by Steve Hawke
‘Figured it was you that nicked this.’ Big Al’s words get his attention. ‘I can add this to the report I make to the coppers about the damage at the site office.’
16
SINCE THE DAY the kids found the surveyor’s pegs down at the beach, it seemed that the blows had been raining down on the Jirroo family. But after Big Al put Andy’s block up for sale, a strange, ominous calm descended.
Dancer and Buddy were kept away from their father for a couple of days. Everyone wondered, and feared that he might go off the rails again. Col hardly left Andy’s side, and took time off work to go out in the truck with him on his next run. He promised the boys Andy would be okay, he would see to it. ‘Just give him a bit of time.’
Eddie made some quiet enquiries through a police aide he knew. As far as he could find out, Big Al had not made any official complaint about the damage at the site office, or the stolen plan. But with that threat hanging over them, the adults firmly overruled Janey’s demand that they make a complaint about Big Al’s attempt to demolish the shack. Besides, once the lawyer at Legal Aid realised they had no title to the shack, he told Little Joe it would be very hard to mount any sort of a case.
Little Joe also made a couple of visits to the Planning Department, trying to find out if Big Al really did have the approval and the right to demolish the shack. He was referred to Georgie as the Aboriginal Liaison Officer. ‘All he’ll say is he’s looking into it,’ Little Joe reported back.
Janey and Little Joe put their heads together to write a letter to the Minister in charge of the Planning Department, but got only a standard form letter in reply saying their concerns were being investigated. They also wrote to the local newspaper. But whether it was the hot season lethargy that smothers the far north towards the end of each year, or the veil of silence that seemed to have dropped over the resort proposal, they could not seem to get anyone to take the matter seriously.
They got into a routine where every second day at least, one of the adults would drive down to Eagle Beach with some of the kids to check whether anything else had happened. So far, there was no change. Buddy tried to talk to Teoh Tom again, but the old fellow just shooed him away.
The one threat that Big Al did seem to have made good on was to run the Dreamers out of Broome. Ally and Eddie did the rounds of all the venues, and every single one of them had an excuse of one sort or another.
October turned to November, and then December. The cattle season was over, and Andy began his annual ritual of stripping down and overhauling the truck’s engine. He seemed to have gradually rediscovered his dry sense of humour, but he evaded any questions that Buddy and Dancer tried to ask about what he would do now.
The days grew hotter and hotter and the willy willies skittered around the outskirts of town, whirling rubbish from one place to another and coating all in their path with whipping sprays of red dust. But there was no sign of clouds building up over Roebuck Bay. No lightning storms. None of the sudden, brief sun showers that normally heralded the approach of the wet season.
The kids had plenty of time for music, and most weekends they would put in a couple of hours at least down at the shack. Tich had drawn a big sign that read ‘Jirroo Mob. Tresparses Keep Out!’ and stuck it to the door.
They had worked Jimmy’s Jiir song into a band version and their original instrumental was sounding better than ever. But Janey had only been able to stretch her original two lines, ‘Barefoot kids with their grey socks on,’ into a verse and a half, which she insisted were no good anyway. The spark and energy they had when they started the band adventure seemed to have deserted them. Jimmy put his finger on it one sweaty afternoon. ‘It doesn’t feel the same down here now. It’s like Big Al’s spoiled it, before he’s even done anything.’
The circuit breaker came when Eddie got a call from Wyndham asking if the Dreamers would play at a fund-raiser. Ally got to work, and within a week had organised a Kimberley tour, with gigs at local halls or pubs in every town between Broome and Wyndham.
If it went well the tour would bring in more money than a month of gigs at the Bay View. The money was only one part of it though. It gave everyone a new focus, something to look forward to. And it was a way of proving — to themselves at least — that Big Al couldn’t kill the Dreamers off.
It would be a punishing schedule: Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and Wyndham over six nights, with a round trip of more than two thousand kilometres. But a week off was the most Col could wangle from his job, after the break he took when he went on the road with Andy.
