by Di Morrissey
‘Darling, I think she would be absolutely delighted, and so would I. Living in Indonesia for even a few weeks would be a wonderful experience.’
*
One afternoon later that week, Chris found Susan watering her sweet pea seedlings.
‘Bronwyn just rang,’ he said. ‘My position has been confirmed and I’m now a permanent staff member. I feel both relieved and pleased. I am enjoying doing something new, and one thing about working locally is that everyone thinks that they own a bit of me. I’m part of their community.’
‘I’m pleased to hear that. This is your town and your region, so you should feel a sense of belonging,’ said Susan.
‘You’re right. I am pleased to be working as a journalist in a place I love and now I also have a better salary than I had working for Frenchy. Not that I’m ungrateful for his help,’ Chris added quickly.
‘You know, Chris, giving up your newspaper career and coming home for Megan’s sake might have been a bit of a compromise in the beginning,’ said Susan. ‘But when your daughter’s an adult she’ll look back at this time and understand what a magnificent father she has.’
*
A couple of weeks later, Chris arrived home from doing his radio shift to see Carla’s motorbike parked in the driveway. Leaving his car in the street, he walked onto the verandah and immediately spotted her boots, leather jacket and helmet dropped on a chair near the front door.
He found Carla and his mother at the kitchen table amidst the remains of tea and homemade biscuits. Carla jumped up and Chris gave her a hug.
‘Been ages,’ he said. ‘How was your gallivanting around the outback?’
‘Sensational. What an astonishing country we have.’
‘Neverend will do me. Any tea left in the pot, Mum? No, don’t make a fresh one, I’ll grab a beer.’
He grabbed a cold bottle out of the fridge and took a seat beside his mother.
‘Your mother has been telling me all the exciting plans, Chris,’ said Carla. ‘Congrats on the job.’
‘Thanks, Carla,’ said Chris.
‘And Carla, what’s this news you have?’ Susan turned to Chris and explained, ‘Carla has been waiting for you to get home so she can share her gossip.’
‘It’s more than gossip. Greg says it’s official.’ Carla looked at Chris. ‘Carmichael’s Victorian development is not going ahead. You know that he’s in big financial trouble? Well, the plug has been pulled on the shopping centre.’
‘Not surprising, I suppose,’ said Susan.
‘My mate Greg has been keeping an eye on things,’ Carla said with relish.
‘Is he the chap Chris met in Melbourne?’ Susan asked.
Both Chris and Carla nodded.
‘Suddenly, Greg says, there have been a few whistleblowers coming forward to say that the rezoning was not quite as squeaky clean as it should have been. Evidently there were a few doctored reports, especially about the amount of new traffic that would be going through a residential area. It seems that the figures presented to the council were fabricated. If the true figures had been presented, hardly any of the councillors would have agreed to the rezoning,’ Carla told them breathlessly.
‘Well, I’m pleased that Greg was proved to be right,’ said Chris. ‘I assume that people were bribed to create reports that would ensure Carmichael’s plans went through.’
‘You assume correctly.’
‘I don’t know if you’ve heard this, Carla,’ said Chris. ‘But the latest I heard about Carmichael is that in an effort to stave off bankruptcy, he has done a bit of a money shuffle, robbing Peter to pay Paul, that sort of thing, but he still can’t get enough funds. He’s definitely going under.’
‘A good thing too,’ said Carla. ‘But bankruptcy could be the least of his worries. It’s not just the Victorian police that have been making inquiries into his construction operations, there have been interstate investigations as well. Greg has heard that there have been several arrests already and that the police are going to charge Carmichael too. If you ask me, if he was prepared to give out bribes for one development, I’ll bet he did it for a lot of others. Once the lid on his activities starts to come off, well, who knows how much of the brown stuff is going to hit the fan?’ Carla sat back in her chair with a large and satisfied smile on her face.
‘Holy cow!’ exclaimed Chris.
‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave,’ quoted Susan. ‘And frankly, I can’t feel sorry for him. Do you think he’ll go to gaol?’
‘I should hope so, Susan. The man’s a common criminal. These rich white men all think they can get away with not playing by the rules, but they should be brought to justice,’ said Carla indignantly.
‘They should be, but that’s not to say that he will be,’ said Chris. ‘Maybe Carmichael will be able to hire enough lawyers to get himself out of this.’
‘Let’s talk about something else,’ said Susan with a wave of her hand. ‘I’m sick of Alan Carmichael. He didn’t do a lot for my life.’
‘Right you are, Mum. How about we go out for dinner tonight? Megan’s hanging out for pizza at the Italian place.’
‘Sounds good. I’m always up for a plate of pasta,’ Carla replied.
‘Me too. I’ve got to go and get the washing in, but you two keep talking,’ said Susan as she rose from the table and headed outside.
‘So, Chris, what’s this book you’re working on? I thought that had been dumped?’ asked Carla in her usual blunt fashion.
Chris laughed. ‘You don’t let me get away with much, do you, Carla!’
‘Friends are allowed to be nosey. Your mother looks happy, you look contented. Want to walk downtown? We can pop in and book a table at the pasta place and you can tell me all about the book.’
‘Okay. I’ll bore you with my book ideas.’
‘Try me. You know I’ll give you a candid opinion.’
‘That’s for sure,’ said Chris with a chuckle.
*
The little barn had been beautifully renovated and extended and was now a pretty cottage. Susan had spent weeks painting and decorating, and there were only a few small jobs still to do before she and David could move in.
‘David’s due back from Brisbane in a couple of days and then it will be all systems go,’ she told Chris one evening after dinner.
‘I bet you can’t wait. Want to watch the seven o’clock news?’
Like a haunted shadow, Alan Carmichael’s drawn face appeared briefly on the TV as he was arraigned on bribery charges. Surrounded by his legal team, he left the court after paying a hefty bail before darting into a dark green Mark 2 Jaguar. As it sped away, the news returned to the studio presenter and Susan turned the sound down.
‘Beginning of the end,’ she said quietly. ‘I wouldn’t have recognised him.’
‘This case could drag out for quite some time. Those lawyers know how to stall,’ said Chris. ‘It could go on for years.’
‘I’m sure he’s guilty. But do you think he can get out of this?’
‘Who knows what the lawyers have up their sleeves. Maybe Alan’ll find someone to take the fall for him. Get some young manager to come out and say that he was responsible for all this bribery and corruption and did it entirely without Carmichael’s knowledge. And the young manager will go to gaol knowing there’s a fat reward sitting in a bank somewhere for him when he gets out.’
Susan looked saddened. ‘That is so cynical. Alan could do that?’
‘It’s been done before. The guy at the top is very hard to reach. He just says that there was a bad apple in the company who acted without his knowledge and that everyone else is squeaky clean.’
‘It’s a cut-throat world out there in corporate land,’ said Susan, standing up. ‘I’m just going to stick my head in Megan’s room to make sure she has everything she needs when she goes down to Port Macquarie tomorrow for that jazz band competition.’
‘Thank heavens. I thought it would never come around. They’ve all practised ha
rd enough. It’s a shame that I won’t be there to cheer them on.’
*
As he drove into Neverend the next day after work, Chris noticed a fisherman on the river and decided to see if any of his mates wanted to go fishing on the weekend. It had been a while since they’d been out together and now the weather was warming, the idea was appealing.
He turned into View Street and slowed to a stop when he saw a car parked on the grass verge opposite the house. It was a classic dark green Jaguar, the same model he’d seen on TV the night before.
Could it be Alan Carmichael’s car? Suddenly fear gripped him. Megan was still at the jazz competition, but Susan was home. He quickly drove up the driveway and raced into the house.
‘Mum, are you here?’ he shouted.
‘Yes, dear, in the kitchen. Whatever is it?’
‘Are you all right?’
