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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

As he walked past the fifth former’s bed, he wondered why he hated him so much. He never used to. He heard a hiss and turned. It was the sixth former calling to him. The sixth former was angry. The boy felt awful. He liked the sixth former, he’d told the fifth former to pull his head in once when the fifth former was picking on him.

‘Where the bloody hell have you been?’

‘Sorry. Toilet.’

‘A long time at the toilet, Harper,’ the sixth former whispered at him.

‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t do that again. I do prep in twelve PG. If you can’t sleep, you come there. Don’t wander off. You frightened the life out of me. Promise,’ the sixth former said.

The boy couldn’t make out the sixth former’s face, it was just a dark form sitting up in bed whispering at him. It made him fearful but he promised.

‘Now, go to bed.’ His feet started then his head followed. ‘Good boy, Harper,’ whispered past his ears.

Forty-One

FORTY-ONE

Day 19

East Perth Police Department

11.50 a.m. Thursday, 12th November 1965

Port Augusta to Perth was 1500 miles. Adelaide to Perth was 1800 miles. Between Ceduna and Eucla was 320 miles of dirt. Cardilini considered the possibility of driving it. Then he checked the time the train left Adelaide and arrived in Perth. It would have arrived in Perth the morning of the 26th, nearly 36 hours after leaving Adelaide. By car, either from Adelaide or Port Augusta, averaging 60 miles per hour, it was possible to arrive to Perth and make it to St Nicholas College with a few hours to spare.

Cardilini knew that Sheppard’s Chevrolet Impala would have the big block 409 cubic inch motor. A car that no vehicle in the traffic branch could chase down. Sheppard and Doney could have attended the Elders sale, greeted old friends, then late at night been on the road to Port Augusta or Adelaide, arriving hours before the train. Williamson could have easily joined them and then they’d have taken turns driving non-stop to Perth.

*

‘Why aren’t you out playing golf?’ Detective Spry asked Cardilini as he walked into the East Perth detective offices.

‘I don’t play golf.’

‘You’re suspended. You’ve got to have something to do.’

‘Nup.’ Cardilini proceeded to his desk.

‘When you were meant to be working you were always at the pub. Now you’ve got an excuse to be at the pub, you come in? You need your head read, Cardilini.’

Cardilini had compiled a list of service stations from Eucla to Perth. Balladonia, Norseman, Kalgoorlie, Yellowdine, Southern Cross, Merredin and Northam were towns they would have passed through. The Impala would have needed at least four petrol stops and Doney, Sheppard and Williamson would have needed to eat.