Claire McNab - Kookaburra Gambit

"Not a bad idea in theory," said Bob, "but how the hell do we pull it off?"

"Tami Eckholdt," I said. "She's the key."

"Tami?" I said into the receiver. "It's Kylie. You said to call."

"I did!" Her enthusiasm was disturbing.

"Tami, can we get together for a chat? I have this problem."

"I'd love that!"

It was two days after the Monday morning meeting. The paralyzing haze of unhappiness that had surrounded me had lifted as I plunged into the details of planning the sting.

I'd insisted we name our maneuver the Kookaburra Gambit. After all, COP's Lamb White had set the gambit up in the first place by filling Kelvin Kookaburras with stolen opals. What we would do now, if it all worked out, was boomerang the scheme right back to them.

I arranged to meet with Tami Eckholdt in a coffee shop. I was wired for sound, so Lonnie told me to pick a corner not too noisy and definitely not near the coffee machine.

I was there early to scope the place out. Tami arrived shortly afterward. Today she wore a very short, bilious green skirt and a tight yellow top. For myself, I'd ratcheted down the alluring factor with old baggy jeans and an overlarge denim shirt. I had a rather shabby canvas book bag sitting on the floor between my feet.

Even dressed like that, apparently I was Tami's cup of tea.

"You look wonderful," she breathed, sitting at the little table I'd snaffled in a private corner. She put her hand on my knee.

"Thank you. You look wonderful too."

She leapt up, startling me. "I'll get the coffee. You stay here." She didn't ask how I liked my coffee.

Tami strode across the shop, bounced in place while waiting for her order, collected the overpriced cartons, then marched back to our table. That amount of energy was alarming, especially when she so obviously intended to expend some of it on me, if she got the chance.

"You said you had a problem, Kylie? I'd love to help, if I could."

"It's like this, Tami," I said, sounding deeply troubled, "Alf's given me these opals."

"Typical male." Her mouth twisted in disdain. "Men are always doing that, trying to buy sex with gifts. It's disgusting."

"The opals weren't a gift. There's lots of them, all loose stones. Not made up as jewelry. Alf asked me to keep them safe for him."

This was clearly an unwelcome shock for Tami. "Really?" she said. "Loose opals, you say?"

"Lots of them."

Tami chewed her lip. Her feet did a little dance under the table. She could have done with a glance at The Complete Handbook's advice on revealing body language.

"Where did they come from?" she said at last.

I did the looking-over-the-shoulder bit. "It's confidential, Tami. I don't know if I can tell even you…"

"Oh, you can tell me, Kylie. Trust me, you can."

"I don't know…" I looked pensive.

Tami put a comforting hand on mine. "I can see it's worrying you so much. Do share it with me. It'll help."

"True, my mum always says a worry shared is a worry halved."

Tami couldn't be less interested in Mum's take on life. "The opals, Kylie? Where did they come from?"

"They're lovely, and very valuable. Alf wouldn't tell me how much, but I know it's a lot of money."

She was getting impatient. "I'm sure. Where did you say he got them?

"Alf found them in a crate of Kelvin Kookaburras Lamb White asked to be shipped from Australia." I dropped my voice. "Tami, he thinks Lamb White is smuggling opals."

"That's outrageous!" Tami's indignation was so obviously fake, I nearly smiled.

"What should I do with them?"

"What?"

It was obvious Tami wasn't sure how to respond at this point. I pressured her by saying, "I do need your advice." I reached down for the book bag. "What do I do with them?"

Tami stared at the bag with alarmed fascination. "You haven't got the opals here, have you?"

"I thought they were safer if I kept them with me."

The wheels in Tami's head were whirring, but not coming up with much. "I have to call someone," she said.

"At a moment like this?" I protested. "When I need your advice?"

Tami had whipped out a cell phone. "I'll be back in a moment." She scuttled out the door of the coffee shop, her face anxious. I watched as she carried on an urgent conversation, then she snapped the phone shut, trotted back inside, and sat down again. "Sorry about that. Business call."

"What should I do?" I sounded plaintive.

"Can I see them?"

I handed her the bag. She peered in, gaped at the opals lying tumbled in the bottom of the bag. "Jesus Christ!" This seemed an appropriate exclamation for the head of Lamb White.

"These came from the Kelvin Kookaburras at the Oz Mob office, is that right?" Tami's voice now had a steely note.

"Yes, but Alf thinks there may be opals in some other crates that haven't been opened yet. He's got the crates safe in storage."

Tami smiled at me. A counterfeit smile if I'd ever seen one. "Kylie, I want you to trust me."

"I want to, Tami, I want to."

"I'd like you to come with me. There's someone you need to meet."

"I don't want anyone else involved." I'd sharpened up my voice. "You see, Tami, I was thinking of keeping them."

Tami's jaw actually dropped. "Keeping the opals for yourself?"

I put on an expression of rat cunning. "Alf can't say anything, can he? The opals are what you call hot, isn't that the lingo? You'd get your share, if you'd help me."

That offer got a look of calculation from Tami. Then, frowning, she considered the possibilities. Really, she was transparent as glass. After a long pause, she said, "We could keep some of the opals. I guess no one would ever know."

I got obstinate. "I'm not taking this chance for some of the opals. I want all of them."

Tami tried to hide her fury with a smile. "Of course you do, but Brother Owen knows you have the opals. It'd be dangerous to cross him, but he'd never miss a few." She had another look in the bag. "Do you know which ones are worth the most?"

"That phone call you made-it was to Brother Owen, wasn't it?"

"He is my boss," Tami said defensively.

I took a handful of opals out of the bag and displayed them on the palm of my hand. "Look for ones with a shot of fire in them. They're worth the most."

Tami's face was a picture of greed. She picked several up and examined them. I murmured, "Each one is worth thousands."

"How many do you think we could take without it being noticed?"

"Maybe three each."

"Make it five or six." Tami slipped the opals she held into her pocket. "Now we go see Brother Owen. Hurry up and pick the ones you're keeping. He's waiting for us."

I selected several stones and put them in the hip pocket of my jeans. "Brother Owen shouldn't get the opals," I said resentfully. "They're not his."

Tami sniggered, not a nice sound. "They are, you know."

I did my dim, puzzled act. Tami looked at me with scorn. "You don't get it, do you, Kylie? Who do you think came up with the idea of planting the opals in the first place?"

"Not Brother Owen?" I said.

"Brother Owen. And they're going right back into the kookaburra toys, where Alf Hartnidge found them."

"It's something to do with the Oz Mob movie, isn't it? Alf told me he was worried about the morals clause."

Tami looked at me sharply. "What do you know about that?"

"Nothing much. I heard Alf and Chicka talking, that's all."

"Talking about the contract with Lamb White?" She leaned closer. "Tell me exactly what you heard them say."

"Gee, I don't know," I said vaguely. "It's not like I was really interested. I just caught a few words. Something about a legal challenge to the contract because some of the conditions were clearly unfair."