An Unwatched Minute

by J. M. Peace

  "I guess they don't have any blockies in The Gap. There's an estate out of town. It's basically just a big parcel of bushland with some dirt roads bulldozed through it. There's no water or power, just really big cheap bush blocks. So big, you never have to see your neighbours if you don't want to. A lot of the people who live out there have moved out there because they want to drop out of civilised life. Or they have bugger-all money and this is the best they'll manage. So there's a few actual houses out there, but there's also people living in caravans, or shipping containers or even humpies. Some of them don't think the rules of polite society don't apply to them. Mostly, they like to be left alone. We call them 'blockies'."

  "I could think of worse ways to live," Krista said.

  "Some of the places are properly set up with solar power or generators. But some are have 'tresspassers will be shot' signs out the front."

  They drove fifteen minutes out of town, before Mort turned right onto a graded dirt road, optimistically signposted as 'Serenity Acres'.

  "Here we go," Mort said. "You can't really see any of the homes from the road. I guess that's the point of the big blocks.”

  Krista saw occasional dirt tracks leading off the road, some marked with a number or a surname. They rounded a bend.

  "There," Krista pointed, as if there was a chance Mort may miss it. A red sedan was stopped in the middle of the road. It looked like there was no one around it, but the bonnet was up.

  Mort flicked the switch activating the bar lights on the roof of the car as they pulled up behind the car. A teenage boy appeared from under the bonnet.

  Krista saw him unmistakeably mouth the word "fuck" as she swung out of the car.

  "Skeeter, mate. What's going on?" Mort said.

  "Hi Mort," the boy said. "I was… um… just walking along and it looks like someone's abandoned this broken down car in the middle of the road,” he finished with a half grin. His story was plausible and he knew it.

  "Oh, it’s abandoned, is it?" Mort said. "Though cars sometimes break down when they're having the guts revved out of them by teenagers who think they're rally drivers."

  "Not me, Mort. Not me," Skeeter said, his eyes a little too wide open as he feigned surprise.

  "You're not fooling anyone, Skeeter. C'mon, we'll push it off the road as best we can," Mort said. "I know there's not much traffic through here, but you've been unlucky once today already. He gave the poor meals on wheels lady a heart attack."

  Skeeter slid into the driver's seat. Mort and Krista pushed the vehicle till it was as far to the left as it could go without hitting a tree. Even so, it took up nearly half of the dirt track. Skeeter got back out again, wiping his hands down the front of his pants.

  "So this isn't your car, Skeeter?" Mort asked.

  "No, no," Skeeter replied with a vigorous shake of his head.

  "You don't know whose car it is?"

  "No. No idea."

  Mort leaned in and opened the glovebox. It was empty. There was no registration sticker, no plates.

  "So it's abandoned? There's no ID in it anywhere?"

  "Yeah. Abandoned. I was just walking along and I found it like this."

  Mort looked at Krista. "It's a traffic hazard here. We'll get it towed. The owner will have to pay the towing fees to claim it from the tow yard." Skeeter's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them.

  Krista nodded. "Sounds fair enough."

  "Yeah," Mort continued. "I'll get the tow truck driver to let us know who claims the car so we know who to talk to about the complaint of dangerous driving made about it." Skeeter took a half step backwards.

  Mort continued. "You've got to be pretty game to race around in an unregistered car, especially if you don't have a licence. Or pretty stupid. You hit anyone, you're not covered by third party insurance or anything. You'd be liable for all damages, all injuries. You'd be paying that sort of money off for the rest of your life."

  He turned to Skeeter. "Good thing you wouldn't do something that dumb."

  Skeeter nodded, his eyes not meeting Mort’s gaze.

  "We won't hold you up any longer, Skeeter. Say 'hi' to your dad for me."

  They got in the car. Krista started to laugh as Mort did a u-turn and drove away.

  "I like what you did there," Krista said.

