Without a Doubt

by Fleur McDonald

  Justin nodded. ‘Got any other staff who might remember?’

  ‘A couple of backpacker girls help out from time to time, but I’m happy here mostly on my own. I don’t offer food or anything. Just drinks and I can serve them.’

  ‘Thanks for your help. If you think of anything, let me know, yeah?’

  ‘Will do.’

  Justin drove back to the station. As he walked in through the sliding door, he bumped into First Class Constable Joe Ross.

  ‘Ah, just the fella I was looking for,’ Justin said. ‘Got a spare couple of tics?’

  ‘Sure do.’

  ‘I wanted to ask if you’ve heard of a bloke by the name of William Clarke. Apparently he worked with a contracting company called Highwaymen Mustering.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, I know him. Bit of a troublemaker. I saw him walking home from the pub the other night and he couldn’t walk in straight line or hold a conversation if you paid him.’ Joe looked at him curiously. ‘What’s he done?’

  ‘Got himself killed.’

  ‘What? How’d he do that?’ Joe’s jaw dropped.

  ‘He was the John Doe hit by the car out on the highway.’

  ‘Ah, damn.’ Joe frowned and looked down at the ground, his jaw working hard. ‘Damn,’ he repeated.

  ‘What’s up?’ Justin asked.

  ‘Oh well, I know he was a troublemaker and a pisshead, but he was nice enough. Lived by himself over on Fredrick Avenue. I’ve dropped him home a couple of times when I’ve run into him on patrol. That’s community policing you’re always on about. And a few times I’ve been in the pub at the same time. Shared a few chats with him.’

  Justin nodded. ‘And this is why community policing works. Good job. Do you know if he has any family?’

  ‘Only a brother as far as I know. Do you want me to do the notify? I know him by sight.’

  ‘Yeah, that’d be great. You can tell him the body is ready to be brought back here for the funeral. He’s still in the morgue in Brisbane, but if he gets on to the funeral director here, they’ll organise for him to be brought back.’

  ‘No worries. Leave it with me.’

  ‘I’m going to head out and ask this Highwaymen Mustering group some questions. Do you know anything about them?’

  ‘Again, just through the pub every so often. I can ask my dad if you like?’

  Justin crinkled his forehead, puzzled. ‘Why would you ask your dad?’

  ‘Mum and Dad are still out on the station where I grew up. They employ contract musterers in, so they’d have an idea about them.’

  ‘Any info is good info. Thanks, Joe.’

  Chapter 15

  ‘Why are you here so late?’ Spencer asked Dave as he grabbed his car keys from the desk. ‘I thought you’d be home by now with the in-laws arriving today.’

  ‘That’s exactly why I’m still here catching up on work.’

  ‘What work?’ he scoffed. ‘You’re always up to date.’

  ‘Tidying my pen drawer.’

  Spencer laughed. ‘It can’t be as bad as all that.’

  ‘It can be and it is.’ Dave dropped his head in hands. ‘I’ll go home in a minute.’

  ‘Didn’t think you were the type to avoid hard situations, Dave. You usually tackle them head-on.’

  ‘I know, I know. Melinda’s dad just winds me up. Pushes every one of my buttons.’

  ‘And you’re an adult.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Dave closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the top of the chair and groaned. ‘Shit.’

  ‘Come on, man.’ Spencer clapped his shoulder. ‘You can do it.’

  ‘I’m worried about Melinda.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘She’s not happy here.’

  ‘Ah. And you’re worried the visit might unsettle her more?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Well, my man, avoiding the situation isn’t going to make it better. You should get home and be present. Involved. Head off any problems before they start. Better than walking into a minefield when you get home.’

  Dave thought about that for a moment. ‘You might be right.’

  ‘I know I am!’

  The white Ford Explorer was in the exact same spot as Dave would normally park his car. Immediately a little bubble of anger started in his chest.

  He turned around and parked out on the street. He didn’t like leaving the car out here because it made it a target for the night wanderers of the town. Didn’t look like he had a choice tonight.

  Locking the car, he pocketed the key and had started to walk inside when he heard a loud laugh from the house. Melinda.

  Dave stopped. He didn’t make her laugh like that.

