‘Yes, I’m still here,’ she said. ‘He said he wanted to see you. But he took the knife, Danny, and he went outside. I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself.’
‘That can’t be helped,’ said Arbor. ‘At least not until we get there. It’s you we’ve got to worry about. Lock the doors. We’ll be there in a few minutes.’
‘You be careful, too.’
‘Always. Nathan, get Matt Todd on your phone for me, will you?’
Nathan pressed the number and listened.
‘It’s ringing,’ he said.
‘Hit speaker,’ said Arbor. He passed Nathan the other phone.
‘Listen for Jen,’ he said.
‘Yeah, Nathan. What’s up?’ came Todd’s voice.
‘No, Matt. It’s Danny. Danny Arbor.’
‘Yeah, what’s up, Danny?’ said Todd. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘You tell me, Matt,’ said Arbor. ‘Tony Short is out at Jenny’s place waving a knife and creating merry hell. What did you tell him?’
‘I … I just told him you’d identified him in that photo,’ said Todd. ‘And that you were looking for him.’
‘Shit, Matt. I fucking asked you not to,’ said Arbor.
‘But he’s a mate, Danny,’ said Todd. ‘I couldn’t keep him in the dark.’
‘Yes, you could, Matt,’ said Arbor. ‘I laid it down in black and white. I would have caught up with him. All in good time, I would have … Now it’s all gone pear-shaped. If you’ve gone and put Jenny and Amira’s lives in danger …’
‘He wouldn’t hurt Jenny,’ said Todd. ‘Nor Amira, for that matter.’
‘Wouldn’t he? If he’s chopped Butch Paterson to bits, which is what we’re all thinking, then he might be capable of anything.’
‘Where are you?’ said Todd. ‘Do you need any help?’
Arbor thought about it. As unreliable as they were, he could use the experience of O’Reilly, Burke and Cole.
‘Look, I haven’t time to mess around,’ he said. ‘Go to the station and the pub and round up the sergeant and the detectives. Tell them to meet us at Jenny’s place.’
‘Yeah, will do,’ said Todd.
Arbor hung up. It was just as likely, he thought, that Todd would turn up with a dozen Blue Tongues. He took his own phone back from Nathan.
‘Jen,’ he said. ‘We’re just at the turn off. We’ll be there in two minutes.’
‘I don’t know where he is, Danny,’ she said. ‘I haven’t heard him for a while. And I can’t see him anywhere.’
Arbor resisted the need to slow down as he hit the mud. He let the wagon slide all the way to the house. Tony’s ute was parked in front. A light came on and Jenny and Amira emerged from under the verandah. Arbor and Nathan alighted.
‘It’s so bloody dark out here, we’ll never find him,’ said Arbor. ‘Are you two okay?’
‘Yeah, we’re fine,’ said Jenny. ‘I don’t think he would have hurt us, Danny. Himself, maybe. But he said he just wanted to talk.’
‘It’s a bit late for that now,’ said Arbor. ‘I’ve called for reinforcements. O’Reilly and the Ds are on their way.’
‘How did it get this far, Danny?’ said Jenny.
‘I don’t know,’ said Arbor. ‘I reckon only Tony has the answers.’
He looked out into the darkness. The rain lashed sideways, hurting their faces.
‘He’s picked the right night for it,’ said Nathan.
‘Tony!’ Arbor shouted.
All that came back was the wind and the rain.
‘I’ll go look for him,’ he said. ‘It’s probably best if I find him before the big guns arrive.’
‘You be careful, Danny,’ said Jenny.
‘Yeah, be careful,’ said Nathan. ‘I mean, if the bloke’s got a knife …’
‘I’ve got a stab vest in the wagon,’ said Arbor.
He went to retrieve it.
‘It’s probably best you all stay in the house,’ he said.
‘We’ll be fine, Danny,’ said Nathan. ‘Don’t worry about us.’
Arbor decided he would circle the house before heading back down the track towards the road. His torch was strong enough to stun a roo at a hundred metres. If Tony was out there, he would find him.
It took him twenty minutes and two laps of the house, but he eventually found Tony, at the edge of the Melton Creek Bridge. Tony was finding it hard to keep his balance. The road was spilling into the creek again and the creek was rushing in full flood beneath them. Tony had one foot on the guard rail, a bright yellow signpost his only support.
‘Don’t come any closer,’ he said.
The knife, it seemed, had gone. The only danger now was a wet one.
What should I do, Arbor asked himself. Get him talking? Get him to relax? But how?
‘You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you, Tony?’ he said. ‘I’d hate to see you hurt yourself. Why don’t you come down from there?’
Tony Short seemed to ignore him. Balancing on the rail, he spread his arms like a bird in flight. Jesus, thought Arbor. He’s asking for it.
‘Tony. Tony,’ he said. ‘Do you hear me?’
