by Toni Pike
That was the start of my romance with the media and Letitia was happy to help, agreeing to every interview that came her way. I became a popular choice on every current affairs or panel show, always trying my best to say something funny or clever. When the media gathered in the forecourt of Parliament House to report on any political dramas, I often walked out to make a comment.
I became the favoured member of the Freedom Party to criticise the government and provide the voice of youthful wisdom. Part of my job description was to be always in the public eye and in front of the media. My name was in newspapers every week and I became a household name.
If a person wanted to follow my career there was an endless array of articles to read. If that person, whoever they might be, cut out or printed every article, every photograph, it would probably fill quite a few scrapbooks. I imagined that Joshua Byrnes was locked away and hidden from the outside world. It never occurred to me that he would be following my career and collecting articles about me in the prison library.
***
We fought a third election after another three years. The Freedom Party won 73 out of 150 seats in the lower house, but still the Workers Party managed to hang on to government. I continued to declare my loyalty to Derek Slade and refused to engage in any plotting for a leadership change. He had led the party for almost ten years.
Derek reshuffled the shadow cabinet and appointed me as Shadow Treasurer, a demanding and important role where I could utilise my skills in finance. That meant I needed to spend more time in Canberra and less time with Letitia. We’d been together for six years and I longed to marry her and have children. Sometimes, on those long haul flights back home, I gazed out the window and dreamed about our future – until reality hit me on the head. She would become Mrs Tyler Thompson, wife of a murderer. Our children would inherit my genes, the same ones shared by my parents. I couldn’t destroy her life like that.
Arriving in Broome one day, the heat burned like a furnace as I exited the plane and my head ached from weariness when I arrived at the cottage. Letitia greeted me with a passionate kiss. “I have a surprise, Tyler,” she said, “but first of all, a special dinner.” She had prepared my favourite meal, roast lamb with all the trimmings followed by fruit salad.
“Do I have to wait until after dinner?” I asked.
She sighed as if she was impatient to tell me. We sat at the small dining table that she had bought at a junk store and lacquered in a bright shade of blue. “I applied for a job with a law firm in Canberra,” she said, “Monkman, Vaucluse and Associates – a very big company. I wanted it to be a surprise. They’ve offered me the position, but I haven’t accepted yet. If I live in Canberra we’ll have more time together, if you would like that.”
She waited to see my response and looked at me with longing in her eyes. In that one moment, I cast aside all my doubts and fears. There was no stopping me, and it felt as if good luck would stay with me forever. Tears welled in my eyes. “That’s wonderful, Letitia. I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a long time.” I knelt on one knee, because Kevin once told me that was essential. “Please marry me. I love you more than anything in the world.”
“Of course I will,” she replied, and then I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her slender frame.
“You can move into the townhouse in Canberra and we’ll plan a wonderful wedding, be together forever and have a family.”
It was as if my mouth was disengaged from my brain. I should have told Letitia to stay away from me and find another man.
“Can we have a baby straight away?” she asked. I nodded in reply and at last we were engaged.
Letitia moved to Canberra three weeks later to start her new job. She settled into our townhouse but kept the cottage in Broome as our main home.
Ranjit Perera was delighted to hear our news and was immediately bursting with advice. “You should choose an engagement ring with a pink diamond from Western Australia,” he said. The mine was in the Kimberley region, right in the heart of my electorate. “And some pearls from Broome for Letitia to wear on the wedding day.”
I thought Letitia might resent his interference, but she was delighted to cooperate. We announced the engagement and were stunned to see that the news hit the headlines. Women’s magazines wanted to interview us and Letitia’s pink engagement ring started a new fashion trend that boosted sales in Kimberley diamonds.
“I think you should have the wedding in Quarry to remind everyone about your humble beginnings,” said Ranjit.
“I’d be happy to elope,” I replied. “But we’ve already made a decision.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And what was that?”
Three months later we had the world’s most perfect wedding in Quarry, the best little town in Australia. We invited one hundred and fifty guests including Letitia’s relatives from Perth and my old friends from Quarry: Brian Bertorelli and his mother, my teacher Mr Woollard, and also Barry Elliot and Penny Higgins, who had both moved to other towns. Also there was Gordon Tan, who had become a neurosurgeon in Perth, Derek Slade and several other politicians.
Letitia walked down the aisle of the tiny St Paul’s Anglican Church carrying a bouquet of native flowers and wearing an elegant lace dress and short veil. After the service, we visited Kevin and Jane behind the church and placed wreaths of native flowers on their graves.
The reception was held in an enormous, air-conditioned white marquee set up in the town park. The weather was not too extreme and the Royal Hotel did a great job with the catering. There was a media contingent to record the event and we posed surrounded by all our guests with the desert as a backdrop. We were surprise to see our wedding in the news the next day, with headlines across the country including Desert Wedding for Tyler Thompson, Thompson’s Outback Wedding and Love Blooms In The Desert.
We flew to Fiji for a two-week honeymoon at an idyllic island resort. We felt so relieved to spend that time away from the outside world. “We should stay somewhere like this forever, where no one can find us,” I said.
