Flood country Page 19

  Robbo’s pulse quickened at this news. ‘What sort of things? Who’s asking questions?’

  ‘Apparently ICAC’s gotten involved somehow and we’re trying to work out how much they know or if it’s just a shake and bake operation,’ said Vinnie.

  ‘ICAC, are you serious? Jesus, that sounds bad. But, no, no-one’s been to see me. Why should they?’ asked Robbo.

  ‘Well, they apparently said one angle they’re looking into is a possible connection to GrowOz and Goodacres, so you can expect a visit.’

  ‘Christ, what do I tell them?’ said Robbo, the panic level rising.

  ‘Nothing of course, you dickhead. Tell ’em you’re golfing mates with Wellsmore and that he’s as honest as the day’s long. Tell ’em that Thompson is well known for his gripes about water and that no-one takes him seriously around there. That’s all,’ said Vinnie caustically.

  ‘I was afraid it would come to this one day. We can’t just keep on stealing bloody water in broad daylight and expect to get away with it forever. The boys are at it again right now—there’s an environmental flow coming through tonight,’ said Robbo.

  ‘I hear you, ok, tell the boys this will be the last for a while, until this ICAC thing goes away,’ said Vinnie. ‘I have to go, but I need to borrow Billy and Marcus for a while, I hope that’s ok? They’ll be back in a couple of weeks. And if anyone asks, say they were just casuals you’d employed and they’ve moved on, ok?’

  Chapter 71

  As the chopper’s rotors were slowly winding to a halt at Dawson airport, Luke turned on his mobile and it immediately signalled that he had a message. He listened and it instantly raised the hairs on the back of his neck—it was the message from Lisa.

  ‘Oh no,’ he said, ‘that doesn’t sound good,’ catching the attention of Pip, Sharon and Jack who looked at him expectantly. ‘It’s from Lisa, some blokes found Wellsmore’s tinnie floating on the river and there’s no sign of him,’ Luke said with a dark look spreading across his face.

  He called Lisa, and she answered instantly. ‘Luke, what should I do? I feel so guilty. I should’ve insisted he told me where he was.’

  ‘Calm down, he’s probably fine. Tell me exactly what these guys told you,’ Luke replied.

  Lisa related the story to Luke and he listened carefully; watched equally intently by Pip, Sharon and Jack. ‘A-ha, yes, ok, so 50 kilometres out on Drover’s Road. You stay put and we’ll go out there now,’ he said, looking at Pip, who nodded. ‘Lisa, can you call those guys back and tell them to wait for us at the cabin, we’ll be there shortly. And, say nothing to McMahon or anyone else at this stage, ok? I’ll get back to you as soon as we know something. Yes, you have my word.’

  Pip was already firing up the still-warm chopper as the others climbed back in. ‘Sounds bad to me,’ said Sharon.

  ‘Yes, I have to agree,’ replied Luke, donning his headphones as the chopper noise rose.

  Pip lifted them off and set course northwest to intercept with Drover’s road. A few minutes later they saw it below them and Pip said, ‘That’s the road, now we’ll follow it.’

  Chapter 72

  As Mark took a seat opposite the Assistant Commissioner of ICAC he was yet again struck by her sense of calm—nothing in her well-appointed office screamed at you—it was all organised and oozed confidence. Just turned 50, she had that look of experience and a well-ordered life. Her passion for keeping fit was well known to all the staff—taking a jog round Hyde Park most lunch times and being a regular in the gruelling City to Surf fun run each year. Julie Tomkins looked across the table at Mark with those penetrating dark eyes. Her hair was short-cropped, with strands of grey starting to show, but Mark thought—you must have been a stunner in your law school days.

  ‘From what you’ve told me, Mark, there’s no doubt you should go out there to try to secure the smoking gun evidence we need. Right now, you’re quite correct in your assessment that all we have is circumstantial evidence, from a purely legal perspective. We can’t formalise Operation Volturnus based on this,’ said the assistant commissioner.

  ‘Yes, I thought so,’ he replied.

