by Peter Cotton
She checked the rear vision again. I turned around. There were no vehicles in sight. Was she exercising a dictate of her trade? Taking an ‘anything can happen at any time’ approach? Maybe. Anyway, after my experience in the desert, I appreciated her caution.
Calder’s office was wedged between a laundromat and a Chinese restaurant about twenty metres off Nowra’s main drag. A young woman with powder-pale skin and the reddest lips lifted her eyes from her computer as we entered the reception area.
‘Detective Glass, is it?’ she said.
‘Yes, and this is Lieutenant Commander Trainor.’
‘Please take a seat. He’ll be with you shortly.’
As the only people in the place, we had plenty of seats to choose from, but neither of us felt like sitting, so we went back to the front door and stood while we waited.
A couple of minutes later, the door next to the reception desk opened, and a bloke walked out carrying a sheaf of papers. It had to be Calder. He was worryingly skinny, as hairless as a newborn baby, and the ceiling lights accentuated the deep hollows in his cheeks.
‘Get these over there as soon as you can,’ he said, handing the papers to the receptionist.
She took the papers from him and raised her hand in our direction. Calder turned and finally noticed us.
‘Detective Glass, is it?’ he said, stepping towards us. ‘And this is?’
‘Zoey Trainor, Royal Australian Navy, Investigations and Compliance,’ said Trainor, stepping forward, her hand extended.
Calder shook her hand, and mine, and ushered us into his office. The wall behind his glass-topped desk was covered in photos from when he had a full head of hair. In most, he was gladhanding an athlete, or a political figure, or some other type of celebrity. Citations and honours, plus a dozen or so brightly coloured dot paintings, filled most of the rest of the wall space in the room.
Calder slumped into a high-backed chair and pointed at two simple seats on the other side of his desk. He watched us as we sat down. The wobbly bags under his eyes were almost black, and his skin was dry and flaky.
‘You’ve got questions about Kylie Stevens?’ he said, turning from me to Trainor, and back to me. ‘Ask away, but make it quick. My diary’s full.’
I placed my recorder in the middle of his desk. He took a similar device from his top drawer and put it next to mine.
‘Mr Calder,’ I said, leaning forward in my chair. ‘I understand you’ve been sick — are sick — so please be aware we can break at any time you want. Do you understand?’
‘Don’t waste my time with that stuff,’ he said, with a wave of his hand. ‘Just get on with it.’
‘Okay, sir. So, please tell me, where were you between eight o’clock Tuesday night and eight o’clock Wednesday morning?’
‘You’re joking, aren’t ya?’ said Calder, his bloodshot eyes almost popping from their sockets. ‘Are you asking me to account for myself? Should I be getting a lawyer in here, or what?’
‘You’re not a suspect, sir, but as you’d appreciate, every investigation is a process of elimination. The more people we eliminate, the closer we get to the truth.’
‘You’re close to overstepping the mark, Detective, but I’ll answer your question. I was at home between the hours you mentioned.’
‘Can anyone verify that?’
‘No, no one. But if I’d been up to no good, I’d have organised myself a decent alibi, don’t you think?’
‘Did you know Kylie Stevens?’
‘I didn’t know her as such. Met her a couple of times, that’s all.’
‘Do you know Jade Rawlins?’
‘I’ve known Jade off and on since she was a kid.’
‘Your employee Phil Manassa and another local man, Ken Bynder, met with some outlaw motorcyclists in the desert south of Alice Springs early on Thursday morning,’ I said. ‘Were you aware of that meeting, and did you know that Mr Manassa would be there?’
‘I don’t know anything about any meeting. And what Phil does in his time is his own business.’
‘It seems he flew to the Northern Territory in your aircraft.’
We hadn’t confirmed this, so my assertion was a bit of a try-on. Calder opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It was as if he’d missed a beat.
‘Mr Calder?’ I said.
‘I’ve got no idea about that,’ he said, recovering his poise. ‘I haven’t been up in the thing in months. Doctor’s orders.’
