by Brian Cain
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Gypsy was watching the club house security monitor, association laws, the street war and public condemnation the club had become hermits. They had become very choosey about whom they opened the door to. Gypsy called out to Doc leaning out the door of the surveillance and security room toward the open living are where Doc was drinking at the bar. "Doc, there is a mean red mustang pulled up outside man, I think it's the man."
Doc scuffled to the monitors, Stanton climbed out of his vehicle closed the door and jacks shot from under the vehicle lifting it clear of the ground and the windows went black. He walked up the short driveway of the innocent looking dwelling. "Yeah that's him."
"Why would he come here?"
"Cause I asked him."
"You didn't ask us man."
"Shut up Gypsy, last thing I said to him was I would never contact him again unless it was of the utmost importance. Grime and Sheila have been gone for two weeks, got any answers." Gypsy went to leave the room in disgust. "Finish your stint on the monitors." Gypsy stopped in his tracks turned and sat down back at the monitors.
"You think someone's gonna rock up here with batman parked outside."
"Very funny, you want to tell him you disapprove."
"What I disapprove of man is no consultation."
There was a pounding on the front door. "No one knew he was coming except me for a reason."
Gypsy looked away at the monitors and Doc opened the door and the unbolted the steel outer door. He opened them and Stanton walked in, he waited while Doc closed the doors. Doc said nothing but walked past Stanton signalling with a nod in the direction he was going. Stanton followed they walked past a silent bar, Stella was sitting on a lounge by the pool table, she forced a smile at Stanton, Stanton noted the air of despair etched on her face. They entered a back room and doc closed the door, there was a table and four modest chairs, nothing else. Stanton walked around the walls looking up. "The place is clean."
Stanton sat down opposite Doc. "How are you Doc, not so good I feel."
"Thanks for coming."
"I suggest you have something important to tell me."
"Grime and Sheila vanished two weeks ago."
"Mmm, run unhappy with things, taking time out to think about things....."
"We checked all that, besides we think Sheila is bent."
Stanton thought. "What makes you so shore?"
"I've been suspicious of a few things for about six months, she started going off by herself, and we don't go out without someone with us."
Stanton pouted and lent his head to one side. "Go on."
"I followed her three weeks ago to a coffee shop on in Bondi Junction, she meet that Jean Forbes sheila, the one that just got re-elected to Canberra."
"Now I'm interested."
"Forbes had two blokes with her."
Stanton chuckled. "Tell me something I don't know."
"A rag head and some other bloke I think he's a minister, don't know his name, don't interest me I hate the bastards."
"That's scant Doc."
"Forbes introduced this rag head to Sheila, I heard his name."
"And."
"Jacob Ahmadi."
Stanton looked broken. "You're sure."
Doc short nodded quickly. "Yeah, plain as day."
"Do you have a computer I can go on line with."
"Yeah." They walked across the hall to a room opposite, it had pin ball machines and poker machines around the walls. In the corner was computer desk with a computer screen and keyboard. Doc gestured with his hand and Stanton sat down. The computer was live and Stanton accessed the net. Doc was flabbergasted by his keyboard speed, in two minutes a picture came up on the screen of a Middle Eastern man.
"This him."
Doc leaning on the chair by Stanton's shoulder shook his head. "No."
Stanton brought up six pictures at once of different faces, Doc pointed to one immediately. "That's him." Stanton blew the picture up full screen. "Yeah that's him, slick looking bastard. Is that the bloke you thought it was?"
"No." Stanton ran his hand through his hair then logged out of the net." He stood up. "Thanks for showing me anyway."
"Can you just come across to the other room for a minute?" They left the computer and returned to the table, Doc closed the door behind them, he stood against it. "You remember the limo drivers at the wedding."
"Yes I do. You know them as Geoffrey and Dutch."
"Phew, that's some memory."
"You want to know if they left your friends in your unit to die and saved themselves. They are the only ones that made the submarine other than you."
"How did you know I wanted to know?"
"Because if I were you I'd want to know that as well."
"It's eating my guts out."
"Corporal Dutch Henderson and Sergeant Geoffrey Millard are dead."
Doc looked shocked. "Jesus." he shook his head looking at the floor. "How?"
