Coral Sea Affair

by Drew Lindsay

‘Hello, this is Rod Reid.’ He clicked to speaker phone.

  ‘Hi Rod. My name is Ben Hood. A young Detective at Special Ops in the CIB gave me your card and recommended I call you.’

  ‘Yes, Lisbet has spoken of you Mr. Hood, or should I say Detective Sergeant Hood.’

  ‘Yeah, well I’m kind of not working at the moment and sorry, I had forgotten her name.’

  ‘Lisbet Fenton. Lovely girl. Can we catch up?’

  ‘Yes. Can I visit your office tomorrow?’

  ‘I’m free until 11. Can you get to Castle Hill by say 10?’

  ‘That’s fine. What’s the address?’

  Ben wrote down the address of the Private Investigator and the call was concluded.

  Rodney Reid’s home and office was set back well from the street in a leafy cul-de-sac in Castle Hill, an upper/middle class suburb northwest of Sydney. The house was double storied and clad in brilliant white weather board. All the homes in this cul-de-sac were immaculately maintained together with extensive gardens. The only feature placing Rodney Reid’s home apart from the others was the security cameras mounted on high metal poles in various parts of his garden and on the house itself.

  Ben parked in the street outside and walked up a grey cobblestone path to the front door. Rodney Reid opened the door and welcomed him inside. Rodney used a crutch under his right arm. He had no right foot from below the ankle. The disability had no effect on his mobility and Ben had to walk quickly down the hallway to keep up with him. In an air conditioned sunroom at the rear of the house, Rodney waved his guest to a chair upholstered in the brightest frangipani print Ben had ever seen and he dropped onto a two seater lounge and leaned his crutch up against the wall.

  ‘Doesn’t look much like the hub of a moderately large security outfit eh?’ Rod smiled.

  Ben liked him instantly. ‘I’m not sure what one is supposed to look like.’

  Rodney stretched back on the lounge. He was in his mid to late 50’s and at least as tall as Ben. His build was solid and he obviously worked out. His face and arms were heavily suntanned. His short grey hair was thinning on top but thick on the sides.

  ‘I keep the company rather low key and I guess that is why I’m a bit worried about you.’

  Ben was taken aback a little. ‘The shootings?’

  ‘We don’t encourage shooting people in our operation, although I had to shoot a mad idiot once because he lapped up the mace. That was a long time ago.’

  Ben grinned. ‘I’ve only shot people that really needed shooting. I tend to be in the wrong place at the right time more than the average cop. I think I’m a bit jinxed.’

  Rodney hooked his footless right leg over his left knee.

  ‘What happened to your foot?’ Ben asked the question with the same comfortable directness he would ask someone for a restaurant location. ‘Have you been in the army?’

  ‘Well I was in the army for a few years when I was young but that’s not where I lost my foot. A drunk in a truck ran over me.’

  Ben was tempted to smile, but he didn’t.

  ‘I must admit, I was also drunk and the drunk that ran over me was my mate and I was trying to get into his truck.’

  This time Ben smiled.

  ‘He thought I was in and I was only half way. He took off and I fell out and the back wheel got me. Always hated that big bloody heavy truck he drove. Little Honda and I’d have got up and walked home. Even a commodore and I’d have got re-constructed and limped for the rest of my life.’

  ‘At least he didn’t get your left foot as well.’

  Rodney laughed loudly. ‘Now that’s what I like. A positive attitude. Now about a job.’

  ‘I’m not sure exactly what your company does,’ said Ben. ‘Security for Important People? Sounded a bit odd when I first read it.’

  ‘Yes, well…. I have a fairly exclusive clientele. In fact some of my clientele are so exclusive that they often don’t want anyone to know that someone is close by actually protecting them. There are others however, that want the world to know they have protection and I could hire big muscle bound extras with dark sunglasses to do that and they’d be thrilled. I have to carefully judge what is required.’

  ‘Sounds interesting.’

  ‘Can be more interesting if I incorrectly decide what is actually required.’

  ‘You do some yourself?’

  Yep; some. Not a lot now though. I have a plastic foot that clips on. Cost me a bomb but works OK. I limp a little but that gives me character. Walking wounded sort of thing.’

  Ben smiled again.

  ‘I don’t wear it at home, especially in summer. I just do the show pony stuff. These people will never get assaulted or attacked but they want the public to think they might so we gather around them with grim looks and dark sunglasses and the media lap it up and the client laps it up and I bank a lot of money.’

  ‘And the other clients?’

  Rodney locked his fingers together over his stomach. ‘Some clients are a bit of an unknown quantity, especially the new ones. If I had a crystal ball it would be easy. I don’t have one of those so you have to plan for the worst and hope for the best.’

  ‘Sounds a bit like a Police operation.’

  ‘Spot on Ben. Difference is in my operation that you get paid a hell of a lot more and some of my operatives have landed quite legitimate bonuses well beyond the scope of their contract.’

  ‘Well I’m not sure what that means but I do want to work. The Police Department have put me off on full pay while they investigate my so called conduct, but I can’t just sit around.’

  ‘Are you in any departmental or legal trouble?’

  ‘Not that I’ve been told about….other than bumped up loads in my Glock…..and using hollow points.’

  ‘Good Lord. Is it serious?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘You need a good lawyer?

  Ben laughed loudly and grinned.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I got a good lawyer. She’s very good.’

  Rodney studied Ben’s face and smiled back at him. ‘Now I’m not sure what the hell you are talking about but I do have a job for you and I think you will find it extremely interesting. It’s with one of our best operatives. Do you like to travel?’

  ‘It’s not in Melbourne?’

  ‘No. You got something against Melbourne?’

  ‘I don’t like Melbourne. Too cold.’

  ‘It’s not always cold there.’

  ‘Point taken. I just don’t like Melbourne.’

  ‘You like the heat?’

  ‘Depends. It’s not Alice Springs or Arabia or anything?’

  ‘Port Douglas.’

  ‘North of Cairns.’

  ‘Yep. We have a large American movie crew locating there right now with others to follow and they need what we call ‘minimal protection’ for their stars in particular. It’s fairly low key stuff but this job slots into the ‘unknown category’ I spoke of before. Our operatives have to be fairly invisible, but quickly active if that is required.’

  ‘I’m interested.’

  ‘You will be based at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, and this is a fairly swish place.’

  ‘I know. I stayed there once with my wife.’

  ‘You won’t be able to take anyone with you on this job Ben.’

  ‘It’s OK. We’re not an item just now.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Happens.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. If you can be here again at 7 pm this Friday, I’ll introduce you to your partner. It’s a woman and she is extremely capable. This is cash money; $1,000 a week and it would be best if you told no-one about it, especially the Police Department.

  ‘They aren’t talking to me anyway.’

  Rodney grabbed his crutch and rose quickly. Ben stood. ‘Nice to meet you Rodney.’

  ‘Call me Rod. This will be just like a paid holiday in paradise, but you ha
ve to stay sharp.’

  ‘OK.’

  ‘Good. We’ll talk more on Friday.’

  “****”

  Chapter Seventeen