Arthur Upfield: Sinister Stones

“Your blacks did an excellent job in obliterating your tracks to and from the dead horse, and to and from whereStenhouse left his jeep, but instead of burying the carcass of the goat you should have taken it back over the Range, and you should have had your blacks obliterate your tracks all the way over. You forgot about the birds.”

“The birds!”

“Yes, the birds. The crows and the eagles. They see everything.”

Silas swore.

“YouBreens could depend with certainty on the loyalty of your station aborigines in any matter involving a white man. In a matter as serious as killing one of their own race, however, their loyalty to youBreens had to take second place. With your wide experience of the aborigines, I feel sure you will understand this and accept it without rancour. Your local medicine-man obtained the details of the double shooting, probably from Patrick O’Grady, and he sent a message to the western blacks knowing they would smoke-signal the news down to theMusgraves.

“Old Bingil was actually as loyal to you as he was able to be. In his message to the western blacks he did not give details other than the facts concerning Jacky Musgrave. The facts totalled two. One, that Jacky Musgrave had been shot to death. Two, that his body had been pushed under a dead horse lying near Black Well. The smoke signals brought Pluto’s Mob up here, and thus Irwin and I had serious rivals.

“The wild men staged the body of Jacky Musgrave, and the grease fell on two stones of many placed beneath it. The grease fell on the stone having O’Grady’s mark, and on the stone bearing the mark of Jasper Breen. They ambushed O’Grady. They headed north this morning to ambush Jasper Breen, and you, Silas Breen, were disguised as your brother. However, in order to prevent a second killing, I persuaded Bingil to send a smoke signal to the western blacks, informing them that Jasper Breen was dead.”

Bony stood and pointed to the south-west. The others stood to see the disjointed columns of smoke rising high above the mountain ridges and the table-tops. He said gravely:

“As you see, the western blacks are on the air. They are calling off the Musgrave crime investigators and the Musgrave executioners. All of us must surely respect their sagacity.”

From gazing at the smoke-signalling, theBreens turned to Bony. Silas glared with savage anger which strangely had nothing of malice. Ezra was subdued by the proof of Bony’s intelligence, while his sister

… according to Irwin… was pushed right off centre.

“How did you know Jasper was dead?” Ezra asked.

“I ought not to have been deceived that night in the bar of the hotel,” Bony admitted. “I was, however, considering the possibility that something far more tragic than whisky was the cause of Jasper’s collapse when, in conversation with ’Un, he told me that on a previous occasion Jasper had succumbed to whisky and that Silas had tied a cord to his beard to make Jasper nod assent when it was his turn to call for drinks. This, added to the statement of others who had seen Jasper with the cattle, was confusing until I noted that not one of them had spoken to Jasper or had been near him. Then, what I suspected was confirmed by the new grave in the cemetery.”

“I had to lie low about Jasper,” groaned Silas.“Had to keep it quiet for a long time after theshootin ’ so there would be no connexion. That’s why I wore the false beard, to make people see himalive days and days after.’Tis a bloody mess and all. Years ago I should’ve got to that dirty, wife-bashing police-”

“Neverlook back, Mr Breen, only forward,” interposed Bony. “You must accompany us to Agar’s Lagoon. There, or at Broome, all the facts have to be placed before Inspector Walters, who will decide what charges to bring against you.”

Silas drew himself up and roared:

“Me go to Agar’s with you? Youtellin ’ me!”

“I’m telling you,” Ezra said, and the big man’s jaw dropped. “You are going to Agar’s with the Inspector and Irwin. And I’m going with you. We’re both going to take it and like it.”

“Take it!” shouted Silas. “Course we can take it. UsBreens can take anything. Blast that dirty policeman. He kills a fine woman, and he robs hard-workin’ cattlemen, andusgotta take the rap.”

“Maybe it won’t be quite as bad as you anticipate,” Bony told him. “I shall not be against you. Neither will Irwin. As much as justice and the law will permit, we shall be with you.”

Suddenly, he was confronted by Kimberley Breen. Her hair was dishevelled. Her eyes were bright within the reddened lids and her cheeks were traced with tears.

“You meant that… true? That you’ll make it as easy as you can for Silas?”

Slowly Napoleon Bonaparte smiled, and she caught her breath and cried passionately: “Thank you! UsBreens aren’t bad. We’ve never done anyone a bad turn. MrIrwin’ll tell you that, and FatherO’Rory, and everyone.”

“Neither Irwin nor I need to be told, Miss Breen. When all this trouble is settled… soon, I hope… you are going to accept my wife’s invitation to stay with us, and allow us to show you the shops and the theatres. I am quite sure that neither Silas nor Ezra will object… will you?”

The two men encountered the blue eyes, brilliant and calm. Ezra nodded assent, and Silas swept the long moustache from his mouth, spat, hitched his trousers and shouted that Kimberley deserved a spell, anyway. And Bony said:

“Then let us get along. Doubtless, we can have a meal at the homestead before proceeding to Agar’s Lagoon. And I would like to see, with time to admire, that wonderful ‘cake’ in the hat box.”