Murderer's Thumb (15 page)

The thing was though, Loody could be. Adam recalled what Lina had written about him torturing animals. That's what psychopaths did. And the way he killed that joey last night sickened him. It was possible that Loody was the murderer. Those strong forearms could bludgeon someone over the head, carry a body and dig a grave. Easy!

The trouble was Adam could imagine Mongrel or even Colin doing the same thing. Both of them were pumped with aggression. But whenever Adam considered Matt, it didn't fit. Matt was the bird-watcher, the man who was gentle with cows, soothing their fears just by touching them. Adam knew Matt was weird, but it had to be shyness. Nothing more.

The slam of the fridge door jolted Adam from his thoughts. It was Rosemary. ‘How come we've got milk? We finished the bottle last night.'

‘Morning, Mum. Didn't see you creep in.'

‘You're in a bright mood.'

‘Just wide awake, that's all. The milk's from the dairy. Loody gave it to me.'

‘Perks of the job?'

‘Yeah.' He used the edge of the eggflip to shift the bacon. It sizzled and curled, spitting fat. ‘Want some?'

She peered at his cooking and wrinkled her nose. ‘Too greasy.'

Boring
, Adam mouthed. He turned an egg and watched the yolk spill sideways like blood from a wounded creature. ‘I'm having breakfast at Matt's tomorrow.'

Rosemary was pouring muesli into a bowl. She raised an eyebrow, ‘More perks?'

‘Think so.'

‘What time will that finish? I'm going out tomorrow from ten till three. There's a pottery workshop in Booradoo over the next three Sundays.'

Adam glared at her. He couldn't stand her pottery. She'd taken it up as a relaxation technique four years ago and now it was her obsession; she produced hundreds of useless objects that cluttered the shelves.

‘I'm not asking
you
to come along.'

‘As if I'd go anyway. Bunch of clay-smeared wannabes.'

‘Adam! You don't even know them,' she protested.

‘Probably just a group of neurotics indulging in art therapy like you.'

She shot him a dirty look. ‘You really are vicious sometimes, Adam.'

‘Only when it's got to do with pottery,' he said.

After breakfast Adam decided to call Snake. Loody's lie about the shack had reinforced Snake's warnings. It was clear that Loody was hiding something. He was the one to be wary of, not Snake.

Adam was startled to hear a female voice on the line.

‘Pattersons. This is Toot.'

‘Oh, I…I want to talk to Snake,' he stammered.

‘Who's calling?'

‘Adam.'

‘Man of the moment.'

‘Er, what?'

‘Snake was just talking about you, said you take a mean specky,' she said.

Adam felt his face colour. His marking skills weren't that great. Why were they really talking about him? Suspicion stirred in his gut.

‘Hang on. I'll just get him,' she said.

Moments later Snake answered.

‘What were you just talking to Toot about?' Adam asked.

‘Football.'

‘Yeah, right,' said Adam sceptically.

‘No shit. She's a connoisseur, she's thinking of doing an umpire's course next year.'

‘Sure,' Adam said, but he felt uneasy. Why were they talking about him? That phrase—man of the moment— what did she mean? And then Adam realised it wasn't what Toot had said that bothered him, but the tone of her voice. She wanted to talk to him. He must be imagining it. He shrugged away the impression.

‘I've got some news,' he said.

‘Did you find it?' Snake said.

‘Yep. I'll bring it over. Meet you at the Castlebrook Road turnoff at ten o'clock.'

‘You're on.'

SIXTEEN

Adam rode his bike down the driveway, rattled over the cattle grid then turned left onto Redvale Road. He had to ride past the silage paddock to get to Castlebrook Road, about four kilometres away. The sun had begun to sting and the air was still. Insects chirped in the dry grass along the verges. By the time he reached the turnoff his arms prickled from the heat and the brow of his helmet was wet.

Snake was leaning against a huge gum tree, Sarge standing beside him. Except for the flick of its tail, the horse stood motionless. Its ears swivelled as it heard Adam approach, then it turned and gave a throaty snicker.

Adam braked but kept his distance from the horse. ‘Is he OK with the bike?'

‘He's fine. Won quietest mount four years running at the Booradoo Show.'

Snake grabbed a fistful of mane and swung himself onto Sarge's back. The horse lumbered onto the road and headed for Snake's house.

