While waiting for his father and Bill, Jay searched the web for the news on the deaths of his three former team members. He found one brief article in the Townsville Times regarding McClelland’s hit-and-run. There was no mention of any witnesses, just the standard: ‘Police seeking community assistance’. Apart from the fact that it was a hit-and-run incident, Jay couldn’t draw any conclusions to it being a planned hit, not with the limited information he had.
Jay couldn’t find any information on the death of Davis. Like McClelland and Simpson, Jay had lost contact years before. That was the culture – just the way it was. He had no idea if Davis was a drug user. He certainly wasn’t when Jay worked and socialised with him. The overdose could have been an accident, or deliberate. Again, Jay needed more information.
A brief grab in a local rag described Simpson’s death as a freak accident.
The only conclusion Jay could draw from his Google search is that three people had died in different circumstances and different parts of the country around the same time. Their only link was they worked together prior to, and during, a deployment to Afghanistan.
That left Jay. Out of the five interrogators who were deployed to Afghanistan, four were dead. And Jay had been almost killed twice in the one day. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he was being targeted. He had the link, but not the reasoning or the who.
A ringing sound interrupted his thoughts: the intercom near the door.
He checked the small LCD screen above the intercom to make sure it was his dad before he let him in. Jay waited at the top of the stairs. ‘Hey, Dad.’
Ed Ryan held out his hand. ‘How you doing, son?’
Jay held up his damaged hands to his father. ‘Love to shake, but they’re a little sore.’
‘You don’t look too good, boy. Must have been one hell of an accident.’
‘Grab a seat and I’ll tell you all about it.’
‘Hang on. Bill’s got his foot jammed in the door while he finishes his cigar.’ Ed hung over the rail and looked down the steps. ‘Come on, Bill. Haven’t got all night.’
Jay heard some grumbling before the security door closed. He caught sight of Bill as he topped the steps. ‘What happened to the robe, old man?’ he asked Bill.
Bill gave a cheeky grin at the reference. Before helping Jay the previous year, he had spent most of his time in retirement, hanging around his house in an old bathrobe. Now he wore a tailored suit. ‘Is that any way to address a distinguished gentleman who saved your sorry arse?’ Bill didn’t attempt a handshake. He embraced Jay as soon as he hit the top step.
‘Good to see you again,’ Jay said.
‘Likewise.’ Bill stepped back for a good look at Jay. ‘You look like shit.’
‘Always the compliment.’ Jay looked past Bill. ‘Anyone else joining the party?’
‘The two I brought down are doing a sweep outside. They’ll keep an eye on this place while we’re here,’ Ed said.
‘And my driver is staying with the car,’ Bill said.
Ed and Bill sat on the two-seater lounge while Jay tended to the drinks. Scotch and dry. He brought back the cans and received raised eyebrows instead of thanks. Jay took the single-seat recliner. ‘What?’ He looked at his father. ‘Perhaps you would like a beer to wash down the pizza?’
Ed Ryan grinned. ‘Guess I forgot. Sorry.’
Bill pulled out his mobile phone and hit a button. A couple of seconds later he said, ‘You know that pizza place we passed on the way in? That’s the one. Can you go back down and order three pepperoni, whatever you want and something for the other fellas who are casing out the place.’ There was a pause and it was Bill’s turn to grin. ‘Yeah, the spies. And grab a slab of Crown Lager on the way back.’ He hung up.
Jay leaned back in the recliner with his feet up. It relieved the pressure on his injured knee. ‘So I guess business is good, Bill.’
‘You guess correct.’
‘Okay, you two,’ Ed said. ‘Rapport’s over. Let’s get on with the update. Jay, you start, and don’t leave anything out.’
It took a can of scotch and dry before Jay finished his detailed account of the day’s events. The pizzas had arrived by the time Ed and Bill started with their prognosis of the situation.
Bill went first. ‘I agree with your conclusions about the link. Coincidence is too much to ignore. And I suggest we have a couple of options. You want to go first, Ed?’
‘Not yet. You go.’
‘Okay. I say we use my team of private investigators to follow up the deaths of your three comrades,’ said Bill.
‘Nice start. But I can’t afford your services,’ Jay said.
‘I’ll take that as an insult. Wouldn’t dream of taking your money, boy. I’m where I am today because of you.’
‘You have no problem taking my money.’ Ed Ryan made the comment holding his beer to cover the smile.
‘It’s not your money. It’s the government’s. Can I continue?’ Bill looked hurt.
‘Go ahead. Sorry,’ Jay said.
‘Like I was saying. My investigators will follow up on the deaths. Because the local police are all over both of the incidents from today, I’m thinking, Ed, you’re in the best position to get the inside information – being who you are and all.’
Ed Ryan nodded.
Bill continued. ‘However, because we suspect a dirty cop, I want to do some snooping of my own. Think of it as confirming or denying the official line. If something is being hidden by others apart from Underwood, we could possibly flush it out that way.’
Ed and Jay nodded in unison.
‘That leaves you.’ Bill looked at Jay. ‘You need to figure out the why. Why would anyone want to take the lot of you out? We know the loop was closed on last year’s fiasco. So I’m thinking this is unrelated. It has something to do with the deployment to Afghanistan.’
‘You thinking the hirer is international?’ Jay asked.
‘You said those boys in the RTA were Australian military. That doesn’t necessarily discount an international flavour. But let’s face it, less likely.’
‘Yep, that’s what I was thinking,’ Jay said. ‘You got a hypothesis then?’
Bill sat back on the lounge. ‘If it was just the first incident, I’d say military link somehow. Maybe you pissed those two boys off at one stage. Maybe interrogated them in a training session. But we’ve got nothing on the bus incident yet. And you said the guy didn’t look military.’
‘I doubt it. Didn’t carry himself right for military.’
‘Then I can’t contribute until we have some more background details.’
Jay looked across to his father. ‘Your turn.’
‘Concur with Bill. We also need to bring the female MP on board. She put this together and if there is a military angle, we could use someone on the inside. I know you still have contacts, but it couldn’t hurt.’
‘Don’t have to sell me there. Good idea,’ Jay said.
‘And I’ll have a team work Underwood and get a direct report on the bus crash from the Commissioner. He’ll expect that I’d be interested because you were involved.’
‘I guess you’re a little pissed that I gave Underwood a touch-up.’
‘Would have been ideal if you hadn’t. I probably would have done the same thing though. We’ll work through it. So, to throw a spanner in the works, I’m out of the country for a couple of days.’
‘Where to?’ Jay asked.
‘London. Big spy convention that I can’t avoid.’
‘What? Like an expo or something?’ Bill asked.
‘No. I mean real spy stuff. A summit with allied leaders of intelligence agencies. The anthrax attack just bumped me up to keynote speaker.’
‘Short speech then?’ Bill asked.
‘At the moment. Unlike 2001 when there were only a dozen scientists who could make that stuff, today we have a list of over one hundred we’re working through. That means logistically I’ll be in touch via the Blackberry for the next few days. I assume you’re out of here yourself tonight, son.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘Bill will handle this end. You need to be in Brisbane to talk with the MP. And besides, I’d prefer you keep a lower profile at my place.’
‘Lower profile? Last time I was there I was almost kidnapped.’
‘You could use my place,’ Bill said.
‘It’s next door to Dad’s.’
‘Yeah, but I’ve got two German Shepherd guard dogs.’
‘Fair enough. I’ll head back to–’
The crack-thump of a gunshot pierced the night.