  Not any more anyway.

  A second little bubble of anger started to form. ‘Come on,’ he coached himself. ‘It mightn’t be as bad as you think.’ With a purposeful walk, he strode down the path to the front door and pushed it open.

  The kitchen was empty but there were signs of Melinda’s presence: there was a stew on the stove and two empty wine glasses on the bench and a bottle of Crown Lager, his father-in-law’s choice of drink. It wouldn’t be like him to drink the same type of beer as everyone else. It would have to be one of the most expensive brands.

  He followed the voices that were coming from the other end of the house.

  ‘And this is the bedroom,’ he heard Melinda say.

  They were getting the tour, since they’d never been to Barrabine. Even when Bec was born, Dave had managed to put his in-laws off by promising to drive over to them. The seven-hour drive was as good as anything to stop them from coming.

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely,’ Ellen said. ‘Very quaint.’

  ‘Quaint?’ Mark said. ‘It’s downright dingy.’

  ‘Dad,’ Melinda said warningly. ‘It’s comfortable.’

  ‘Man should be shot for making you live in these conditions.’

  ‘What conditions? We’ve got a three-bedroom house which is more than comfortable.’

  Dave realised he was holding his breath. Did he really want to listen to this? He should make himself known.

  ‘It’s nothing like what you grew up in.’

  ‘Dad, come on.’ Melinda’s voice was smooth, but Dave could hear she was pretending not agree with him. ‘Let’s be realistic. Hardly anyone grew up in a house like I did.’

  ‘It’s different now. You’ve got this little one to think about. And surely this town won’t be good for her. It seems very backwards and not at all safe. I’ve seen the—’ he paused and emphasised the next word ‘—people sitting in the streets.’

  As if Bec knew he was talking about her safety, she gave a chuckle that melted Dave’s heart.

  ‘I know, I know. Maybe one day we can have a house like yours on the seafront.’ There was a longing in her voice.

  ‘Look, Melinda, why don’t you come back with us when we go? Come and live with us. Dave can commute to Perth from Bunbury. I can see how tired you are. We’d be there to help you with the baby. Clearly, you’re shouldering the burden of motherhood all by yourself. What time is this? Nearly six-thirty. It’s dinnertime and he’s still not home.’

  Dave didn’t want to listen to any more. He went back outside and opened the door, slamming it behind him as loudly as he could, calling out, ‘Hi, honey, I’m home. Something smells delicious.’

  Melinda appeared at the end of the passage. She wasn’t smiling or laughing now. In fact her face was strained. ‘Hi, sweetie. I was showing Mum and Dad the house.’ Her parents appeared behind her and Ellen gave a little wave.

  ‘Hello, Dave, it’s lovely to see you again. It’s been a long time.’

  He leaned forward and kissed Melinda, then Bec and his mother-in-law. ‘It has been a long time, Ellen,’ he answered before holding his hand out to Mark. ‘Nice to see you, Mark. Glad you could come out to our neck of the woods.’

  ‘It’s a long drive. Very isolated,’ Mark said and pushed past Dave to take Bec out of Melinda’s arms. ‘Here,
love, come and sit down. I’m sure Dave can check the dinner since you’ve been looking after Rebecca all day. Tell me, why do you call her Bec? Parents shouldn’t give children names expecting them to be shortened. That’s why I never let anyone call you anything but Melinda.’

  Melinda tried to smile. ‘Everyone here calls me Mel. There are no formalities in Barrabine, are there, Dave?’

  ‘Nope. Just good, solid, hardworking people.’ He caught the glare Melinda gave him as he turned to go into the kitchen. ‘I’ll just organise tea.’

  He heard Melinda whisper, ‘Dad!’ and smiled to himself. You don’t have the same pull as you used to, old man. Even as he thought this, the realisation that had been running around in his mind came rushing to the surface. She’s not happy.

  Melinda came into the kitchen and opened the drawer where the cutlery was kept and then closed it again. ‘I’ll set the table. I think I’ll use the cutlery set we got for our wedding.’

  ‘Why?’ Dave asked. ‘We don’t use it. The normal stuff is fine.’