  ‘As you predicted I did receive a call from the premier this morning, wanting to know more than I was willing to tell him,’ she smiled across the table, with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes that her staff enjoyed. It meant she thought this was a real case they should go after. Continuing, she said, ‘Do you think our interest in this case will have made it to Goodacres yet? Should we apply some pressure on them yet?’

  ‘I’ve been wondering that too. I suspect the minister is heavily involved which probably means someone in his office will have given them the tip-off; not Townsend himself, so he can deny doing so. My feeling is still to hold off talking to them to give the rats less time to leave the sinking ship, but we need to act quickly from here on otherwise any evidence they hold will be vaporised,’ said Mark.

  ‘Yes, I agree,’ said the assistant commissioner with her usual decisiveness. ‘Keep me up to date from Dawson and if we need to act swiftly, I can make that happen.’

  Chapter 73

  Luke, Jack and Sharon felt the chopper slow. ‘I think that might be it. That’s his car, I think,’ said Sharon.

  ‘I’ll go in for a closer look,’ replied Pip.

  As they circled, two men emerged from under the trees and looked up at them. ‘That must be it. I’ll take us in to land in that clearing. Hold on folks, this could be tight,’ said Pip.

  ‘I remember saying that on the night I lost my virginity,’ said Sharon; offending everyone, under the circumstances. ‘Sorry, couldn’t resist,’ she apologised.

  They landed and then made their way over to the cabin, introducing themselves to Smithy and Davo. Luke decided this situation needed his authority, so he showed his badge. This got Smithy and Davo’s immediate attention. ‘Fellas, I know you told Lisa what happened. Do you mind telling it to me again, please,’ said Luke, trying to put them at ease.

  Smithy described what had happened and then they went inside to see the scene there. Luke said, ‘No-one touch anything, please. This may turn out to be a crime scene. Smithy, did you or Davo touch anything in here?’

  ‘Only the mobile phone, I think,’ said Davo.

  ‘I touched the door knob,’ said Smithy.

  ‘Ok, that’s good to know. Maybe you all should just stand there near the door,’ said Luke in his Police voice.

  ‘Pete was sure having a party here—quite a bender,’ remarked Sharon.

  Luke looked around. Other than the broken chair nothing else seemed noteworthy, although he had to agree with Sharon about Pete’s unusual therapy for cancer treatment!

  Luke ushered them back outside and turned to Pip. ‘The quickest way to look for him is from the air. How about Sharon and I go with Smithy and Davo back to their car to see where they found the tinnie and you and Jack do a few laps up and down the river to see if you can find him. He might be sleeping it off under a big old tree,’ said Luke.

  Pip and Jack took to the air and looking down they could see Luke and Sharon chugging downstream in the tinnie with Smithy and Davo. ‘Fingers crossed,’ said Jack.

  ‘Hmm. I’ve got a bad feeling about this, though,’ she replied, concentrating hard on both flying and looking down for Pete.

  After tracking the river a few kilometres upstream, Jack said what they were both thinking. ‘If he’s under the water we won’t see him—the water’s too muddy.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right. Best chance is that he’s stranded on the bank somewhere. I’ll keep going for another five minutes and then turn back and retrace our steps,’ said Pip.

  With still no sign of Pete, they turned back and once again flew low along the snaking river back to where Luke and Sharon could be seen still talking to Smithy and Davo. Pip put the chopper down in an open area beside where they were conferring.

  As the rotors died down, Luke walked over to speak to Pip and Jack. ‘I take it you didn’t find anything
?’ he said.

  ‘Nah, water’s too muddy to see a body and we didn’t see him waving for help from the bank,’ said Jack.

  ‘What do we do now?’ asked Pip.

  ‘We’ll have to advise Sergeant McMahan. This will now require an official search. That means I’m going to have to go see him, as a cop, and that could get interesting. First I have to call Lisa and that’s not a call I’m looking forward to,’ said Luke, walking away for some privacy while he made the call.

  Chapter 74

  ‘Lisa, it’s Luke here.’

  ‘Did you find him?’ she asked, very excited.

  ‘No, I’m sorry, there’s no sign of him. We did a quick recky up the river in the chopper and looked at where his tinnie was found downstream—nothing, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Oh God,’ she moaned.

