by Mark Bailey
‘That’s it, Dr. McTaggart,’ replied his Honor. ‘If there are no questions from Counsel for the State, you may step down.’
Paul Long stood, not bothering to conceal a huge grin. He confirmed he had no questions for Milly. She stepped down and walked out of the court. Dannii followed her, and Simone followed quickly behind. Milly was in shock.
‘That was unbelievable,’ said Dannii.
‘It sure was,’ replied Milly. ‘I traveled all the way from the U.K. for that?’
‘I’ve never seen him do that before,’ said Simone. ‘You frightened him, Milly.’
‘Hi, Simone, how are you?’ greeted Milly, as they kissed each other lightly on the cheek.
‘Great, Milly, I’m sorry I haven’t seen you over the past week. I’ve been busy with work, and Cameron’s mother has been sick. That’s why you haven’t seen him in court all week.’
‘I hope she’s feeling better.’
The trial continued. The media contingent followed Milly and Dannii out of the building to Dannii’s car while Simone returned to court. When they reached the car and were safely on their way home, Dannii asked after Simone.
‘So, Simone’s off the hook then?’
‘For the moment.’
‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’
Milly had decided not to tell Dannii about the phone call to Rosie in the U.K.
‘No, I’m just taking an “I don’t trust you” approach to Simone,’ replied Milly. ‘Promise me one thing, Dannii – anything between you and me, anything at all, stays between you and me? I don’t want to be telling you something and then asking you each time not to tell Simone. If you trust her, then that’s down to you. I get the feeling that you’ve grown close and you are good friends. There’s something … I don’t know … just something about her. I might know more towards the end of the week, but it won’t be relationship shattering, just a need to move forward with caution, with an amber light flashing.’
‘Can you give me a hint, Milly? Tell me what it is … please.’
‘Bloody hell, Dannii, here we go again. No, I can’t give you a hint. Like I said, it may be nothing, and I don’t want to come between you and Simone. You’ll just have to wait until the trial is over.’
Chapter 13.
That night Milly and Dannii hit the news, big time. Previous news over the week and a half of the trial had reported daily on court proceedings, but the media had been careful what they reported. The public knew of a court case in the Perth Supreme Court involving drugs and a wealthy local family, but there was scant detail given on any news outlet. The media simply reported Matthew Jordan Boyd, a wealthy local businessman, charged with ‘Possession of a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply.’ Even the weight of the drugs involved wasn’t reported, except to indicate it was substantial.
The media was saving it up. They would develop a story, embellish fact, add color, exaggerate and adapt a tale full of ‘juicy stuff,’ as Simone called it. Now the tale was starting to unfold, an anecdotal narrative, full of drugs, money, sex, murder in a foreign country, twins and even adermatoglyphia, marveled Milly, as she stared open-mouthed at the television news.
‘The story begins tonight,’ the report began, ‘with an expensive Mercedes-Benz with HERS personalized number plates parked outside the Supreme Court in Perth.’ Footage depicted Dannii parking the car as they both left it, walking toward Stirling Gardens. Then it swung back to the ‘ultimate luxury car’ with its personalized number plates, declaring its value at around $750,000 — ‘The audacity, a straight out lie,’ complained Milly to Danni, who wasn’t listening.
The report continued, showing Milly and Dannii’s walk through Stirling Gardens. Milly’s Bradleys danced a merry jig as Milly grinned, obviously delighted to be on show as she walked on, at least according to the image portrayed in the footage. More footage from a camera down low, made Milly look taller, her breasts bigger, her nipples visible — she oozed privilege, sex, and money. Then something caused Milly to suddenly button up her all-season jacquard fringe coat up, turning the lights off. The cameras shifted to Dannii who smiled too; they continued walking. The media had used a microphone, dangling and moving overhead for distraction, so neither girl noticed the camera below.
‘So, on into the Supreme Court she strolled, confident, unfazed, to confront one of Australia’s most eminent barristers, Ian Mason Q.C.,’ the reporter continued. Dannii squealed with delight. Milly cringed and looked away.
