‘Marjorie, could you see if Nigel Nelson is available for a phone call please, in, say, ten minutes?’
‘Sure, Gordon, what’s up?’
Gordon merely shook his head and walked into his office. He sat down, flicked open his pad, pulled his list out from his jacket pocket and began considering the information he already had. He doodled as he thought through his information:
Follow the money.
Zurich.
Member disclosure.
‘What’s the matter, Zara?’ Gerrard asked the speaker.
‘Don’t fuck with me, Andy. When I ring, it’s normally urgent. I don’t expect to be left waiting for twenty minutes.’
‘Ease up, Zara. What’s the matter?’
‘O’Brien has just threatened me.’ Bagshaw was pacing her office. ‘What did the prick want?’
‘He’s demanded I follow protocol and not disrupt the process of the parliament, reminding me my role is to stay impartial. Me!’
‘So what? He only has a day left, don’t worry about him,’ Gerrard soothed her. ‘We only have a day left to get it done, and then he’s gone forever.’
‘What do you mean?’
Gerrard quickly switched course, ‘Oh, I mean, we only have a day left before we rise for Christmas, that’s all.’
‘Will it be okay tomorrow? Are you sure it’s okay to be doing what we’re planning to do with the amendments to the stimulus package?’
‘Zara, relax.’ Gerrard didn’t need her getting nervous. ‘Everything is fine. We’re not breaking any rules. Just ensure O’Brien doesn’t become a problem in the process tomorrow.’
‘Can I come and see you later?’
‘Not tonight. I’m a little busy right now, I still need to run a government.’
‘Yes, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow then.’
‘Take care.’ Gerrard replaced the receiver, raised his glass of brandy and said, ‘Now, where were we?’
‘You were about to offer me the role of deputy prime minister when the parliament resumes next year,’ Meredith Bruce smiled.
‘You really are ambitious, aren’t you? All in good time, gorgeous. Here, have another drink.’
‘Pete, can I come and see you?’ Messenger was seeking counsel. ‘I have a couple of theories I want to run past you.’
‘I’m just having a quiet drink with Christopher, so come on over.’
Messenger had spent the hours since question time reflecting on Anita’s story, and the weird text he had received from the unknown source. He needed help with his scheme, and Stanley was his mentor and role model. He was confident Stanley would help him get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
Peter Stanley was from Perth, holding the seat of Curtin for almost thirty years. He had seen off five attempts to oust him through the preselection process, and he always had the numbers. He was fond of telling his colleagues that politics is nothing but arithmetic, and to be a long-serving politician you only needed one skill: how to count.
‘Pete, I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I suspect we could have a serious political issue before us.’ Messenger began to raise his concerns once he was seated with a glass of beer in hand.
‘Do tell, old boy.’
‘Everyone loves a political conspiracy, so share, old son,’ added Hughes.
‘I think the prime minister is about to announce his retirement, and he could be building a retirement nest egg with government funds.’
The older politicians continued to gaze at Messenger without changing their expressions, and he began to feel uneasy. ‘Gentlemen, I hope one day to master your admirable control of facial expression, but in the meantime, do you have nothing to say?’
The politicians looked at each other and then came back at Messenger, who continued, ‘I’m not sure how, or when, he proposes to do it, but I suspect it may have something to do with the bill coming through the senate tonight and tomorrow’s sitting day. There are just too many irregular coincidences.’
‘The stimulus package?’ asked Hughes. ‘What do you think is going to happen?’
‘I don’t know exactly, but I suspect the prime minister is crafting a retirement package.’
‘Another beer, Chris?’ Stanley asked nonchalantly, after a short period of silence.
‘I wouldn’t say no,’ Hughes said as Stanley went to his bar fridge and returned, handing him a can. The silence lengthened, broken only by the gas release from two beer cans being opened.
‘Nothing? You listen to what could potentially be a huge political announcement and you leave me hanging?’ Messenger said, frustrated.
‘It’s an interesting idea,’ Stanley finally offered.
‘Yes, interesting,’ agreed Hughes.
‘What have you got to support this interesting idea?’ Stanley asked. ‘I have a text message.’
‘Oh, a text message. Who from?’ asked Hughes.
‘I don’t know.’ Messenger began to understand his colleagues’ lack of enthusiasm for the proposition.
‘You don’t know who sent you the message?’
‘What did it say?’ asked Hughes.
‘It suggested the PM is working on a scheme.’
The three politicians sipped their beer in silence.
‘You know, of course, that ripping off money from the government is fraud,’ Hughes finally said. ‘So you can only do it fraudulently.’
‘Your point is?’ Messenger had no idea where the conversation was going.
‘Just trying to help with your phraseology, son.’
‘What evidence other than the text do you have?’ Stanley asked.
‘Look, I know this sounds … umm … unlikely, but it’s the only conclusion I can draw,’ Messenger was not convincing. ‘I wanted your view before going to see the leader to raise it with him.’
‘What have you got?’ persisted Stanley.
‘Just follow me on this one boys, please. Okay, we have a destabilised parliament, but the opposition has the majority.’ Messenger counted off on his fingers. ‘We have the agreement for no divisions forced upon us by the prime minister, which protects the government.’
