The Tower (44 page)

When he reached the beach, some young men were already out on their boards, wearing wetsuits and catching a nice break with a lot of power in it. He watched them for a while and recalled what he'd been doing at their age, in another part of the city, yellow fields and new houses mixed together, trees being cut down here, planted there, new roads and faces, everything always changing as the incoming tides of immigration pushed the population steadily out their way. He remembered the adjustment he'd had to make when he moved to Maroubra, a crowded older suburb next to the permanence of the ocean. All this he'd come to love, but it didn't seem so solid anymore.

He started to run, keeping to the firm sand between the waterline and the broad swathe of softer yellow to his left. As he ran he prayed that Anna and Matt would return to him, that they be returned. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The sun, a vivid orange on account of the pollution sitting in the still sky, warmed the right side of his body as he passed other joggers, occasionally recognising someone from the surf club and grunting hello. His heart was bleak but the sound of the waves, the sunlight and the colour, soothed it a little. He ran on the beach for half an hour, then headed for home.

When he turned the corner of their street, Anna's car was in the driveway. As he got closer he saw that something was wrong with its side: there was a wide gouge running from the crumpled front left corner most of the way down to the back. There was no one else in the street as he stopped running and walked over the damp grass and looked in the windows. Matt was asleep in his seat, his little chest moving up and down. He seemed fine. Anna was in the front, also asleep, her head back against the seat and the side window. They both looked very much at peace.

He watched them for a long time, feeling helpless.

Driving to work later that morning, Troy agonised over what to do about the video. He and Anna had had a long conversation after she woke up. She told him she'd driven around for hours, not knowing where to go. At some point she'd fallen asleep at the wheel, down in Mascot, and sideswiped a concrete wall. She couldn't remember where. Then she'd driven home and fallen asleep. Crying a lot, she said she loved him very much and realised she needed to see someone, a counsellor. This was a huge breakthrough. After a bit she calmed down. Things were going to be all right, she could see that she had to change. They just needed time. He felt tremendously happy.

He told her he wanted her to call her parents that morning. A look of panic appeared on her face but he insisted. Either her parents or a doctor, that day.

‘You should go up and have a holiday, stay with them,' he said.

‘No,' she whispered, putting a hand on his arm. ‘I want to be with you. I love you.'

The thought of her alone with Matt worried him. ‘Ask them down here then,' he said. ‘I'll buy the tickets.'

She agreed and he waited while she called them, listened while she set up the visit. After he'd sorted out the flights on the internet, he had a cup of tea with her in the kitchen and they talked some more. She was at peace, the way she used to be. Maybe last night was the low spot, he thought. Nothing lasts forever. We've come through something and now it's going to get better. Anna had made the decision to come back to him.

When Liz Matarazzo turned up with her children, he felt it was safe to go to work.

As he drove he found he was having trouble breathing. There was no way he could risk Anna finding out about his infidelity—not now especially, when everything had changed. And yet he had to do something. He reached the office at ten and asked McIver if he could have a word, still uncertain of what he wanted to say. The place was almost deserted, with only four officers at their desks. McIver was doing some stretching exercises with his left arm, and gazing out the open door behind Troy.

‘Normally a pretty sight, an empty office,' he said. ‘But we've hit the wall on this one. Bloody Geoff Rochford. He was our last hope.'

Troy shifted uneasily. McIver was staring at him, and he wondered if the sergeant could tell what was going on. But it was not possible.

McIver added: ‘I've never felt like this before.' He looked tired, more dispirited than Troy could remember. It was unnatural.

‘What would Jesus do?' Troy murmured.

‘I'm sorry?'

Troy leaned back and pushed the door shut. Then, taking a deep breath, he told McIver everything. He had no idea where what he was now starting would end, but he could no longer keep it to himself.

As he spoke, McIver watched him seriously, stroking his jaw. Strangely, he didn't look surprised. Troy kept speaking and as he went on he felt a tremendous sense of relief. Deceit did not come naturally to him. There was no credit due for this: it was just the way he was.