‘I’m just glad Mom and Christy flew to Tasmania today,’ said Milly as she stared out the lounge-room window down to the road, half expecting to see a media contingent parked out the front.
The news report continued. It stopped at the court entrance; there was no reporting on events in court — not yet. ‘The beautiful Dr. McTaggart, now working in the U.K. was niece to the recently deceased James Anderson, a wealthy Macquarie Bank executive, and entrepreneur who left a considerable fortune when he passed away.’ Then they reported on the driver, the other person, the person driving the ‘luxury car.’
‘She is Dr. Dannii King, a veterinary surgeon, daughter of the wealthy Dr. Andrew and Yves King.’
Milly was about to say something, ‘I don’t …’
‘Shoosh!’ interrupted Dannii.
‘Dr. Andrew King is C.E.O. of Pet Doo’s Ltd., a public company listed on the A.S.X. His daughter, Dannii King, lives and is studying for an M.B.A. in Perth and is heir to an Australian company fortune reputed to be worth over $150 million.’ It went on to report the Boyds had supported the Kings in business, making the inevitable connection between Dannii and Milly. ‘They are best friends,’ it concluded.
Dannii jumped and danced with delight, clapping her hands. ‘What a story, Milly! Mom will love it.’
‘How do they know you’ve just completed an M.B.A.?’ asked Milly. ‘Where did they get the figure of 150 mil from? That’s bullshit!’
‘I’ve got no idea, Milly,’ replied Dannii, who obviously couldn’t care less.
‘You do realize, don’t you, they’ve outed your parents, and by extension you, as one of the wealthiest families in Australia … in the top one percent?’
‘Shit, they have, too. What am I thinking? We’re not worth 150 million, not even half that. You’re right, Milly; it is bullshit.’
‘Well, it’s too late now — you’re out, Dannii! It’s a bit like the ponce telling the jurors the Boyds are worth 200 mil. Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story, they say.’ Ironically, the cure for Milly’s ills now was to take Simone’s advice — get your evidence done, fulfill your court obligation and bugger off back to the U.K. She excused herself telling Dannii she was booking her flights back to London and on to Scotland.
Milly returned after thirty minutes and found Dannii on the phone talking with Simone. Dannii hung up.
‘Do you mind taking me to the airport for a 6:00 a.m. flight Sunday? You’ll need to get me there around 3:00 in the morning. I can get a taxi.’
‘I wouldn’t hear of it, darling. Of course I’ll take you,’ answered Dannii.
‘I heard you talking to Simone. What did she have to say?’
‘She rang me asking if I’d seen the news.’
‘Anything else?’
‘I’ll tell you next week,’ replied Dannii, grinning.
‘Can’t you give me a hint?’ asked Milly, smiling back.
‘No, Milly, you’ll have to wait,’ replied Dannii.
‘Please, just a small hint, how can you expect me to wait until next week?’ begged Milly mimicking Dannii as she walked and jiggled up and down on the spot, with her hands extended down her front like she needed to go to the toilet.
‘Bloody hell, Milly, here we go again. No, I can’t give you a hint,’ and they started laughing as Dannii’s phone rang again. She didn’t answer the phone as she was still laughing. Then it stopped. Then it rang again.
‘Don’t worry; it’s just all my nosy mates calling t
o ask if I’ve seen the news.
‘Alright, Dannii, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning and thanks for everything. I love you dearly,’ said Milly as she headed for one of the spare bedrooms. Dannii gave her the thumbs up as she spoke on the phone; she knew Dannii would probably chat with her nosy mates for hours.
When she got to her room, Milly logged onto news.com.au. to view the news again. She wondered if she should change her flights to Thursday or Friday — it was still only Tuesday night. She decided to leave it until Sunday. The court case wasn’t due to finish until week’s end, and then the jury would probably deliberate for another week. The real juicy bits shouldn’t come out until then.
What a disappointment today was, she thought, as she lay on her bed under the doona. She was ready to pounce on the ponce, to slay him in battle, to outwit the halfwit; but he had faltered and surrendered. In a sense I did outwit him, she consoled herself. That’s why he stopped speaking with me, why he cut me short. She thought of Boyd’s soulful look, the ponce’s obvious frustration; things weren’t going well for Matthew Boyd Sr., she concluded. That was her last thought as she drifted off into a deep sleep.
