The Son (28 page)

‘How was the trip?' I asked. ‘Not too tiring?'

‘A bit, but much more comfortable than on the way out. They certainly look after you better in business. Thank you for that.'

She was home, having come up by train the day before from London. It was eight pm in Sydney, ten that morning in Leeds. She was still jet-lagged and we didn't talk long.

‘The bed's very empty without you,' I said.

‘I know. I couldn't get to sleep last night. I kept thinking of you. I love you.'

‘I love you too. When are you coming back?'

She said she was going into work the next day, to start her termination process, then she'd see an agent about selling the house. That shouldn't take more than a few days. She wanted to ring me during the week, but I said it would be easier for me to ring her, in case I wasn't home when she called.

‘Are you going somewhere?'

‘In case I have to go to Canberra or whatever.'

We told each other again how much we loved each other, and that was that. I felt almost more lonely afterwards than before.

A few minutes later I was about to try Roger again when I had another phone call: from Considine this time, the New South Wales copper I'd met at the ASIO meeting. He asked if he could come to see me.

‘I know it's a bit late, but I have to go to Canberra tomorrow, and there's a couple of things I'd like to check with you first. Should only take a few minutes.'

‘Of course, Commander. Glad to help.'

‘Brian, please. I'll be there shortly.'

He was there in minutes. If I hadn't had his features firmly in mind I mightn't have recognised him. He wore jeans and a black leather jacket this time, and looked more like a hard man out to settle a few scores than the senior officer of an elite police unit. But his intentions were peaceful enough. I settled him into an armchair deep enough to accommodate him and offered him a whisky.

‘Just a small one,' he said. ‘I can't afford to do any serious drinking until this is over.'

I poured him a dose of single-malt scotch, a smaller one for myself, and sat down facing him. He took a sip and looked at his glass approvingly.

‘Thanks. I needed that.'

‘Been busy?'

He nodded. ‘Nothing but meetings the past few days. The Commissioner, the Minister, even the Premier. You'd think we had a royal visit on our hands.'

He stretched his long legs, looked around, then fixed me with his dark eyes. He seemed in no hurry to go now. But I was glad of his company.

‘Nice place you have here. Been here long?'

‘About three years.'

‘On your own?'

‘Most of the time, yes.'

He grinned quickly, pulling his lips back over even white teeth. I remembered the way he'd sat at that conference table, staring at me like a brooding Minotaur. But there was genuine warmth in the grin. This guy could be a charmer.

‘Sorry. Cop's habit, asking questions. You've had the young man's aunt staying here, you said. Is she still here?'

‘No. She left for the UK a couple of days ago. She should be back in a week or so.'

He nodded.

‘What about you?' I asked. ‘Are you married?'

‘Wife, two daughters, that I don't see enough of. The usual thing. So far they've put up with it with good grace.'

‘It must be a pretty demanding job, protecting VIPs. Have you heard from Jason?'

‘Yes. Not directly, through Bob Maynard's office. He had another meeting with his handler, on Friday night. Medea. A good session apparently. But he didn't add much to what we already know. He still doesn't know where or how he's supposed to make the hit, or even when. He also said he was going to the hills for a couple of days, he'd contact her when he got back, but she hasn't heard from him since.'

‘That would be at their training camp presumably.'

‘Sounds like it. He said they were pumping him up non-stop.'

My heart went out to him, alone, bravely coping with a job a grown man might have quailed at.

‘I still don't know why you can't arrest the lot of them right now. Surely you'd have enough evidence, with his testimony, to crack down on them and make sure nothing happens.'

He shook his head.

‘Canberra won't hear of it. They keep saying it's too early, they need to know more, they need to know exactly what's being planned, and who else is involved. In case this is just a decoy and they're preparing something else as well. I'm not sure they're right, but I keep getting over-ruled. You'd better keep that to yourself, by the way.'

‘Of course.'

‘I'm not sure I should be telling you all this. I got the impression Roger Bentinck didn't really want you at that meeting.'

I said nothing to that. He gave me a half smile. I had the feeling that what Roger wanted didn't count all that much with him.

‘Personally I thought you did a good job. Even that fat prick Truscott was impressed.'

‘Thanks. Do you know how long they plan to keep Jason there?'

He made a non-committal face.

‘Probably until close to the end. If he's the one who's meant to do it, they won't want to pull him out and find that someone else has been put in his place. Which is really why I'm here. I want to ask if there's anything else you can tell me about that group. Especially their leader, that man Bach Ho.'

‘Not much more than I told you at the meeting. I've only met him once.'

‘True, but that's more than anyone else has done. And you've talked to Jason about him, and that man Quang, who was killed. You know more about him than the rest of us put together.'

I went over once more what I had said at the meeting.

‘I can't prove anything. I told you. The clear impression I have is that he's at the centre of things, but that's all it is, just an impression. What I can say is that he struck me as a very tough person, very self-possessed. Very clever and very much in control of himself. If he is running things, then you can expect they'll be well run.'

‘What about that other man? Vo Khanh? From what you said they're very different types.'

‘Yes. Vo Khanh is a very physical man. He's impulsive and hot tempered and no doubt courageous, but I don't think he's very bright. My guess is he's overawed by Bach's intelligence. And it's possible Bach's got a financial hold over him too. Quang thought he'd probably financed Vo Khanh's restaurant.'

Considine nodded.

‘You were talking to Bentinck about him. Something about asking the Americans.'

