Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) (26 page)

“Good. Today, we had a happy outcome with a little girl that I was worried about. I feel good. I’ve just had dinner with Brian and Kate. Brian’s really interested in the computer programs that you sent to him for evaluation. He thinks that you should be working full time on software development and give up construction engineering….”

Her voice trailed off, a subtle indication that she would like me to respond to the implied question.

“I can’t see me ever being a full time programmer. I do like the idea of developing and proving the logic, but I would need real experts to get involved and make them work commercially. My strength is conceiving engineering and financial applications and writing competent programs to demonstrate their potential use. But, on the other hand, I have decided that I am not going to seek another position as construction manager. I am thinking about becoming a business analyst in the mining industry.”

“So you might come back to Sydney permanently?”

“That’s my plan. But it all depends.”

She was really pushing for me to say something more definitive and probed further. “Depends on what?”

“Whether I can get a job there…” After a short pause I added. “and of course if you are there.”

She sat looking at the screen and smiling for a moment before saying. “Well, that’s a relief. I thought that I might have to get a job on a construction site just so that I could see you more often.”

Suddenly she became flustered, as though she might have said too much. I didn’t think that the circumstances were quite right for where the conversation was going and was grateful when she changed the subject. “Wait a minute. Where are you? You aren’t in your office or on the yacht.”

I laughed. “Sorry. I forgot to tell you earlier. I am at the Casino Hotel in Townsville. It was a last minute decision. I have a meeting with a sub-contractor in the morning.”

Just as she was going to respond I held up my hand for her to wait and I said, “I had a one-in-a-million chance meeting with two guys this evening. The two guys who threw me overboard last October.”

She sat there staring at me in shocked surprise and stammered, “What… what happened?”

I then commenced relating the events of the evening. When I mentioned how I had disabled the two villains Christine interjected. “Adam, you were lucky this time. You might not get the same opportunity if there is a next time.”

I had replied, “I know.” And then in an effort to reduce the tension I added. “You can tell Brian that those judo classes we attended years ago finally paid off.”

When I had concluded by describing the session at the police station with Hargreaves, Christine had commented. “So, you have to go back and see Hargreaves again in the morning? What do you think will happen?”

“Nothing, if Hargreaves gets his way. But I think that Hargreaves might soon have his back to the wall. His options are fast disappearing. He will probably try to convince me that the two guys were not involved in either of the attacks on me. But there is no way that I will buy that.”

Christine stood up and walked away from the screen before returning to sit down again in front of her computer. She was clearly distressed. “But Adam, he will have no option but to eliminate you. I’m really scared. Please be careful.”

I nodded. “Yes. The risks are increasing. That’s for certain. I will email the Commission in the morning and ring Toni Swan after my meeting with Hargreaves. I’ll let you know what eventuates. But don’t worry I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

***

Promptly at nine o’clock the following morning, Phil O’Brien and I were ushered into the office of the sub-contractor’s General Manager, Geoff Fry. He was not the sort of person that I warm to, and vice versa.

The meeting started well enough. We were not kept waiting and we were offered a coffee on our arrival. However, it went quickly downhill from there. After a quick exchange of pleasantries Geoff Fry commenced listing reasons why he had been unable to meet the contract deadline.

I was not impressed, but I did him the courtesy of listening to him while I drank my coffee. Nothing that he said in any way reduced his obligation to deliver what had been contracted for in the time frame required. Eventually I had had enough and said, “Mister Fry. I would like to inspect your workshops and steel fabrication area.”

Geoff Fry was too focussed on his litany of excuses to realise that I had heard enough and said, “Later…”

I stood up. “Not later. Now, please.”

The next twenty minutes were spent walking through his facilities and checking what resources were being utilised on the Red Rock Project contract. The conclusion was obvious. Not enough.

When the three of us returned to the General Manager’s office and were seated I said, “Mister Fry. It is clear that you will not have any chance of completing the Red Rock contract as required and on time without throwing one hundred percent of your resources at it, 24/7.”

He just shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal fashion. “But it will cost me at least $50,000 to work all my men on twenty four hour shifts, seven days a week for that time.”

He did not seem to be taking this matter seriously so I said, “Okay. Let’s see. You are contracted to deliver all the fabricated steelwork on to the Red Rock site in ten days time. The Conditions of Contract provide for a penalty of $10,000 for every day that you are late. Understood?”

He nodded, so I continued. “Judging on what you have achieved to date you will be at least ten days late if you keep going as you have been. That will result in a penalty of $100,000. Make no mistake, it will be enforced.”

