Read Online Challis - 05 - Blood Moon by Garry Disher - Free Book Online
Authors: Garry Disher
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principles and
dignity in the antiseptic air. Look, I was expressing a few home truths, thats
allnothing wrong with that.
Did you receive any threats in
return?
No.
Angry posts to your blog, phone
calls, letters, knocks on the door?
Nothing like that.
How involved was Lachlan?
They both looked at the blanched,
wasted face of the brother. Not very.
I saw at least one post from him on
your blog.
Dirk shrugged his soft, round
shoulders. Now and then, when he had something important to add.
Important, said Challis, his face,
voice and eyes as flat and hard as stones. This e-mail
I didnt write it! It was sent to
me!
But you forwarded it to dozens of
others.
Roe slumped. His face under the
gelled spikes was pink and rounded, like a boys. Sweat beaded his upper lip
and forehead. Leave me alone. I didnt do anything.
Where were you last night?
Kaos, in Frankston, ask anybody.
Kaos was a club where
twenty-somethings like Dirk Roe ruined their livers and eardrums. It also had
excellent camera surveillance of the dance floors, bars and inner and outer
doors. What time did you get home?
Dirk shifted. I went home with
someone, stayed the night.
Ill need name, address and phone
number.
Whatever.
Your parents. They were strict,
werent they? said Challis, guessing.
Dirks jaw dropped. How did you
know?
Strict, devout, everything
regimented...
Roe shifted in his seat. I dont
see what...
Did your father beat you and your
brother?
Challis saw from Roes face that it
was true. What about your mother?
They were strict, so what?
What did you and your brother fall
out over?
Fall out? Who told you that? Over
what?
Challis shrugged. His new church.
The fact that he had a following. The fact that hes older and more successful.
Im successful.
Challis always looked for the chinks
and opened them up. Youre a jumped-up office manager.
Yeahfor the Leader of the
Opposition, who gave you a hard time on the phone this morning.
Who would sack you in a heartbeat
if he knew about your blog.
At least, Challis hoped that were
true. There were men and women in Hindmarshs party who would probably like to
adopt it as the official party position.
Please, I closed it down.
Challis shook his head wearily. You
didnt think, did you? he said as he left the room and returned to the
station.
* * * *
11
Tankards
and Crees first call-out after the Lachlan Roe assault scene was a suspicious
car in Somerville. The Hoon Hotline called it in, said the dispatcher.
Wow, said Cree. A car parked
across some old biddys driveway, driver and passenger asleep inside. I mean,
can I stand the excitement?
They could be casing the joint,
Tank said, replacing the handset and settling back in the passenger seat of the
divisional van.
Whats this Hoon Hotline anyway?
Tank decided not to let Cree get to
him. The guys in Traffic Management set it up. We had hoons running riot every
night. Speeding, drag racing, burnouts, generally terrorising everyone. Now all
the locals have to do is call the hotline. We show up and lay down the law,
on-the-spot fines, driving charges. Confiscate the car sometimes, he said. It
works.
The Somerville address was a
cul-de-sac. They found a red Holden SS Crewman parked across the driveway of
number 7, the tattooed and shaven-headed driver and passenger asleep or stoned.
Tank called in the plate number, listened, and beamed at Cree. The vehicle was
stolen.
The cameras, mobile phones and
laptops inside it proved to be stolen, too. You have to laugh sometimes,
thought Tank as he made the arrests. In his experience, most criminals were
like the guys in the red Crewman: complete morons. They thought they could lose
the police helicopter if they drove faster. Theyd cruise around with a broken
taillight, and a dead body or a kilo of heroin in the boot. Theyd assume the
police surrounding their house at 5 a.m. would go away if they ignored the
doorbell. They didnt seem to understand that there
dignity in the antiseptic air. Look, I was expressing a few home truths, thats
allnothing wrong with that.
Did you receive any threats in
return?
No.
Angry posts to your blog, phone
calls, letters, knocks on the door?
Nothing like that.
How involved was Lachlan?
They both looked at the blanched,
wasted face of the brother. Not very.
I saw at least one post from him on
your blog.
Dirk shrugged his soft, round
shoulders. Now and then, when he had something important to add.
Important, said Challis, his face,
voice and eyes as flat and hard as stones. This e-mail
I didnt write it! It was sent to
me!
But you forwarded it to dozens of
others.
Roe slumped. His face under the
gelled spikes was pink and rounded, like a boys. Sweat beaded his upper lip
and forehead. Leave me alone. I didnt do anything.
Where were you last night?
Kaos, in Frankston, ask anybody.
Kaos was a club where
twenty-somethings like Dirk Roe ruined their livers and eardrums. It also had
excellent camera surveillance of the dance floors, bars and inner and outer
doors. What time did you get home?
Dirk shifted. I went home with
someone, stayed the night.
Ill need name, address and phone
number.
Whatever.
Your parents. They were strict,
werent they? said Challis, guessing.
Dirks jaw dropped. How did you
know?
Strict, devout, everything
regimented...
Roe shifted in his seat. I dont
see what...
Did your father beat you and your
brother?
Challis saw from Roes face that it
was true. What about your mother?
They were strict, so what?
What did you and your brother fall
out over?
Fall out? Who told you that? Over
what?
Challis shrugged. His new church.
The fact that he had a following. The fact that hes older and more successful.
Im successful.
Challis always looked for the chinks
and opened them up. Youre a jumped-up office manager.
Yeahfor the Leader of the
Opposition, who gave you a hard time on the phone this morning.
Who would sack you in a heartbeat
if he knew about your blog.
At least, Challis hoped that were
true. There were men and women in Hindmarshs party who would probably like to
adopt it as the official party position.
Please, I closed it down.
Challis shook his head wearily. You
didnt think, did you? he said as he left the room and returned to the
station.
* * * *
11
Tankards
and Crees first call-out after the Lachlan Roe assault scene was a suspicious
car in Somerville. The Hoon Hotline called it in, said the dispatcher.
Wow, said Cree. A car parked
across some old biddys driveway, driver and passenger asleep inside. I mean,
can I stand the excitement?
They could be casing the joint,
Tank said, replacing the handset and settling back in the passenger seat of the
divisional van.
Whats this Hoon Hotline anyway?
Tank decided not to let Cree get to
him. The guys in Traffic Management set it up. We had hoons running riot every
night. Speeding, drag racing, burnouts, generally terrorising everyone. Now all
the locals have to do is call the hotline. We show up and lay down the law,
on-the-spot fines, driving charges. Confiscate the car sometimes, he said. It
works.
The Somerville address was a
cul-de-sac. They found a red Holden SS Crewman parked across the driveway of
number 7, the tattooed and shaven-headed driver and passenger asleep or stoned.
Tank called in the plate number, listened, and beamed at Cree. The vehicle was
stolen.
The cameras, mobile phones and
laptops inside it proved to be stolen, too. You have to laugh sometimes,
thought Tank as he made the arrests. In his experience, most criminals were
like the guys in the red Crewman: complete morons. They thought they could lose
the police helicopter if they drove faster. Theyd cruise around with a broken
taillight, and a dead body or a kilo of heroin in the boot. Theyd assume the
police surrounding their house at 5 a.m. would go away if they ignored the
doorbell. They didnt seem to understand that there
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