Field Walking

by John Bishop

comparison, we’ll show it to Meg who got a brief look at the driver, and I’ll fax a copy to Arajinna for Judith Kingsley to look at. I’m hoping we’ll find there’s a likeness. If not, you guys will have done all you can.’ Justin listened, then added, ‘Thanks mate,’ and hung up. He smiled at Bryony and said. ‘Some days, Doctor Patton, we actually have fun. Some days, we have success. Let’s hope today we have both! If we think we’ve identified Durkin, we’ll also need to ask why an actor who is still in the business would be using old make-up. I’ll come out with you and get Kenny to copy the identikit picture.’

  When Bryony left the Criminal Investigations Branch she had an identikit picture and a date to have lunch in the canteen with the bubbly Kenny Fetlow. For her it was already a day of both success and fun.

  Comparing Images

  Monday 5th October 1992

  Megan was the first potential witness to examine the pictures laid out by Bryony on Justin’s desk on Monday morning. She took time over each of the images before shaking her head. ‘I’m sorry boss; I didn’t get much of a look—not a full mug-shot view anyway.’

  ‘What view did you get?’

  ‘When I looked out of the kitchen window, I saw the driver fairly close up, in profile. He was peering into his rear vision mirror; he had his head up and he was silhouetted against the open window. The image is fixed in my mind because I realised later that he was probably looking at the drums he was planning to cut loose. When it became obvious he was going to back down the slope, I ran around to the driveway to yell a warning. You know the result. Judith would have seen him face-on when she went out to ask what he was doing there in the first place.’

  ‘We faxed the pics to Dominic half an hour ago. He’s on his way to see Judith now.’

  Bryony said, ‘I think there are some profile shots in the publicity photos. I was concentrating on finding something to match the identikit image. Will I go and have another look?’

  ‘Please do,’ Justin said. ‘It’s a basic rule of sleuthing. Follow every trail, not just the one you start along. Which profile Meg, left or right?’

  ‘Left.’

  Shortly after 10am, Justin excused himself from a meeting to take a call from Judith.

  ‘Dominic is with me now, Justin. I had a good look at the photos of Rodney Durkin before I took another look at the identikit picture.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘If Durkin was the truck driver, he should be nominated for an Oscar. The face I remember was nothing like this handsome chap.’

  ‘What about things like the shape of the jaw or the high forehead?’

  ‘The face I saw was unshaven and I don’t think I saw the forehead because one thing I do recall was greasy hair sticking out from under a grubby hat.’

  ‘Okay, Judith. Thanks for looking.’

  ‘What did Meg think?’

  ‘She says didn’t really get a good look at him, but we’re trying to get a profile to show her. That’s the angle she saw.’

  ‘I’ll look at a profile, if you like. But I don’t think I’m going to be much help.’

  It was three in the afternoon when Bryony returned to Justin’s office. ‘It wasn’t as easy as I thought,’ she said. ‘But I found a helpful man at the State Library. They have a collection of theatre programmes in the ephemera section. This is Rodney Durkin as King Lear. Left profile and obviously heavily made up because he must have been quite young for the part. Five minutes later, Meg was looking at the new image. Having been called from the women’s toilet by Bryony, at Justin’s behest, Meg was a bit tetchy. She gazed at the image for a full minute without speaking. Then she said, ‘You drag me out of the loo for this! This! Bloody King Lear! Holy hell Justin, it’s him!’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘I’m sure!’

  Justin leapt to his feet and stabbed his finger on the desk. ‘So, Constable Schmitz. You say you were looking through a kitchen window, is that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And the man you saw was in the cabin of a truck.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Close to the window nearest you?’

  ‘No. The truck had been proceeding towards my left. He was in the driver’s seat.’

  ‘On the right hand side of the truck.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘The far side of the cabin from you.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And this was in the morning.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Justin picked up a blank sheet of paper and laid it on the desk. ‘I am showing the witness a plan of the Banabrook Homestead. Do you recognise this layout?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Would you indicate where the truck had stopped?’

  Meg looked at the blank sheet and pointed. ‘There. Near the kitchen window.’

  ‘So the truck was facing in which direction?’

  ‘Roughly south.’

  ‘And this was morning, so the sun would have been where?’

  ‘A bit north of east.’