Susan looked surprised, then concerned at the expression on his face. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s him, Alan. I’m sure it’s his car out the front of the house.’
‘What! Are you sure? Quickly, shut the door.’
Chris raced to the front door. Terrible scenarios started to run through his mind. Why on earth would Alan Carmichael be here in Neverend? What did he want with them? Had he come to harm them?
As Chris approached the front door, he saw through the window a man crossing the road, heading for their house. It was Alan Carmichael.
He was wearing a short bomber-style jacket and not carrying anything. Chris stepped out onto the verandah, closing the door behind him, and walked to the railing. Alan stopped in the driveway as soon as he saw Chris.
‘Mr Carmichael? What can I do for you?’ asked Chris, calmly.
Alan stopped and stared up at Chris, pointing a finger at him. ‘Are you Chris Baxter?’ Chris nodded. Alan continued, his voice seething with rage. ‘Then I think you’ve done enough for me already. You and your mother.’
‘I’ve had nothing to do with your current problems,’ replied Chris, now very puzzled as to why Carmichael had turned up on their doorstep.
Alan walked to the verandah steps and put one foot onto the bottom tread. Chris didn’t move. ‘My problems only started when you began nosing around!’ he suddenly shouted.
Chris gripped the balustrade. ‘I’m not sure how. I have no idea why you tried to stop me writing a book about your success.’
‘What I do is my business. I don’t want people poking their noses into my affairs.’
‘Is that right? Well, it seems that you like to take action against anyone who tries. Me, for example. I think you had someone intimidate me and my family to try to stop me from writing about you.’
‘And it worked,’ said Alan, nastily. ‘Bit sad for me that by the time I got you to stop writing your poxy little book, it was too late. You’d already done the damage.’
‘I didn’t do anything. I backed off, remember? I sent you a letter from my solicitor to that effect.’
‘But that didn’t stop you from telling Thomas Anderson about me and what happened to his brother. Isn’t that right?’
Chris stared at Carmichael with a perplexed expression.
‘How do you know that I spoke to Thomas Fairfax Anderson?’ he asked.
‘Because he told me. He enjoyed telling me. He said that he’d waited a long time to see that there was justice for his brother.’
‘I’m not sure that I fully understand.’
Alan gave a bark of a laugh. ‘Oh, I think you do. Once Anderson found out that I was involved in the death of his brother, then I became persona non grata as far as the financing of my projects went. Anderson made sure that no one in the States would lend me money, and without those loans, well, you know the rest. I’ve lost my homes, my business – years of hard work all gone – because you had to interfere.’
‘So you had no idea that Thomas Anderson was Jimmy’s brother until he told you?’ asked Chris, slowly.
‘Of course not. Why on earth would I have connected someone as important and successful as Thomas Fairfax Anderson to that Yank who used to hang around your mother and the rest of us all those years ago? Don’t you think that if I had known he was Jimmy’s brother, I’d have given him a wide berth? I don’t know how you found out, but you’re the one who told Anderson what I did in Bogor and ruined everything for me.’
‘My son didn’t tell Tom Anderson about what really happened to Jimmy. I did.’
Chris spun around to see Susan standing behind him. She walked to the railing of the verandah and looked down at Alan.
‘Why are you here, Alan?’
‘Just so I can tell you both that you won’t get away with what you’ve done to me. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, I will pursue you. I want to see you both come unstuck.’
‘Alan, I only wanted Tom to know about his brother. I had no idea Tom was integral to your loans for your US expansion. But I tell you something, Alan, even if I had known, I would still have told him the truth. He deserved that.’
Carmichael put both feet on the bottom step.
‘Please don’t come any closer. You’re not welcome here. Neither my mother nor I want to have anything to do with you,’ said Chris angrily.
‘You have ruined me and I’m going to make you pay!’ Alan yelled, and Susan took a quick step backwards.
‘Mum, go inside and call the police. Carmichael, get off our property.’ Chris heard the door close as Susan hurried inside.