  ‘This is a special occasion. It’s not every day Mum and Dad come to stay.’ Her voice was clipped.

  Dave took a deep breath and checked the stew again. Pity she hadn’t made curry. It might’ve burned the old man’s tongue.

  Melinda put the plates on the table and moved the highchair over from the wall.

  ‘Come on, everyone. Tea’s ready.’

  Dave went to pick Bec up from the floor but Mark was there first.

  ‘Ah, here we go, little one, let’s see what your clever mummy has cooked for dinner.’

  ‘Oh, she won’t eat this,’ Dave said, indicating to the stew. ‘Here’s hers.’ He handed the cut-up bread and Vegemite, cheese and apple to Mark, squashing down the annoyance he felt at Mark picking Bec up before he did.

  ‘What? No veggies?’ Ellen asked, looking at the bowl.

  ‘She doesn’t really like anything but carrots,’ Melinda said. ‘And I didn’t want to fight to get her to eat tonight, it being your first night here and all.’

  ‘Is she a difficult eater? What a shame we don’t just know these things. I guess that’s the perils of living so far away from you.’

  Dave put the plate of stew he was holding down so hard on the table, the cutlery clattered. Mel threw him a cold stare.

  ‘Oh, Mum, you wouldn’t believe how fussy she is. I’m not worried though. She’ll eat different things when she’s ready.’

  Dave saw Mark look at his stew with distaste, although he didn’t say anything, just picked up his fork and mixed the mashed potato in. He was probably wanting a steak. Well, a detective’s salary didn’t always stretch to the luxuries of life.

  ‘How is work, Dave?’ Mark asked.

  ‘Busy. There’s always something to do around here.’

  ‘Do you have a lot of youth crime?’ Ellen asked.

  Dave wondered if that was a question to raise concerns about Bec’s safety as she grew older. ‘No more than other towns,’ he answered. ‘In fact, we have an excellent team of coppers here and we do a lot of community policing.’

  ‘That sounds interesting. What is it?’

  ‘Making sure we’re involved with the community as much as we can be. We’ve started up a youth hall, where teens who haven’t got anything to do can come and shoot pool or play table tennis.’

  ‘Last year,’ Melinda broke in, ‘Dave’s squad raised over five thousand dollars to furnish it. They bought a pool table, TV, video player, fridge, kettle, that sort of thing, so when the kids go there they can have something to eat and hang with friends. It’s been such a great thing for the town.’

  ‘But why would you have to do it in the first place if the parents were doing their job?’ Mark wanted to know.

  Clenching his jaw, Dave said, ‘Some kids aren’t as lucky as Melinda to have such a great childhood,’ he answered. ‘Some kids need a bit of a hand.’

  ‘As do your own family,’ Mark said pointedly. ‘I’m sure being at work until six-thirty is normal in many households, but imagine how much easier it would be if the husbands were home in time to help.’

  Melinda gasped and Dave froze.

  ‘Dad.’

  ‘No, Mel, it’s fine,’ Dave said, putting his hand up in a stop motion. ‘I understand and share your concern, Mark. But Melinda and I have talked about this. Many times. She is happy to be in Barrabine with me until I get a transfer to the stock squad, which will bring my family’—he emphasised the word—‘back closer to you. Until then, I have to do what is expected of me to be able to make that happen.’

  Mark put down his fork and stared at Dave.

  Dave knew a challenge when he saw one. He stared back.

  ‘Stop it,’ Melinda said.

  ‘I’m doing this for you, Melinda,’ Mark said. ‘Do you want to be stuck here for the next five years? Out in the middle of nowhere, coping by yourself, while Dave does everything he wants to? Do you want Rebecca to grow up not knowing her grandparents, aunty and uncles and cousins? Really, Melinda, very few people are ever going to make the seven-hour drive to see you, particularly with little kids on board. You’re disadvantaging Rebecca by staying here. And yourself. The only person I see benefitting from being here is Dave.’

  Dave shot to his feet. ‘How dare you speak to my wife in our home like that! I am providing for my family. If your family don’t want to drive the distance, then that’s their problem. We’ve made the drive heaps of times to see you and we’re happy to. Even with a small child. And I’ve made sure Melinda and Bec have flown up to see you as well, so I can’t see what the problem is.’