‘Is Mr Manassa around?’
‘He’s on leave. I haven’t got a clue where he is.’
‘Your right-hand man and he doesn’t keep you informed of his movements?’ said Trainor. ‘Should we believe that?’
‘You can believe what you like, lady. It’s all the same to me.’
‘Jade Rawlins was at the same desert location as Manassa and Bynder,’ said Trainor. ‘Being held against her will. Were you aware of that?’
‘Jade was being held, you say?’ said Calder. ‘At this place where Phil was? I find that hard to believe. Has Phil broken the law? If he has, what’s the charge? Kidnapping? Consorting with outcasts? Vagrancy?’
‘Do you know how Jade came to be at that location, sir?’ asked Trainor.
‘I’ve got no idea about any of this, so why don’t you cut to the chase,’ said Calder, his face glowing red. ‘What do you want? I’m a busy man. I haven’t got time to piss-fart around with the likes of you.’
‘As we said, Manassa’s friend Ken Bynder was at this meeting in the desert,’ said Trainor. ‘Bynder told the bikers that the Indonesians and the Chinese would help them achieve some unspecified goal. Do you know what he meant by that?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Calder, his teeth clenched, his fury almost palpable. ‘What is it with you guys and Indonesia? I build roads in the Philippines, I do business with the Thais, but for you spooks, it always comes back to Indonesia.’
‘Once again, sir: do you know what Bynder meant when he told the bikies that the Indonesians and the Chinese would help them? Help them with what?’
‘I don’t know what he said, or what he meant. He’s him, and I’m me. Why don’t you ask him what he meant?’
‘Do you have direct and regular contact with an agent or agents of the Indonesian government?’ asked Trainor.
‘Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?’ said Calder, grinding his teeth as he spat out the words.
‘I get the reference, sir,’ said Trainor, showing some irritation.
‘Well, maybe you’ll get this, too,’ said Calder. ‘As the agent of an illegal regime, where do you get off asking me what someone might have said when I wasn’t present? What gives you permission to do that, you fucking arrogant bitch? You fucking … you …’
Calder’s face had inflated like a balloon. A shocking red one. I braced for another spray, but instead he loomed up out of his chair, laid his palms flat on the top of the desk in front of him, and leant forward with his eyes locked on Trainor. His body jerked, and he gasped like he was overheating. Even so, I was ready for him to leap at her. Then, his eyes rotated in their sockets, and he collapsed, face first, into his out-tray.
13
Trainor called an ambulance, while I eased Calder back into his chair and loosened his tie. His pulse was racing, and his breathing was jagged and shallow. He groaned a few times, but remained inert. I kept one hand on his shoulder and the other on his head to keep him upright in the chair. There was a siren in the distance.
Minutes later, two paramedics rushed in, wheeling a stretcher between them. One checked Calder’s vital signs. The other gave him an injection. We helped get him onto the stretcher, and he was still unconscious as they wheeled him from the room.
I removed the two recorders from the desk and put one in each trouser pocket.
; ‘What are you doing?’ asked Trainor.
‘Oh, with this? I said, patting Calder’s device. ‘We can’t leave it here. Who knows what’d happen to it? It might fall off the desk and break. Or someone might steal it. It’s best I take care of it.’
‘Looking after it, are you?’
‘Protecting our record of interview.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘If we’d been more patient and a bit gentler with Calder, we might’ve squeezed something out of him. But we were neither, and now he’s on his way to intensive care. I know a few sticklers who’d see these recordings as evidence of a crime, or at the very least, proof of an abuse of power.’
‘I’ll take the recorders, thanks, Detective,’ said Trainor, extending her hand.
We got into the sedan. Trainor swung the vehicle out onto the main drag and headed back towards Jervis Bay. She pressed the speed dial on her phone, and the voice of the team leader at the tunnels filled the car. He said the preliminary sweep, top to bottom, hadn’t turned up anything. The team was about to begin its second sweep from the bottom to the top. He’d report back when it was over.