  ‘Putting the cabin of the truck in the shade and these fields in the background in bright October sunlight.’

  ‘That would be correct.’

  ‘And you say you recognise the face of a man seen through two windows, sitting in shade on the far side of an enclosed truck cabin.’

  ‘I didn’t say I saw his face. But I saw his profile clearly.’

  ‘I see. Your witness.’

  Justin sat in his chair, mimed shuffling papers, and stood again.

  ‘Constable Schmitz, would you describe to the court what you saw that led you to testify that the man in the cabin was Rodney Durkin.’

  ‘I saw the head of the driver in silhouette against a clear sky. If you look at the picture already presented in evidence you will see a slightly curved nose, a shapely mouth and a strong, protruding, jaw. To me the combination is quite distinctive. When I saw the publicity photograph of Rodney Durkin, in a similar profile to what I had seen at Banabrook, I had no doubt he was the man in the truck.’

  Justin slumped in his chair, frowning. Meg continued to look at him. Bryony could scarcely refrain from asking the questions in her mind. After some time, Justin stood and started pacing around the room.

  ‘It’s good evidence,’ he said. ‘I’m convinced by it and I think there’s every chance a jury would be. On its own, however, identifying Durkin as the driver wouldn’t support a case for anything much. Accessory to something, perhaps, but not a lot else. He turned to Bryony who had deflated noticeably. ‘Don’t despair Bryony, I can’t tell you how valuable you work has been. Pure gold, I assure you.’

  ‘But...’ Bryony started.

  ‘But nothing. What you’ve done is to provide major input to the development of our hypothesis. Long before a prosecutor tries to build a chain of evidence to present to a court, we have to work out what we think really happened and what criminal activity might have taken place. I am now certain, Rodney Durkin has been active in the d’Aratzio organisation. I believe he is far more than an actor who happens to be Mrs d’Aratzio’s brother. It opens up an entire new area for investigation. Later today, I will appoint a task force to investigate everything there is to know about the man. It could lead us anywhere. For now, you’ve done your bit, so back to the grind in forensics and welcome to the team.’

  ‘Do you want me to research that question about why he’d still use old style make-up?’

  ‘Good thought. But don’t mention Durkin’s name.’

  When Bryony had departed, Megan said, ‘Given this turn of events, there’s something I should mention to you.’ She went on to relate the story of Durkin approaching her after Lenny’s funeral.

  ‘Significance?’ Justin asked.

  ‘At the time, I thought he must have seen me arrive at the funeral with other members of the force and he was simply being a smartarse trying to embarrass a female copper. I’m now wondering if he knew my connection with the case and was brazen enough to play games.’

  ‘Let’s hope
the latter, Meg. Arrogant smartarses often end up tripping on their own egos.’

  Gavin’s Reward

  Wednesday 7th October 1992

  Shortly after 10pm on Wednesday 7th October, Gavin Froyland’s viewing of a re-run of Miami Vice was interrupted by a knock at the front door. When he opened it, he recognised his visitor—a stocky man wearing a haversack. They had met on the second occasion Gavin visited the William Street offices of Lenny d’Aratzio’s pest-control business. Noticing Gavin’s quick look into the dimly lit street, the man said, ‘I’m on me Pat Malone, Bill. I don’t think I was followed, but we better go inside.’

  ‘Of course.’ He stood aside to let the man enter. ‘I’m sorry; I remember meeting you but not your name.’

  ‘It’s Saverio,’ he shook Gavin’s hand. ‘They call me Savvy ’cause I’m always in the know.’ He grinned. Gavin led him down the passage. ‘Sorry if I interrupted your program.’

  ‘No worries,’ he switched off the television. ‘Would you like a beer or something?’

  ‘Most civil of you, Bill. Don’t mind if I do.’

  ‘Then let’s go sit in the kitchen.’

  Gavin took beers from the refrigerator and they settled themselves at the kitchen table.

  ‘How did you get here?’ Gavin asked.

  ‘Dropped off by a bloke who was on the way through. Arrival in the dead of night. We call it the d’Aratzio method. No car to hide. No bus driver to yap to the fuzz. Friend with a spare bed...I ’ope.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘There you go then.’

  ‘So what brings you to Arajinna?’

  ‘I knew you was wondering that,’ Savvy grinned again. ‘I’m here on instructions from the new