‘Are you mad?’ Robinson looked genuinely concerned.

‘No.’

‘Okay. And you know this because . . .?’ Robinson asked.

‘I was told.’

‘Who told you?’

‘I can’t disclose that.’

‘Don’t talk rubbish, I’m your commanding officer, you tell me right now.’

Cardilini straightened his back. ‘Mr Masters.’

‘Masters, whose son hung himself?’

Robinson turned away from Cardilini and stood facing the window.

‘What will happen now?’ Cardilini asked.

‘Shut up. Let me think.’

‘Maybe if I go back to the school.’

Robinson turned. ‘Great plan. And who will you threaten this time? Did you threaten that boy in the toilet?’

‘No.’

‘But you threatened Carmody in front of witnesses?’

‘I warned him.’

‘Oh, wonderful. That makes a world of difference. What did the others think you were doing?’

Cardilini shook his head.

‘Were you alone with him?’ Robinson asked in disbelief.

‘Yep. I suppose.’

‘Oh boy. What happened, Cardilini?’ Robinson looked incredulous. ‘You were such a smart cop.’

Cardilini wondered also. ‘What should I do now?’

Robinson walked to his chair and sat. Cardilini watched his movements.

‘What?’ Cardilini asked as Robinson fingered a typed sheet of paper on his blotter. ‘Nothing has really changed, has it?’ Cardilini asked when Robinson failed to answer.

Robinson sat back and squarely addressed Cardilini. ‘St Nicholas decided it was time to examine the claims about Edmund. Some Melbourne coppers are going to interview the principal of his previous school.’

‘As if he’ll say anything. He’ll be covering his own arse. And his job.’

‘You don’t know that.’

Cardilini looked away and wiped his brow.

‘That’s happening right now. But . . .’ Robinson was pushing the sheet of paper away with one finger and drawing it towards him with the other. ‘. . . this is not the deputy commissioner’s idea, nor mine . . . but, the feeling is we can’t ask Braun to pursue one line of accusations while we’re ignoring another.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means both sets of accusations will be dealt with without bias.’

‘What sets?’

‘As in the ones against Edmund and the ones against you,’ Robinson finished and sighed.

Cardilini looked back confounded. ‘What? I’m now ranked with Edmund?’

‘The board didn’t know about this until last night. Half my bloody night was spent on the phone. The deputy commissioner and I have appeared to sweep the complaint against you under the carpet, so we’re told.’

‘Who can tell you two that?’

‘A number of people, a high justice for a start. The right powerful voice in the commissioner’s ear and it all gets very sticky, very quickly.’

‘“Sticky”. Oh, I can cope with “sticky”. And all this last night?’ Cardilini asked.

‘Yes. Something lit a bonfire under them yesterday. It wasn’t your visit. We got through that amicably.’

‘Great.’ Cardilini said but kicked himself for thinking he could bully Carmody. ‘So what does this mean for me?’