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said, ‘but it looks a bit worse for this government. The word is there’s a high profile child sex abuse case with a drag component coming up and some DUI matters that could be very embarrassing.’
    â€˜How d’you know all this?’ I said.
    Hank mimed clattering a keyboard. ‘She reads blogs.’
    â€˜I’ll have to try to find out what that means, exactly,’ I said. ‘What about this Hugh Richards?’
    â€˜The things that’re protecting this government,’ Megan said, ‘are four-year terms and the useless opposition. But Richards is thought to be a possible saviour. I’ll do some work on him.’

7
    Hank had arranged a Skype hook-up with Margaret McKinley so that we could all see each other on the computer screens. It was late at night for us, early in the morning for her, but that was fine because she was due to start an early shift. She was in her nurse’s uniform, looking crisp and competent.
    â€˜Hi, guys,’ Margaret said. ‘You’ve been busy. Don’t worry. I know there’s no good news. I’ve adjusted to that.’
    She’d had emails from Hank and me. She held the faxed copy of her father’s drawing so we could see it. It had lost some of its definition in the transmission but still had a powerful clarity of line and shading.
    â€˜The original’s better, Margaret,’ I said, ‘and we’re keeping it safe for you. What d’you make of it?’
    â€˜Hello, Cliff. I’ll be glad to have it. I haven’t got a lot of Dad’s stuff. He was a perfectionist and he didn’t keep what he didn’t think was up to scratch. And he sold a bit, so thanks. I’ve looked at it from every which way, and the only thing I can come up with is—a quarry.’
    Hank and I looked at each other.
    â€˜That’s a whole lot better than anything we thought of, Ms McKinley,’ Hank said. ‘A quarry. Why not? Facing north, or looking north, or something.’
    The admiration in Hank’s voice brought a smile to Margaret’s face, animating it. She was an attractive woman with the attraction usually muted by her concerns and responsibilities. Now it showed through to its best advantage.
    â€˜Will that help?’ Margaret said.
    I gave her a positive nod, wanting to do more. ‘It could. It really could.’
    â€˜Gotta be lotsa quarries around,’ Hank said after the hookup finished.
    â€˜I dunno, probably not that many these days. They tend to be used as landfill or get topped up and turned into parks. I don’t like the feel of it though, if Margaret’s right.’
    â€˜Holes in the ground, you mean?’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜She seemed like a pretty together woman. I’d say she could handle whatever comes up.’
    I nodded. ‘I think so, too. Hardest thing would be not ever knowing.’
    Hank yawned. He was putting in long days working a couple of cases. ‘Suppose it was the Tarelton crew who bought the drawings and the drawings are of a quarry, so what? What d’you find at the bottom of a quarry? Rocks?’
    â€˜Or water,’ I said.
    â€˜I’ll get Meg onto a quarry search. Ain’t nothin’ she can’t do with Google. She tells me she’s digging up all she can on this Hugh Richards.’
    Tired as he was, Hank was still on the job. He shuffled through what he had in the McKinley file. ‘Shit!’
    â€˜What?’ I said.
    â€˜Margaret says he drove a Toyota SUV. Spare tyres, spare gas, he could go any place.’
    â€˜It wasn’t meant to be easy.’
    â€˜Hey, I’ve heard that. Who said it?’
    â€˜A former prime minister. Used to be a villain, less of a villain these days.’
    â€˜What do you think about the guy you’ve got in now?’
    â€˜Beyond redemption.’
    I drove home and took my medications with water and waited a while before I made myself a nightcap.