Mr Hunter leaned over his balcony. The shotgun was a stark contrast to his light blue robe. He stayed focused on Sarah. 'Got her covered, boy,' he said. 'Get that toy off her.'
The German shepherds' barking increased to a frenzy. Jay barely made out Mr Hunter's words. He whistled. The barking slowed to a growl.
'It's all right, Mr Hunter. She's with me.'
'Not what I saw,' he replied. 'I saw her with that pistol on you and those two army blokes. You're lucky I still have the shotty. Went and got it, I did.'
'No,' Jay pleaded. 'I was searching those two. They attacked me. Sarah here is a federal agent. Look, you've got to trust me. Put the gun down and come over. I'll explain it all.'
Sarah stood still. Feet shoulder-width apart and well-balanced. Weapon and eyes trained on her target.
Mr Hunter turned his head to the side and looked at Jay. 'You sure?'
'Of course I'm sure. Now put it down before the other nosy neighbours call the police. You too, Sarah.'
She glared at Jay. He matched her stare until she lowered her weapon. It was the cue for Mr Hunter to lower his.
'Now go and put that bloody thing back inside,' Jay said to Mr Hunter. 'By the way, do you have any ice over there?'
'What?'
'Do you have any ice over there?'
'You know I do. Why?'
'Just bring a bag or two and I'll explain it all when you get here.'
Mr Hunter shuffled back into his house, mumbling to himself. Sarah confronted Jay at the top of the stairs.
'What the hell was that?' she asked.
'Friendly neighbour.'
'You can't be asking him over. Did you forget about the two men you have tied up in your father's lounge-room?'
'No, I didn't forget. He can be trusted.'
'You had better fill me in on why that is, and quick,' she said.
Jay motioned for Sarah to follow him and they made their way back into the study. He whispered the story of Mr Hunter. Sarah remained silent but was animated with the nodding and shaking of her head. Mr Hunter arrived at the front door before Sarah had a chance to ask any questions. Jay came out to greet him and welcomed him inside.
Mr Hunter stared at the two bound men on the lounge-room floor. 'I hope this isn't how you treat all your visitors.' he said.
'Only the ones who try to kidnap me. Over this way and I'll tell you all about it,' Jay said, motioning toward the study. He took two bags of ice from Mr Hunter and squeezed them into his father's freezer before joining the other two.
After formal introductions, Jay went on to explain about Cliffe and Taylor and that his father was missing. He made the link between the two circumstances for Mr Hunter and added that Sarah was a friend who was helping him find his dad. Jay decided not to tell him about the torture he had endured.
Mr Hunter lit up a cigar. 'So where the hell is Ed?' he asked.
'That is what we're about to find out. Now, I shouldn't be getting you involved in this. I just wanted to let you know what was going on, seeing as you thought something was up over here.'
'Boy, I'm involved now. Takes me back to the days of the Petrovs, it does. I'm still young at heart and we in the business have to look out for each other. Has she been briefed up on my past?' Mr Hunter nodded toward Sarah.
'Yep, all over it, Mr Hunter,' Sarah said, making a hasty exit.
'She's all good,' Jay said. 'You can trust her.'
'If you say so, boy. What do you want me to do?'
'Go run a cold bath,' Jay said.
Mr Hunter blew out some cigar fumes and cocked his head. 'I may be in my robe all day and night but I do take regular showers, you know.'
'It's not for you. I need a cold bath run. And put in that ice you brought over and any other ice you can find in the house. I also need you to take in this fan,' Jay said, pointing to the desk fan next to the computer.
Mr Hunter opened his mouth ready to say something, but didn't. He trudged off to the bathroom. Jay went to the kitchen, where Sarah was leaning on the bench, smoking.
'Can I have one of those?' he asked.
She handed him a cigarette from her packet. He lit it and leaned on the bench too, listening to the bath water running in the background. 'Bet you didn't expect this much fun on your trip to Brisbane,' he said.
'Yeah, I'm having a screaming good time.'
Sensing her sarcasm, Jay decided not to continue with the small talk. Mr Hunter joined them and they smoked in silence. Jay wondered how the hell the three of them had come to be in this situation. Not long ago he was being tortured, tattooed and urinated on. The type of night he wouldn't want to repeat. No doubt this kind of thing was some excitement for Bill Hunter, away from the normal day of retirement stuck in front of the TV. Sometimes he envied Bill's laid-back outlook on life. If only. Sarah was a different kettle of fish, he thought. Full of beans and very professional.
He finished his cigarette and went into the bathroom. He turned off the tap and positioned the fan on the sink pointing down towards the bath. A cool breeze came through the window. Mr Hunter joined him with more ice. Jay left him to it and returned to the kitchen.
Sarah lit up another cigarette and Jay did the same. The pain in his hand was subsiding. Mr Hunter joined them and re-lit his cigar. Again, all three stood around in silence with their habit.
Jay thought about the effects of what he was about to do with Cliffe and Taylor. Interrogating them in the bathroom of his father's house probably wouldn't fall within the bounds of the Geneva Convention. Then again, he guessed the two men tied up in the lounge-room hadn't planned to treat him real well. Still, he needed to give Bill and Sarah an option to walk away. He had a feeling things were about to escalate.
Jay motioned for Sarah and Bill and once again they gathered in the study. 'This isn't either of your problem,' he said. 'What I'm about to do could get us into a lot of trouble . . . and before you start, no, I'm not going to hurt them. It's just that, well, you both know that this isn't exactly conventional, per se.'
Mr Hunter was about to say something but Jay waved him off and continued. 'There is something big going on here that I don't understand yet. My dad is missing and I intend to find him. Those two clowns in there know something about it. I can do this myself and you two can walk away. No problem. But if you were to stay, I could get this done a lot quicker. What do you think?'
Sarah spoke first. 'You know I'm in and you're wasting time with your sermon. I'm going to check the van.' She walked out before Jay could reply.
It was Mr Hunter's turn. 'You may not realise it but your dad and I have gotten to know each other well since he moved here. Well enough for me to call him a friend.'
Jay nodded.
Mr Hunter continued. 'Where I come from, friends look out for each other. So, like the girly said, you're wasting time. What do I need to do?'
'All right, Mr Hunter –'
'Bill. You can call me Bill, boy. You're in charge so just plain Bill will suffice.'
Jay smiled. 'Bill it is then. All right, Bill, let's get to work. I've got some interrogating to do.'