Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1)

by Dennis Debney

  After the meal had been finished, and Brian and I had cleared the table and dealt with the dishes, we sat in the lounge room to enjoy a cup of coffee. Kate was curious about my current life choices and asked, “Adam, I have heard a lot about you from Brian during the past few months. I know that you have Masters Degrees in civil engineering and business and have been offered high paying jobs here in the city. Yet you are living on a yacht in a marina in Cairns even though you own this beautiful apartment. Why? What is the attraction?”

  I wondered for a moment how to best respond. I looked at Brian, grinned and raised an eyebrow. I was asking him for a lead. Should I respond flippantly or should I be serious. He just grinned and said, “I’d like to hear the answer to that too.”

  I shrugged and responded, “Kate, it’s all about experience. I am interested in a longer term career involving business analysis and corporate management. But to be really effective I need field experience. I have an amazing opportunity as construction manager on a major development project. Once this project is done I will seek a position back here in Sydney. I spend most of the week at the project site living in air conditioned, en-suited accommodation. I try to get away and spend as many weekends as possible on my yacht ‘Irish Mist’ in the Cairns marina.”

  Kate had another question. “But what about your social life? What do you do during your spare time?”

  Brian chipped in. “I can answer that. He spends his spare time designing computer programs and sailing.” He laughed and went on, “And fighting off women determined to have their way with him.”

  I laughed in response. “If only that were true. Actually I have little spare time. At the project site I mostly relax by working on programming business oriented software. Mainly financial and physical models. Socially I don’t fit in at the project site as I rarely drink alcohol and never to excess. Nor do I play cards for money. Apart from sailing I have few non-work focussed activities, except for an eight kilometre run most mornings and a swim whenever I can.” I sighed theatrically. “It’s not much of a life, is it?”

  They both laughed.

  A short silence followed before Brian said, “Adam, I told Kate about what you said about someone trying to kill you. Can you tell us the full story?”

  I glanced back and forward between them. I had not intended to get Kate involved but clearly leaving her out was not an option. “Okay.” I glanced at my watch. “Almost exactly twenty four hours ago I was walking along the jetty to ‘Irish Mist’ when suddenly I found myself tied up and laying on the afterdeck of a large launch. Later I was to realize that I had been knocked unconscious and administered chloroform.”

  I then proceeded to describe the events in detail. How I had been dumped into the sea and the five hour swim to intercept my drifting yacht. My amazing luck to make it to safety. I left nothing out.

  When I finished, they were both staring at me momentarily speechless. For once Brian was lost for words. Kate was the first to speak. “But you are okay physically? Are you injured in any way?”

  “The bump on the back of my head seems to be going down already. I’m okay apart from this. Luckily there doesn’t seem to be any damage to my ribs.” I pulled up my shirt and singlet to display the large bruise on the side of my chest.

  Brian finally recovered his power of speech. “Bloody hell! You must’ve annoyed somebody rather seriously.”

  Kate asked, “Do you have any idea who attacked you?”

  “No. I’m not aware of anything in my personal life that might have led to this situation.” I grinned and shook my head. “No, Brian, it wasn’t a jealous husband. So it’s got to be something connected to my work.”

  Brian asked, “Have you had any work-related arguments or conflicts?”

  I replied, “Nothing serious. Rarely does a day go by without some sort of gripe from a subcontractor. But that’s just par for the course. Nothing that I would call serious. Or personal.”

  Kate asked, “Do you have any angry, unpaid creditors or suppliers?”

  I grinned. “Spoken like a true accountant. But, no to that thought also.”

  Brian had another thought. “What about Union problems?”

  “No problems to my knowledge. But there was a Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption recently held in Sydney. There is no doubt that Union corruption exists. There are too many claims of blackmail by Unions for donations up to $1 million to Union Training Funds in exchange for “industrial peace” for them to be ignored. I have heard rumours that the management of the local Construction Workers Union has been hijacked by the Comanchero bikie gang, but I have seen no evidence on my project to support that allegation.”

  Brian mused out loud. “So, Union problems are a possibility.”

  I responded, “Yes. A Comanchero-infested Union should definitely be on the list of suspects. There is no doubt that the Comancheros would be up for such an attack if their interests were somehow being thwarted. The problem is that I am not aware of any conflict with anyone, much less someone connected with a Union.”

  As soon as I spoke I remembered an incident on a previous project and said, “Mind you, about a year ago, I did have to sack some guys on another project. I was told later that they had connections to the Comancheros. But there wasn’t any fallout back then so I don’t see why it would happen now.”

  Kate homed in on my mention of an earlier project and asked, “Was there anything else of note on that or any other previous project?”

  I had been wondering the same thing myself. “Well, there was a robbery at the Mount Godwin Gold Mine but I had left the site by then.”

  Glancing at my watch I saw that it was almost midnight. I was suddenly feeling very tired. I stood up and stretched. “Sorry but events seem to have caught up with me. I need some sleep. Kate, I am sorry to ruin your special day by getting you involved in my problem…”

  Kate jumped to her feet and exclaimed. “No, Adam. Don’t say that. I know that you and Brian are best friends. He wants to be involved and so do I. Let’s talk again tomorrow. You must be knocked out with everything that has happened to you in the past twenty four hours.”

