The Bat(13)

‘Do you know any of the Norwegian Larsens, mate?’ he asked.

‘Well, there are quite a few of them,’ Harry replied.

‘Yes, I heard Gran say we’ve got a lot of family there.’

‘You sure do.’

Larsen remembered the rape case, no problem.

‘Fortunately, that doesn’t happen so often here in Lithgow. It was at the beginning of November. She was bundled over in a backstreet while walking home from the night shift at the factory where she worked, dragged into a car and driven off. He threatened her with a big knife, took a turning onto an isolated forest road at the foot of the Blue Mountains, where she was raped on the back seat. The rapist had his hands round her throat and was squeezing when a car hooted behind them. The driver was on his way to his log cabin and thought he had surprised a couple making love on the deserted forest road, and for that reason did not get out. When the rapist got into the front seat to move the car, the woman managed to scramble out of the rear door and ran over to the other car. The rapist knew the game was up, jumped on the accelerator and made a break for it.’

‘Did either of them get the registration number?’

‘Nope, it was dark and everything happened too fast.’

‘Did the woman get a decent look at the man? Did you get a description?’

‘Sure. Well, sort of. As I said, it was dark.’

‘We’ve got a photo. Have you got an address for the woman?’

Larsen went to the filing cabinet and began to flick through. He was breathing heavily.

‘By the way,’ Harry started, ‘do you know if she’s blonde?’

‘Blonde?’

‘Yeah, fair-haired, white.’

Larsen’s double chins began to wobble as he breathed even harder. Harry realised he was laughing.

‘Don’t think so, mate. She’s a Koori.’

Harry searched Andrew’s face.

Andrew looked up at the ceiling. ‘She’s black,’ he said.

‘As coal,’ Larsen said.

‘So Koori’s a tribe, is it?’ Harry asked as they were driving away from the police station.

‘Well, not quite,’ Andrew said.

‘Not quite?’

‘It’s a long story but when the whites came to Australia there were 750,000 Indigenous Australians spread between many tribes. They spoke over 250 languages, several of them as different as English and Chinese. Many tribes are now extinct. As the traditional tribal structure collapsed, Indigenous people started to use more general terms. The Aboriginal groups who live here in the south-east are called Kooris.’

‘But why on earth didn’t you check if she was blonde first.’

‘A slip. I must have misread. Don’t computers flicker in Norway?’

‘Shit, Andrew, we don’t have time to waste on such long shots.’

‘Yes, we do. And we have time for something which will put you in a better mood as well,’ Andrew said, suddenly taking a right.

‘Where are we going?’

‘To an Australian agricultural show, the real thing.’

‘An agricultural show? I’ve got a dinner date, Andrew.’

‘Oh? With Miss Sweden, I assume? Relax, this is done in two shakes. By the way, I take it you, as a representative of the legal authorities, are aware of the consequences of having a private relationship with a potential witness?’

‘This dinner forms part of the investigation. That goes without saying. Important questions will be asked.’

‘Of course.’





8


A Boxer


THE MARKETPLACE WAS in a wide-open expanse with a few scattered factory buildings and garages as the only neighbours. The final heat in the tractor race had just finished and the exhaust fumes still lay thick over the field as they pulled up in front of a large tent. The market buzzed with activity, the stalls rang with calls and shouts and everyone seemed to have a glass of beer in their hand and a smile on their face.

‘Party and commerce in splendid union  ,’ Andrew said. ‘Don’t suppose you have anything like this in Norway.’

‘Well, we have markets. They’re called markeder.’

‘Maaar . . .’ Andrew essayed.

‘Never mind.’

By the marquee there were some huge posters proclaiming ‘The Jim Chivers Boxing Team’ in big red letters. Below were pictures of the ten boxers who obviously comprised the team. Name, age, birthplace and weight of each were also given. At the bottom was: ‘The Challenge. Are you up to it?’

Inside, young men were queuing by a table to sign a piece of paper.

‘What’s going on?’ Harry asked.

‘These are young men from the area who are going to try and beat some of Jimmy’s boxers. If they can there are great rewards, and even more important, local honour and fame. Now they’re signing a declaration that they’re fit and healthy and have accepted that the arranger will not take any responsibility for any sudden deterioration in their physical condition,’ Andrew explained.