The two weeks before the tour were a mad flurry of activity. In the midst of all this a big question arose. What about the kids? At first they had been swept up in the excitement, assuming they would all be going. But Jimmy and Janey’s Year Seven exams would be happening. The results might well determine their options for high school next year.
Janey’s protest was a token one. She was top of the class so far, and though she pretended it was no big deal, it did matter to her. And while she claimed to hate the idea of going away to boarding school in Perth, she had her dreams and ambitions.
Jimmy’s protest was much fiercer. A week on the road with the Dreamers, with concerts almost every night, was his idea of heaven. But he soon realised he was fighting a losing battle. Tich’s teasing didn’t help. Mary didn’t even think of leaving her behind.
For Dancer and Buddy the issue was resolved when Andy told them they were coming with him. He had a little detour planned for the three of them on the way back he said, but would tell them no more.
The Dreamers head off on a Saturday morning for the two hundred kilometre run to Derby and their first gig. Janey and Jimmy are left in the care of Bella and Micky. Though the exams start on the Monday, the easy pace of the weekend seems to flow over. The corner block is so quiet with everyone away. That evening Janey and Bella are indulging in one of their favourite rituals. Bella is leaning back in the rocking chair on her verandah with a dreamy expression, while Janey stands behind her, combing and plaiting her long grey hair. Jimmy’s guitar can be heard from over at his place. Micky is pretending to read the newspaper, putting off the raking that Bella has been humbugging about.
‘You ever been down to Perth, Mimi?’ Janey asks.
Bella laughs dismissively. ‘No, too far for me.’
‘I wonder what it’s like.’
‘Bella! Janey! Come and look at this!’ Micky is on his feet, waving the Broome Times. On page three is a picture of a beaming Big Al standing next to an architectural model. The headline reads, ‘Steer Unveils Ambitious Development Plan.’ There isn’t much more to the story, but it does say that Big Al will be revealing the details of his proposal ‘that will change the face of Broome’ at the Bay View Hotel this coming Sunday.
The fury and frustration had been almost enough to make Big Al explode that day down at the shack. He felt so sure the diamonds were within his grasp. If it had been Mack with him instead of Horse he might have manhandled Tich and the others out of the way, and gone ahead with his plan. But a glance at Horse, with that dumb, scared look of his, was enough to make him think better of it.
And what a supreme effort of self control it took when that brat of a girl fronted him at the pub that same night, but it would be bad for business to have a big scene in full public view at the Bay View.
He had stewed over it all that night. It seemed that every way he turned there was a Jirroo in his way. In his mind, he declared war, and when at war, Big Al’s way was to strike quickly and strike hard. His appearance at the block the next morning was the first strike. But over the next few days he was forced to rethink his strategy.
First it was Georgie, who had got a blow by blow account of the events down at the shack from Horse. He was not happy, despite his distaste for the Jirroos. But that wasn’t his main concern.
‘You’ve jumped the gun,’ he told Big Al, with less deference than usual. ‘This could make things hard for me in the
Department, you realise.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Big Al snapped. ‘I thought you said the final approval was just a rubber stamp now.’
‘It is. Or rather it was, as long as everything stayed cool.’
The point was, Georgie said, that if he kept making enemies, if there was too much noise, someone higher up in the Department might take an interest. Then there might be questions raised for the committee that would be giving him his rubber stamp.
And sure enough, a few days later Georgie rang to say that there was a letter of complaint from Little Joe Jirroo. He had managed to gloss things over, but Big Al would have to tread carefully.
Big Al got on the phone to his big city lawyer and that’s when it really struck home. ‘You’re the one that wants to play in the big league,’ the lawyer said. ‘And you’re the one who’s put your neck on the line. This isn’t cowboys and cattle stations. There are always ways to bend the rules, that’s what lawyers are for. The art is in bending them, not breaking them.’