I knew that Phil O’Brien would have reminded him of the penalty clause already but somehow Fry had not taken him seriously. For the first time he showed some comprehension of his situation, so I added. “I’m not here to negotiate. If you don’t give a commitment that you will make every effort to complete the contract on time I will cancel the contract and you will not be paid for the work that has been done. You can have your lawyer check the Conditions of Contract. I have a steel fabricator standing by in Cairns to carry out the contract. If I tell him by noon today he will meet the deadline. So what is it to be?”

Geoff Fry was now looking quite miserable. “But that would mean that I will have to stop all the other work until the Red Rock contract is completed.”

“Well, you have obviously overcommitted yourself and overstated your capacity when tendering for the contract.” Turning to Phil O’Brien, I said, “If Mister Fry does not stop work on all other contracts and assign one hundred percent of their resources to the Red Rock contract by eleven o’clock this morning then you will terminate his contract in writing and give the go-ahead to FNQEA in Cairns. In any case you must contact me before Noon to keep me informed.”

Just as I had said goodbye and was about to leave, I asked Phil O’Brien to come outside and talk with me. He did so with obvious apprehension and he was right to be worried. “Phil, this problem has arisen because you did not insist that Geoff Fry work to the contracted schedule. You have allowed the situation to develop to the stage that it will take a last minute heroics to save the day. But it can be done. Even if you get away with being too soft this time, you must realise that your laxity will cost the contractor more since he now has to work overtime to catch up. What concerns me most though is that it might still prevent the Red Rock Project being completed on time.”

I paused, waiting for him to acknowledge my comments, but he remained silent so I added. “Phil, you have to remember… no more Mister Nice Guy.”

He nodded his understanding. “Yes, boss.”

I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder to show that I was regretful rather than resentful. Wishing to encourage him, I added. “Phil, you now a have a challenge to get this job completed on time. But, I know that you can do it. You now have an opportunity to score some Brownie points.”

***

Sitting in a taxi on the way to my meeting with Hargreaves at the Police Station I pondered on the situation that I had just left.

Phil O’Brien was a good engineer and was not lazy, but he was a sociable fellow and wanted to be friends with everyone. Unfortunately he couldn’t do his job as an inspector well if he tried to please everyone all the time. Persons with a self-interest agenda, such as Geoff Fry, tend to take advantage of another’s desire to be liked and their wish to avoid confrontations that might be stressful.

Phil had to develop a thicker skin if he was to succeed as an engineering inspector.

It seems that I was born without the I-want-to-be-your-friend gene. I did not want to make enemies but I did not need to make friends. I did not shrink from stressful encounters, which was just as well because my upcoming meeting with Hargreaves and company was certainly going to be just that.

***

I was not wrong. I was left waiting in the reception area at the police station until eleven thirty. I was toying with the idea of leaving when Detective Strong finally emerged from a doorway and nodded for me to follow him. Detective Inspector Hargreaves was already waiting in the interview room. Like Detective Strong, Hargreaves did not bother to speak. He merely pointed at a seat opposite him indicating that I should seat myself there. As soon as I had done so he slid a sheet of paper across the table towards me. I picked it up. A quick glance was sufficient for me to identify it as a typed version of my statement from the previous evening.

Looking back up at Hargreaves I waited for him to say something. After a few moments he obliged with a sigh and in an extremely bored tone of voice he said, “You need to sign that and then you can go.”

I stared at him for a few moments before lowering my eyes and beginning to read. I had only read a few lines before I stopped reading, picked up my briefcase from the floor beside me, and extracted a pen. Replacing my briefcase on the floor I recommenced reading. But this time I also wrote notes in the margins and made corrections to the text. As I was doing so I was conscious of angry mutterings from the other side of the table.

When I had completed reading and editing the document I sat back in my seat and made eye contact with Hargreaves. “Sorry, but there is absolutely no possibility of me signing this document. It distorts what I had said in the statement that I handed to you last night. For example; it says that I merely suspected that the two men who attacked me last night were also the ones that tried to drown me in October. For the record, what I said in my statement that I was certain that they are the persons who threw me off my yacht in an attempt to drown me.”

Hargreaves leaned forward and rasped. “Look here, I’m trying to save you from being embarrassed. Both of the men that you assaulted last night have alibis for the time that you allege someone tried to drown you.”

The thought of Hargreaves trying to save me from embarrassment brought a smile to my face. But his reference to me having assaulted the two men the previous evening quickly killed my sense of irony. “You refer to me assaulting the two men last night. Shouldn’t you have said the two men that I allegedly assaulted. The fact is that they attacked me and I was only defending myself. I will welcome the opportunity to defend myself against a charge of assault in Court.”

D S Strong snorted. “As if. You claim that two men attacked you and they both end up with serious injuries while you remain unscathed. Nobody is going to believe that fairy story, much less a jury.”