“Like Tarzan and Jane?” she asked, spreading her hair across her shoulders to dry. “You’d soon grow tired of that, Tyler. You’d miss your work too much.”
For most of our vacation we had managed to avoid Benny O’Connor, an Australian journalist who happened to be staying at the same resort with his family. He had six-year-old twin boys who spent their time climbing all over him, jumping up and down in the kid’s pool or burying him in the sand. Three days before we were due to leave, after spending over an hour snorkelling in the warm water, we turned a corner on the way back to our bungalow.
He jumped out from behind a palm tree and snapped my photo. We both froze in shock.
“Are you trying to give us both a heart attack?” I asked, furious at his behaviour.
“Do you have any comments?” he replied calmly.
“Yes we want a shower and some lunch,” I said as we strode off.
My phone buzzed as we walked into the room. While we’d been swimming, I had received eighty messages from dozens of colleagues. Fiji was two hours ahead of Canberra time, and the calls had begun at seven in the morning. The most telling message was from Ranjit Perera who had been quietly working the phones on my behalf. He said that I needed to be in Canberra that night.
***
Derek Slade called it a mutiny, an insurrection – and the dormant volcano had erupted without warning. Most Freedom Party members in the parliament were keen to replace Derek with a new leader who could win government at the next election. In the corridors of Parliament House all night, the power brokers had plotted a leadership spill.
Most of the messages on my phone were from colleagues who wanted me to be the leader.
Letitia took me by the hands and locked eyes with me. “We should see if we can fly back this afternoon,” she said.
“But we’ve been having such a wonderful honeymoon,” I said, not wanting to disappoint her.
Her jaw was set firm. “Ty
ler, you know I care about your political career as much as you do. Nothing is more important than that. We can take another vacation, but now the Freedom Party needs you.”
I realised then that Letitia was the centre of my universe, that everything in my life was now a part of hers.
We packed our bags and flew out at three o’clock that afternoon. Dozens of press photographers lay in wait for us at Canberra Airport and followed us back to the townhouse. There was already a small contingent that had set up camp in the street outside. We greeted everyone with a wave, posed briefly for photographs then walked inside. Drawing the curtains, we breathed a sigh of relief to be home.
I changed into a suit and then a driver delivered me to the front entrance of Parliament House. Journalists again crowded around as I climbed out of the vehicle, pestering me for a comment. “Nothing at this stage, ladies and gentlemen. I’ve only just got back from my honeymoon.”
“Did you enjoy your break?” asked one young man.
“We had a wonderful time but now it’s back to work.”
I strode inside and Ranjit Perera was there a moment later to walk me to my office. Late into the night I held meetings with colleagues and also kept Letitia informed. There were no other candidates for leadership, so there were only two alternatives for me: nominate for leadership or stay loyal to Derek Slade. If I chose the latter, the Freedom Party would probably lose the next election.
At nine o’clock that night, Derek himself decided that the only way to retain his role as leader was to force a vote as soon as possible. He faced a news conference and the leadership spill was announced.
There were only two nominees for the position of leader: Derek Slade and myself.
The leadership vote was held the next morning. All Freedom Party members from the upper and lower houses of Federal Parliament were present: thirty-four members of the Senate and seventy-three members of the House of Representatives, one hundred and seven people in total. Derek Slade and I both had our turn to give a speech and then we voted with a show of hands. Two-thirds of those assembled voted for me.
I was thirty-three years old and the new Leader of the Opposition. When I stepped outside, a throng of journalists were waiting to broadcast my speech nationwide. Letitia had arrived and stood by my side, dressed in an elegant emerald green suit.
I looked around and began to speak. “I’m pleased to announce that Derek Slade has agreed to become my Shadow Treasurer and also the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Derek has been my inspiration and mentor since I was fifteen years old; I wouldn’t be standing here today without his years of encouragement and faith in me. Derek brings great talent and experience to the Party and we will need all of that as we move forward. I would like to thank Letitia, my wonderful wife, for her support over the last few weeks and months. I could not have achieved anything without that, and she has been by my side since the start of my career in Parliament. There will be another election in one year’s time, and today the Freedom Party offers a clear choice for the government of this country. We believe in having a just and fair society where government assistance is provided to those who truly need our help and support. Most importantly, we also believe in having rewards and incentives for individual endeavour.
“I believe that Australia is facing an infrastructure crisis because for too long there has been inadequate expenditure on major infrastructure projects. Improvements to transport, water and sewerage, communications and energy infrastructure need to be made in order for the economy to grow. The other major issue facing our nation is the growth in our ageing population. My party will be introducing major reforms for the care of older citizens.
“Thank you for being here today – I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead over the next few years. I’ll announce the rest of my Shadow Cabinet in a few days time.”
Chapter 11
One of my first decisions was to appoint Ranjit Perera as my chief adviser. The opinion polls changed overnight and the Freedom Party surged ahead. I was in the news every day and travelled all over Australia, so had far less time to deal with my own electorate. I also needed to keep abreast of the issues in every portfolio including Defence, Foreign Affairs and Health.