  ‘Mark,’ Ellen tugged at her husband’s arm. ‘Stop this. Stop this now. We’ve come to have a lovely time together and you’re causing all this trouble. Just stop it.’

  ‘No, I’ve been quiet long enough! I bit my tongue when he brought her to this godforsaken place, and I didn’t say anything when he put Melinda at risk by living here, in such a rough and uncivilised town. Oh, I could understand you staying while you didn’t have Bec, but now? Well, it’s downright irresponsible. Fancy even considering living here for another few years. I won’t be quiet any longer.’

  Dave knew he should walk away. Ignore Mark. Be the better man. But he couldn’t. Before he knew what was happening, he swung his fist at Mark and connected with his jaw.

  Both women screamed, and Melinda shot up from her seat and ran to her father. ‘Dad!’ She turned around and looked up at Dave. ‘How could you do that?’

  Mark struggled to sit up, both women now at his side. ‘I’ll have you charged,’ he said, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a hanky. He dabbed at the blood in the corner of his mouth.

  ‘Do that,’ Dave said. ‘See how you go.’ He turned to Melinda, but she spoke first.

  ‘It’s only because he cares, Dave. He cares about his family.’

  ‘I agree, but what he’s talking about now are things that don’t concern him. They’re things that are for you and me to decide.’

  Bec was screaming and Dave went to pick her up. He jiggled her up and down, wanting to hush her. He still had some more things to say, but they would have to wait until Melinda came to bed.

  If she came.

  He took Bec down to her bedroom, not listening to the accusations coming from the other room. Instead he closed the door and sat down in the chair that Melinda had used to breastfeed Bec when she was smaller. He rocked her back and forth, singing quietly.

  ‘It’ll be all right, sweetie,’ he told her. ‘I think this has been coming since we moved here. We’ll just have to see where the chips fall now.’

  When Melinda finally came to bed that night, Dave could feel the animosity radiating from her.

  ‘How dare you?’ she said in a low voice.

  It didn’t matter how quiet she was going to be, her parents would be able to hear their conversation; that was the way the house was. Thin walls.

  ‘What about the way he spoke to me?’ Dave asked, a hollow fe
eling in his chest. He’d hoped she would back him up.

  ‘You’re both like two bulls in a paddock trying to be the alpha one. I tell you, Dave, I’m sick of it. Either apologise or …’ Her voice faded.

  ‘Or what?’

  ‘Bloody hell, I don’t know. But we can’t go on like this.’

  Dave sat up and took her hands. ‘I thought you were happy. Are you?’

  Melinda’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I try to be,’ she answered honestly. ‘I try to be because I know how much this means to you.’

  ‘But you’re not?’

  ‘I’m happier than I was when I first came here,’ she said.

  ‘That’s not answering my question.’

  Looking up at him, she slowly shook her head.

  Dave blew out a breath. Well, that was that.

  Chapter 16

  ‘I’d like to see the officer in charge, please.’ Justin looked through his open office door and saw a tall, slim man in a Stetson hat talking to Joe.

  ‘Do you have an appointment?’ Joe asked.

  ‘No, I don’t. But I think he’ll be interested in what I have to say.’

  Justin pushed back his chair and was walking out the door as Joe said, ‘I’ll get our senior sergeant for you.’

  ‘Thank you.’ The man was studying the posters on the wall—most wanted, reward offered, children’s safety—by the time Justin got to him.

  ‘G’day. I’m Justin Parker. Can I help you?’

  The man turned. ‘I hope so. Can we go somewhere private?’

  Justin indicated to his office and they went through. ‘Take a seat,’ Justin said as he sat down behind his desk. ‘What can I do for you?’ He pulled a notepad over and lined up a pen next to it before giving the man his full attention.

  ‘My name’s Craig Bridges and I own Kildell Holdings. My station is out west of here, about one hundred ks out.’

  Justin glanced up at the map that was on the wall and pinpointed the area. ‘Right. I know the area.’

  ‘I had a bloke by the name of Andrew Watson working for me as manager, but I got sick of his slovenly ways and sacked him a week ago.’