I replied, “Perhaps not. But that is what happened. The fact that there was a pepper pot on hand, and that I had had some judo classes years ago, might make my explanation credible. In any case, it’s the truth and I’m stuck with it.”

Hargreaves reached across the table and retrieved the document that I had just read and edited. He had hardly begun reading when he glared at me and exclaimed. “What the hell is this? You have written the word, ‘oombarlo’ at the top of the page. It’s not even English.”

I smiled condescendingly and replied, “Sorry, it’s just a note to myself.”

D S Strong leaned towards Hargreaves and whispered something that I could not hear. Whatever it was, it angered Hargreaves. His face flushed and glaring at me he said angrily. “So you are still trying to play your smart-arse games with us are you?”

I struggled to keep a straight face. So, D S Strong must have viewed the ‘oombarlo’ YouTube clip at some time. At least I had succeeded in getting my view of their botched attempt at a statement clear to them. “Actually I thought that it was the other way around. I gave you a written statement last night and today you ask me to sign a much different version. I can’t believe that you actually expect me to sign it.”

D S Strong retorted sharply. “Don’t be so pedantic. It’s just a few words that have been changed. It’s basically the same statement.”

I was gobsmacked. Utterly astonished that he could seriously make such a claim. “If you believe that to be so then you are well qualified to write instruction manuals for Chinese made electronic gadgets. But nothing else.”

Strong looked like he was going to completely lose his temper but simmered down when Hargreaves shook his head. Then looking at me Hargreaves said, “This is getting us nowhere. I will place on record that you failed to sign a statement when it was typed up for you. It means that we will not take action on your allegations. However, I have to warn you that the two men that you assaulted… sorry, allegedly assaulted, last night have been in touch with a lawyer and are considering whether to request that charges are laid against you.”

I shook my head in wonderment. “You are saying that two men that claim that I assaulted them, without provocation, and caused serious injuries to them are uncertain whether to make a formal charge against me? I can’t believe it. If they are innocent then they would want me to be charged with assault for certain. Surely their reluctance for a prosecution to proceed destroys their credibility?”

“That’s for us to decide.”

“But what about their alibi for the time of the attempted drowning? How sound is it?”

Hargreaves was not going to be drawn into a discussion about alibis if he could possibly avoid it and he stonewalled once more. “Again that is a matter for the police to decide.”

“Okay. Did they have an alibi for the time of the hit-and-run?”

Hargreaves snorted. “I didn’t ask them. Why should I?” Then after a pause he added. “Are you now claiming that they also tried to run you down? That somehow you now remember seeing them in the vehicle. You are sounding more and more ridiculous.”

“No. I am not claiming any such thing. But there seems to be a very high probability that both attempts on my life are connected. I know that they tried to drown me, so it is probable, but not certain, that they were also involved in the hit-an-run. What about checking their DNA? Surely you’ll follow that up just so that you can confirm their lack of involvement.”

“I’m sorry Mister Cartwright, but we deal in facts here. We can’t go around checking every wild, unsupported speculation by paranoid citizens or immature attention seekers.”

“Very well, would you tell me the names of the two men that claimed I assaulted them?” I already knew their names from their Driver’s licences, the taller of the two was Harry Hawsall, the other James Foster. I only asked because I wanted him to think that I knew less than I actually did. In any case I was curious, would he give me any more information than he was obliged to.

Hargreaves exchanged a glance with Strong before replying. “No. We won’t. You’ll have to wait until charges are laid against you.”

I leaned back in my seat glancing back and forth at the two policemen. They were also sitting back waiting for me to make the next move. I had few options left, but I needed a clear statement from Hargreaves that I could later pass on to the Crime and Corruption Commission. “Okay, I’d like to clarify a few points. First, do you intend to take any legal action against the two, as yet, unnamed men based on my claim that they assaulted me?”

Hargreaves was brief in his response. “No.”

I did not bother to ask for his reasons but went straight to my next question. “Do you intend to take legal action against me based on the claims by the two unnamed men that I assaulted them and caused serious injury?”

“Not until they formally advise us that they wish action to be taken.”

“Okay. Last question. Do either of the unnamed men have any connection to the Mount Godwin Gold Mine?”

Hargreaves exploded in anger. “Enough of this badgering us for information regarding police investigations. I’ve already pandered to you more than I should. I’m not going to answer any more of your questions.”

His non-answer was not as revealing as his outburst of anger and the glint of something that might have been fear in his eyes. The reference to the Mount Godwin Gold Mine had clearly struck a nerve and I did not want to provoke him any further. My one wish at that point was to calm things down and leave so I asked in a conciliatory tone of voice. “Sorry, I overstepped the mark. But I do have a final question. Do you wish me to wait while you have the statement here re-typed so that I can sign it?”