

‘Well, I’m telling you now.’

‘Okay. Noted. Can you walk?’

‘Of course, I can bloody walk. You got me off guard that’s all.’

Thirty-Eight

THIRTY-EIGHT

Day 17

Ashfield

9.40 p.m. Tuesday, 10th November 1965

Cardilini refused ice and sat with a cup of tea on his lap. Father O’Reilly sat talking on one side and Mrs Masters sat on the other.

‘I now understand that other boys are at risk,’ Father O’Reilly said. Cardilini squinted and moved his tongue along his teeth. They seemed in place. ‘Dr Braun hasn’t the power to act on his own,’ the Father continued.

The scene before him played like a scratchy movie. Mrs Lockheed, flanked by Mrs Doney, prodded Sheppard with her finger. Doney watched on wide-eyed.

‘We would only keep you another hour.’ Mrs Masters said.

Cardilini gently fingered his jaw and nodded, agreeing to follow Father O’Reilly and Mrs Masters to the Masters’ house.

*

As he followed the tail-lights he slowly opened his jaw a few times. It wasn’t broken. He thanked a distant God.

Peppermint Grove

10.00 p.m. Tuesday, 10th November 1965

The Masters lived in the exclusive and expensive Peppermint Grove, a leafy western suburb. Cardilini parked on a verge while Father O’Reilly and Mrs Masters pulled into the tree-lined driveway of a two-storey stone home. Conical, slate-roofed turrets with slotted windows protruded from the two front corners of the house. A man’s home is his castle, Cardilini thought. He ran his eyes over the grand edifice, acutely aware of the lush lawn with an extensive bordering of trim flowering rosebushes.

‘Who does the gardening?’ Cardilini asked when he caught up with Mrs Masters.

‘Wilson,’ Mrs Masters replied.

‘Does a good job.’

‘Thank you, I’ll tell him.’

Mrs Masters opened one side of the double-front door. It was unlocked.

‘Better to lock up at night.’

‘My husband’s home.’

‘Still . . .’