The following morning Milly and Dannii were both up early. Milly checked her weight. Food deprivation was the best diet; she was down to 79 kilograms. She wouldn’t maintain her current regime of culinary abstinence, though; she simply couldn’t. She required regular meals, an exercise program, to return to a routine — she hated being hungry. She took an anti-depressant. Her little friend down there was back under control now. It had been emboldened by holiday exuberance, its maleficent intent seduced by a chance meeting with Sim and Naomi at the airport, and later encouraged by Simone. Now it lay silent, like a comatose patient, sufficiently nourished, content to lie dormant, wanting and waiting to wake — to respond.
‘What’s the go today, Milly?’
‘I’m meeting with a financial advisor to try and sort out the money, and I need to catch up with Jane Dobson, my solicitor, sometime today or tomorrow.’
‘What time’s your appointment?’
‘10:00 this morning.’
‘Okay, you take Mom’s car, and I’ll try and catch up with you for lunch.’
At 10:00 am Milly arrived at the offices of Bain and Hopwood financial advisors. Christy had contacted them, organizing an appointment. On her way to the meeting, she bought a paper. Dr. McTaggart was there and her best friend Dr. King, the paper reported. They rated a page three billing with a quarter page photo next to a quarter page story — half a page in all. The photo depicted Milly half-crouched, half-standing, depending on your take on it, either leaving or entering via an open passenger-side car door. Apparently, she was leaving the HERS car, going on television reporting the previous evening.
The news photo was taken straight down her cleavage, radiating out from there. The photo was classic still life, like still life flowers, only flowers weren’t the center of attention. Her breasts pouted, nothing else was visible, as her low-cut top fell away clearly outlining or defining her generous shape as she angled up from the car, like a phoenix from the ashes. It was comical. More like a picture from a page three British tabloid, thought Milly, a still-life photo depicting sex and privilege, but not as revealing. It was very clever in its inference, somewhat revealing, with a presumption of more to come later; it was careful not to disclose everything now.
The paper was a precursor, thought Milly, a bait, a lure, to titillate interest with the expectation of more to come. Probably a news splash over the weekend, she decided, as she knocked on the door of Bain and Hopwood, quickly checking that the top button of her business shirt was done up.
‘Come in.’
‘I’m Milly McTaggart.’
‘Yes, Dr. McTaggart,’ said the receptionist, ‘I’ve … sorry … we’ve been expecting you this morning.’
More like you’ve been reading about me in this morning’s paper, thought Milly. ‘Thank you; I’ll take a seat.’
She wasn’t kept waiting long.
‘My name is Steve Hopwood.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Milly, shaking Steve’s hand. He wasn’t handsome by any stretch, thought Milly, but seemed very pleasant in an attractive kind of way.
‘Come into my office, Dr. McTaggart,’ said Steve beckoning to the open door like a police officer directing traffic at a T-intersection.
‘Call me Milly, please, Steve,’ she said as she passed him on her way into his office. She wondered if he had seen the news reports last night or read the paper this morning. She had been referred to in all the reporting as Dr. McTaggart.
‘Right, I’ve been talking with Mrs. Anderson, and she has told me of your inheritance. She mentioned your living arrangements, your job in the U.K. so I’ve got a bit of a handle on things. I assume you wish to invest the money, and I’m here to help you. Have you any ideas or thoughts?’
‘My first thought is that I need to get used to the fact that I have a lot of money now,’ answered Milly. ‘You know what they say about it burning a hole in your pocket?’
‘Yes, excellent, I couldn’t agree more.’
‘So, considering that, I’d like to park it somewhere, somewhere safe, so I can earn some interest and continue going about my life without relying on it at all for the moment. I’m not very savvy when it comes to large sums of money because I’ve never had any. What do you suggest?’