Big Al’s lease was still subject to approval, the lawyer told him. The road, the site office, and especially his stupid — ‘ludicrous’ was the word actually used — actions over the shack, were all technically illegal. The lawyer’s closing words before Big Al slammed the phone down were, ‘If you want to be a tycoon, start acting like one. Think smart.’
That image of the mound of diamonds wouldn’t go away. He toyed with the idea of telling them all to go to hell and barging on like he always had. But not for long. He forced himself to remember that the diamonds were just a fantasy, an outside chance, no matter what the feeling in his bones.
‘Think smart …’ The lawyer’s words echoed in his head. Act like a tycoon. Tycoon. He loved the sound, the feel, of that word.
He went over the figures again. It would be tight, ever so tight. But he could afford to wait through the wet season if he absolutely had to. If the rains held off, he could make some sort of a start anyway, once that damned approval came through.
He would smash the Jirroos still, but he would make sure everyone was on his side. That’s when he began planning his public relations blitz.
17
‘FORE!’ JANEY AND Jimmy snap their heads up at the sound of the familiar voice. There on the other side of the huge trestle table that supports the model of the Eagle Beach Resort, Michael is grinning at them. Once he has their attention he laughs and mimics a golf swing.
Spread out between them is Big Al’s plan, now in full colour and three-dimensional detail. Golf greens with miniature flags and lush fairways. The resort headquarters, the luxury self-contained cabins, the clubhouse, tavern and tourist centre, are all portrayed in finely detailed, matchbox-sized splendour.
The jumble of rocks on Jiir’s headland is recreated in almost eerie detail. A little structure set back from it has a tag saying Cultural Interpretative Display. A tiny lugger is moored at the pearl farm’s jetty. There is even a miniature dolphin leaping from the blue waters of the bay. No expense has been spared to make this look like heaven on earth.
Over the public address system an announcement calls people to the garden bar for the official launch. Jimmy is feeling sick in the guts, and pleads with Janey to go home, but she is determined to see this through to the bitter end. With Jimmy reluctantly following, she worms her way to the front of the crowd. The stage is serving as a podium, with Big Al at the centre of a row of dignitaries.
The speeches drone on, praising Mr Steer’s vision and the benefits it will bring the town. At one point Big Al, sitting there lapping it all up, catches Janey’s eye and gives her a cold stare. Jimmy gets the same treatment from Mack, who is standing to the right of the podium.
The head of the chamber of commerce introduces the next speaker, ‘The highly respected representative of our local Indigenous community, and Aboriginal Liaison Officer at the state Planning Department, Mr Georgie Jordan.’
Jimmy starts to drift off as Georgie rabbits on. ‘This town needs development, it needs progress, and it needs jobs. Speaking as a local born and bred, and as an Indigenous person, I can assure you that the local population is right behind Big Al Steer and this wonderful project.’
Finally Big Al gets to his feet. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, as chairman and major shareholder of Garnet Investments …’
Big Al thanks all the dignitaries and ‘the good folk of Broome’ for turning out today to support him. He goes on to list the many groundbreaking aspects of the development. ‘Then when the tourists have done the rounds of the pearl farm — and bought themselves a souvenir at the shop, I hope — they can wander over to the Diamond Tavern.’
Janey’s attention had been starting to wander, but suddenly she is all ears again. She elbows Jimmy in the ribs.
‘Now why call a pub at a pearl farm the Diamond Tavern you might ask?’ Big Al is saying. ‘You’ve all heard the legend of the lost diamonds of Garnet Bay, I’m sure. Their story is part of the heritage of Broome. Like many of you, I have fantasised about finding the diamonds one day.’
He says it with a smile, but the smile is too tight, and his face too intense for the flippant joke it is meant to be.
‘I called my company Garnet Investments because the story of the Garnet Bay diamonds is the stuff of dreams. I too am a dreamer, and this project is my dream.’
Georgie starts clapping, and this sparks a round of applause through the crowd.
Janey claps her hands to her cheeks, and stares up at the empty balcony above, remembering Big Al’s words. One of the crowd must have snaffled it. And Tich’s anguished cry, Stealed it you mean? And Tich again, later — He bumped me over while I was dancing.
