Coffee all round. Penny went to work at the computer. Max and I huddled in a corner. I told him about the phone call from Claudia Vardon.
Shes the key to the whole thing, Max.
Hold on, hold on. We could be getting our wires crossed here. The whole thing, for me, is the suppression of evidence, the corruption of police officers, the cover-up of a major crime. Plus
The murder of Ramona Beckett.
Exactly. Weve got a handle on the first parts of it, with or without your mystery lady.
Not much of a one as things stand. A tape of some women talking dirty.
Dont mumble. Youre giving yourself away. What was that you said?
All weve got is a tape of some women talking in a brothel.
Wrong. I taped Sligo. I meant to tell you that. You heard what he said. It was virtually a deathbed testimony. Thats pretty powerful stuff. Youre getting sidetracked by this woman. Women can do that better than men.
I couldnt help trying to steer him in the direction Penny had pointed. Is that right, Max? Youd know, would you?
He didnt bite. Save the irony. Cavendish is the target.
Against every logical instinct I wanted to play it the way Claudia outlined. She, this Claudia Vardon woman, knows more about all this than we know.
Jesus, youre obsessed. OK, so what do you want to do?
Hows this? You and Penny find out everything you can about Sean Beckett. When we tackle him were going to need some ammunition unless he just goes to pieces. Thats a days work. Claudia rings tonight. If nothing comes of that we go up against the lot of them with whatever weve got.
What will you be doing?
Ill do the same on Cavendish. Ive got a few mates in the legal game. Ill look in on Leo Grogan if thats possible.
It feels like marking time.
Make some copies of the tapes. Check on the bank accounts. Check on whether anythings turned up on the Barry White hit. Since we dont think theres anyone here keeping an eye on us, you can do that. Come on, Max, youre a copper. You know the drill. Background, mate, background.
Max looked over to where Penny was working and from the expression on his face I got the feeling that shed read him exactly right. His lean face softened and there was something wistful in the tilt of his head. Or was I imagining it? She sat very straight in the wheelchair. Her thick dark hair was brushed back, revealing small, delicate ears and a shapely neck. Maybe Max was a neck man.
He nodded. All right.
I cupped my ear. Speak up!
Max laughed. You bastard.
Penny looked across and smiled. I gave her a thumbs up and left them to it.
Leo Grogan had been transferred to a private hospital in Marrickville. Against the odds, and to the surprise of the medicos, hed survived the crisis and was on the way to at least a partial recovery. There was some doubt as to whether hed gain the full use of his left side but, as Leo drank with his right arm, I doubted that this would worry him too much. I got this information from an obliging nurse at the hospital where I represented myself as a relative.
Poor Mr Grogan hasnt had any visitors, the nurse said. Hell be glad to see you.
Im sure he will. I meant it. I had a half bottle of Johnny Walker red in my pocket. I dont like hospitals. People die in them and have bits removed, so I went as quickly as I could through to the ward which Leo shared with two other men. He was sitting up watching television. His head was bandaged and there were a couple of tubes running into his left upper arm.
Uncle Leo, my favourite uncle, I said. Howre you getting along?
What the fuckre you doing here, Hardy?
Is that any way to greet your one and only visitor? I pulled the curtain half around, shielding us off from the other two patients, both of whom had their televisions going. Leo looked alarmed until I produced the bottle. He nodded vigorously and pointed to the tray carrying a water carafe and two glasses. I switched off the TV, poured two solid shots, added water and put the whisky in the top drawer of his bedside table under a pair of pyjamas.
Leo put half of his drink down in a gulp. Youre a lifesaver. Now what the fuck do you want?
Same old Leo. Oh, not much. Just keeping you up to date on the investigation that might still pay off big for us.
Its us now is it? Thats all bullshit, Hardy.
Maybe. Did you know Barry White was dead?
Leo finished his drink and reached for the drawer. I held it shut. He rolled his eyes. I mightve known. Yeah, I heard about Barry. I guess Rinso finally got him, eh?
Rinso?
Give us another drink and Ill tell you about it. Truth is I was never too happy about spending time with Barry like Id been doing lately in case Rinso turned up.
I was all at sea and another violation of hospital rules seemed the only way to enlightenment. I made Grogan another drink and sipped my own while he told me about the long-running feud between Freddy Rinso Persil and Barry White. Apparently White had got Persils daughter hooked on heroin, had supplied her and used her and sold her the junk that had killed her. Persil was in gaol at the time, but hed sworn to kill White. According to Grogan, he was released three days before White was shot. I tried to think back to Whites panicked phone call. Id assumed then that what was alarming him had to do with the Beckett case, but that was just an assumption.
Whats the matter, Hardy, Grogan mocked. Some sweet theory gone out the fucking window?
Maybe. What about you, Leo. Who gave you the heave-ho?
He laughed. Nobody. I was pissed and I fell down the fucking steps. Lucky Ive got this good hospital insurance. Part of my package. They reckon I might be partly paralysed but thats bullshit. Between you and me, Im faking it a bit sos theyll keep on their toes.
His second drink was gone and he was looking at the drawer again. I was having mixed feelings. If all this was true, then Claudia was off the hook as an actual and would-be killer. But could Grogan be trusted? Then something hed said came back to me.
Leo, you said youd been spending time with Barry White lately. I only heard about two meetingssounds like there was a few more.
Youre a prize prick, Hardy, but youre not dumb. Yeah, there was another meeting. Give me another drink and Ill tell you about it. Make it quick, theyll be coming around to feed us some fucking slop soon.
I gave Leo a weaker drink and showed him what was left in the bottle before putting it back in the drawer. He nodded and took a more judicious sip.
This woman came to see me. What she didnt know about the fucking Beckett case wasnt worth knowing. She knew Id been on the team and she asked me if I knew anything, anything at all, that was off about the investigation. Well, I hadnt thought about it for years, but I remembered that scene between Johnno and Peg, just like I told it to you.
For the second time, I said.
Leo swigged his drink. He was feeling pleased with himself now. For the fucking third time. We get together again and this time shes got Barry White along. I go through it again. Then she sets up the meeting with you and Barry and I have to act it out the way Barry told you it happened.
I never knew coppers were such good actors.
Are you kidding? You have to be, the fucking bullshit you have to say in court and write down and tell the brass, not to mention the crims, gets you that way. Anyway, thats it. I asked for a monkey and I got it. She and Barry set you up to do whatever you fucking did. And you still havent told me what that was.
You say she knew everything about the case. What do you mean?
I mean every fucking thing. All about the girl who went missing, the family, the lot. It seemed to me she wasnt even surprised when I told her about the note and that. It was as if she already knew about it.
So, do you think she was a secretary to the old man, or the mother, or worked for the lawyer, or something like that?
Be buggered, Leo said. I reckon she was one of the kidnappers, or knew them, and shed come up with a way to have a go at the reward money.
Took her a long time.
Leo shrugged. Playing safe. Maybe something changed in the set-up. Maybe shed finally decided it was time to dob someone in.
Yeah, maybe.
Theyre late with the fucking lunch.
I thought you said it was slop.
It is, but it breaks up the day. He raised his almost empty glass. Itll go down a bit better with this inside me.
Watch out they dont smell your breath. I took a deep breath myself and asked the question Id been holding back. What did she look like, Leo, this woman.
Fucking good-looker, Hardy. Too good for you.
Be specific
Leo shrugged and his flabby jowls bounced.
Tallish, great figure, good tits and arse, everything. She wore big dark glasses and that sort of makes it hard to describe her face.
Hair?
Dark. Funny thing was, I kept feeling that Id met her before.