‘That was a mistake right there,’ said Hughes.
‘We have deferred legislation for the Indonesian money until next year yet, get this, they started construction last Sunday.’ Messenger took a swig of his beer. ‘We have the Appropriation Bill for the stimulus package getting pushed through the parliament and now delayed in committee in the senate for some unknown reason. We have the prime minister shutting down question time today, when he was smashing us, after my question on his member’s interests.’
‘This is not evidence,’ Stanley said, ‘just observations. I would have expected more from a smart kid like you.’
‘No wait, there’s more. We have Margaret Gerrard travelling to Zurich tomorrow – why? We have no media from the prime minister’s office on the Hancock story about his rumoured retirement. We have the cancellation of all leave and pairs ...’
‘So what?’ asked Hughes.
‘Why cancel leave and pairs if we are required to not take a vote? He knows we can’t call for a division, so why does he need the numbers in the house? Why is he insisting on all his team being in attendance unless he is going to retire, sensationally announcing it to the parliament where his colleagues will swamp him with kudos?’
‘So you reckon he’s going to retire, skimming some money to take with him?’ said Stanley.
‘He can’t get any money from the Appropriation Bill, it’s fully allocated to the punters,’ Hughes said. ‘Where is he getting this so called fraudulent money from?’
‘I reckon he’s getting it from the Indonesians,’ Messenger said.
‘That’s crap, son. No way Gerrard would do that,’ Stanley chided. ‘How?’ asked Hughes.
‘How do you reckon he’ll get the money from them, when we haven’t even seen any legislation yet? They even stopped their first payment legislation from last week, so how wou
ld he do it?’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
WEDNESDAY 5.15 PM
‘Nigel, got time for a catch-up?’
‘Sure, Gobby, when and where?’ Nelson knew his friend didn’t like informality, and enjoyed stirring him up.
‘I don’t want to go anywhere crowded, and I’d rather not meet at your office.’
‘Why the mystery, old friend? What’s going on?’
‘I need to talk to you about a few things, a few concerns I have about parliamentary process.’
‘I’ll meet you in the meditation room.’
‘I’d rather get out of the parliament. Can you get out for an hour or so?’
‘Not sure when we are finishing tonight, but now would be good.’
‘Okay, see you soon out front, I’ll pick you up.’ Gordon took pleasure in his younger colleague’s fellowship sometimes. At other times, it was a bit too much. Nigel drank heavily, and when he did, he grew loud and indiscreet and often disclosed things he later regretted. He’d been known to pass judgement on many senators publicly over the years, which created the occasional public-relations problem for his department.
Gordon didn’t have to wait too long outside the senate entrance before Nelson jumped into the Ford. Twenty minutes later they had ordered and were halfway through their lavish cocktails as they waited for tapas to help soothe their early evening hunger, resigned to the idea of having a very late dinner.
‘What’s troubling you, Gobby? You look very stiff and serious this evening.’
‘I am really concerned about what’s going on in the house,’ Gordon said.
‘Shame, man. Tell me all about it.’
‘Over the last few days, I have made a list of some extraordinary circumstances, which by themselves mean absolutely nothing, but together could mean something quite serious.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well, for example, why has the Appropriation Bill been deferred to a senate committee, with a vote not due until later this evening?’
‘Why should that be an issue?’
‘That’s the point, by itself it means nothing. Yet, why vote in the senate after the house has adjourned?’
‘Is that it?’ Nelson drained his glass and called the waiter for another. ‘Is that what’s upsetting you, just a few days before you retire?’
Gordon drew his list from his jacket. ‘Why is the first lady going to Zurich tomorrow?’
‘Skiing?’
‘Why has foreign affairs asked that a member add an account to the members’ interests before they allow an international account to be opened?’
‘Who has been required to do that?’
‘I don’t have that information, but the prime minister’s office rang about the register yesterday.’
‘Perhaps, if it’s for the prime minister, he wants to add a gift he received from the president of Indonesia during his visit last week.’
‘Yes, of course, I didn’t think of that.’ Gordon now felt a little silly. ‘As I said, on their own, they mean absolutely nothing, but together they are an enigma.’
‘And what code do you see, Gordon?’ Nelson chuckled at his joke. When he got no response from Gordon he added. ‘Enigma code, get it?’
‘I’m not in the mood for jokes right now, Nige.’
‘You never are, that’s the whole point. Perhaps you should lighten up.’
The tapas arrived, Italian sausage in one dish and sautéed prawns in the other, and the friends prepared to eat. Nelson picked up a prawn by the tail and bit off the peeled flesh. ‘Christ, that’s hot.’
‘I think the prime minister is planning something. I’m not sure what, but I can feel it.’
Nelson rolled the scorching prawn about his mouth, sucking in air. ‘You what?’
‘Mind you, I can’t prove a thing, and I admit, nothing seems out of place.’ Gordon eyed the sausage. ‘I know it sounds crazy, but I think Gerrard is doing a dubious deal with the Indonesians and the immigration detention funding.’
‘That’s not due until February. Why the concern now?’
‘That’s what I don’t understand.’