Big Al is still talking. ‘We will take this wasteland and transform it into a playground that will bring benefits to all the people of Broome …’ Jimmy turns to make a comment to Janey, but she is already wriggling backwards through the crowd. He follows her and catches up as Janey runs out into the foyer. ‘What’s going on?’ he asks.
‘Mimi’s diamond. It’s him! I just know it is.’
Janey is bounding up the stairs, flinging a command back over her shoulder, ‘Wait here.’ The penny drops. Jimmy realises what she means, and then, to his horror, what she is doing.
In the long corridor on the first floor Janey gets her bearings. She works out which door would align with the balcony where she has seen Big Al standing so often. She glances up and down the corridor. No-one. She tries the door handle. To her amazement, it gives.
So far she has been acting on pure instinct, but now she realises what she is about to do, and the fear hits. She hesitates for a moment, understanding that she may be crossing a threshold in more ways than one if she enters Big Al’s office. But the instinct that drew her here is more powerful. She gulps nervously and steps inside.
She kicks off her sandals and looks around. On the other side of the office the French doors leading to the balcony are closed. She can’t get a good view, but she can tell that Big Al is still speaking. She tests the drawers of the filing cabinets, but they are locked. The photograph of the young Big Al and his father catches her eye. She lifts it and peers behind, half expecting to see a wall safe, like in the movies.
She sits in the big swivel chair and opens and inspects each of the desk drawers, looking anxiously up at the door after each one. When she tries the bottom drawer, it won’t give. She shakes at the handle and tugs again, but it is locked.
For some reason she is absolutely sure about the feeling that is overwhelming her. She can’t stand the thought of being this close and having to walk away.
Stranded at the foot of the stairs, Jimmy’s nervousness becomes almost total panic when Mack strolls up saying, ‘What are you hanging around here for?’
For a moment he is speechless. But he has the presence of mind to point at the door of the ladies toilets on the other side of the foyer. He manages to keep the quaver out of his voice when he answers, ‘Waiting for Janey.’ Mack glares at him suspiciously, t
hen returns to the garden bar.
Janey peers through the window again. Big Al is still going! She can glimpse the mayor, who looks like he is nodding off. She picks up Big Al’s metal paperweight and taps it gently against the flimsy lock on the drawer. It wobbles. She taps a bit harder, and jumps at the noise it makes. Her nerves are on fire, but she can see that the lock has moved a bit in its housing.
After a frantic search of the room she finds a tea towel on one of the filing cabinets. She wraps it round the weight, and attacks the lock properly. The towel muffles the sound, but not completely, and she is grateful for the noise of the applause from down below. One last thump, and the lock is knocked out.
When Jimmy sees Mack returning, with Michael and Kim in tow, he almost does a runner. But even as the idea flashes through his mind it is already too late. ‘Still in there is she?’ Mack asks icily. It is all Jimmy can do to nod.
Mack nods at Michael. ‘Go on,’ Michael tells Kim.
‘What’s going on?’ Kim asks uneasily.
‘Just get in there and look will you, girlie,’ Mack demands.
Kim lifts her hands in a shrug at Jimmy to indicate that she has no idea what is going on. It doesn’t take long for her to reappear, shaking her head.
Mack fixes his gaze on Jimmy. ‘Well?’
Jimmy can’t stop his eyes from darting nervously in the direction of the stairs. Mack follows his look and is off like a shot.
‘Janeyyy!’ Jimmy yells as loud as he can. He dodges Michael’s attempt to grab him, and runs for his life out the front door.
The instant Janey opens the drawer and sees the bulging envelope, she knows she was right. But even as her fingers close around it and feel the familiar shape through the paper, Jimmy’s shout echoes up the stairs. Panic and triumph are simultaneous. She grabs the envelope without even noticing the old tobacco tin sitting beneath it, and runs out the door and up the corridor, away from the stairs.