The Tattooed Man

by Alex Palmer

  ‘Tell your arsehole of a boss I’m going to come and talk to him just as soon as I get the time.’

  ‘I’d love someone to do that,’ Mandy said, as an all-engulfing roar smashed forwards into the glass front doors. Harrigan saw flames encompass the two figures standing beside the minister’s car and then the car itself. Instantaneously, the power of the explosion tore through the security guards’ stations, knocking them and the guards down and throwing everyone else in the foyer, Harrigan and Mandy included, to the floor. The noise roared in their ears and dust, broken glass and debris filled the air, creating an artificial darkness. The building alarms began to shriek piercingly and the sprinklers came on. Water bucketed down, soaking everyone. Mandy curled up on the floor, screaming. Other cries could be heard, including from people who had been injured. The foyer seemed to have filled with shouting, panicking people.

  Harrigan scrambled to his feet. What had once been whole lay in ruins around them. Outside, the car was burning. The dead were not so much dead as destroyed. Harrigan’s mechanical side took over, the way it always did under this kind of pressure. He became what he was often accused of being: unfeeling, driven. A machine with that original ghost inside who watched his movements while he organised everything as calmly as if they were only retrieving stolen plasma screens or laptops. He took out his phone and rang Trevor.

  ‘Boss, what’s going on? The alarms have started ringing.’

  ‘Tell God we’ve just had a political assassination. I think something the minister’s adviser was carrying has just blown up. Edwards and his adviser are dead and possibly other people as well. The security guards here are injured, and the minister’s car is burning. Where’s Marvin?’

  ‘In his office. He walked out after you did, he said he’d forgotten something. Why?’

  ‘Brief the commissioner. Tell him I’ll find him when I’ve sorted something out.’

  The building’s own emergency fire-control team had appeared, racing for the burning car. Harrigan heard sirens outside on the street. He left Mandy to the care of whoever found her first and ran. Sirens were screeching throughout the building, signalling the evacuation of all staff. All lifts would stop on the next floor they came to and immobilise as soon as the doors were opened. He ran up the fire stairs, dripping water, passing people coming down who stared at him. He ran into Marvin’s office. Sharon gaped at him. She was collecting her bags to leave.

  ‘Where’s Marvin?’

  ‘He’s packing to go now, with everyone else. What is it? What’s going on?’

  Without replying, Harrigan walked towards Marvin’s office. The door opened and Marvin appeared, about to leave. He saw Harrigan and stopped.

  ‘No, mate. I wasn’t there when the bomb went off,’ Harrigan said. ‘You might have wanted me dead but it hasn’t happened. You’re not going anywhere. Let’s talk.’

  Marvin pushed past him. ‘I’m leaving.’

  ‘Don’t you fucking walk out, not unless you want to see your boy on the net fucking pros along with the Ice Cream Man. Think of the number of hits that’ll get!’

  Marvin stopped. Behind him, Harrigan could see Chloe. She had just appeared in the corridor outside.

  ‘I’m the fire warden for this floor,’ she said, white-faced. ‘Everyone has to leave.’

  ‘We’re having a talk,’ Harrigan said. ‘The building’s not going to burn down. Leave it!’

  She walked away immediately. Marvin’s assistant, Sharon, sat down heavily in her chair. Her mouth was open in shock.

  ‘There’s a general evacuation on, Harrigan,’ Marvin said in a shaking voice.

  ‘Get back in your fucking office!’

  Without a word, Marvin walked inside.

  ‘Keep everyone out,’ Harrigan said to Sharon. ‘He’ll thank you for it one day.’

  Marvin was standing behind his desk, staring out at the view. ‘What do you want, Harrigan? Don’t we have a deal? Have you forgotten my tape?’

  ‘No, we don’t have a deal. It went up in flames with Edwards’ car. You can tell me what I want to know. Who’s running you? How did they contact you?’

  ‘No one’s running me!’ Marvin shouted. ‘What are you talking about? I told you. If I go down, you come with me.’

