Thirty-five

Day 14

Kilkenny Road

5.30 a.m. Saturday, 7th November 1965

Late afternoon Cardilini had weeded the backyard, planted runners and was now pruning one of the bottlebrush trees. Betty had previously instructed him in the task but he wasn’t sure if this was the right time to prune them. Even so, he had a mental picture of how it used to be and a strong urge to make it right again. Climbing down from the ladder, he stood back to assess his work. The tree looked like it was leaning to one side.

‘Dad, Phone!’ Paul called from the back verandah.

‘Take a message.’

‘It’s Superintendent Robinson, he said it was important.’

Cardilini smiled. ‘Good.’ Salt would have passed on his response and now, seeing as he was finally playing their game, he hoped it would be Robinson calling to say Mossop had withdrawn his accusations. ‘Paul, how does that look?’ he asked pointing to the tree.

‘You’ve cut it all lopsided,’ Paul said and returned to the house.

Oh well, next year, Cardilini thought and followed him in.

‘Robinson.’

‘Three other boys have stepped forward as witnesses.’

Cardilini’s jaw hung slackly as he took that in. ‘Impossible.’

‘What on earth is going on, Cardilini?’ Robinson asked, ‘What did you do at that school?’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Well, the boys have fronted up to the principal. He thinks they’re lying but they remain adamant they saw you. He’s asking me what to do. Are you sure there was nothing to even suggest what they’re claiming?’

‘No, no! Ridiculous. Wasn’t it supposed to have happened in the classroom? Where were these boys? Hiding under the desks?’ Cardilini asked and waited as the phone went silent.

Then Robinson spoke. ‘Exactly, but, Braun would like some reassurance. Do you mind going out there and showing where it took place? Just so we can discount this last trio?’

‘Nothing took place. I walked out of the room they’d given us for the interviews and that little jackass followed. He basically told me it was a set-up and would stop when I stopped investigating Edmund’s death.’

‘When? You’re suspended. You’re not investigating anything are you?’

‘No …’

‘Bloody hell, what have you been doing?’

‘Nothing, really.’

‘When did this kid tell you he was “setting you up”?’

‘At East Perth.’

‘Where?’

Cardilini took a breath and shaking his head exhaled. ‘In the toilet.’

Cardilini imagined Robinson jumping from his chair. ‘What? Who else was there?’

‘No one.’

A pause before, ‘And he was in there?’

‘No, he followed me in.’

‘You should have left straight away.’

‘I was taking a piss,’ Cardilini said indignant.

‘Bloody hell. That’s all we need.’

‘Nothing happened.’

‘You piss with your dick in your hand, I suppose? How do you think that’s going to sound?’

‘I know who’s at the bottom of this,’ Cardilini said.

‘You are, Cardilini. Right at the bottom.’

‘I’ll go to the school.’

‘Remember, you’re suspended. On Monday, drop by and see Braun and come in to the station on Tuesday. And don’t go to a toilet at St Nicholas College for Christ’s sake. That’s an order.’ A sharp click resounded in Cardilini’s ear.