When he finished, there was silence for a while. Then McIver said, ‘You know you're a bloody idiot.'

‘Things haven't been good between Anna and me—'

‘I don't mean that. I mean for not telling me about this before.' He stood up and Troy wondered what was going to happen. The sergeant began to wave his left arm around in what seemed to be another exercise. As he moved it he said, ‘This explains the leak to the
Herald
on Friday about the state of the investigation. The people with these pictures must have freaked out when you got tossed. All their hard work for nothing.' He stopped moving his arm and said, ‘Did you tell Randall about Stone and his union investigation?'

‘Randall knew already. He told me about it.'

McIver began to move his arm again, slowly. ‘Which presumably means other people at Warton Constructions know about it.

Maybe even people at Morning Star.' He shook his head. ‘Kelly. What a fool.'

‘Randall reckons he doesn't know who's behind this. Says he's being jammed himself.'

McIver waved his good arm, dismissing Randall for the moment. ‘The question is, who'd want to influence the investigation?' He rubbed his chin. ‘You could say the Russian bloke, or his missing mate Jason. But the problem is, Stone's involvement complicates everything. It could be political, nothing to do with the illegals.'

‘But Stone's out of it.'

‘They might think someone else is carrying on his good work. We're right in the dark. I'll have to tell Kelly.'

‘No.'

McIver looked at him. ‘It's not a choice, mate. I have to tell her; she can get things moving. We don't like people trying to blackmail cops.'

‘Anna might find out.'

He'd told McIver about the warning he'd been given by the man on the phone.

‘That's a risk you'll have to take.'

‘She can't find out. She couldn't handle it.'

McIver shrugged. ‘Things can be done. We can get to her service provider, put a block on it. Even your mail, get the post office involved. We can put a ring around Anna.'

‘It could be posted on the internet. Her friends would find out. You can't guarantee it will never get to her.'

He explained about Anna's state of mind and her medication. He could tell McIver was taking it in; he hadn't convinced him, but he was thinking again.

When Troy had finished, he said, ‘Even so, maybe she'd react better than you think. These things are complicated.'

‘They're not complicated for her. Believe me.'

‘She's led a sheltered life, then.'

‘It's not a crime. I'm asking you, as a friend, to help me here. Don't tell Kelly.'

McIver rubbed his jaw and looked away. His face was scowling, as it did when he was entirely serious. He said, ‘I suppose you think I owe you for saving my life.'

‘I don't—'

‘I do. That's the way it is.' He shook his head slowly. ‘So I'll do this. If you really want it.'

‘Yes.'

‘But there can be no pulling out. I don't want you thinking you can just jump back inside the system if this doesn't work out. Once you go out on your own, things are never the same again.' He looked at Troy almost fondly. ‘Take my word for it.'

Troy nodded. He was already outside this system. And all others. ‘It's what I want.'

‘Why were you shaving in here on Saturday? Siegert told me.'

‘I forgot to shave at home.' He'd already told McIver about his visit to the Mornington Apartments.

Now Mac looked at him and shook his head, as though this shaving business had some deep significance. ‘You think you're in a condition to make this decision?'

‘Yes. There isn't much time, is there? I'll stick to it, you know me well enough for that.'

McIver looked away for a moment and cleared his throat. ‘We ought to get Randall in and bounce him around,' he said, ‘but as you say, that would be dangerous. You've been warned off. The other lead we might have is Mr A. They want us to stop looking for him, so he must be important. And he must be findable. If he wasn't, they wouldn't have needed to go through all that bullshit with Geoff Rochford.'

‘He might be dead.'

McIver shook his head slowly. ‘In that case I don't know if they'd go to the trouble, the risk, of blackmailing you. Because it is a risk for them—cops don't appreciate this sort of thing. They couldn't be sure how you'd react.' McIver looked angry for a moment, but then he smiled. ‘You feel better for talking about it, don't you?'

