Peter Corris - The Coast Road

‘Not much of one, but look at it this way. If you don’t do it I’ll give this tape to the police who’ll want to question you about some of the admissions you’ve made on it- harbouring criminals, for example. And your agent’s licence is history. Part of the bent cop connection Buckingham’s got in the Illawarra has come apart and it’s likely some of those cops’ll start singing.’

‘That’s not much reassurance.’

I shrugged. ‘With a lot of luck this could finish him. He’s already in trouble and he desperately wants that land for some big deal or other. That’s why he’ll tell Wendy to do what he says. The signs are that the land thing is his big play. If it doesn’t come off, chances are he’s stuffed and he’ll be too busy to worry about you. Or not able to do you much harm anyway.’

‘He’ll harm me. Bet on it.’

‘I’ll put in a good word for you.’

She snorted, sounding more like the old Tilly than the new model. ‘It all sounds very iffy to me, but you’ve probably got enough nerve to pull it off. All right. I haven’t got much choice. I’ll do it.’

I gave her explicit instructions and she made the call. She played it straight and Wendy asked for some time as I expected she would. Matilda hung up looking strained around the eyes. This was tougher than flogging decaying terraces to yuppies.

‘You did that well,’ I said. ‘But you shot me a look just before you said “Never heard of him”. Was that what I think it was?’

‘Yes. She was asking if I’d had any contact with you.’

‘Okay. She’ll be ringing Buckingham now.’

‘I bet you wish you could hear the conversation.’

‘You’re right. But I’ll tell her the hotel phones are bugged and I have heard it.’

‘You’re a devious bastard. That’ll put me in still deeper. My calls here must be piling up. Do you think I could do a little work?’

‘You’ve got some nerve yourself.’

She shrugged. ‘Life must go on. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need every cent I can find when this washes up. Whoever wins.’

Pragmatic to the max. She had it right-it felt like a contest between Buckingham and me. ‘After Wendy calls back,’ I said.

She fidgeted and I tried not to while we waited for half an hour. The call came and Wendy agreed to come to the agency at six o’clock to meet with Elizabeth Farmer. I told Matilda to make her calls and to be sure they were about the real estate business and nothing else. I’d be listening. I also told her to get one of her minions to bring up some coffee and to make sure none of them worked overtime.

The coffee arrived and although the woman bringing it looked surprised at the company her boss was keeping, she didn’t comment. Matilda busied herself and I tried to get Elizabeth Farmer on my mobile to put her in the picture but she wasn’t answering at the university or at home. Maybe getting in a quick nine holes before dark. My next call was to Hank Bachelor, the young American working part-time for a security outfit and doing the TAFE private eye course. I keep him on a small retainer for backup work. If Wendy arrived with one of her mates I wanted to know about it. I gave Hank the time and the address and the descriptions.

‘You want information, Cliff, or action?’

‘If she’s got a mate with a bazooka you’d better shoot him, otherwise just let me know.’

‘Got it.’

Matilda looked at me across her desk. ‘You’ve thought this all out, haven’t you?’

‘Tried to, but shit happens.’

‘You never said a truer word. Elizabeth hates me, doesn’t she?’

‘I think that’s fair to say.’

‘Dykes,’ she muttered and got back to her work.

Time went by; a couple of the office staff came in for quick consultations; Matilda’s phone rang and she answered it; she made some calls; the working day ended. At five forty-five I heard a buzzing and clicking.

‘Last one to leave sets the security alarm,’ Matilda said.

‘Okay, let’s go down and disarm it. You can buzz people in, right?’

‘Yes.’

We dealt with the alarm and went back to her office. ‘When she rings, you let her in. Then you call her up here.’

‘Then what?’

‘Then we see how it goes.’

At a minute to six my mobile rang.

‘Cliff, blonde chick on a Harley. No passenger.’

The intercom cut in as the call ended. ‘Matilda? It’s Wendy.’

Matilda pressed a button. I was standing at the open door near the top of the stairs and heard the door lock release. Boots scraped on the polished wood floor. I waved at Matilda.

‘Up here, Wendy,’ Matilda called.

She came up the stairs with a springy step and took a long stride into the room. I was behind the door. I tripped her and she fell hard. I had a pair of plastic restraints ready and I had them on her with her arms behind her back before she could draw breath. When she did, she snarled and spat.

‘What the fuck…?’

‘Shut up,’ I said. I grabbed her by the collar of her leather jacket and heaved her into a chair. Her eyes blazed at me and the jewel implants in her teeth glittered.

‘You’re Hardy,’ she said.

‘That’s right. Nice to meet you.’

‘Matilda, you’re fuckin’ dead.’

I told her to shut up again and laid it out pretty much as I had for Matilda but with a different spin. I emphasised her association with Lonsdale and the evidence the police had on him in connection with the MacPherson killing. I told her about Barton and Henderson and the attempt on my life and how I thought Larry Buckingham was involved with them and with the killing of Tom Purcell, the undercover cop.

‘I’m sure you know him by some other name, Wendy. Tough little guy, drove a beat-up Land Cruiser. Hung around dealing dope at that shitty racetrack you bikies use.’

‘Dunno what you’re talking about.’

‘Then there’s the bugs in the telephones at the hotel. Should be some interesting stuff there. You and Buckingham.’

She didn’t react, just listened, occasionally running her tongue over her teeth jewels. I had to play the ace.

‘I’ve got a witness who saw you acting suspiciously around a house under the scarp in Wombarra. House burned down and a man died in the fire. She can identify you. That’s a big one, Wendy.’

That got her attention. ‘What the fuck d’you want?’

I leaned closer to her. She smelled of sweat and cigarettes and some of the sweat was fresh. ‘That stuff about the fire doesn’t have to come out,’ I said. ‘I can control that. And Lonsdale was acting under Buckingham’s instructions, not yours. You can probably get clear of all this. All I want from you is information.’

She licked the jewels again, then her lips. She looked across at Matilda, who turned her head away. ‘Like what?’

‘Why does Larry Buckingham want those pieces of land?’

The way she chewed the question over told me that she knew the answer. I felt a surge of excitement at being so close to it.

‘You’ll let me go if I tell you?’

‘Yeah. Might take a while and Lonsdale has to go down, but with a bit of luck you can drive off in your Beemer, win some more dough at the casino.’

She smiled. ‘Mattie Lonsdale’d like to meet you again after what you did to him in the car park. His knee’s

buggered.’

‘Too bad. Well, what’s it to be?’

Before she could answer my mobile rang again. I swore, took it out and answered it. ‘Hank?’

‘No Hank here, Hardy. This is Larry Buckingham.’

I didn’t say anything.

‘Still there, Hardy?’

‘Yes.’

‘I believe you’ve got my girl Wendy and my girl Matilda there with you, that right?’

‘Yes again.’