‘So where's the diary? Did you bring it?' Snake asked.

Adam pedalled beside them, tapping at the back pocket of his jeans. ‘In here.' He told Snake how he'd found part two the night before. ‘There's a part three hidden on the “fate line” somewhere.'

‘The what?'

‘The fate line. It'll be on that palmistry website.'

‘OK. Let's print out a copy at home,' Snake said.

‘I'm having breakfast tomorrow at the Thackerays so I'll check out the aerial photograph Lina saw there, then see how it matches against the palmistry map. I reckon the fate line has to be a pipe or fence or something.'

Snake nodded. ‘Or a drain or windbreak or track or road or creek.'

‘We'll narrow it down,' Adam said. ‘I had an interesting conversation with Loody this morning.' He related the haircutting and clothes-slashing incidents to Snake. ‘Do you think Matt's capable of it?'

His friend looked puzzled. ‘She did have really short hair at one stage, but it's the first I've ever heard of it. I wouldn't put it past him though. He is seriously strange and you know those murder mystery shows on TV—there's always some loony freak who's totally unbalanced who does something shitty like that, then butchers six people with an axe. Don't get sucked in by him, Stats.'

When they reached Snake's room Adam showed him the diary. While Snake sat on the end of the bed reading it, Adam sat at the desk, jotting words on a piece of paper.

‘It's a three-word clue,' Adam said.

Snake grabbed the paper and scanned the list. ‘You've circled “rotten post”. Don't like our chances after six years. They've probably pulled it out for firewood by now. Pretty dumb place to hide it if you ask me.'

‘Rotten isn't a literal clue, it's used to jumble the letters up…and postscript gives us the initials P and S.'

Adam took back the paper, wrote some more, then chewed the end of the pen while he thought.

Suddenly the door burst open and Toot declared, ‘OK arsehole, what have you done with my iPod?'

Snake shoved the diary pages behind his back. His face went bright red. ‘I haven't got it.'

‘You've got something. What are you hiding?' She dived onto the bed and tried to reach behind him.

‘Fuck off, will you!'

Adam snatched the diary pages and shoved them in his back pocket.

‘Hey! Must be serious stuff if you won't show me,' she said sitting up. Her eyes glittered, full of mischief as she held Adam's gaze. ‘Is it a letter from a girl, Stats?'

This time Adam wasn't bewitched by her. ‘Whatever it is, it's none of your business. So piss off,' he said coldly. Why were females so interfering and stupid, barging through closed doors and peering out windows?

‘No need to get shitty,' she said, pushing off from the bed. ‘I get the message.' She glared at Adam and walked out, shutting the door abruptly.

‘Good one, that'll keep her off my back for a while,' Snake said.

‘What do you mean?'

‘She's been at me all week asking about you.'

‘Me?'

Snake laughed, ‘Yeah, if you saw Emma's body in the silage and all that. I'm not telling her anything, but she's
so
annoying.'

Adam swallowed. Why would she care about what Adam saw? He didn't want her knowing about how he spewed, but he supposed it couldn't be helped now. Loody had started the rumour machine and there was nothing Adam could do to stop it. But even so Adam wished he hadn't told her to piss off. Maybe she'd never speak to him or never smile at him on the bus again.

‘Let's get back to this clue,' Adam said tapping the desk with the pen. ‘What do you think we're looking for?'

‘I dunno. I don't get it,' Snake said. ‘If the fate line is a pipe, then how could she hide the diary? It would cause a blockage or get flushed away…destroyed.' He sighed. ‘Unless she buried it, I s'pose?'

‘And we wouldn't be able to find it either, unless it was a pipe above the ground,' Adam said. Lina wanted the diary to survive. It needed a safe, long-term position, away from the elements. He drummed the pen in a steady rhythm. ‘No, I think it's a fence. There are two four letter words, right?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Well the only ones in this list that make sense to me are “nest”, “post” and “knot”. I'm thinking of stuff on a farm, fence posts, bird nests, figure eight knots in a strand of wire, that sort of thing. If I use “post”…' he crossed out corresponding letters on the main clue. ‘I've got it! Corner.'

‘That's it!' Snake shouted. ‘Corner post knot, you know, a fault in the wood, on a corner post somewhere.'