‘Okay, Milly …,’ and the meeting began. An hour and two cups of coffee later, she walked from Steve’s office with a good understanding of her fiscal position. In any scenario, her revenue would greatly exceed her expenditure. ‘You do realize, Milly, that depending on how you wish to live, you will never have to work again?’
‘I understand that Steve, but that’s not how I operate. Like I said, I need to get used to the fact that I have the money first. Then I might buy some property as you’ve suggested or do something different with it later. I’m actually a bit of a good-time girl, so I don’t need any encouragement with large sums of money making life too easy.’ As Milly turned away, she thought to herself: hang around, mate, and watch for the news; you’ll find out soon enough what a good-time girl I am.
She switched her phone on, and there was both a missed call and a message from Jane Dobson. ‘Can I catch you over lunch, Milly?’
She had ended with a smiley face, so the news can’t be all bad, she thought, as she walked to her car and dialed Jane’s number.
Chapter 14.
Milly called Dannii and told her she was meeting with Jane Dobson at Mamma’s Bistro on Adelaide Terrace. They could walk the short distance to the Supreme Court and check on the progress of the ponce and Boyd if they wished. ‘Word in the legal profession is that staff at Casuarina Prison have already made a bunk up for Boyd … they are expecting him,’ said Jane when Milly phoned her.
Good, thought Milly as she drove on to Mamma’s Bistro. Casuarina was one mean prison, so serve him right. They should lock him up and throw away the key. She considered their effect on her life. Drugs had killed Sibby, wrecked Joe’s life, and could easily have ruined hers too. She was focused as she drove down Brook Street in East Perth to Adelaide Terrace. That could have been me on a slab in the morgue, not my sister, thought Milly. She eventually parked in the Hay St East Car Park and walked to Mamma’s Bistro where Dannii and Jane sat waiting. She had no idea how long they would be, but she wasn’t drinking until she got Yves King’s car home safe and sound.
‘Hi, Jane.’
‘You look really well, Milly. The footage of you walking into court last night on television and the photos in the paper don’t do you justice.’
‘There you go, Jane,’ said Milly taking her suit coat off before she sat down, ‘I told you I’d behave myself when I went to the U.K.’ Dannii gave her that ‘what, really?’ look, tilting her head, with a confused kind of smile on her face. Jane caught the gesture and smiled to herself, thinking I bet you didn’t behave yourself, Dr. McTaggart. Milly
noted but didn’t acknowledge Dannii’s inquisitive stare; she was on a hiding to nothing if she got Dannii started. She sat down, and the other two shifted around, adjusting their seating position in the corner booth.
‘I’ve got some good news for you, Milly. Oh, I’m sorry, you don’t mind me discussing things in front of Dannii, do you … no offense, Dannii.’
‘None taken.’
‘No problem, Jane.’
‘Your charge has been dismissed.’
‘That’s good news.’
‘You don’t seem so happy, Milly.’
‘I’m happy enough, Jane; I’ve been thinking, though. I don’t know that my whole trip here hasn’t been a waste of time, coming all the way from the U.K. There have been other things, like Dannii and I sorting each other out, and catching up with Mom and my aunt. But as far as the trial is concerned … I don’t know …?’
‘You had to come back, Milly, to settle the drugs charge. Anyway, don’t sell yourself short. From what I saw yesterday, you were the turning point in this whole case against Boyd … especially if he’s found guilty. That comment you made was spot on, just …’
‘What comment?’
‘When he asked you if you’d done a deal and you agreed, saying Mason would know because he was doing a deal too. The only difference was you were admitting to the charge.’
‘Mason looked worried, totally frustrated,’ reinforced Dannii.
‘He was lining you up to do a job on you, Milly. He wanted to make you out to be a liar, a common tart, probably a prostitute in taking “payment” for drugs in kind. He would have used anything he could against you. Then you trumped him again when you told him you had slept with all three of the Boyds but not at the same time. That took the wind right out of his sails.’
‘But everyone knew already. I discussed it with Jim Quill when he questioned me.’
‘It was all in the moment and your timing, Milly.’
‘Boyd looked worried too,’ added Dannii.
‘Well, he’s hardly going to look happy,’ she replied.