The Bat(105)

‘Fine. And Andrew legged it from the hospital to stop the police when he realised we were going to arrest Otto?’

‘My guess is he went straight to Otto’s flat to talk to him, to impress on him how important it was that he kept his mouth shut about Toowoomba for now. To calm him down by saying Toowoomba would be arrested as Andrew had planned, if he could have some time. If I could have some time. But something went wrong. I have no idea what. But I’m convinced it was Toowoomba who in the end saw off Andrew Kensington.’

‘Why?’

‘Intuition. Common sense. Plus one tiny detail.’

‘What’s that?’

‘When I visited Andrew in hospital he said Toowoomba was going to drop by the next day.’

‘And?’

‘At St Etienne Hospital all visitors have to register at reception. I asked Yong to check with the hospital to see if any visitors or phone calls for Andrew had been registered after I’d been there.’

‘I don’t follow you, Harry.’

‘If something had cropped up, we have to assume that Toowoomba would have called Andrew to say he wasn’t coming. As he didn’t do that, it would have been impossible for him to know Andrew was no longer in the hospital until he was standing in reception. After signing the visitors’ book. Unless . . .’

‘Unless he had killed him the night before.’

Harry opened his palms. ‘You don’t visit someone you know isn’t there, sir.’

It was going to be a long day. Shit, it’s been a long day already, Harry thought. They were sitting in the conference room with rolled-up sleeves trying to be geniuses.

‘So you rang a mobile phone number,’ Watkins said. ‘And you don’t think he’s at his address?’

Harry shook his head. ‘He’s cautious. He’s holding Birgitta somewhere else.’

‘Perhaps we can find someone at home who might have a lead as to where he’s got her?’ Lebie suggested.

‘No!’ Harry snapped. ‘If he discovers we’ve been to his flat he knows I’ve been talking and Birgitta’s had it.’

‘Well, he’ll have to go home some time and we could be ready for him,’ Lebie said.

‘What if he’s thought of that and can kill Birgitta without physically being present?’ Harry countered. ‘What if she’s tied up somewhere and Toowoomba won’t tell us where?’ He looked around. ‘What if she’s sitting on a ticking bomb that has to be switched off within a certain number of hours?’

‘Stop right there!’ Watkins slapped the table. ‘This isn’t a cartoon. For Christ’s sake, why would the bloke be an explosives expert just because he’s killed a few girls? Time’s moving on and we can’t sit on our arses waiting any longer. I think it would be a good idea to have a squizz at Toowoomba’s place. And we’ll make sure we set up a trap that will snap shut on him if he approaches his flat, trust me!’

‘The guy’s not stupid!’ Harry said. ‘We’re putting Birgitta’s life at risk by trying a stunt like this. Don’t you see?’

Watkins shook his head. ‘Sorry to say this, Holy, but your relationship with the kidnapped girl’s affecting your ability to make rational decisions right now. We’ll do as I say.’





51


A Kookaburra


THE AFTERNOON SUN shone through the trees in Victoria Street. A little kookaburra bird was standing on the back of the second empty bench testing its voice for the evening concert.

‘I suppose you think it strange that people can walk around smiling on a day like today,’ Joseph said. ‘I suppose you take it as a personal affront that the sun is playing on the leaves at a time when you’d rather see the world collapse in misery and weep tears. Well, Harry, my friend, what can I say to you? Things aren’t like that.’

Harry squinted into the sun. ‘Perhaps she’s hungry, perhaps she’s in pain. But the worst is knowing how frightened she must be.’

‘Then she’ll be a good wife for you if she passes the test,’ Joseph said, whistling to the kookaburra.

Harry gazed at him in amazement. Joseph was sober.

‘A long time ago an Aboriginal woman had to pass three tests before she could marry,’ Joseph said. ‘The first was to control her hunger. She had to hunt for two days without food. Then she was set before a fire with a juicy kangaroo steak or some other delicacy. The test was to see if she could control herself and not be greedy, just eat a little food and leave enough for others.’

‘We had something similar when I was growing up,’ Harry said. ‘They called it table manners. But I don’t think it exists any more.’