‘Yeah, I hear you, Danny,’ said Short.
‘Do you want to tell me what’s going on, mate?’ said Arbor. ‘You gave the girls in there a real fright.’
‘Yeah, I’m sorry about that, Danny,’ said Short. ‘I didn’t mean to. But that other thing. Paterson. I had to do it. I thought I could go along with just scaring him, but when push came to shove, I just had to do it.’
‘Yeah, I understand, Tony,’ said Arbor. But he didn’t. He was making it up as he went along.
‘It must have been rough,’ he continued. ‘The things he did to you.’
‘Rough? Rough? You’ve no idea,’ said Short. ‘The man was fucking evil. The things he did. And he kept it going, you know? Long after he got bored with the others. And it didn’t get better. It just got worse.’
‘Emmy,’ Short continued. ‘Emmy. My missus. The love of my … She found out about what he did. She wouldn’t touch me after that … And our Luke. He so much wanted to play footy, Danny. He would have been a great little rover. But there was no way Emmy would let him. Not after she found out. So she took Luke and Sal and moved back to the city. But I couldn’t leave the farm, Danny. I couldn’t leave the farm.’
Arbor heard noises. They were coming from behind him. It was Jenny, Nathan and Amira.
‘I told you guys to stay in the house,’ he said. ‘Whatever you do, stay back.’
Extending an arm as a clear sign to them, he inched a little closer to Short. He couldn’t tell if they were tears on the man’s face or rain.
‘Are you coming down, mate?’ he said.
Short brought one foot down to the road again.
‘He had it coming, Danny. He had it coming. Emmy was right to stop Luke. Matt and Karen told me. He was still at it with young Liam. I just couldn’t let it slide, Danny. I just couldn’t.’
Arbor had to know.
‘But all that cutting up, Tony?’ he asked. ‘What was all that about?’
‘I’m not a monster, Danny. I’m not,’ said Short. ‘That was just one of the things the bastard taught me. And nothing less than he deserved.’
‘You’ve got a lot of people on your side, Tony,’ said Arbor. ‘You should come in and talk about it.’
‘I’m through talking, Danny,’ said Short.
‘Come on, Tony. What was on your mind?’ said Arbor. ‘I heard you came looking for me.’
Just keep him talking, he thought. O’Reilly and the Ds will be here any minute.
‘Listen, I need to know, Tony,’ he continued. ‘If just for my own sake. I need to know. Why did you involve me? I mean, we could put the Jones boys finding the leg down to misfortune, even the hand, but then there was the head, the body and then … his tackle. For Christ’s sake, it was as if they were all laid out for me to find. Am I right? Why was that, Tony?’
‘Hey, I knew some
one would track me down sooner or later,’ said Short. ‘And I figured it might as well be you. I knew you were a good bloke, Danny. I’d met you in the preseason. And think about it. What was my other option? O’Reilly? I knew that he and Paterson were as thick as thieves. Can you imagine the run I’d have gotten with him? That was all. And I heard what you did with Amira when the Hoggs killed her dad. I thought, if there is such a thing as a cop with a heart, then you might be it. I hope I didn’t freak you out, Danny. I really didn’t mean to. I just … I just didn’t know how else to get your attention.’
‘Well, you got it.’
‘So, tell me,’ said Short. ‘In the end … how did you? I still don’t know how you managed to recognise me in that photo.’
‘It wasn’t me,’ said Arbor. ‘It was Jen.’
‘Yeah, I get it,’ said Short. ‘I should have known.’
‘The trouble is, Tony,’ said Arbor. ‘It isn’t just me now. O’Reilly and the Ds are on their way out here.’
‘Yeah, well. That doesn’t matter,’ said Short. ‘I won’t be here when they get here, will I?’
‘How do you mean?’
He wasn’t going to try to get back to his vehicle, was he? Nathan, Jenny and Amira all stood in his way. And besides, Arbor had no plans to let him off the bridge.
Headlights appeared from over the hill.
‘Tell them, if they ask,’ said Short. ‘The other bits of Butch Paterson. Well, most of them, anyway. Tell them, if they’re looking for them. I had to do it in a hurry so I fed them to my pigs.’
He lifted the other foot onto the guard rail again and, in an instant, he was gone.
All Arbor heard now was the rain and the rush of water under the bridge. Jenny, Nathan and Amira joined him.
‘I didn’t see that coming,’ said Nathan.
‘Neither did I,’ said Arbor.
He shone his torch into the whitewater. There was nothing to see. The detectives’ Commodore pulled up, lights blinding. Four figures alighted. Burke, Cole, O’Reilly and Todd.
‘Where is he?’ said Burke.
‘Halfway to Perth by now, I reckon,’ said Arbor.
‘Stupid bugger,’ said Burke, looking into the creek. ‘He would have only got five years. Mitigating circumstances and all.’
