by Ian W Taylor
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TUESDAY AFTERNOON - CANBERRA
Arriving at Canberra airport, Jake took a taxi to the inner suburb of Kingston and let himself into a small apartment which had been reserved for him by the Austrade office. From there he could walk to the main shopping area and restaurants and was close enough to walk to the Austrade and DFAT’s offices and the Parliamentary Circle. He unpacked his small suitcase and decided to take a walk before dinner. He left the apartment and followed a path which took him to Lake Burleigh Griffin, taking in the new development of apartment blocks and restaurants which had been built on the foreshore of the lake. He strolled down the main street of Kingston and decided to eat at Luigi’s, a well-known Italian restaurant, one often frequented by politicians and public servants. He ordered a plate of linguini carbonara and a glass of red wine and sat at the back of the restaurant quietly enjoying his meal. He felt relaxed after the drama and excitement of the last ten days.
His reverie was disturbed as three men and a woman entered the restaurant and were seated at the adjacent table. By their dress and manner, Jake guessed they were staffers from the Parliamentary Offices. They all were suits and were talking loudly about politics. He couldn’t but help overhear their chatter. His ears pricked up when he heard them talking about Anna Sentoro. They were discussing the election of the new Prime Minister and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. The woman was saying that she had heard that Anna Sentoro had pulled out of the leadership contest because she was caught up in some sex scandal which Crichton had threatened to leak to the press.
His state of mind disturbed by the intrusion, Jake finished his meal quickly, paid his bill and walked back to his apartment.
Later that evening he rang his father. “Bill, I’ve made an appointment to see Fisher, the AFP Commissioner, for the day after tomorrow and I’ll show the documents to him. I trust him and I’m sure he’ll follow them up.”
“You don’t think they’ll try to bury it do you?”
“If they do, we can always go to the press. But that could cost me my job.”
“Yeah well, I know you’ll do the right thing to get justice for Barry. There’s huge protests going on throughout the Territory and unless someone’s brought to trial for Barry’s murder it’s going to get violent.”
“I’m aware of that. How’s Elsie and Lizzie bearing up?” said Jake changing the topic.
“They’re bearing up O.K. under the circumstances.”
“Bill, have you seen Shoni around? I’ve been trying to ring her and left messages on her voicemail but there’s been no answer.”
“Come to think of it I haven’t seen her today but I’m sure she’d be O.K. As you know the phone coverage can be lousy up here. I’ll wander over the pub later and see if she’s there.”
After asking a few more questions of Bill, Jake hung up. His leg was aching after the walking he had done and Bill’s call had dampened his spirits. He made himself a coffee in the kitchenette of the unit and prepared himself for an early night.