"Some things you just don't need to know. However as I am aware of mitigating circumstances. They found something valuable, very valuable, the rest of your unit knew. They planned to return much later and retrieve the booty. Some people I know were waiting for them. If you really want to know, the limos have surveillance cameras with audio, I heard your question to them and I wanted to know as well. What we found was horrifying. Henderson and Millard met with a nasty accident and were killed."
"I received a letter of pardon, I owe you everything, and I march on Anzac day."
Stanton smiled at Doc. "It is many whom owe you. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, Winston Churchill. A statement that should be used far more often."
"Phew.... the bastards did they......."
"Some thing you just don't need to know and I'm damn sure I'm not going to tell you. I have to go."
Stanton followed Doc in silence, he opened the doors and Stanton walked out. "It was that bloke wasn't it."
Stanton turned, smiled but just kept walking. Doc locked up and went to the bar, he poured a drink. Stella got up and walked over to him. "Well, does he know where she is?"
"He didn't say."
Gypsy shouted across the room at Doc. "We had a bit of yarn, things have really gone down hill since that Stanton bloke dropped in on us."
Doc glared at Gypsy, his face turned to fire. "You or anyone else so much as put a finger on that man and I'll kill you me my bare hands."
"Fair go, he just fu....."
"Do I have to punch the information into you, you're looking awful like a computer that needs programming!"
Stella shouted at Gypsy. "If it wasn't for him we'd all be dead, a man like that got time to come down and talk to Doc." Stella turned back to Doc. "Come on he must have said something."
"He said nothing, that says everything. Sheila's bent, she's up to some heavy shit. Stanton will probably find her long before us, forget about her."
"Bloody hell Doc she's my mate."
"I aint saying any more, we have more important things to worry about."
Stanton left the street and parked up near the beach not far away, he dropped the computer from the roof cavity, the Mustangs windows went black and he logged into his system. The more he learnt the more he understood astronomers, the more they find out about the solar system the less they know about the cosmos. Stanton some months ago had fed Forbes false intelligence in an effort to gauge direction and find her husband, someone was wise to Forbes efforts. Stanton had found Forbes got into nothing unless it delivered sexual gratification. He traced Jason Ahmadi's phone by contacting it via his satellites, it connected via a tower in Kuwait. Stanton had no contact data for Sandra Lovington, her time with the Overlords and their silent network masked confirmation; he tried her old phone, something he had not done for nearly two years. It contacted at a tower in McMahons point Sydney, the address of Sandra Lovington's parents, Stanton roared off toward McMahons point, he rumbled to a halt outside the Lovington's mansion.
Diane Lovington peered out the window inquisitive of the muscle cars arrival, she recognised the vehicle and called to her husband. "Stan, its John I think."
Stanley Lovington raced to the window and peered out. "Yes, that's John alright, good lord we haven't seen him for over a year. Stan and Diane met Stanton at the door without him having to knock. Stan extended his hand and they shook. "John how nice to see you."
Stanton held Stan's hand with a vice grip. "I was hoping to catch Sandra it's quite urgent, I took the liberty of tracing her phone signal to see where she was and it came up in this area."
Diane pushed past Stan at the door. "Oh dear, Sandra is getting so forgetful, she has left her phone here every time she has visited for the last year or so."
"Oh, sorry to have bothered you." Stanton went to walk away.
"Would you like to come in for a coffee or tea." asked Diane.
Stanton turned back. "Sorry I have a pressing engagement." he turned to walk away then turned back. "Emm, would you have any other contact no for Sandra."
"No we always contact her by her phone when she remembers to take it with her."
"How long since she visited."
"Last week, she had dinner here, Grime was with her. When she drops back we'll let her know your looking for her."
Stanton bid them farewell with a wave and roared away. They closed the door. "Stan do you think she's in danger, John appears agitated."
Court appearances regarding the past were taking its toll on Stan, he was running out of money to defend himself and had asked for help from dubious quarters. "This is concerning, next time John should ask us anything we best say nothing."
"If anyone can help you it's John."
"He's helped me as much as he feels warranted."
"You never told him everything, you had a chance, try again."
"We'll be hunted to the end of the earth should I do such a thing."
"You better think about it, If John ends up hunting us where will we be."
"It's not John I'm concerned about."