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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

‘My opinion is quite worthless, Detective Cardilini.’

‘You’re the most informed person in the state, besides the coroner,’ Cardilini corrected.

‘The coroner’s secretary?’ She said archly.

‘Okay, the coroner’s secretary then you. What do you think?’

‘The suicide rate of our young is alarming. Particularly in the country,’ she said looking directly at Cardilini.

‘Yes?’

‘There are three ways to view these files. One, the St Nicholas College community suffered two tragic accidents and one suicide in four years. Two, the St Nicholas College community is experiencing an exceptional cluster of suicides. Three, somewhere between one and two. However, all three are frightening and must be investigated. That’s my opinion.’

‘Thank you.’ Cardilini took a sip of his tea. ‘I’m a widower,’ he said and immediately wondered why he did.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Twelve months.’

‘Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. Children?’

‘Paul, eighteen.’

‘Eighteen?’

‘Yes,’ Cardilini replied, suddenly feeling guilty about the person he had been for twelve months.

‘My name’s Colleen.’

‘Robert. But call me Cardilini.’

‘So what’re you going to do now? You said previously the information would help you catch a murderer?’

‘Yes, I did. If you identified the person responsible for these boys taking their own lives, what would you do?’ Cardilini asked.

Colleen avoided his gaze and asked, ‘Do you believe one person is responsible?’

‘Yes.’

‘So you’re calling the person responsible a murderer?’ Colleen reasoned.

‘No.’

‘So what will you do about him?’

‘He’s dead, recently shot.’ Cardilini replied.

‘The death of the teacher at St Nicholas was accidental. I know.’ She leant forward and said in hushed tones. ‘It’s shortly to go to the coroner.’

‘That’s what everyone thinks,’ Cardilini said.

‘But not you?’

‘No.’

‘Is a parent responsible?’ She asked, frowning.

Cardilini shrugged. Colleen held him with questioning eyes.

‘What?’ He asked.

‘If a parent was guilty what would you do?’

Cardilini fingered his teacup without answering then rose from his chair as Colleen stood.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I shouldn’t have asked that. I hope I’ve been of some help though. Goodbye, Detective Sergeant Cardilini.’ She started to walk away but paused, her eyes softening. ‘I don’t envy your task.’

Cardilini mumbled a goodbye. He sat and sipped his cold, milky tea. His gaze fell to the lipstick on Colleen’s cup. I miss that, he thought.

Twenty-Nine

TWENTY-NINE

Day 10

Williams

6.50 a.m. Tuesday, 3rd November 1965

A fragile blue sky prepared for the hard heat of day.

Cardilini allowed two and a half hours to drive a distance of 100 miles to the south-west town of Williams. His plan was to stop at the Halfway House for breakfast, although food had lost its appeal since he had stopped drinking.