  "Oh, I could get a statement off the witness, do a photoboard, get Forensics to look for prints in the car and maybe, only maybe, I might get enough to charge him. Or I can put a call through to our friendly tow truck driver who will get the car off the road and out of Skeeter's hands."

  He picked up the radio. "420 to VKR."

  "Go ahead 420."

  "Job results for Endeavour Drive."

  "Go with details."

  "We located that car. It's broken down and abandoned. It’s a traffic hazard so we’ll have to get it towed."

  He paused, then pressed the transmission button one more time. "There were no persons located."

  He smiled at Krista.

  "Skeeter's not too bad a kid. I've charged him with public nuisance a couple of times but it’s just been for stupid kid stuff. I reckon he'll grow out of that. And hopefully next time, he'll think things through a little more."

  9.

  "We'll go back in to the station now," Mort said. "We'll get all your keys and your locker. And you can meet the Colonel," he added with a grin.

  "Who's the Colonel?" Krista asked. Everyone seemed to have a nickname of some sort.

  "The boss. Senior Sergeant Simon Cornell. But everyone calls him the Colonel because he likes to run around shouting orders." He smiled when he said this and Krista wasn’t sure how seriously to take the comment.

  "I thought you said he was okay," Krista said.

  "He is. As long as you follow his orders," Mort replied.

  Krista groaned.

  "Ah, you'll be fine," Mort said. "He'll be nice to you. Because you're new. And a chick." He must of caught the look of distaste that passed over her face. "Oh, it's not like that. He's happily married with kids. There's only two other female officers at the station. It's good to balance things up a little."

  Krista nodded. She was used to getting a bit of male attention but it still made her uncomfortable.

  When they arrived at the station, Mort led the way to the boss's office. "Better introduce you to the Colonel first, then I'll take you down to Anita to get your keys."

  Krista stopped and lowered her voice. "Do people actually call him 'the Colonel' to his face? Or doesn't he know about that nickname."

  Mort laughed. "Yes, he knows about the nickname. No, you shouldn't call him that."

  He reached the open door, giving a casual rap on the door and walking straight in.

  "Good morning, boss," he said. "Our elusive new officer has arrived. This is Krista."

  Krista stepped forward and offered him her hand. She reminded herself to grip it firmly and look him in the eye.

  "Welcome Constable," he said, with a closed smile. "We expected you on Friday. I'm pleased you made it for the start of your shift."

  "I got held up," Krista said, meeting his eyes ever so briefly. "Mort's been showing me around."

  "I bet he has," the Colonel replied, his smile widening slightly. "We're pleased to have you here. And you're staying in the barracks, aren't you?"

  "Yes, Senior," Krista replied. She considered risking a joke about the state of the barracks but decided against it.

  "That makes us neighbours," the boss replied. "The Service residence is right next door. I hope you don't play your music too loud."

  Was he making a joke? Krista wasn't sure how to respond.

  "Krista told me she likes ACDC and Metallica," Mort said.

  She smiled. It was a joke. "But only after midnight," she added. They all laughed.

  "I'm just about to take Krista to meet Anita and get her keys," Mort said.

  "Okay. Well, I've got a good bunch of officers here and I'm sure they'll make you feel welcome. Don't hesitate
to ask if you've got any questions. And you know where to find me. My door is always open to my staff. I'm proud of our station here."

  "Great. Thank you," Krista said. He was still looking at her. Was there something else she should say?

  The Colonel looked back down again suddenly, picking his pen up again. "See you later," he said.

  "Bye." She followed Mort out the door and back down the hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Mort walked backwards, grinning at her.

  "Now, see how long you can go before you have to talk to him again," he said. He nearly bumped into a woman walking up the hall.

  "Ah, been in to see the Colonel. Have you?" she said in a low voice. She extended a hand past Mort to Krista. "Hello. I'm Anita. You must be Krista. I've got a pile of bits and pieces for you on my desk."

  "Thanks, that's great," she replied.

  "You haven't really arrived till you've got your swipe card and locker keys. But it looks like you've hit the ground running."