‘Just remember this, Chris Baxter,’ Alan said grimly. ‘I’m going to beat the charges. There’s no way I’m going to gaol, and I want you and your mother to know I’m going to make sure you’re haunted every day for the rest of your life. You’ll always have to be looking over your shoulder and that includes everyone close to you, including your daughter.’
Chris stared at Alan in horror. Surely Megan wouldn’t have to pay as part of this man’s revenge? With all the calm he could muster, Chris said, ‘The police will be here in a minute or so. I suggest you leave right now, Mr Carmichael.’
‘Remember what I said. No matter how long it takes, you’ll pay for what you and your mother have done.’ With that, Alan hunched his shoulders and, suddenly looking like an old man, turned and stalked back to his car.
Chris watched the Jaguar roar off down the street.
Susan put her head cautiously around the front door. ‘Has he gone?’
‘Yes, Mum. Are you okay?’ Chris reached for his mother, pulling Susan close to him.
‘Yes. Except that I can’t stop shaking.’
‘I think you were very brave. You certainly stood up to him. What did Pete say?’
‘I was on the phone to him when I saw Alan leave, so he said that if he turns up again, we are to ring him straight away and he’ll come right over.’
Chris nodded and realised he was shaking too. ‘I think we need a cuppa,’ he said.
They sat inside with mugs of tea and coffee and went over the incident again.
‘Are you going to tell David?’ Chris asked Susan.
‘Of course I am. We don’t have any secrets from each other, and I expect that David will be part of the threat, that is if Alan is serious and it’s not all bluff and bluster. Will you tell Georgia?’
Chris paused. ‘I will, but I’d rather do it face to face. I don’t think I can tell her about that vile conversation over the phone. But I want to ring her now, just to hear her voice after that horrible episode.’
Chris settled at his desk to call Georgia.
‘Hey, nice surprise. What are you up to?’ she asked.
‘Nothing much. Just wanted to hear your voice, that’s all. Megan is at a jazz comp in Port. Her band is taking part. What have you been up to?’
‘A lot. Chasing a young author who sent me a manuscript for a novella that I think has a lot of potential. Been talking to an old actor I heard interviewed on Radio National. I thought it could be turned into a very interesting autobiography. But darling, you do sound a
bit funny. Is anything wrong?’ asked Georgia.
‘I’m just missing you.’
‘I miss you too. Shall I come up this weekend? I can juggle appointments.’
‘I’ll be okay. You’re busy, I’m working.’
‘And writing?’
‘Yes, I love doing this book. It’s funny, but now that I’ve got a good job and the pressure is off, I’m finding it so much easier to write than the first time round. It’s my escape and pleasure now, not my whole future hanging on it. The radio position suits me and comes with a few pluses. I’ve actually had some people stop me and say they enjoy what I’m doing, especially when I do the occasional off-beat story.’
‘Chris, I’m very proud of you and have enormous faith in you.’
Chris smiled. ‘Thank you, darling. I’m so lucky to have you. I feel better just talking to you.’
‘Chris . . . ?’
‘Yes, my lovely?’
‘It won’t always be like this . . . being apart.’
‘Nah, we’ll work something out.’
‘Yes, we will. I love you.’
‘Gotta go. Love you.’
A few hours later, Chris heard a car in the driveway and walked outside to see Sergeant Pete Pollard stepping out of his police vehicle. The policeman took off his cap and rubbed his hand through his hair.
‘Pete, g’day, thanks so much for your help before. Can I offer you a beer?’
‘I’m still on duty, so would you fancy making me a cuppa? Your mother around?’
‘Sure thing, but Mum’s just popped over the back to see one of the neighbours for a bit of a chat. I think she feels she needs a change of scenery after what happened.’
Pete looked grave. ‘I can understand that.’
Chris made the tea and the two men sat together on the verandah in the gathering twilight. There was not a breath of wind, and the remnants of the sunset glinted on top of the hills. In the valleys the temperature was cooling and a light mist began to form.