  I smiled and stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Thanks. Goodnight, Kate.” I clapped Brian on the shoulder. “Sorry to be such a party pooper but I need my beauty sleep.”

  Brian grinned and gave me a mock punch on my upper arm. “See you in the morning. Sleep well.”

  ***

  Sunday October 11

  Sydney, NSW

  The following morning I awoke feeling a little sore in the area of the bruise but otherwise had no ill effects from the long swim. Even though I felt okay I decided to forego my usual early morning run. I checked my watch. It was just after eight and time to get up even though it was a Sunday morning.

  The arrangement of long standing was for me to use Brian’s spare bedroom when I was in town. Thinking about Kate’s questions the previous evening, for the first time ever I began to wonder about my lifestyle. I had a stockpile of clothes, shoes and other stuff stored here in the wardrobe along with toilet gear. In addition to what I had accumulated in Brian’s spare bedroom, I had personal possessions scattered over three other locations. My apartment, my unit at the project site and on board ‘Irish Mist’. No wonder Kate perceived me to be some sort of gypsy.

  After showering and getting dressed I walked out into the living area at the same time that Brian emerged from his bedroom. He had a grin on his face. “Well what do you think? Isn’t she terrific?”

  Thinking that even if I didn’t agree, I couldn’t say so. But luckily I could be completely honest. “Absolutely perfect. Beautiful, smart and with the best of traditional values. You sure are one lucky guy.”

  Brian nodded. “She sure is. And I sure am. By the way, after you went to bed, Kate put a Skype call through to her sister Christine. She talked so highly of you that I reckon Christine is looking forward to meeting you.”

  I grinned. “Good. I ne
ed all the help with my love-life that I can get.”

  Brian chuckled and went into the kitchen area. “Kate will be here soon for breakfast. Have you had any new thoughts about your problem? Kate wants to ask you about your decision to not go to the police. I hope that you don’t mind her being so curious.”

  “No. Not at all. In fact I found it very helpful talking to you both. I still feel a little guilty about getting you involved, but I have to admit that I feel better for having your input. If you are up for it later I’d like the chance to talk about how I handle things from here on.”

  ***

  Later, Kate resumed the conversation from the previous evening. “So, Adam, why didn’t you report the attack on you to the police?”

  The three of us were sitting on the balcony drinking coffee. It was a relaxing Sunday morning. The occasional muted sound of a car horn was the only indication of the presence of cars moving along the streets ten floors below.

  Looking across the harbour towards the CBD I could see that the waterway was already being populated with yachts and ferries. It was so peaceful and normal that it was hard to imagine that just twenty four hours ago I had been in a life or death struggle to board my yacht thirty kilometres offshore, two thousand five hundred kilometres to the north.

  As soon as I awoke that morning I had found myself wondering if I had done the right thing. I was not entirely confident about not reporting the attack to the police after all and it was good that I had the opportunity to explain my actions to others.

  I shrugged and responded to Kate’s question. “My decision was instinctive. My story is so bizarre that I doubted that the police would take me seriously. I had no evidence to support my claim that I had been attacked and I could well have been written off as being out of tune with reality. A nut. In any case, what could the police do even if they did take me seriously. I could give them no clue as to who the attackers were or why I was attacked.”

  Brian leaned back in his seat and said, “But what is to stop the attackers trying again? At least if the police were investigating then it might scare them off.”

  I responded, “I did think of that. I agree that if the police did get involved then the bad guys might keep their heads down for a while. But I see that I am confronted with the fight or flight options. I can either seek to discover who the bad guys are and confront them or simply resign my job and move back to Sydney.”

  Kate asked, “So, why don’t you simply do that? Resign and come back to Sydney. You plan to do that eventually anyway.”

  “Well, I don’t know why I was attacked. What if I was still seen to be a problem. I need to be sure that I am off the hook. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder forever.”

  Kate nodded. “I understand that, but surely it wouldn’t hurt to report the attack to the police.”

  “Perhaps. But…”

  Brian interrupted. “Okay, Adam, you have a plan. What is it?”

  “Well. If the attackers are not aware that my yacht is back in the marina then they probably think that they were successful and that I am history. In all likelihood they are checking the news broadcasts expecting to hear that either a yacht or a body has been found drifting offshore. When I turn up at work tomorrow acting as though nothing has happened they will be confused. They won’t know for certain what has happened. Unlikely as it would seem to them, they might have attacked the wrong person. Any other explanation would be even less credible.”

  Brian chortled. “And they might give themselves away when they first see you all hale and hearty.”

  I laughed. “Exactly.”

  Kate was not convinced. “What do you do then? Make a citizen’s arrest?”

  Brian laughed and repeated my earlier response. “Exactly.”

  Kate sounded more exasperated than amused when she said, “You two are as bad as each other. This is a really serious matter and you both seem to think that it is a Hardy boys sleuthing adventure.”

  Brian chuckled. “Well, Kate, I guess that that makes you Nancy Drew.”

