The Dunbar Case(10)

‘You’d advise me to steer clear of Twizell,’ I said.



‘Absolutely, but I know from the look of you and your reputation that you won’t. You’d better tell me what your interest is. I owe Viv Garner a favour or two and I might be able to suggest a way to keep you out of Tanner’s clutches.’



He finished his drink and pushed the glass towards me. ‘Listening’s hard work and you’d better have another while you consider how much to tell me.’



He was a shrewd old bird and I liked him. I got the drinks and some nuts and settled down to give him a severely edited version of the story, preserving as many of Wakefield’s confidences as I could. He listened closely, sipping his drink and nibbling nuts, seemingly unaffected by three double brandies.



‘I’m not surprised that Johnnie Twizell has some interesting antecedents,’ Braithwaite said when I’d finished. ‘He’s pretty much wasted his life with drugs and gambling and women but he’s a man you feel could have done something better.’



‘I know what you mean; unlike a lot of people you feel have got further than they should have. Politicians in particular.’



He laughed, setting up a wheezing coughing fit that turned his face purple. He pulled out a Ventolin inhaler and gave himself a few puffs.



‘And judges,’ he said when he’d got his breath back. He laughed again but suppressed it so that only a few slight coughs resulted. ‘I don’t suppose you can be more specific about this information your client is seeking.’



I shook my head. ‘He’s playing it very close to his chest. When I confirm that I can see Twizell he’s going to text me a set of questions. From what I know it’s about something written—a letter maybe, a diary or journal, a confession.’



‘Intriguing. What’s in it for Johnnie?’



‘Money, possibly.’



‘He’d appreciate that.’



‘You like him?’



‘I wouldn’t say that. He has charm. He’s amusing. Do you know what someone in his position needs above all? What we all need, come to that?’



‘Tell me.’



‘Something to look forward to. I must say I haven’t got it. Do you have it, Mr Hardy?’



‘I’d have to think about that.’



‘Bad sign. Anyway, I’m on record as Johnnie’s legal chap and I can recommend a visit for you as my representative.’



‘Thank you.’



‘Only snag is that I imagine the Tanners have a watching brief on Johnnie’s visitors. You’ll have to be careful.’



‘I can manage that. Another drink?’



‘No, three’s my limit. I’ll just sit on this one and contemplate mankind’s folly.’



‘Good name for a horse.’



He raised his old man’s thick, snaggled eyebrows. ‘Don’t make me laugh. You saw what it did to me.’



~ * ~



The next day Braithwaite’s secretary emailed me that an appointment had been made for me to visit Twizell in two days. A letter from the lawyer giving me his authority was attached.



I called Wakefield to report on my progress.



‘I knew you were the man for the job,’ he said.



‘But you didn’t tell me Twizell had savagely assaulted a female member of a notorious crime family. What else haven’t you told me?’



‘Nothing. Let’s not get off on the wrong foot. When are you going to Bathurst?’



‘Tomorrow, driving.’



‘Call me when you arrive. I’ll text the questions I want you to ask.’



I wasn’t happy about it; I felt manipulated, but that was nothing new in the business I was in. The thing to do is to be aware of it and be prepared to manipulate back.



I’d got into the habit of letting Megan know when I was going to be out of town. She’d go to my house and collect the mail and sometimes she’d take Ben over to play there as a change from the flat. She needed to know that the coast was clear for that. She said she liked to be sure I didn’t have a woman installed or visiting, but it had been a while since that had happened.



I hadn’t expected grandfatherhood to affect me the way it did. I felt enormous relief when Megan’s baby arrived safely and I thought that’d likely be the strongest emotion I’d feel. Wrong. The first time I held Ben I felt something quite different. Perhaps because I’d missed out on Megan’s babyhood I felt it more strongly than most grandfathers—a sense of the thread of life continuing.



That feeling eased off, of course, but a powerful sense of protectiveness and interest in the boy’s development remained. I didn’t go overboard. I did an occasional baby-sit and I installed a folding cot in my spare room. A few kids’ books on the shelves down at his level and some plastic plates and eating gear.