‘Beers?’ Haut offered. The bikies nodded, put down their weapons and accepted cans that Haut passed around.

‘We came to bump you off !’ Renolds said, astonished by his own words. ‘Would never have come if I’d known it was you. We were just told the target was a Mr Haut. Not the Reverend Al. We didn’t put two and two together, until now.’

‘It’s comforting you’re not mathematicians then,’ Haut said with a nervous chortle, before introducing the bikies to Cavalier as Dr Edwin Harris.

‘Who sent you?’ Haut asked. The four men glanced at each other.

‘No, let me guess,’ Haut said. ‘It wouldn’t have been someone protecting you and your drug business, would it?’

‘Aw, mate!’ Renolds replied. ‘We can’t let anyone know that.’

‘But how will you explain it to that bastard Neil Farquar?’

‘We’ll just tell him the truth,’ one of the gang blurted out. ‘You weren’t at home.’

‘You went to my place?’

‘We saw that there was no one at home and then came here.’ He sniggered. ‘And you weren’t here either.’

Haut delivered his gruff giggle and said, ‘Saved a lot of wasted bullets.’ The others laughed at his relaxed bravado. Cavalier remained on edge, however. He couldn’t quite believe what he had just seen. Four thugs hell-bent on killing turned into respectful worshippers inside a couple of minutes.

‘How much were you going to be paid?’

‘Enough.’

‘Enough for a very good night on the piss in Hobart with a bunch of sheilas!’ the biggest bikie drawled. The others guffawed.

‘No,’ Haut said with a forced laugh, ‘I guess you bastards are making enough from your bloody drug-manufacturing business not to worry about funds too much, eh?’

The bikies were stunned by the remark.

‘C’mon, boys,’ Haut said, ‘everyone knows about your wee commercial enterprise and how the cops protect you and they’re paid off by Farquar. That’s why bumping me off would be swept under the carpet, eh?’

Tension filled the air again.

‘Aw, c’mon, Rev, we don’t want to talk about that,’ Renolds said, his tone placatory.

Cavalier wondered if Haut’s comment might see them revert to their original goal.