‘Yes. When Roger and I were discussing him earlier, it emerged he hadn't been interviewed by any of our people on the ground, at the time. In the refugee camp, I mean. Other than Immigration interviews, which didn't go very deep. I thought he might have been vetted by the Americans and Roger said he'd check it out. But when I asked him on Thursday he said he hadn't received anything back from them yet.'

‘How long does it normally take to get a response?'

‘Depends I guess. What they've got in their data base. We had this discussion on Tuesday last week. So it would have been about a week.'

‘Should be long enough to get something back. Maybe I'll know more tomorrow. I can't help feeling he's the key to all this. Call it an old cop's instinct.'

He finished his drink, stood up, declined a second.

‘My shout next time. What was it? Laphroaig?'

‘Yes.'

I accompanied him to the door. I had more questions.

‘How was Jason on Friday? Did he say anything else?'

‘I don't know the details. I only got a summary. But it seems he was in good shape, holding up well. Sounds a good lad, from all I hear.'

‘He is. And he really wasn't able to tell them anything else? About how it's supposed to happen?'

‘No. All he said was he was going off for a couple of days, and he'd try to ring her when he came back.'

‘Do you have any idea yourself where it's likely to take place?' I asked.

‘A couple. But it's hard to be sure. I've been over every inch of that route, and I can't see that there are many ways they can get at him, unless they try a suicide bid – and that doesn't seem likely, that's not the way Jason's talking. He says they expect him to make a clean getaway, they'll help him. Where would you do it, if you had to plan a hit like that?'

‘I don't know. It's not something I've ever had to do. Maybe I'd go for a rifle shot, you know, with a marksman. But if I couldn't get a good shot at him … Maybe try the apartments. Get access there under some pretext.'

He looked at me.

‘I'm going to have the place covered. Everyone searched on entry. There's no way he could bring a gun in with him.'

‘What if they've already stashed one in there?'

‘I've had my team go over every inch of that place, and we'll be doing that every day until the big day. There's no way they could hide anything there. Not for quick retrieval, anyway.'

He hesitated.

‘Something else you should know. I probably shouldn't be telling you this either. But you've been straight with us and I feel we owe you. That meeting, on Friday. Jason was followed.'

‘How do you know?' I asked, suddenly alarmed.

‘Maynard told me. He had the meeting covered. Don't worry, it was very professional. They met in a pub in Bondi, apparently, near the safe flat where she's staying, had a couple of drinks and then she took him back to the flat. Roger wanted to be there but Maynard wouldn't allow it. Let's play it straight, he said, she'll tell us about it afterwards, if she's in doubt she can ring. He was there for nearly two hours. When he left she came down with him. They were seen to embrace passionately, I'm told. Lucky young man. They say she's quite a looker. So I wouldn't worry too much about him. I have a feeling he'll be alright. But that's why everything has to be done right.'

‘Of course,' I said. ‘Thanks for telling me that.'

‘Don't go doing anything stupid like trying to contact him. It might well be the worst thing you could do right now.'

‘I know.'

After Considine left I washed the glasses, put the bottle away, resisting the temptation to have another drink. Like him, I needed a clear head for the days to come. I sat down and went over our talk. I could see where his thoughts were heading, alright. Mine had already gone in that direction. For all his cop's instincts, I suspected I had a more devious mind. I thanked my lucky stars I'd had the wits to act in time.

It had been by instinct, more than rational thought, and it was more of a precaution as yet than a fully-formed plan. But it was the only thing I could come up with, and I couldn't afford to neglect it.

Basically it was very simple. What I wanted was somewhere to stay, a base of my own in that block of serviced apartments, where I could hole up and be ready to act if things went sour for Eric. I'd felt clearly enough at that meeting that I was an outsider, as far as they were concerned I had fulfilled my role, apart from Considine no one seemed to need me any more. If I was to do anything to help Eric I would have to do it alone.

And so when I returned to the office on the Thursday after the ASIO meeting I'd had a long talk with Viv. I needed to act quickly, before my options were closed off. Viv had an older sister, Maisie, who lived on the far south coast and occasionally came up to Sydney to visit her. My plan was to have Maisie book one of the apartments in her name, covering the period when Loc would be there, and spend a few days there with Viv. I would play the part of Maisie's fictitious son Jonathan, also visiting from the country, and join them at the appropriate time. This would give me the base I needed. The rest would be up to me.

Viv had agreed without too much fuss, but Maisie had taken longer to convince. Fortunately I got on well with her too. I'd told her that I needed to get away from the gang that had bashed me up, and I needed somewhere safe to help Eric, and this was the only way I could do it. I assured her it was not illegal. And I promised her the best week on the town she'd ever had. Whether it was that or the thrill of helping out on something so far out of the ordinary, she finally agreed.

Within half an hour she rang back. She had rung the Southern Aurora Apartments and booked a two-bedroom serviced apartment, for a week, from Sunday through to the following weekend. She paid the deposit over the phone with her credit card. I told her I would transfer money at once into her bank account, and explain everything in more detail when she arrived.

On Sunday afternoon I went with Viv to meet her at the coach terminal at Central Station. I drove them both to the apartments, adding to their luggage the small case I had brought along. I left them to register by themselves, and an hour later went in to see them. They'd had no problem booking in, under Maisie's identity. I told them what I had in mind, and swore them both to secrecy. As keen fans of thrillers and whodunits they were thrilled at being caught up in a real-life version. Then I went home to wait for Hao's call.