Trainor hit the off button, and we travelled in silence for a while. I stared out the window and thought about Jade Rawlins and her evolving status in this investigation.
Despite being drugged, and stashed in a sidecar for hours, Jade hadn’t been harmed in the desert, nor had she been questioned. In fact, her captors had barely spoken to her. So why had she been taken? Initial suspicion for the alleged kidnapping had fallen on Bynder. He’d insisted that Jade go with her mother to Alice Springs. When Jade refused, she’d quickly been drugged and flown to the Territory against her will.
And, while we’d talk to Bynder eventually, it was Jade who’d originally told us about the tunnels at Cape St George. They’d taken a lot of time and energy to locate, and now even more energy was being expended exploring them, but it seemed unlikely they’d advance the case in any way.
Did Jade mention the tunnels in an attempt to frustrate the investigation? Was she part of a conspiracy to throw us off track? If I wanted to explore that with her, I’d have to go back to Alice Springs. Or maybe the navy could get a local to talk to her. Or maybe they’d agree to bring her back to Jervis Bay for an intensive. As with everything to do with this case, I’d have to discuss it with Trainor, and her people would decide.
‘So, what’s next for us?’ said Trainor, bringing me back to the present.
‘We’ve got to talk to Jade Rawlins again,’ I said. ‘Then spend some time at Steeple Bay. To get to know the place and the people. Who runs it. Who owns it. The alliances and the like.’
‘I’ve asked some colleagues in Alice to do Jade again. We’ll see what happens with that. Now, I assume you’ll need supplies for your stay here, so you keep the car for the night. I’ll get out at Creswell. Jervis Bay store has everything you’ll need. And remember, if you go solo in any way, serious penalties apply, so control yourself.’
Trainor stopped near the top gates at Creswell and got out, and I slipped behind the wheel and drove to the general store in Jervis Bay. I filled a small wire basket with bits and pieces and placed it on the checkout counter. The young girl behind the counter put her magazine down, scanned my stuff, and started bagging it in plastic.
The only other customer in the place was a young guy with long hair and a beard. He’d been poking around the shelves while I shopped. Now he moved in behind me and coughed. I turned. He had a loaf of bread clutched to his chest and he was moving from foot to foot.
‘Um, you’re the cop who saved Jade, aren’t you?’ he said.
His eyes flittered to the open doorway and back to me. The checkout girl tried to focus on bagging my purchases, but like me, she was becoming increasingly wary of this guy. He bit his lip, which turned purple.
‘I’m Detective Darren Glass, Australian Federal Police,’ I said, ready for anything. ‘How can I help you?’
‘I want to talk to you about Jade,’ he said.
‘Jade Rawlins? What’s your business with her?’
‘We’re seeing each other. She’s my girl.’
‘What’s your name?’
‘Adam,’ he said.
‘What’s your surname, Adam?’
‘Day. Adam Day.’
‘I can’t really talk to you now, Adam,’ I said. ‘But can we meet tomorrow? At Steeple Bay? With my colleague, Zoey Trainor.’
‘But I …’
‘What is it?’
‘I can’t find her,’ he said, tears welling in his eyes. ‘Jade. She isn’t anywhere.’
‘When did you last see her?’
‘At her uncle’s place this afternoon.’
‘Ken Bynder’s?’
‘That’s right.’
‘So, she’s back from Alice?’
‘Yeah. She got in about midday.’
‘Was her mother with her?’
‘No. I only met her mum once. About three months ago, when Jade and me got together.’
‘So, what makes you think she’s missing?’
‘We had a date. Smiley’s at three, but she didn’t turn up, and I can’t reach her on the phone I lent her. It’s charged and everything, but she’s not answering it, so maybe she can’t.’
‘And you’re sure she’s not at Bynder’s?’
‘Absolutely certain.’
‘You two didn’t argue, did you?’
‘Definitely not. Things have been going great between us! It’s all that stuff in the desert. Something’s happened to her because of that.’
