A Handicap of the Devil? (28 page)

They all looked at Jones P. senior, who sat legs akimbo and with arms folded across his chest on one of the premier's trendy new age armchairs. Jones P. senior was most uncomfortable physically and mentally. Something hard was pressing into his back, and here he was being forced to defend the legal profession. Now he spoke quickly having thought through his line of defence before he had arrived for this hastily convened emergency meeting. “I can only think that they belong to this new organisation called
Lawyers For Christ
. I've spoken to some of the members of that organisation. While they haven't gone as far as the mob you've got in the cells, a lot of them are incensed by what this Goodfellow bloke is doing and saying. They see it as the ultimate blasphemy."

The Police Commissioner was outraged, “Whatever they see it as, no one goes around belting my detectives over the head. I've got half of my senior detectives off on sick leave and two of them in hospital.” He waggled his eyebrows beneath his cap, something he only did when a situation was extremely serious.

Joanne Knight chimed in, “I would say that nobody, lawyers or not, should go around hitting other people because they believe or don't believe anything at all. What would happen if those involved were Muslims rather than Christians? We'd have the country up in arms in no time. These people need to be taught a lesson."

"Maybe they do.” Jones P. senior was trying to ameliorate the situation without seeming to do that. “But there are some very good people involved here and...."

"...Good people be buggered.” The Police Commissioner's face was suffused with blood, which sat oddly with his grey look. “These people are fanatics and must be treated like fanatics. They were armed. They had jerry cans of petrol. What do you think that was for? They were going to ambush Goodfellow and his followers, murder them and burn the bodies on the houseboat. This is a case of attempted mass murder. Nothing less."

"It is nothing of the sort.” Jones P. senior managed a laugh. “Attempted mass murder my arse. They were going to threaten Goodfellow and his mob and burn the houseboat to make them homeless—take away their base. That was the intention of the lawyers. There is no other explanation possible."

The Police Commissioner was unimpressed. “And that explains why most of the detectives in the flying squad have injuries to the head and body, does it?"

"The lawyers present responded as they did because your splaw-footed detectives charged the boat and crashed through the door. The lawyers were defending themselves. They felt threatened by a show of force, and they didn't know it was the police. What else could they do?"

There was silence for a moment or two as people considered their positions. Then the premier spoke. “Jones P. senior, I want you to go to whoever is in charge of the
Lawyers For Christ
thing and tell them to disband forthwith. There is to be no further violence towards Goodfellow or anyone else for any reason whatever. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mister Premier.” Jones P. could see the advantage to playing humble. He reckoned the premier was coming ‘round to his side.

The premier considered a list of names before him on his desk. “Extraordinary. Most of the people involved in this fight on the houseboat come from the best families in town. Every one of them has been to a decent private school and has a university background. What were they thinking to take the law into their own hands?"

"Exactly,” muttered the Police Commissioner greyly from under his hat. “What sort of society will we have if people who are supposed to be part of the framework of law and order go off the rails in this way? Make an example of them, Mister Premier."

There is more at stake than the innocence or guilt of a few lawyers here,
thought the premier.
If I throw the book at the scions of the most influential families in town, where then my election chances? How much will my party lose in donations to the election fund? How much support will I personally lose from such an action?
He made up his mind and spoke unequivocally.

"Here's what we will do. Commissioner, I want you to go easy on most of the people who were involved in this. The passions of youth and all that. Whatever else, these are high-minded young men of strong convictions and lofty ideals.” He raised his hand, “Don't interrupt, commissioner. The bloke with the shotgun, Jonas wasn't it? Charge him with firearms offences and the two who had concealed handguns. The rest, charge them with minor offences concerned with the brawl but no hint of attempted murder or anything like that. Jones P. is correct. There is no evidence to support such a case. I will interview each of the people responsible, and I will make clear my displeasure and that of the government and of the people of this state. This is a peaceful place, or has been up to date, and I want it to continue to be peaceful. I shall make it clear to each individual that there are sanctions outside those imposed by the courts for actions of the kind they have been involved in. Access to silk, for example. Political careers they may have been contemplating may not now be available to them. I'm sure I can sway the opposition to that line of thought and bar them whichever party they might choose to try to represent. I shall also make it clear that one more offence of any kind and I shall move to have them disbarred as disreputable people unfit to practice law. That is as far as I will go in this matter. I hope everyone is satisfied with the outcome. If it weren't for this damned Goodfellow idiot and the morons who support him none of this would have happened. The man is a fanatic."