‘I'm a Catholic. We like to confess things.'

‘Everyone likes to confess things,' McIver said. ‘It's what keeps us in business.' He drummed the fingers of his right hand on the desk for half a minute. Then he did the same with his left hand, more slowly and with effort. The result seemed to please him. ‘It'd be nice to have allies, but Vella's about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. So we need to handle it ourselves.' His lips parted in a surprisingly gentle smile. ‘Here's the deal. I'll do my best to sort this out without Kelly. And when I say sort it out, I mean so's Anna will never know.'

Troy felt a surge of relief. It was irrational, but overwhelming.

‘But it might not work. You have to be ready for that. Okay?'

‘Sure,' he lied.

‘I'm going to have to use my own methods, might have to confide in one or two old mates. There'll be risk involved. Tell me now, are you up for that?'

‘Yes.'

McIver looked at him dubiously, and seemed about to say something but changed his mind. ‘It could go off quickly,' was what he did say. ‘In the meantime, could you arrange a bust at home? I'm thinking we need to get the computer out of your house, in case they send the video to Anna.'

‘Anna's on the edge of a nervous breakdown. She's always been worried about security, it wouldn't be good for her. And she'd just use one of her friend's computers, anyway.'

As he spoke, he realised it made his wife sound like an invalid.

‘Well, it's your call, but I'd seriously consider it.' McIver seemed sick of the subject of Anna. He frowned and looked at his watch. ‘Let me ring a few people. You think some more about Mr A, who he might be. And give me the number.'

‘What number?'

‘The one you called for your hour of indiscretion.'

Troy had thrown away the piece of paper Randall had given him, but he could remember the number. He recited it and stood up.

McIver said, ‘Did you check it out?'

‘Bought under a false name.'

McIver nodded. ‘You know, you're probably right to fear Kelly. I've heard she tried to have both of us bounced after that Sunday night. It was Rogers said no, and not because he's fond of me. It's you. Any link there?'

‘I've never met him,' said Troy. He was keen to get out of the small room and be alone.

McIver said, ‘You've changed.'

‘I'm the same. The world's changed.'

‘They all say that.'

Troy wondered what he meant, but he didn't really care. He didn't want to know everything, not anymore.

McIver shrugged and picked up the phone. As Troy was about to leave the room the sergeant said, ‘Was it worth it?'

‘What?'

‘You're being obtuse.'

Troy hadn't thought about it like that. He said slowly, ‘Yes. It was.'

The answer seemed to please McIver. ‘If you spread your kisses around,' he said, ‘who's going to know, a hundred years from today?'

It sounded like something from a song.

‘It's not a hundred years from today I'm worried about.'

McIver began to push buttons on the phone and said, ‘I wouldn't make any plans for the next few days. As soon as we get an opportunity we'll have to move.' He paused and looked at Troy again. ‘You really should have come to me about this before. Honesty's the best policy, in my experience. At least when all else fails.'

Thirty-nine

J
ust after ten, a young woman came to the office and asked for Conti. Her hair was almost silver and she was unusually pale. As they spoke at Conti's desk, other detectives looked at the woman from the corners of their eyes.

When she'd left, Conti went in to see McIver. Shortly, the two of them came out and stopped by Troy's desk.

‘Come on,' said McIver. ‘We're going out.'

‘Where?'

‘To a brothel.'

Troy stood up slowly, feeling the attention of the room upon them.

‘Don't worry,' McIver said, ‘Susan's coming to look after us.'

In the car, Conti explained that the woman was Kristin Otto, who worked for an NGO that investigated the trafficking of women. Conti had met her last week, when she'd interviewed staff at the brothel where one of the illegals had been on the night Margot Teresi died. Otto was assisting the Immigration investigation.

‘I'm amazed the media haven't got on to this,' McIver said as they drove up Goulburn Street. ‘A bit of sex to add to everything else they've managed to get into the story.'