  ‘Now listen, is McMahon there right now? I need to come and see him so we can activate a full search,’ said Luke.

  ‘Yes, he’s just come back in,’ she replied.

  ‘Ok, you sit tight—leave it to me, alright. I’ll be there inside 30 minutes,’ he said.

  As Luke was putting his phone away a kookaburra’s laugh echoed along the river, and then several others joined in. He smiled, thinking that was a bit ironic—there’s nothing to laugh about here.

  He rejoined the others near the chopper. ‘Let’s get back to Dawson. I’ll need to advise McMahon of this, officially. First I have to call my commander as this means we’ll have to show our hand about McMahon’s possible involvement. If he’s involved we don’t want him interfering in the possible crime scene. Give me a couple of minutes,’ he said walking away again and calling on his phone as he went.

  Sharon, Pip and Jack walked back down by the river. Smithy and Davo were still leaning against the ute, their body language indicating they were regretting the decision to choose this fishing spot.

  ‘If Luke gets caught up in the search, what’s our next move?’ asked Sharon.

  ‘We need to wait and see if Mark comes up, I suppose,’ said Jack.

  ‘I can take us all back into town. Then I have a dusk kangaroo survey job and more pig shooting with Jimmy tomorrow,’ said Pip.

  Just then, Luke returned. ‘Ok, I’ve spoken to the boss. He agrees that we have no choice now. He’s calling McMahon’s area commander to request that he be suspended from duty immediately, pending the outcome of all of this. We have Lisa’s advice from Wellsmore that he’s involved—which has to be investigated anyway—and then there’s the dodgy job he did investigating your accident and the theft, Jack. I’ve also asked the guys in Sydney to run a check for me on Billy Casperson—to see if he’s got a history that might tell us something. Remind me to check with Benny about that shell cartridge I sent off to him for fingerprint analysis as well.’

  As he finished saying this, Luke’s phone rang. ‘It’s Mark, hang on,’ he said.

  ‘G’day Mark, what’s happening there? Ok, one of us will be at the airport to collect you at 6.00 pm. We’ve had a bit of a development here. Some fishermen found Wellsmore’s hideout and his boat floating on the river. There’s no sign of him. I’ve just spoken to my commander and he’s agreed it’s time to get McMahon out of the picture. That’s happening as we speak. I’m about to go back into Dawson to get the search underway for Wellsmore.’

  Luke listened to Mark, nodding, ‘Sounds good, we’ll see you this afternoon.’

  ‘I guess you heard that,’ said Luke after finishing the call. ‘Mark will be here at six. He’s keen to interview Mary.’

  They climbed back into the chopper and set course for Dawson. Unnoticed by any of them as they disembarked back at the airport was a dusty black Land Rover sitting in the parking area, crowded with vehicles due to the upcoming flight to Sydney. Vinnie, sunglasses wrapping around his big shaved head, smiled as he saw them head for their cars. He muttered. ‘Welcome back, Jack. It seems you didn’t take our warning seriously.’

  As they drove off, Vinnie followed a few hundred metres behind.

  Chapter 75

  Sergeant McMahon’s direct line rang and he picked it up to be greeted by the area commander, Chief Inspector Barry Crosswhite. After exchanging some pleasantries, the area commander said, ‘Pat, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. There have been claims made that you may have some involvement in a corruption case relating to water theft out there, so I have no alternative but to have these investigated.’

  ‘But, but Barry, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. What corruption case? Who’s made these allegations? They’re bloody liars,’ said McMahon, on the defensive.

  ‘Apparently it relates to a case ICAC has begun to investigate following on from allegations about water theft by a local farmer out there. I’ve just been told about this by one of my counterparts from inner Sydney. He tells me one of his detectives is on the scene and that someone called Wellsmore is central to the investigation and has been reported missing, presumed drowned. A full search has to be activated as soon as possible,’ said the Inspector.

  ‘A Sydney copper on the scene—who the hell is that? I know nothing about any of this,’ said McMahon.