‘Yeah, well. Maybe five years too much,’ said Arbor. He wrapped an arm around Jenny and followed Nathan and Amira back towards the house.
‘We’ll need your report, Constable,’ shouted Burke. ‘Everything! The whole thing!’
‘Yeah, you’ll get it,’ said Arbor. ‘I’ll have it on your desk first thing.’
Jenny laughed and Arbor joined in.
THURSDAY
Burke and Cole loitered in Chatton for another few days, sifting through the pile of photos in Paterson’s knapsack and interviewing nearly every member of the Chatton Blue Tongues Football Club. It was all work they could have done days before. It was all work that was, in essence, no longer required. Paterson’s photographs spoke for themselves and, although Arbor had been the only one to hear it, Tony Short’s confession was enough to put a lid on the murder.
Arbor himself had a story to tell, but neither O’Reilly nor the detectives were interested in hearing it. Instead, he was handed a handful of forms and a clean witness statement. They would read it all, he was told, when they were good and ready.
Tony Short’s body was ever found. At least not in the short term. Bodies were found in Melton Creek from time to time, and in the river system into which it flowed, but none could be identified as Tony Short’s. He was listed as ‘Missing’, and, although he was still technically a murder suspect, no great search or manhunt was made. Tony Short was lost as much in paperwork as he was lost in the wild.
Jenny, Nathan and Mandy had joined Arbor outside the station as he watched Burke and Cole load their laptops and gear into the boot of their car.
‘Strange spectator sport, isn’t it?’ he said.
‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ said Jenny.
Burke slammed the lid, stopped and looked at them. Without a word, she climbed inside. Jenny and Mandy laughed.
‘See you next time, love,’ said Mandy.
‘Do you reckon they’ll be back?’ said Nathan.
‘God, I hope not,’ said Arbor.
Burke started the engine and the car pulled away. They watched it hit the Ashby road and disappear.
‘Well, that’s that,’ said Arbor.
‘I guess it is,’ said Jenny.
‘Coming to ours tonight?’ said Nathan. ‘We’re set for a few games of Rummy.’
Arbor gave him a look.
‘We’re playing for toothpicks,’ said Mandy.
‘Yeah, okay, then,’ said Jenny.
‘Come for tea,’ said Mandy.
The Webbs made their way across the street.
There was the squeal of brakes and a crunch of metal on metal. Colin Rodgers’ Monaro had pulled up behind Nathan and Mandy.
‘Hey, Danny!’ Rodgers shouted. ‘Can I have a word?’
‘Yeah, all right,’ said Arbor.
He took the chance and took Jenny’s hand.
‘I’d better get on,’ he said. ‘I need to have words with Nobby. And then get inside. If I’m too much longer, it’ll be my balls in a box. I’ll pick you up at six, eh? If that’s all right?’
‘Yeah, that’s fine,’ said Jenny.
She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. It wasn’t much, thought Arbor, but it was something.
‘I’ll see you later, then,’ she said.
‘Yeah.’
Arbor crossed the street to Nobby.
‘Did you hear Hoggy got eighteen months?’ he said.
‘Yeah, and his old man got twenty years.’
‘Deserves every day,’ said Arbor. ‘So how’d you go?’
‘Yeah, I was surprised,’ said Nobby. ‘But you were right. Simmo was only too happy to spill his guts. He said that if you promised not to charge him and so long as he wasn’t seen dobbing, he’d quite happily let you know who else was involved. Gutless prick.’
Arbor laughed.
‘And you won’t let on, will you?’ said Nobby. ‘That he dobbed?’
‘No,’ said Arbor. ‘Not if I get the names. And so? Who were they?’
‘It was Johnno and Josh,’ said Nobby. ‘You might have guessed. Those three are as thick as thieves.’
‘Yeah, I thought as much,’ said Arbor.
‘And my car,’ said Nobby. ‘You said you’d be able to help me.’
‘Yeah, so I did,’ said Arbor. ‘Yeah, let me think about that one, Nobby. Maybe later, eh? Come back and see me later.’
‘When’s later?’ said Nobby.
‘Pick a time,’ said Arbor, crossing the street again. ‘And then make it sometime after that.’
Arbor entered the station and wiped away the debris the detectives had left on his desk. He sat down, leaned back, stretched and soaked in the silence.
‘You think you’re pretty clever, do you?’ said O’Reilly.
‘No, Sarge,’ said Arbor. ‘Not really.’
‘Well, I’ve still got a question or two for you.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as … What do you think happened to Paterson’s toes?’
About the Author
After several years living in rural Western Australia, Calder Garret has settled for a quiet life in the outer suburbs of Perth, the state’s capital city. He is the author of three novels involving Probationary Constable Danny Arbor, Fresh Blood, Cold Cuts and King Hit. Several other Danny Arbor novels are in the pipeline.
You can visit Calder Garret’s website at caldergarret.com.
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