‘Like I said, a fence.'

‘Right, and you'll need that map to work out which fence she means,' Snake said, feeding sheets of pale green paper into his printer.

Adam raised his eyebrows. ‘Been printing party invitations?' ‘No, Mum got it half-price from the newsagent. Embarrassing, eh?'

‘No wonder Mongrel calls you a poof.'

‘Smart arse!' Snake said to the screen. He brought up the Madam Firebrand Forecasts site and scrolled down to the map. ‘That's where you need to look,' he said, pointing at the middle of the hand.

Adam nodded. ‘I want to check it against the Thackerays' farm photo though, just to be sure.'

After lunch Snake showed Adam around. Beside the house was a broad cluttered garage for three cars: a four-wheel drive, a small sedan and a beaten-up two-tone Datsun. Snake walked over to the driver's door of the Datsun. ‘Hop in,' he said.

Adam hesitated as Snake slipped inside the old bomb.

Snake leant over and opened the passenger door from the inside. ‘Come on. We'll go for a spin.'

‘OK,' Adam said. He got in and felt like a hunched giant until he managed to slide the seat back. Snake started the motor and reversed out of the garage.

‘I can't believe you're driving,' Adam said.

‘No big deal. This is our paddock bomb. Long as we don't go on the main road, Dad doesn't mind.'

‘We?'

‘Yeah, the kids. Meredith learnt to drive in it. She got her hours up quickly. I can't wait to get my licence.'

Snake drove across the dry grass to a closed gate where he idled the motor. He shot a glance at Adam.

‘The gate! Right!' Adam jumped out, swung the gate open and stood to face the Datsun. There was a fierce buzz behind him that made him turn. A motorbike thundered across the paddock, the rider gearing down rapidly. He knew it was Toot even though her face was obscured by the helmet and visor. He recognised her jeans and T-shirt. She rode through the gateway without acknowledging him, then fired the bike forward with a rush, engine blaring.

Pity he'd stuffed his chances. She was good fun, and had a nice arse.

Snake drove round and round the paddock for what seemed like hours before he let Adam have a go at the wheel. Apart from endless practice in amusement arcades it was the first time Adam had ever driven. And for someone who took pride in his physical abilities, he was pissed off that unco Snake was a better driver. Adam kangaroo-hopped his way around the paddock, more and more frustrated as he continued to stall the car.

‘I can't believe how touchy the clutch is,' he said.

‘Takes a bit of getting used to,' Snake agreed.

‘Like Falcon Ridge,' Adam said. And your sister Toot, he said to himself.

Snake looked baffled. ‘It's OK here you know. You've just got to give yourself time.'

On Sunday morning Adam was busy hosing cow shit down the drain when Matt approached, peaked cap askew, with tufts of sandy hair poking out. It was such a kid's hat, with three tadpoles embroidered on it. Then Adam read the fine print underneath: ‘Breeding Solutions', and realised the tadpoles were sperm. Now he thought it was pretty cool.

‘C…coming to the house for breakfast?' Matt said.

‘If it's OK?' Adam asked.

‘Yeah. Mum's got some cash for you.'

Adam grinned. He'd been wondering when they were going to pay him. ‘OK,' he shouted over the noise of the water.

Later at the breakfast table, Adam and Loody talked football while Matt listened, pouring milk on his cereal.

‘You're good, aren't ya Matt,' Loody said, in between mouthfuls of toast. ‘Came third in the best and fairest for the league last year.'

Matt blushed but said nothing.

Adam helped himself to some milk and cereal. He didn't like the look of the toast.

‘Have the police interviewed you yet?' Loody asked Adam, lowering his voice.

‘Yeah. The other day. Didn't stay long.'

‘Tell you to butt out of the investigation?' Loody said, spreading butter so vigorously that a corner of his toast snapped off. He picked up the broken piece and shoved it into his mouth. ‘What about you, Matt? Have they been around to play twenty questions with you?'

Matt gagged on his cereal, but recovered and swallowed. His eyes darted from Adam to Loody.

Adam wished he could kick Loody, but he was too far away.

‘You should see Adam's telescope, Matt. Nice piece of engineering,' he said. Then he looked slyly at Adam. ‘Been spying with it lately?'