  ‘Then we go together. With what I’ve got to say about you, I can wreck your life. You’ll lose your pension. You start talking to me! I know you’re being run. It’s du Plessis, the man in the photo Trevor just showed me. The same man who tried to kill me and snatched my son. I know he’s shoved those pictures under your nose and said “Dance”. Now tell me where to find him!’

  Harrigan saw Marvin break apart before his eyes. His mouth went slack; his expression was like a beaten dog’s. Harrigan looked away. Desperation like that was ugly. Marvin slumped down into his chair.

  ‘I don’t know where to find him. He contacts me. For Christ’s sake, Harrigan, I don’t know where your boy is. I can understand how—’

  Harrigan sat opposite. ‘Talk. When did it start?’

  ‘Just before you upgraded Cassatt’s disappearance to murder. I got a CD in the mail and a note to ring a mobile telephone number. Otherwise what was on the CD would end up on the net. I looked at it and I felt sick.’

  ‘Give me that number.’

  Marvin wrote it down on a piece of paper and passed it across the desk. It was the same number Harrigan had been given the previous night.

  ‘I couldn’t believe Sean was mixing with people like Freeman and Cassatt. You might—’

  ‘Careful what you say, mate!’

  ‘I called. He wanted to meet me. It was this du Plessis. I saw his picture in the dossier while Edwards was sitting in the commissioner’s office that first day. I felt the floor had opened underneath me.’

  ‘You knew who he was back then. Why didn’t you tell us? You must have known he was the man who almost killed Grace.’

  ‘How could I know that?’

  ‘It had to be. His voice, the accent—’

  ‘No!’ Marvin shouted back. ‘She didn’t see him. There was no way of knowing. You can’t hang that one on me.’

  The door opened. Sharon stood there, shaking visibly. ‘I can hear the both of you out here,’ she said, and shut the door again.

  ‘Where’d you meet him?’ Harrigan asked, controlling himself.

  ‘Always somewhere different. He liked car parks. We always met in a different one, very early in the morning.’

  ‘What did he want?’

  ‘The first time, he wanted me to keep an eye on the investigation into Cassatt’s death. He said to tell him if any witnesses came forward.’

  ‘Did he mention any names?’

  Marvin shook his head.

  ‘You’re lying. He said that if a woman called Ambrosine gave a statement, you were to tell him. Am I right?’

  Suddenly, something like the old Marvin returned. ‘Something you should realise, Harrigan. I’m the one who tipped you off about her safe house in the first place.’

  ‘You’re the one who fucking leaked the information!’

  ‘I didn’t know why Sean—’

  ‘Yes, you did. Your son was involved in a conspiracy to murder!’

  ‘No, I didn’t know.’ Marvin leaned across the table. ‘I was asked a question, I answered it. Why shouldn’t I trust my son? How could I know?’

  ‘What happened with du Plessis after that?’ Harrigan asked abruptly.

  ‘He said it would be a good idea if Sean and Marie didn’t stay in Sydney. I had to send him to the other side of the continent. You wouldn’t understand, Harrigan. I’ve had to keep on with my job with all this weighing on me. It hasn’t been easy.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s been really tough. What happened after Pittwater? He told you to get control of the job as soon as you could.’

  ‘He wouldn’t believe I couldn’t do that. He rang before the bodies were discovered. I didn’t know what he was talking about. I said we’d had no notifications. Then
he told me that, if a call did come through, I was to take control. I couldn’t. I was in a meeting with the regional commanders when it happened. I didn’t know about it for another two hours. Your people cut me out of the loop. They always do.’

  ‘He knew beforehand? Didn’t it ever occur to you he was probably responsible?’

  ‘No, he wasn’t. He wasn’t responsible,’ Marvin snapped back. ‘He said, if this happens, you take control. He said there should be two copies of a contract in the house. I was to get hold of them no matter what. It took me a couple of days but I did it.’

  ‘What did du Plessis say when there was only one copy?’

  ‘He went spare. I thought he was going to attack me. He’s a vicious little man.’

  ‘You told du Plessis that if he wanted the tape, he should come after me.’