‘These are serious accusations, my old mate. Are you sure you want to raise them?’
‘Last Friday, the Indonesian money was combined with the stimulus legislation that’s before the senate right now. I talked to Robert in the drafting office and he confirmed he was asked to consolidate it. Now he is conveniently incommunicado and the money he drafted into the bill has strangely been dropped from the legislation.’
‘So you think they’re going to try and add an amendment to the legislation when it comes back from the senate?’ Nigel tried another prawn, this time blowing on it first.
‘That doesn’t make sense either because if they were able to do that, then it would need to go back to the senate again for approval.’ Gordon fiddled with his fork. ‘Unless they amend it first in the senate.’
‘It seems to me you’re trying to see something that just isn’t there,’ said Nigel, biting off the prawn tail and dropping it on the plate.
‘There are just too many strange circumstances …’
‘Are you sure you want to rake up trouble, Gordon, when you’re out of here in a few days? The PM wouldn’t be trying to shaft the government now, would he?’
‘That’s why I wanted to talk to you.’ O’Brien scooped up some sausage and pushed it into his mouth.
‘Have you spoken to anyone else?’ Nelson said.
‘No, of course not.’ Gordon kept chewing. ‘This is only my thinking, I have no evidence to support it, I’m just guessing at this stage.’
‘You had better be careful who you talk to or this could come back and bite you – in a big, big way,’ Nelson said, his mouth full of food.
‘I have sent a note to a journalist with a cabinet minute file, but there has been no action from her other than a story she wrote about Gerrard retiring.’
‘Is that likely?’
‘Not with his wife leaving for overseas on the same day, no, I wouldn’t have thought so.’
‘Anybody else?’
‘Well, I may be encouraging a politician.’
‘Sneaky little bugger, getting others to do your work for you.’
‘Look, Nigel, something is going on, I can feel it. There are just too many strange coincidences happening. I know I could be imagining things, but I remain concerned and, as I said, I have this strange feeling. My intuition is suggesting something unethical is underway and when I listen to it, I am hardly ever wrong.’
‘Mate, you need to stop thinking about Gerrard, and get a life. You’ll have a life from the end of the week – hallelujah.’
‘This has nothing to do with Gerrard,’ Gordon snapped. ‘I mean it has, but it has nothing to do with the way he has treated me in the past.’
‘I think there may be a possibility you’re being blinkered on this, ol’ son.’
Gordon began to doubt himself. ‘I know he wanted that money in the Appropriation Bill, I just know it. Robert suddenly going on leave without telling us, doesn’t that seem strange to you?’
‘Maybe it wasn’t sudden and it’s just a coincidence.’
‘I approve all leave, you know that, and I never got an application from him. I tried his phone, but it’s switched off.’
‘Well, he’s on holiday after all.’
Gordon sipped at his drink. ‘I know something’s up, but I just can’t prove it.’
‘You have nothing to worry about, the bill doesn’t have the immigration money in it.’
‘Would it make a difference to your opinion if it did?’
‘It could. I’m not saying it would, but if the money was in the current legislation, then you could have a valid point.’
‘Why has Gerrard allowed extra time for it when it comes back to the house tomorrow?’
‘Look, I don’t know Gordon, maybe he wants to do a speech about you, you are retiring after all.’ Nelson was losing patience with his fri
end and indicated to the waiter he wanted another drink. ‘Knowing him, he’ll use the occasion to talk about how good his government has been and why the punters should be grateful to get their Christmas bonus.’
‘Just imagine, for a moment, I am right. What could be done?’ Gordon asked idly.
‘Nothing.’ Nelson had finished his food and was picking at his teeth.
‘The funding couldn’t be delayed?’
‘Look, the only way to stop money going out of the country would be to stop the appropriation when the legislation hits the parliament. Where’s the waiter?’ Nigel was getting restless. ‘Mind you, we don’t have to worry about that, do we? Because the current bill before the senate hasn’t got the Indonesian money in it.’ Nigel said almost sarcastically. ‘So, stop worrying about nothing and let’s have some coffee. I need to get back to the parliament.’
Gordon was now thinking about potential delaying options, should he need to act.
The bells adjourning the house for the evening were ringing when James Harper took a call from Peter Stanley and was told the leadership group wanted to meet with him. They wanted to discuss ‘matters of concern’. The very fact that Stanley had rung was in itself concerning, as he’d never rung in the past. Stanley and Harper were friends, and Peter had his full confidence. Harper relied on him for advice and to protect his numbers in the party room, but when a group of politicians established a delegation to visit their leader, then there was always potential for trouble.
Being the alternate prime minister was a burden Harper struggled to carry. Leadership can be lonely, especially in politics where there are few friends, only colleagues – self-interested colleagues who could change their view on any subject at any time to suit themselves, and could never be trusted.
‘James, thanks for agreeing to see us,’ Stanley walked in with a smile, trying to alleviate the tension he immediately felt in Harper’s stiff posture. ‘We have a proposition for you.’
‘Take a seat, boys. How can I help you.’ Harper ignored a drinks offer – it was not the time for social conviviality when confronted with a leadership group delegation.
Deceit Page 20