Jade’s failure to answer her phone did not necessarily indicate that something bad had happened to her. But it might have. Of course, this young man’s view of their relationship might be different to Jade’s. She might have got jack of him and scarpered — though she did sound keen on him when we’d talked in the desert. But if Jade had been abducted again, then someone was desperate to keep her out of circulation, or at least keep her away from Jervis Bay. Did she pose a threat to them or something of theirs? Was it something she knew or something she could do?
‘I’ll get the local AFP onto it,’ I said, and I watched relief flood Adam’s face. ‘They’ll track her down. Don’t worry. You give me your number, and I’ll let you know when they do. Failing that, I’ll call you tomorrow morning to set up a time to chat.’
I took out my phone, and Adam gave me his number. Then he turned and made for the door, like a shadow on the run.
‘Wait,’ I said, but he didn’t.
I considered going after him and getting him down to the station for an immediate chat, but I’d need Trainor’s permission to do that, and she’d have to check with her superiors, which put all such spontaneity out of play. I could chase him down and talk to him without approval, of course, but that might get me sacked. So, I’d phone him in the morning, and hopefully he’d still be talkative, despite having had the whole night to conclude that I’d fobbed him off, which in effect I had.
On the drive back to Vincentia, I considered calling Daisy to see if she knew where Jade was, but I immediately dismissed the idea. If she didn’t know, and Jade turned out to be okay, such a call would cause her unnecessary distress. And if Jade were truly missing, there was little we could do about it at this time of night, so I decided to deal with the matter in the morning. If she hadn’t turned up by then, and Daisy didn’t know where she was, we’d issue an alert.
I called Nowra Hospital to check on Calder. All I could get out of the clerk in intensive care was, ‘Mr Calder is resting comfortably.’ Calder would get out of hospital, one way or another. He’d remain a watching brief till then. If he did recover and he decided to get nasty, he could cause Trainor and me considerable grief over the interview ending in his collapse. And if there were an internal investigation, the recordings of that interview would
come into sharp focus. Things could get really complicated then, especially if Trainor had destroyed them both.
The rental accommodation they’d organised was a fibro shack thirty metres from the water. I took the key from under the mat and let myself in. I emptied my pannier bags and used my recent purchases to scrape together a meal: a ham-and-cheese sandwich, which I toasted. I tried to read for half an hour — Don Watson’s American Journeys — but couldn’t concentrate. I eventually put the book away and watched the mid-evening news. There was no change in Jayapura, so I went to bed, and even with my head full of thoughts about Jean and the terrible things that might have happened to her, I quickly fell into a dreamless asleep.
I woke up just after midnight, rolled onto my back, and dark thoughts about Jean were soon whirling through my head again. I tried to suppress them, and when that didn’t work, I attempted to calm myself by imagining tulip fields and ponds full of koi, but that effort put me on edge instead.
I tossed and turned for an hour, fighting a losing battle with my head and becoming even more agitated. I got out of bed and made a herbal tea. My mind was easier to control when I was up and moving about. I leafed through some magazines on the kitchen table. Then I went out and stood on the porch, listened to the waves, and thought about the case.
In the end, there wasn’t much to it. We were part-way through whatever was playing out. Some entity was executing a plan, and it was being countered by the military, which was keeping us in the dark. As I considered the forces at play, a profound sense of dread welled up from the pit of my stomach. I slapped both my cheeks to dull the dread and distract myself.
I checked the time on my phone. One-thirty. I went inside, slumped into a lumpy lounge chair and stared at the dead TV. I wasn’t going to get back to sleep, so what to do? The answer came in a flash: ride out to Steeple Bay to see if Jade Rawlins had turned up.
Without further consideration, I changed into my leathers, went outside again, and started the bike. Should I be doing this? Absolutely not. Was I going to do it? Of course I was. I eased the bike into gear and rolled it along the street and around the corner, out of consideration for my immediate neighbours. Then I wound the throttle on, and as I zipped down the road, the gloom that’d been infecting me lifted a bit.