Read Online Bad by Michael Duffy - Free Book Online Page A

wanted to leave a traceable trail of his trip, to cover himself in case the Perishes were trying to set him up. This is confusing, but Daley is a confusing man, a mixture of paranoia and intelligence and muddled thinking. He seems to have been concerned to keep his options open, to some extent making it up as he went along. A serious consideration was still that he might be the Perishes’ intended victim—in which case, it made a certain sense to stay close to them by pretending to cooperate, in the hope of learning more.
    After the reconnaissance trip, Daley told Anthony Perish the Karuah River was ‘crawling with cops’ and had a speed limit of four kilometres per hour. (It also does not run throughBulahdelah.) They discussed other places where the boat might be put in.
    On Perish’s last visit, which occurred on 9 November 2001, the boat had been repaired and was back at the house on its trailer. Daley said it needed to be run in.
    â€˜Get on to it,’ Perish replied impatiently.
    â€˜What do you think I’ve been doing, mate?’
    â€˜Hurry up, because this cunt goes this Friday, regardless.’
    Daley learned the plan had changed. ‘You’ll come up,’ Perish said, ‘you’ll pick up a couple of eskies, you’ll go out and take them out to the continental shelf, you’ll empty out the contents over a big hole [located] using a depth sounder. On the way back, wash the eskies out halfway back and throw them over the side. When you get back, wash the boat out with ammonia.’
    â€˜Huh?’
    â€˜If you do that, they can tell there’s been blood in the boat, but they can’t tell whose it is. It fucks the DNA.’
    Daley thought about what he’d just heard, and said, ‘What, you’re not coming with me?’
    â€˜Nah. That’s what I’m paying you for.’
    With the job now imminent, it was time to drop out. After 12 November Daley did not take any calls on his mobile phones, so attempts by Andrew Perish to call him were unsuccessful. The brothers did not visit him again—presumably they realised something was wrong and decided to cut all contact.
    Once Daley had told the short version of this story to detectives Browne and Rankin, he used the television set and VHS player in the granny flat to play them the video he’d made of Anthony and Matthew Lawton arriving at his houseto inspect his boat. When the video was finished, Browne, who’d been taking notes, asked Daley why he’d decided to talk to them.
    â€˜I just looked at you and decided I could trust you,’ Daley said.
    It was a surprising statement and, as it was to turn out, not totally honest. In fact, Daley was to harbour fears of the Tuno detectives throughout his dealings with them, at times convinced they were corrupt and meant him harm. There was nothing personal in this: it was only five years since the Wood Royal Commission, and many people still mistrusted the police in general; Daley would not have been reassured by the fact that Terry Falconer had been killed after being kidnapped by men who might have been police. And yet, in Daley’s mind such concerns coexisted with the feeling that maybe Browne and his colleagues could be trusted. It was complicated, but his was a troubled and dangerous world.
    There followed a series of meetings—in excess of fifty—over more than a year. Daley remained nervous, especially after the detectives asked him to make a statement and give evidence in court one day. He knew this would mean relocating and starting a new life, and that was something he was still in two minds about doing, despite his desire to turn over a new leaf. But gradually the police convinced him this was the only course of action he could take if he wanted the information he’d given them to achieve any effect.
    It took a great deal of skill and patience on the part of Browne and Jubelin to deal with Daley, to meet him