Letitia and I desperately longed for a baby, but months went by and she had still not conceived. We finally decided to visit the best reproductive specialist in Sydney, Dr Faye Alagona. Nurses descended on us as soon as we walked through the door and both of us spent the day undergoing a barrage of tests. At five o’clock we were waiting in her office, trying not to look at the walls covered in photos of smiling babies.
Dr Alagona, who looked about forty and had a mass of curly black hair, walked into the room and shook our hands. “I’m so pleased to meet you both,” she said, putting on her glasses. She read the test reports with a grim expression and then locked eyes with us. By that stage my heart was thumping.
“Yes, doctor?” asked Letitia, her lower lip trembling.
“There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with either of you. You both appear to be in excellent reproductive health.”
Letitia burst into tears. “So what’s our problem, what will we do?” she asked.
“Perhaps try for a little longer and see how you go,” she replied. “You’re fighting an election in the middle of the year, aren’t you, Tyler?”
“Yes, that’s right,” I said, wondering where she was heading with that question.
“Come back and see me after that if you still have no success. Try not to worry too much, that can be a very big factor in fertility problems.”
Letitia was quiet on the drive back to Canberra. I hated to see her so miserable and wondered if it was all my fault, if I was receiving some sort of Heavenly punishment for all my sins. If we couldn’t have a baby then I decided that I should tell her the truth and set her free to find someone else.
“We’ve got a busy few months ahead,” she said, as if wanting to change the subject.
“Letitia, perhaps you should just take it easy during the election campaign. It can be so gruelling and that won’t help you. You can focus on your career and I’ll handle the election campaign by myself.”
She sat up straight and turned towards me. “Tyler, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ve already told my manager that I’ll be taking leave as soon as the election is announced. If you become Prime Minister then I’ll be by your side, and sometimes we’ll be travelling around Australia and the world together. No half measures.”
That night, we drove slowly past The Lodge, the Prime Minister’s residence, like a couple of furtive spies. The Georgian revival mansion was hidden behind a high wall only one kilometre from Parliament House. “That might be our home in a few months time,” said Letitia, taking my hand and kissing it tenderly.
“There’s also Kirribilli House,” I said, referring to the residence in Sydney on the edge of the harbour.
She looked at me and I could see the sadness in her eyes. “We’ll need a nursery in both houses.”
“We certainly will,” I said, although in my heart I doubted that we would ever have a child.
“You deserve this, Tyler, and soon you’ll lead the Freedom Party to victory.”
I squeezed her slender fingers. Letitia had no idea that all I deserved was a prison sentence, and at that moment I was tempted to tell her the truth. But from then on, I was so busy with my work and the election campaign that Joshua Byrnes went to the back my mind. We had a wonderful future to look forward to and I even became hopeful that I might become a father.
***
JOSHUA
Grant Warragui, Chief Superintendent of Broome Regional Prison, asked Joshua Byrnes to come to his office and a guard escorted him there an hour later.
“Have a seat,” he said as the grey-haired prisoner walked into the office. “Now tell me, how old are you now?”
Joshua sat on the plastic chair and looked around the small office, at the messy pile of papers on the desk and
the family portraits on the wall. The children looked identical to their father, plump and plain with ginger hair and freckles. “Sixty,” he said.
Warragui leaned back in his chair. “I have some good news for you. I’ve just been informed that you’re due for release in twelve months time.”
“Twelve months?” he repeated with a look of surprise. That was the first time in years that he had dared to think about freedom.
“That right – precisely twenty-five years after you were first sent to jail. That includes the time you spent on remand waiting for the trial.”
Joshua gave him a wistful look. “I was only thirty-six then.”
“Yes, I know. Well, none of us is getting any younger. I’m forty-five now, can hardly believe it. So, you did the crime and soon you’ll have done the time. I wanted to let you know so that you can start to think about your future.”
“My future?”
“What you’ll do when you get out of here.”
“Thanks, Mr Warragui,” he replied with no emotion in his voice.
“Let me know if there’s anything we can do to help smooth your way. You’re going to notice a lot of changes in the outside world after all these years.”
Joshua shrugged his shoulders. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, if you think of anything, just make an appointment to see me or the counsellor.”
Joshua stayed quiet for the rest of the day but his mind was churning. He hardly dared believe that he would be allowed to leave, but now a sense of hope washed over him.
He paced his cell that night until after midnight, energised by a plan that was circling in his brain. Fumbling in his bedside drawer, he found a piece of paper and drew up a calendar to mark the days. He would need to endure another twelve months in that hellhole, but every day would bring him one step closer to freedom. Then there would be no stopping him.
***
TYLER
The next Federal Election was held just after my thirty-fifth birthday. Letitia and I were in Broome, in the heart of my electorate, and cast our own votes at nine o’clock in the morning. Enthusiastic supporters surrounded us and the press recorded every moment as we posed with a smile and placed our folded papers in the ballot box. Then we drove to the airport and flew back to Canberra to prepare for the election party that night at the Hyatt Hotel.