  ‘Well, my hands are tied here. With ICAC involved, someone they’re interested in missing, and a cloud hanging over your head—whether warranted or not—I can’t have you coordinating a search, now can I?’ said the Inspector.

  ‘For God’s sake, Barry, I’m clean. This is ridiculous. My good name will be tarnished for ever because of this,’ pleaded Pat.

  ‘Due process, Pat, that’s all I can say. You need to leave the station as soon as my deputy arrives. He’s leaving here now. Then you are to remain in Dawson and be available for questioning late this evening or first thing tomorrow when the ICAC officer arrives. Is that understood? I suggest you say nothing to your team there. The less they know the better at this stage,’ the Inspector concluded.

  ‘Yes, that’s clear sir. I’ll wait here for your deputy to arrive,’ said Pat, hanging up. He sat and contemplated the situation and then realised who would know more about what’s going on.

  ‘Constable Brown, can you please come in here,’ he said tersely through the intercom. Lisa, deep in thought herself, was taken aback by this sudden request and the tone used to deliver it. She entered his office sheepishly.

  ‘When did you last hear from your stepfather?’ he demanded.

  ‘Yesterday morning,’ she replied.

  ‘And you’ve heard nothing more from or about him since then,’ said McMahon, trying to tease more information from Lisa.

  She hesitated before deciding this wasn’t the time to reveal all she knew. ‘No,’ she lied.

  McMahon exploded, ‘I don’t believe you, you lying bitch. I’ve just been relieved of all duties pending an investigation into my alleged involvement in some corruption plot relating to your crooked fucking father, who I’m also told is now officially missing. But this wouldn’t be news to you, would it?’ he spluttered furiously.

  Lisa, endowed with a good temper herself, responded in kind. ‘How dare you speak to me like that! Pete told me you’re in this up to your neck and now he’s missing. I’ll bet you’re implicated in some way, so I say bring it on. You deserve all you’re about to get.’

  He jumped to his feet and made to advance toward Lisa as she backed away. Lisa knew that all the other junior officers were out of the station—she was the one responsible for tracking their whereabouts for callers and Pat.

  ‘Stay away from me sarge. You brought this on yourself,’ she said, reaching behind and opening the office door. With that, McMahon rushed at Lisa as she turned to run out the door. McMahon was quicker than he looked and managed to latch onto one of her arms and drag her back into office. Lisa fought back, kicking McMahon firmly between the legs.

  He gasped, sucked in a deep breath and uttered. ‘You bitch, now you’ll go the same way as I presume your stupid fucking stepfather has—to feed the fish.’

  ‘That’s an interesting th
ing to say,’ said Luke from the doorway; with Pip, Sharon and Jack standing behind him. ‘You’d better let go of her NOW,’ he said with authority as he stepped toward McMahon.

  ‘Can I give him another kick in the nuts please,’ said Sharon.

  ‘I’m next,’ said Jack.

  ‘Are you alright Lisa?’ asked Luke, ignoring them.

  McMahon retreated and slumped in his chair, his head in his hands.

  ‘Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank God you arrived when you did, though—I’m not sure what he planned to do next,’ she said.

  They all turned to look at McMahon, who stayed slumped forward, shaking his head.

  ‘I assume you’ll be pressing assault charges,’ Luke asked.

  ‘If that means we can lock him up in his owns cells; then yes, of course,’ said Lisa, smiling for the first time.

  ‘We won’t be able to hold him for long, but at least he’ll be close by when Mark from ICAC gets here to question him,’ said Luke.

  Chapter 76

  Sitting in his car parked down the street from the police station, Vinnie was curious to know what was going on inside but couldn’t risk being seen. He waited.

  About 30 minutes later; Sharon, Pip and Jack reappeared and climbed into Pip’s Toyota. Vinnie wasn’t sure what to do; stay there and see what had happened to the sergeant or follow the others. In a split-second decision he decided to follow them and eased his car back onto the road.

  He tailed them back to the airport and thought to himself—oh shit, wrong option, they’re going flying again. Then, to his surprise, they parked outside the terminal and walked inside. Vinnie parked and waited a discreet distance away.