  "Just need a notebook and a gun, I can fudge the rest," Krista replied.

  Things were going so well at her new station. Everyone was so friendly. The perfect place for her to settle in and get a handle on police work.

  10.

  Breakfast in the station the next morning was interrupted by a phone call from Police Comms. Mort took the call in the kitchen, scribbling down the job number on a corner of the newspaper.

  "We've got a job," he said when he got off the phone. "Someone's topped themselves in their car up in the national park. A jogger's found them." He popped the toaster up, smeared a bit of butter on the half-cooked bread and had finished it by the time they reached the police car.

  The national park started where the town ended. Mort explained that the coast on either side of Tannin Bay was all park, with walking tracks criss-crossing through it. There were a number of carparks with access points to the tracks. It was only once they reached the last carpark where the road ended that they found the car. When Krista first saw the it, she didn't realise it was the one they'd be dispatched to find. Comms had said the car was silver, but it looked like a grey undercoat to Krista. The car was parked sideways across two parking spaces in the empty lot. It looked like someone had just parked as they pleased before going for an early morning walk.

  It wasn't until Mort drove up to the back of the car that Krista saw the pipe taped to the exhaust pipe. It led to the driver's side window. The window was down a few centimetres. A blue towel had been shoved in the gap around the hosepipe.

  Krista's heart rate increased with every step she took towards the front of the car. Mort, three steps in front of her, cupped his hand to look in the driver's side window.

  "Hello?"

  Krista startled like a baby, throwing her arms out and back slightly, before she could stop herself.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a fright."

  A thin woman, wearing tights and an athletic singlet was standing right next to her. Krista hadn't even noticed her till she spoke.

  "I was the one who called," the lady said, showing her mobile phone in her hand as if to prove it. "I walk through here of a morning. I noticed the hosepipe on the exhaust pipe. I had a look..." At this point she swallowed hard. "But I haven't touched anything."

  "Julie, is it?" Mort stepped back from the car. Clearly, he had paid attention to the job details over the radio.

  "Yes." She leaned forward as if she was going to shake his hand, but stopped short.

  "Thanks for calling. You didn't turn the car off?" Mort asked.

  She shook her head. Mort stepped forward, pulling on some latex gloves before resting his hand on the bonnet of the car.

  "It's cold. It must have run out of petrol some time ago. He's probably been here all night."

  He went to open the driver's door but hesitated, looking at the women. He addressed Julie.

  "Thanks for waiting for us. I'll get you to give all your details to Krista and then there's no reason for you to stay any longer. We'll have to get a statement off you at some point, but we'll do that at the station over the next few days." He then made a sweeping gesture towards the police car. Of course they should move away before he opened the door, Krista thought. She should have thought of that. This woman had probably seen enough already. Krista ushered her away from the grey car and took her to the far side of the police car. She could hear the click as Mort opened the door. She drew her notebook from her pocket. Both of them faced away from the car. She took brief details.

  "I had a look in the window," Julie said. "He was clearly dead. It's very sad." She glanced over her shoulder at the car, sorrow and distress both discernible on her face.

  "Where's your car?" Krista asked. "Do you want a lift somewhere?"

  "I walked up from the first carpark. I do it most mornings. It’s nice and peaceful. But I'm a little unsettled now. I just want to go home."

  "Fair enough," Krista said. She glanced across at the other car. Mort was standing next to the car, talking in the handheld radio. Krista could hear his voice but not the words.

  "Wait here a moment," she said to Julie.

  Krista approached the grey car with some trepidation. Julie had said he was "clearly dead". What did that mean? Krista's tummy gurgled. She hadn't ever seen a dead body before. Not actually. They'd watched a video of an autopsy at the academy but it wasn't the same.

  Mort had opened the front doors on both sides, presumably to let the fumes out. He'd removed the hosepipe in order to open the door. It looked like it was from a vacuum cleaner, or rather two vacuum cleaners, taped together to make it long enough.