Big Jim turned from the window, where he had been standing with his back to proceedings listening to the exchanges between the others and to the premier's summing up. He was far from happy with the outcome, but knew from long experience from the premier's tone that he would not budge from the position he had arrived at. Big Jim studied patterns of speech in every individual he knew and could tell when further argument with any person became a waste of time. “It seems to me that Goodfellow may well be a fanatic, but it also seems that there is a degree of fanaticism present on both sides. Let Goodfellow have his head for his attempt to walk on water. When he fails, we can move with public pronouncements from you and the opposition leader and headlines and editorials in both newspapers to cool everything down and get this state back to normal."

"Big Jim's right,” agreed Joanna Knight. “This is what we should have done in the first place. Take the heat out of the whole situation by letting him try walking on water. Don't interfere with his attempt. If we do need to press charges over what happened in the mall or anywhere else, the commissioner's boys and girls can easily arrest the lot of them after the walking on water bit."

The premier rubbed a hand across his face, “Alright then, if Goodfellow fails he'll be a laughingstock. We'll just let him and his crew fade away. I want you to note this Mr. Commissioner, no further action will be taken after Goodfellow fails with his walk on water."

The commissioner reddened. He wasn't happy about this at all. Some of his best detectives were out of action, and it was mainly down to the actions of one man.
Less than eight weeks to retirement,
he thought, while aloud he agreed that he would do as the premier ordered.

Big Jim left a message on Marcie's message bank outlining the results of the meeting and asking her to contact him.

GOODFELLOW TO ATTEMPT WALK ON WATER:

WATER WALK SOON:

As promised in the meeting with the premier, both papers played up the freedom of speech issue. Both asked the populace at large to give Goodfellow and his disciples their heads and see how soon they rolled. The papers called for calm and an end to the violence that had been engendered by Jonathan's evangelism.

Television and radio were less complimentary but went along with the general tenor of what the newspapers said. The same people owned them. Talkback radio and letters to the editor were split into extremely divided camps. Some people considered that the whole thing ought to be stopped and the cranks gaoled. Others thought the media were right and that Jonathan and company should be allowed to do as they pleased. Apart from two people who wrote to the editor at the Courier and a few who got on talkback, nobody really thought Jonathan would achieve his aim.

While the general trend in the media was to debunk the whole idea of Goodfellow being God's messenger, every newspaper, radio and television station and every magazine in the country spent time and money trying to contact Marcie to arrange an exclusive interview before the event. Six-figure sums were mentioned. Appeals were made in the various media for Marcie to make contact so that things could be arranged. Marcie's cell phone message bank was jammed full of calls with appeals for contact. She responded to none of these but did lodge stories with her own paper. Big Jim generously gave these stories to the Courier for equal distribution in what Jim called ‘The Public Interest'.

The Police Commissioner gave Marcie an amnesty to meet with him clandestinely at a Murray Bridge hotel just after opening time so that they could work out details for the big day of water walking.

Sampson drove the van past the hotel several times checking that there were no police cars in evidence. Jones P. junior casually sauntered into the pub. He checked the lie of the land and sauntered out again.

"The Police Commissioner is sitting at a small table by the window drinking coffee and there's nobody else in the lounge,” he reported.

Scarface was worried anyway. “Just remember boss,” he told Jonathan as he and Marcie left the van. “Any trouble you call loud and clear and we'll come runnin'."

