Chapters (61)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Acknowledgements
- About the author
‘You’re a bad influence, Darnley. I will expel you if I get half an opportunity. I think you’re a thug. I think no good will come of you,’ Braun said.
‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,’ Darnley replied.
‘Ridiculous. Out you go, both of you,’ Braun commanded.
Darnley and the boy walked from the principal’s office.
When they were outside, Darnley asked. ‘Hey, how come you didn’t get into trouble for belting Binder?’
The boy shrugged.
‘Ridiculous,’ Darnley said, imitating Braun and walked off.
The boy smiled. He’d started a brew of ginger beer with Brain-Box yesterday and knew where the ginger beer gang would be hanging out. He ran from the principal’s alcove.
‘Stop running, boy!’ was yelled. He stopped then did his fast walking; he knew he was really fast at walking.
Fifty-Six
FIFTY-SIX
It was 11 p.m. several days after he and Paul had driven back from Leggett’s house. Cardilini had heard nothing from the department. He drove his car into the airport car park. He knew he was taking a risk but wanted to speak to Williamson before he left for Sydney and Vietnam.
An easterly had blown all day, the hot air swept along the bitumen whipping at his trouser legs and fanning the heat onto his face. His cigarette glowed brightly with each gust of wind. Taxi drivers and passengers moved with lassitude as if the heat had a weight of its own.
Cardilini pushed through the doors and was immediately hit by cool air, he marvelled at it. Inside, the people moved normally. Passengers and well-wishers were surrounded by a sense of the surreal. Interstate travel by air was an adventure. He remembered the flight to Sydney he, Betty and Paul had taken – the anticipation, the wonder, the anxiety. The hostesses appeared as Hollywood actresses, beautifully made up, gracious and unreasonably generous. They said they would go again the following year. He couldn’t remember why they hadn’t.
He looked for the black swans as he walked to the stairs up to the bar. They were huddled to the left of their enclosure and he wondered if they also had the benefits of the air conditioning.
Most drinkers sat in an orderly and composed manner. The soldiers and their visitors were rowdily gathered towards the glass overlooking the runways. He saw Williamson in the thick of the gathering, smiling, yelling, and backslapping. He walked in his direction.
Williamson caught sight of Cardilini and shook his head in disbelief. Cardilini gestured with his head towards the bar, where he went and ordered a lemon lime and bitters.
Williamson clapped his pint glass onto the counter beside Cardilini and asked, ‘You come to wish me well?’
‘Yep. I do wish you well and was hoping you would tell me what happened the night Edmund was shot.’
Williamson shook his head from side to side again in disbelief. ‘We had this conversation.’
‘You didn’t tell me.’