  ‘That tape. There must be something on it you don’t want anyone else to hear, Harrigan. I’d love to know what it is.’ Marvin leaned forward across the desk. ‘There’s no need for us to talk like this. I’m in a position to assist your career. I have the commissioner’s ear. The top job could be yours one day. Will be, if I have anything to do with it. You can take the chair after me—I’ll retire long before you will. The two of us, we can deal with du Plessis. We’ll bamboozle him. He won’t know what’s going on.’

  Marvin had regained his equilibrium; he had the look of a man about to engage in a deal he believed would be to his advantage.

  ‘For Christ’s sake, Marvin,’ Harrigan said. ‘There could be any number of dead people at the front door right now and you want to make a deal.’

  ‘I didn’t know that was going to happen.’

  ‘Didn’t you? Isn’t that why you wanted me to take Trev along with me? You told du Plessis Edwards was going to be here today. You told him when he was arriving and at what entrance. You did, didn’t you?’

  ‘I couldn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t tell me anything like that.’

  ‘You could guess.’

  ‘No. No, I couldn’t. I’ve told you everything you wanted to know! Stop stalling me. It’s quid pro quo time. Where do we go from here?’

  ‘You write your letter of resignation,’ Harrigan said.

  Marvin shook his head ‘No. I’m not going to resign.’

  ‘Yes, you are, you and your son together, but you’re going first. You’re going to be out of this job in an hour. You’ve been playing with fire, Marvin. You know what I’m advising you to do? Go to the commissioner. Tell him everything you’ve just told me. Get him to put you in a safe house. Because once your cover is blown, or even when he doesn’t need you any more, du Plessis is going to kill you.’

  ‘What about my reputation? I could be charged. I’m not going to gaol.’

  Marvin got to his feet. He picked up his briefcase and walked to the door.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘You can’t stop me, Harrigan. I’m leaving the building with everyone else. It’s going-home time anyway. Good afternoon.’

  He walked quickly past Sharon who was still sitting at her desk. Harrigan went after him. She picked up her bag and followed them both. The corridor was deserted. Marvin was heading for the fire escape.

  ‘Your reputation is more important than your life?’ Harrigan called after him.

  ‘You’re talking rubbish. I’m not in any danger.’

  He opened the fire door and began to walk down the fire stairs at speed. Harrigan followed.

  ‘I’ll do it myself,’ he called. ‘I’m not having you on my conscience.’

  ‘You will not!’

  ‘Watch me. I’m going to talk to the commissioner as soon as I can. I’ll tell him everything you told me, everything I said to you. And I mean everything.’

  Marvin had reached the landing of the next floor down. Harrigan pushed behind him to get past and be in front of him. When he did, Marvin charged him, ramming him into the corner of the stairwell, smacking his shoulder against the concrete wall. They wrestled, almost tumbling down the stairs, forcing each other to a standstill. Harrigan’s feet gripped the floor as he swayed dangerously.

  ‘For God’s sake, stop it!’ White-faced, Sharon stood a step above them. ‘People will see, people will hear.’

  Marvin let Harrigan go and drew back. ‘I am not going to the commissioner. Nothing will make me do that.’

  ‘Go away,’ Harrigan said to Sharon, who ran past them down the stairs. Then to Marvin: ‘You don’t know what you’re saying.’

  ‘Yes, I do. If you tell the commissioner, then it’ll be on your head. I’ll deny everything. I’ll tell them you’re a liar. I’ll say I’ve never seen any of those pictures before, I’ve never spoken to du Plessis, I’ve never heard of him before today. It’s your word against mine. You can’t prove anything.’

  ‘Sharon was outside the door the whole time.’

  ‘She won’t support you over me.’

  ‘Marvin, you’ll be dead. As soon as he thinks you’re a danger to him, you’ll be dead.’

  Marvin had turned to go down the stairs. He spun round. Harrigan couldn’t have described the intensity of emotion in his eyes at that moment.

  ‘I’d rather be dead!’

  He ran down the stairs. Harrigan went after him.

  ‘You’re going to have to lie, Marvin,’ he shouted. ‘I’m still going to the commissioner.’

