Twelve

Day 2

St Nicholas College

11.15 p.m. Monday, 26th October 1965

Cardilini pulled his car up on the tree lined sand verge adjoining the riverbank 200 yards from St Nicholas College. A thin crescent moon to the north provided no illumination. Cardilini waited for his eyes to adjust. The only light came from a few college windows 500 yards away. It silhouetted the trees Cardilini had stood under during the day. He moved twenty paces away from his car. It was invisible under the canopy of paperbarks. A fleet of cars could be hidden here. The closest house was 100 yards away and completely surrounded by a yard full of tall trees. It looked abandoned. A car with its lights off could coast down the hill or come via the deserted river road, as he had done, then leave. No one would be the wiser.

He started up the road verge until he came to the stone wall on the riverside boundary. He picked his way along the wall which at this point was well over head height. One hundred yards in, and about a yard from the wall, grew a river gum. He slipped by it and continued further, the ground rising and causing the wall to fall in height comparatively. Soon he was able to pull himself up and look over. He was 15 yards past the quadrangle. The inside of the wall was inky blackness. He went a little further, pulled himself over the wall and dropped to its base, then moved back along the bottom of the embankment to where he’d been that afternoon. He sat and listened. The occasional chatter of boys reached him. He began crawling up the embankment and stopped. He was three yards from the tree he had identified as being used by the marksman when two boys came running along the top of the embankment to that exact tree. He froze. The boys squatted by the tree in silence. Cardilini was convinced they would see him and was about to stand.

One boy said, ‘Look, there’s some more.’

‘Leave them,’ the other boy instructed.

Cardilini watched as they arranged something at the base of the tree before leaving in a crouched run. He waited five minutes. No other figures appeared. Lampposts at each corner of the quadrangle were now the only illumination. Cardilini crept forward until he was at the base of the tree. Several sheets of paper were sticky taped to the trunk and others were pinned to the ground by rocks. He took a sheet from the tree and two from the ground and slipped back down the embankment. After waiting several minutes he went back the way he’d come. Shortly he was in his car and driving home.

***

Morning found Cardilini seated at his kitchen table. He had shaved and made himself a cup of tea. A breakfast cereal box was on the table with an unused bowl and spoon. Cardilini turned towards the kitchen door as Paul entered.

‘I thought you’d gone.’ Paul said.

‘Do you want a cup of tea? Fresh pot.’

Paul shrugged and sat at the table looking at the cereal box and bowl. Cardilini put a cup of tea in front of him.

‘Why’re you doing this?’ Paul asked.

‘I was wondering if you had plans?’

‘Oh, shit. What? You want me to shift out?’

‘No. No.’

‘What then?’

‘A career? Work?’

‘You want me to pay board? Want some drinking money?’

‘No.’

‘I can’t drink this,’ Paul pushed the tea away from him, ‘You always make me feel like crap. Why do you think I wait until you leave before getting up?’

‘No. Paul. Let’s not do this. Please. I’m serious.’

‘Are you sick?’

‘No.’

‘What then? What do you want out of me?’

‘I just want you to be happy,’ Cardilini said. A stricken expression fixed on Paul’s face and he left the kitchen. His bedroom door slammed and Cardilini winced.