"There won't be any trouble.” Marcie followed Jonathan out of the side door of the van. “The commissioner's a man of his word."

"A straight cop?” Big Bottom sneered. “I'd like to see that."

As Jonathan and Marcie walked towards the hotel, three large buses pulled up and each disgorged a mob of poker machine playing pensioners. They swarmed out of the buses and elbowed each other out of the way in their desperation to be the first to the machines.

The hotel owner had been about to quit the hotel business a few years before. Much to his surprise he had become a multi-millionaire in the space of a few years. This sudden inflation of wealth took place after the introduction of Poker machines, or POKIES, as the garish sign over the hotel called them. He stood in the doorway with a smile fixed on his face as he welcomed these suckers who were delivered to his door every second Tuesday.
If they don't lose it here, they'll lose it at the casino or somewhere else,
he reasoned correctly.

Marcie and Jonathan entered and moved through the poker machine lounge which was already peopled by pensioners, slack jawed and blank eyed, feeding coins into machines that flashed pretty lights and made soothing sounds at them.

The commissioner stood with old-world courtesy as they approached the table by the window. The raucous sound of pinging and electronic music made their introductions almost inaudible. They moved to a table as far away from the noise as possible. The commissioner pulled out Marcie's chair for her and they all sat. There followed a moment or two of embarrassed silence as they all looked at each other, each person unsure of how to start the ball rolling.

The commissioner greyly picked up his cup. “Well, here we all are then. You're the people who have caused all this trouble, eh?"

"What trouble have we caused?” shot back Marcie. “It's other people who are causing the problems."

"We'll leave that aside and move on to the purpose of this meeting. I am instructed by the premier himself to offer you the chance to pull your walking on water stunt without hindrance from us. Personally I would have arrested you all immediately if I'd had my way. How did you know we were coming to the houseboat anyway?"

Marcie smiled back at him. “Let's just say a little birdie told me."

The commissioner sat back in his chair and returned her smile, except that his cold and watchful grey eyes belied the curve of his lips. He suspected Big Jim was responsible for the tip off and made a mental note to advise the premier of his suspicions. He took a sip from his cup of coffee and glanced out the window at the luxury paddle steamer that sat at the wharf opposite the hotel. Passengers were embarking for a river cruise. The commissioner made a mental note that this was one of the first things he would do with his wife after his retirement in eight weeks time. He turned to Jonathan. “You interest me, Goodfellow. What drives someone like you?"

"Drives? I don't understand what you mean."

"What do you hope to gain? Where's the sting? So far I see no evidence of extortion or attempt to defraud through your actions, but my experience tells me it's coming. What's the pitch?"

"No, no, you don't understand. I really am on a mission from God to save the world from itself."

The commissioner shook his head wearily and retreated once more to his coffee.
Could this bloke be on the level? Really believe in what he is trying to do?

"You say the premier himself has instructed you to let us have our walk on water without hindrance?” Marcie's green eyes bored into the commissioner's grey persona.

The commissioner put down his cup, opened his briefcase and extracted two copies of a document he had drawn up before he came to this meeting. “Take a look at this. If you agree with all the points in the document sign each of them and retain one."

Marcie and Jonathan both read the document and signed each copy. The Police Commissioner countersigned them. He put one copy back in his briefcase and handed Marcie the other.

Marcie released the resolutions contained in the document to the media the same day they were drawn up. It read:

1 The walk on water will take place in the Murray River at a point next to the derelict houseboat on August 31.
2 All media and the general public are invited to attend.
3 The police will attend in force to maintain order but will not arrest anyone from Jonathan Goodfellow's party.
4 If Jonathan Goodfellow fails to walk upon the water, then he and his disciples will cease all evangelism and will undertake no further religious or political activity.
5 In the event of 4 above taking place, Jonathan Goodfellow and his disciples will be free to go and charges for past misdemeanours will be dropped.