  He leant back out of the car, something clutched in his gloved hand.

  "I found his wallet and his phone," he said. "Ambos are on their way."

  "He's dead though," Krista said.

  "Yep. But we've still got to go through the procedure. We’re not medical professionals so how can we say for sure that he’s dead?"

  From where she was standing, she could see a figure slumped in the seat. She half-turned.

  "I said I'd give Julie a lift back to her car. She's just in one of the other carparks. She's a little freaked out. Is that okay? Can I grab our car keys?"

  "Sure. You've got all her details?" Mort checked.

  Krista nodded. Mort handed her the keys to the police car. She turned away quickly as soon as she had them.

  Julie spoke as soon as they got in the car together.

  "Sorry to put you out like this,” she said. “I know you’ve got better things to do. But I’ll confess it’s left me a bit shaken.”

  "You don't need to explain. I think it would upset anyone, coming across that," Krista said.

  "Yes." Julie paused. "I guess you're used to it," she said.

  Krista nodded, but said nothing, focussing on the road instead. It was a short drive to where Julie was parked and a minute before she was pulling up behind the grey car again. Was it a crime scene, she wondered? Should she park somewhere else? Suicide wasn't a crime though.

  She parked exactly where Mort had parked originally. He was sitting on a low log railing which marked the edge of the carpark. He had a phone in his hand. He looked up as she approached.

  "The ambos and forensics should be here in about fifteen," he said.

  "So there's nothing else to do?" she asked. "We just wait?"

  "Yep," Mort said. He looked at her quizzically. "Is there something else you think we should do?"

  The carpark was empty save for the two of them. And the dead man.

  "It's my first dead body," she whispered to Mort.

  Mort blinked rapidly. "Really?" He sounded amazed. He gestured the open door. "Now's a good time before anyone else gets here,” he said.

  Krista hesitated, looking from Mort to the car and back again.

  Mort nodded towards the car. "Better get used to it. It won't be your last. He's alright. It's not gory or anything."

  This is what she wanted, wasn't it? Experience, exposure to
different aspects of police work. Here it was. A perfect opportunity. Yet still she swallowed hard before stepping forward.

  Krista looked into the driver's seat. The man was maybe in his early thirties. He would have been quite good-looking. When he wasn't a bluey-grey colour with his brown eyes staring into nothingness. His skin looked like wax, unreal, inhuman. But it was the vacant eyes that made him look so clearly dead. She could smell, urine, looked down to see the stain on the front of his pants. One of his hands was curled in a funny shape, as if he'd been holding something. He had been holding something. Mort had pried the phone out of the dead man's hand. That made sense. Part of her was proud that she’d noticed this detail.

  She looked over her shoulder. Mort was watching her intently. There, she wanted to say to him. I've done it.

  “He was holding his phone?” she asked, mostly to show Mort that she had noticed it.

  “Spot on,” he said, holding up the phone in his hand.

  Krista paused. "Should we shut his eyes or something?" she asked quietly. It seemed like a respectful thing to do.

  "You can shut his eyes if you want," he said.

  Ah, but she would have to do it herself. They were the words he left unsaid. She straightened up, contemplating whether she had the nerve to try to close dead eyelids. It always looked so easy in the movies. But now actually faced with the prospect, Krista realised she would have to make contact, touch the eyelids, feel the curve of the eyeball beneath as she dragged them across.

  She took a deep breath. "Might leave that for the ambos," she said.

  Mort knew what she was thinking. "Put a glove on and touch him," he said. "Do it now, before anyone else turns up. Just touch him on the arm or something. You're going to come across a lot of gory stuff on the job. Sometimes, you'll have to get hands-on and help. You might as well get this first time over right now. Then it will be easier next time. If you feel like chucking up or anything, you can do it and no one's going to know. "

  "You're going to know," Krista said.

  Mort shrugged. "I don’t care. I won't say anything."

  "I'm not going to chuck up," she said. But the mere mention of the word made her stomach lurch.