Read Online Red by Libby Gleeson - Free Book Online Page A

I’m co-ordinating the post-cyclone team and we’re still in search and rescue. But first thing tomorrow morning I’ll take you in to the local police station and see what paperwork we have to fill out. They might hear something or see something on all the stuff that crosses their desk and they’ll make the connections. We’ll need your full name, Peri.’
    For a moment Red thought Peri was going to object but he swallowed hard, nodded and said, ‘OK.’
    Why was he agreeing?
    â€˜And you, Rhiannon, we think it’s important that you are examined by a doctor. You may have had a nasty knock on the head. You could need X-rays. So we’ll make an appointment to get you checked after we’ve been to the station.’
    Red frowned but said nothing. No way. She looked across at Peri again but he had turned away from her.She didn’t know what to say.
    â€˜That’s settled, then. Off you go now. I’ve got some work to do.’ He sat down at his desk and was already typing on his computer as Red, Peri and Jazz left the room.
    â€¢ • • • •
    â€˜Why did you say OK?’ hissed Red. They followed Jazz out onto the verandah. ‘I don’t want to go onto some register.’
    â€˜We won’t,’ said Peri. ‘We can’t. If your dad was right about some blokes looking for him, trying to kill him, they’ll know his name and your name. If it goes on a database that someone could hack into, they’ll find you. We have to get that stick to that judge wherever he is.’
    â€˜And how are we going to do that?’
    Peri shrugged. ‘Dunno. But I reckon that’s what we have to do.’
    They moved onto the grass under the wattle tree, away from the house.
    â€˜We could google the Stanton guy and find out where he is,’ Jazz said.
    â€˜And then,’ said Peri ‘we just clear out and find him. But we’ve got no money, no transport. Red, your dad said he was in Canberra or Melbourne. I don’t know how far away they are but it sure is too far to walk. And the trouble is that even if we got there, he wouldn’t listen to us. People like him have all these security blokes around them and people like us can’t get in to see them.’
    â€˜We have to try,’ said Red. ‘Have you got any money?’ She turned to look at Jazz. ‘Or could you get us some?’
    Jazz nodded. ‘Go and google him and I’ll check it out.’
    â€¢ • • • •
    Nineteen thousand four hundred hits came up when they put in Justice John Stanton. Red scrolled down through articles about him, taken from newspapers and websites, lectures he had given at universities and entry after entry of pieces he’d written to comment on the law.
    â€˜What was it your dad said he was doing?’ asked Peri.
    â€˜Some commission or something like that. Royal, I think.’
    Entering that brought up dozens more hits. Red scanned the pages: drug lords, police corruption, money laundering, global syndicates, missing gang members, murder. She turned to Peri. ‘This is unreal, like a movie. He’s the boss of a big kind of investigation. Drugs and cops and stuff like that. But how would Dad fit in with all that?’
    â€˜Maybe he’s a private investigator or an undercover cop and he worked for this commission. See if you can find out where it is.’
    Red pointed to the screen. ‘This article just went up yesterday. Despite the dramas interstate caused by the damage in Sydney and other parts of the eastern seaboard, the Royal Commission will continue to take evidence,’ Mr Justice John Stanton said today. ‘Some of those who were to appear before the Commission are missing, believed to be deceased, but the Commission has many areas to pursue and our work will continue in Melbourne .’
    Red pointed to the words, missing, believed to be deceased . ‘That might be my