by John Kelly
At 11am, the next morning, Brad and Jenny Murphy's Boeing 737 touched down at Tullamarine airport in Melbourne. They felt a warm, balmy breeze, as they made their way out from the baggage collection area to the taxi rank. Cabs were in good supply with an army of weekend and part-time drivers keenly waiting for the big fare. That morning Robert Steedman was on duty, driving Julian's car. He had heard nothing from Warwick concerning his ultimatum about Jill Toogoods, which expired the previous day. His mind was confused. He began to realize that it was one thing to make demands with a specified time limit, but when that time limit expired, what happened then? He drove his cab slowly toward the queue waiting at the terminal entrance. As each cab driver took the next passenger in line, under the watchful eyes of the taxi rank supervisor, Robert edged his car forward until he was the next in line. Then, as the supervisor waved him up, he jumped out of the car and assisted a man and a woman, with their luggage. "Thank you," Brad said, as Robert opened the boot of the car. "Where to?" Robert asked.
"Templestowe," Brad replied. "The Winston Motel."
Robert's heart jumped with joy. 'Forty dollars plus. Terrific!' he thought. Brad assisted Jenny into the back seat and climbed in alongside her. "It looks like it'll be a great day," Brad said.
"Where did you come from?" Robert asked.
"Brisbane," Jenny replied.
The car pulled out from the kerb and followed the convoy of taxis below the elevated roadway leading onto the freeway. 'Welcome to Victoria' the advertising sign read. Brad felt good about coming to Melbourne. He would bring the matter of finding Mary Therese to a head, perhaps even its conclusion. It troubled him deeply that Warwick Steedman might not have been completely honest with him. It was important therefore to clear the air, and clarify the whole situation. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" Robert asked. Brad was surprised at first, but remembered that he once read the news on Brisbane's evening television service, and that some of the stories he reported on, would have been shown nationally. "You might have seen me on television now and then. I used to anchor the news in Brisbane," he answered. "Yeah, that's it. I thought I'd seen you before," Robert said. Brad smiled hoping that was the end of Robert's interest in him. "I need to make a call on my mobile phone," he said. "Is that okay?" Robert nodded. "Fine by me," he answered.
Brad pulled out his mobile phone and dialled Warwick's number. A woman answered. "Susan, it's Brad Murphy calling. How are you?" Amused and attracted to the idea that mobile phone conversations in taxis might reveal some interesting gossip, Robert pricked up his ears. "Yes, Jenny and I are in Melbourne for the weekend," Brad continued. "I wanted to catch up with Warwick if I could. Is he home?"
Robert felt a jolt in the brain. 'Susan? Warwick?' He quickly tuned into the conversation. "Yes we are staying at the Winston motel," Brad continued. "We are in a cab. We should be there in about forty minutes," Robert thought the coincidence quite extraordinary, but was ready to dismiss it, until Brad said, "Okay, what about lunch? Yes, fine, what's your address?" There was a pause as Brad reached for a pen and paper. " 25 Travis Court," okay, give us a half hour or so to freshen up and we'll be over there for lunch. Jenny says hello, see you soon," Brad said, and finished the call. "Okay," he said to Jenny, "we have a lunch date. This could not have worked out better." Jenny pondered a moment. Robert was bowled over. But for the fact that he was in the driver's seat and his two passengers were in the back, he would have struggled to hide his astonishment. 'That's my brother's address. He was just speaking to my sister- in -law for Christ's sake. Who is this guy?'
Jenny broke the brief silence. "How are you planning to handle this?" she asked Brad. "I think I'll leave it until after lunch, unless he asks about it first. He must be keen to know what I have learned, so he might raise the subject early, but whatever happens, when the conversation starts heading in that direction, perhaps you could distract Susan and allow Warwick and I to talk in private," he said. Jenny nodded. "Okay, I'll try, but what are you going to say to him?" she asked. Robert strained to listen in as a noisy petrol tanker drove past. "I thought I'd begin by asking if everything else was going all right I suppose. Actually, I don't really know. I'm not used to confronting people. It's not something I do well, but if he's been dishonest with me, I'll have to challenge him somehow," Brad answered. "Well," Jenny began, "perhaps you could say that you were doing a live broadcast in Cairns and decided to ask if anyone knew the whereabouts of James and Irene Campbell, and start off that way." Brad went silent for a moment as he pondered Jenny's suggested introduction. Robert was now straining to hear the conversation so hard, his neck was hurting.
"Yes," Brad replied. "Then I could say that a lady by the name of Rosie Fitzgibbon telephoned the studio, and watch for his reaction. If he gives himself away and looks surprised or shocked, I'll know I'm on the right wave length." Jenny nodded in agreement. "Then, you could ask him if that name meant anything to him, or if he had ever met her," she added. "What if he says no?" Brad asked. "Then ask him if the name Julie Macleod means anything to him," Jenny said. Brad thought for a moment. "If he says no to that, do I then give him both barrels and tell him he has lied to me? Do I say that I have evidence that suggests he has known where Mary Therese is all along, that he sent me on a wild goose chase? Do I then ask him why he is trying to cheat his family out of their inheritance?" Robert went rigid. 'I don't believe it. The bastard! I always knew there was something fishy about him. The bastard!'
Jenny took Brad's hand in hers. "The most important thing is that you maintain your composure," she said. "Whatever he is up to, it's a matter for him and his family. We can't interfere. But it's important that he knows what you have discovered, and I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell him that you don't believe his story about finding Mary Therese, because you have evidence that indicates she is in Sydney living with her father. Beyond that, you could say you are washing your hands of the matter," she said.
The lights ahead turned red, and Robert slowed down to a stop. He quickly grabbed a pen and notebook and scribbled down the names, Julie Macleod, Rosie Fitzgibbon. He wrote Cairns with a question mark, and 'Mary Therese in Sydney'. 'How lucky can I be? He thought. 'I knew he was up to something. Mother will want to know about this. She'll rip into him.'
The conversation between the Murphys went quiet, and for the remainder of the journey, Robert's head was spinning with delight. 'Finally,' he thought, 'I've got the bastard. Let's see him get out of this. He's finished. He can run off with his mistress and leave us all in peace,' he thought. As the Winston Motel came into view, Robert slowed down and put on his indicators. "Here we are, hope you have a good weekend," Brad nodded and took out his wallet. "We will only be here a half hour or so. If you want to come back then, we want to go to Travis Court," he said.
"Er, I'm not sure where I'll be then," Robert replied. "Perhaps you could ask the receptionist to call a cab for you," he suggested. "Okay, thank you," Brad said, and looking at the meter which showed forty-five dollars, he said, "Make it an even fifty, and give me a receipt if you would." Robert nodded. "Sure." 'The day just keeps getting better,' he thought as he completed the credit card transaction.
37.