  I could see that she was concerned, and she was right to be. “Sorry, Kate. You are right. I don’t have a plan. I just have a hope that they will give themselves away. Then, with luck, knowing who they are, I might get the chance to find out why I was attacked, and who else is involved.” I paused and again attempted to reduce the tension by adding jokingly. “And then I will make a citizen’s arrest.”

  Seeing that Kate was far from being amused I added in an attempt to mollify her. “I have completed a written statement of the incident and will maintain a complete record of further events as they unfold. I will then have something to hand to the police when I eventually contact them. I will ensure that Brian has a copy so that he can hand it over should I come unstuck.”

  Brian placed his arm around Kate’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Adam is one capable guy. He’ll work it out.” Then looking at me he asked, “When are you heading back to Cairns?”

  I was glad that the discussion was over. Thinking it through again as I explained my intentions had helped me. I was now confident that I was on the right track and said, “I thought that I’d catch the flight that leaves after nine o’clock. That will get me back before midnight and give me the best chance of slipping back on board ‘Irish Mist’ unseen. But before then I’d like to talk to you about surveillance equipment.”

  Brian’s eyes lit up at the thought of helping to identify the bad guys. “Sure. That sounds like fun…” His enthusiasm faded away momentarily as he noticed Kate’s expression and belatedly added. “Well, fun isn’t the right word of course, but I have been reading about some really interesting surveillance gadgets on the internet.”

  I smiled inwardly and thought that perhaps Kate was right. Perhaps Brian and I were imagining that we were real-life Hardy boys on the trail of miscreants.

  ***

  Relaxing on the flight to Cairns I had more than three hours to think things through.

  I still believed that the source of my problem must be related to my job. But there had been no angry confrontations, no threats and no hint of problems. I was at a loss to think of a situation that I may have misread or misinterpreted. Then it hit me. I had been solely thinking of the current project, construction of the Red Rock Mine, where I had been engaged for the past three months. Perhaps the source of the problem was an earlier project. The obvious candidate was the Mount Godwin gold mine.

  I had spent six months working on the Mount Godwin project, including about four months onsite at the Mount Godwin mining and mineral processing operation, located some four hundred kilometres south-west of Red Rock. I had been employed as a construction engineer responsible for a project to expand the mine’s production capacity by fifty percent. It had been my success there that had probably earned me the position of Construction Manager at Red Rock.

  Thinking back to my time at the Mount Godwin Mine I remembered that there had been a confrontation with a welding contractor named John Hall. His workers had been so poor that I had to sack them. I remembered that it could have turned out to be a problem for me at the time but it was resolved without too much fuss. Anyway, that was nine months ago. Why would it surface now? I thought that John Hall was in the past and had expected him to stay there. There was no chance that he would get employed on the Red Rock project. Perhaps that was enough of a reason for him to feel bitter and angry. But the thought of him being so incensed by the incident to have me killed was unthinkable. I searched my memories wondering if there was some other incident that I had overlooked. I adjusted the back of my seat, closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift back to events at the Mount Godwin mine during the expansion project.

  ***

  Nine Months Earlier

  Mount Godwin Mine, Western Queensland

  I had read somewhere that ninety nine percent of the world’s population believe that gold mining is a simple process. The common belief being that all that the gold miner has to do is to dig up the ore, crush i
t and pass it through a screen or water sluices to separate the gold particles. It is also widely assumed that these particles are then simply melted and cast into gold ingots ready for sale.

  The Mount Godwin operation was the first gold mine that I had visited but I was aware that the gold mining was not as simple as commonly believed. Prior to leaving Townsville for Mount Godwin on a small charter flight I had studied the process flow sheet and had a reasonable understanding of what went on. But like most things in life, it was necessary to observe something firsthand before one could really understood it as the scale of an operation can only be fully understood by seeing it in action.

  There were four other passengers on the small plane travelling to Mount Godwin with me. It was an orientation and co-ordination visit for all of us and we expected to be on site for three days. Our employer, Gibson Construction Limited, in partnership with a large metallurgical consulting firm, had won the contract to expand the production capacity of the mine. It was a lump sum contract which meant that Gibson Construction was committed to carry out the contracted work within an agreed time for an agreed price. If the project was finished late, penalties would be payable by Gibson Construction. On the other hand if the project was completed early then a bonus was payable to Gibson Construction.

  The mine owners had specified what additional equipment was required to be installed and had already acquired some second-hand items including a crusher and two large ball mills. Gibson Construction’s job was to take a change in a process flow chart on paper and turn it into reality. I was to be responsible for all site work up to the handover after commissioning.

  Three of the passengers on the plane were members of the design team. The challenge for them was to integrate additional equipment, and modify the existing buildings, without interrupting the ongoing production. Or at least minimising the interruptions. The fourth passenger was a land surveyor who, with the assistance of the mine surveying staff, would establish a network of setting-out points around the site for reference during construction. I had been hired to direct the actual construction work. My visit to the site was primarily to enable me to assess firsthand the condition of the existing structures, and availability of materials and services, prior to commencement of construction.