  ‘You can find me at home. Then you can die in hell!’

  They had reached the ground floor. Marvin moved with quick, long strides towards the emergency evacuation point. Fire wardens gestured for them both to hurry. Harrigan followed Marvin outside, through the crowds that were hurrying across the street to get clear of the building. Marvin continued to walk quickly, turning a corner of the building and heading down a side street, towards the nearest railway station. He began to cross the road.

  ‘Marvin, stop,’ Harrigan shouted, going after him.

  Marvin turned, standing halfway across the street. They were at a distance from the crowd. The expression on his face brought Harrigan to a halt. It was the look of a man you’ve hurt so badly he’ll never be able to forgive you.

  ‘For God’s sake, Harrigan, what do you want from me? You’ve forced me out. What can I do for you now? I can’t tell you anything that will pin du Plessis down. I don’t know where to find him.’

  ‘You can sting him for us. That could be a way back for you.’

  ‘He won’t meet with me after today. Not with his name and photo out there everywhere. Now leave me alone! You can wait to get my resignation.’

  Suddenly Marvin’s head was punched sideways and he staggered forward. Simultaneously dark, wet red lines poured down his face and neck. ‘Marvin!’ Harrigan shouted. Marvin’s body jerked and he crumpled to the ground, his briefcase still clutched in his hand. Another bullet cracked on the pavement beside Harrigan. Instantaneously, he hit the road behind a parked car. He stayed rigidly still but there was silence. The shooting had stopped.

  He found himself staring under the car into Marvin’s vacant eyes. There was no expression, just the terrible emptiness of death. There was silence in his own head, before he was engulfed by the shock, the high whine of sirens at a distance, and then of other people screaming and shouting for help.

  24

  Grace’s taxi pulled up outside the parking station, a converted warehouse several streets away from Redfern station.

  ‘Do you want me to wait?’ the driver asked.

  ‘No,’ she said.

  It was peak hour, the traffic was busy. She was standing on the footpath sizing up the building and the parking station’s operations when her phone rang.

  ‘Grace,’ Brinsmead said. ‘Can you talk to me?’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I have some information on the Commander’s son but I can only give it to you if you give me your word that you won’t tell the police where you got it.’

  ‘I can do my best,’ she replied. ‘But that isn’t going to be e
asy.’

  ‘You have to give me your word or I’ll have to hang up. If I do, that’ll be the end of it.’

  ‘All right. You’ve got my word.’

  ‘It’s vital you keep it. Check a car park called Prestige Car Parking near Redfern station for a white Toyota HiAce with this registration number.’ Daniel read out a New South Wales plate number. ‘Do you have that?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  He cut the call immediately.

  Grace had thought through everything she’d overheard that afternoon and had decided that Sam Jonas and Daniel Brinsmead were very possibly deep-cover operatives working for a secret service agency. Sam’s attitude, her professionalism, together with the setup—one career agent and one civilian cover with the advantage of an army background—was a situation Grace had come across in the past. If, as it seemed, Sam was the controlling agent in the duo, then Brinsmead had gone against her direct orders.

  The sign on the parking station entrance said 24-hour Parking, Cash Only. Secure weekly and monthly parking was also available. All payments for long stay in advance, drivers granted individual keycard access. At this time of day, the station was at its busiest with cars queuing to pay for their day’s parking and get out onto Elizabeth Street.

  Grace thought about the warrant card she used for her work. It carried the legal power to get her into almost anywhere; a piece of plastic that gave her more powers of entry than the police had. If she used it here for a purpose unrelated to her work, she would be in serious breach of her organisation’s regulations. She went inside the parking station.

  ‘Where do you keep your long-stay vehicles?’ she asked the attendant.

  ‘Top floor.’

  ‘All of them?’

  ‘Top floor!’

  He was busy giving change to a driver. Grace was standing on a dangerously narrow walkway. The driver honked his horn at her when he drove out. She looked around at the inside of the parking station. It was a wide area, separated into sections by pillars. She would waste time searching for a white van in that broad space.

  ‘Is it full?’