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Circle of Greed

Foreword

There are a number of different types of thief, the person who takes home pens and other

small bits and pieces from the office, the thief who burgles peoples homes for the video player to help finance a habit, the mugger who uses the threat of violence to steal a wallet or

the car thief who gets his buzz from joyriding in someone elses vehicle, usually at high speeds, then theres the professional thief who treats larceny as a career and usually has a cavalier attitude towards the use of violence, theres also the highly respected business man who fiddles his tax returns, however these people endeavour to acquire that which doesnt belong to them and no matter how they justify their larceny, whether successful or not and

where-ever the thief fits into this hierarchy of larceny, he still remains a common thief.

I use the word common because these grasping parasites have a lot in common with each

other; they crave what belongs to someone else with an all-consuming passion.

Some Sociologists have explained this avarice as a direct effect of their socio-economic

upbringing, this translated into a language that the majority of us can understand means that if

youve got no money, you must be a thief, so can we project this inane excuse to all the poor people, nonsense, some of the most honest people are poor, and does this excuse equate to all

the rich people being honest, again nonsense as our newspapers show us every day.

Sadly, from the romantic point of view in all of us, there are no Robin Hoods out there, robbing the rich to feed the poor has never been an option to a thief, unfortunately stealing to

feed the poor just doesnt happen and I tend to suspect it never has, on the other side of the coin stealing from the poor and weak has always been the prerogative of the strong and

greedy, from time to time the successful thief may be philanthropic towards his friends, this

philanthropy can often turn out to be a double edged sword.

The philosophy of every thief, without exception, is that charity begins at home and stays

there.

Possibly the single most identifiable common denominator that ties all these thieves into the same package is the basest of all human vices, Greed, with a capital G. not to be confused

with the need of the starving or the want of a child, no, this is self taught greed.

In every case of robbery, no matter how small or large, the motive from its inception to its execution, from first to last is unadulterated avarice.

THE GREEDY ONES

The explosion was quite spectacular, a young fourteen year old boy testing his new video

camera happened to be on the right beach at the right time, the fishing boat with its lights blazing in the gathering darkness was motoring across the bay, it was the obvious subject, the

failing light would be the ideal yardstick to tell him the cameras capabilities, suddenly there was a flash of intense light and the boat lifted out of the water and broke in half, a couple of

seconds later the boy felt the concussion and heard the bang of the explosion, having the

presence of mind to keep filming he watched as the two halves floated for a moment before

sliding below the surface leaving behind a pool of burning oil and fuel.

1st February

It was a grey damp rainy morning when Murray stepped through the gates of Pentridge gaol,

not what you would expect from Melbourne at this time of year, as he walked away from the

gate it clanged shut behind him. He turned and gave the forbidding faade an insolent once

over, vowing to himself that hed never see the inside of another gaol, his blue eyes then swept the street, it looked like a casual glance but Murray missed nothing, his short black hair

was swept back from a ruggedly handsome face, which displayed a hardness and defiance to

match his taut muscular frame, every inch a dangerous person, a survivor, then his features

softened, he was out after two stinking years, hed served his time without parole, so he wasnt saddled with reporting to anyone, hed been eligible for a parole hearing but hed surprised everyone by refusing to take any part in it.

It was obvious hed kept to a fitness regime while he was a guest of the judiciary system, he was wearing a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and red and white striped tie, in fact he was

dressed in the same clothes that he had worn for his court appearance two years earlier and

the suit still sat on his frame as well as the day his tailor had fitted him, dropping his small

canvas bag, which contained his toiletries and a change of undies, he looked up at the grey

rain clouds, heavy with the promise of continued rain, Murray then took a deep breath

expecting to savour the clean free air, some indication perhaps that he was indeed truly free

again, the other inmates had talked incessantly about that first lung full of clean free air but

unfortunately Murray felt a little disappointed, to him it tasted exactly the same as the air he

had breathed inside, and he thought to himself, Maybe Im missing something Murray had been raised in a respectable middle class family, the only child of William and

Helen Murray, now deceased, as a young man Murray had completed University and had a

post grad degree in Mech. Engineering and with these qualifications could have found

employment quite easily anywhere but instead Murray had chosen to be a thief, he hadnt graduated from petty crime as most criminals do, he came home from the university with the

clear cut intention of taking to a life of crime, in the same way that hed studied for his degree he now studied every aspect of crime, he enrolled in locksmith courses, welding courses,

metal smith courses in fact any course that he thought he might need, being of above average

intelligence he became quite a successful thief never having been arrested or even questioned

about the crimes hed committed, he abhorred violence although he knew he was capable of it, in his opinion a violent crime was an ill conceived crime that showed a lack of imagination

and a deeply rooted suicidal tendency.

But if hed never been arrested for a crime hed committed or even suspected of being a criminal how was it that he was being released from prison having completed a two year

prison sentence, the answer was that he now had a criminal record for a crime he was

ironically completely innocent of, although he disliked violence when used as a tool to rob,

he didnt have the same qualms about pay-back, a little revenge is good for the ego he decided, and if you used your brain sweet revenge didnt have to include violence, the violence he had wanted to commit when hed been sentenced had lost its fire and urgency over the last two years and had turned into an ice block that was permanently there in the pit

of his stomach, he intended things to change for the scum bags who had set him up, to change

for the worst.

There was no-one waiting to meet him which didnt surprise him, being unmarried, no brothers or sisters and both his parents dead and gone twelve year or more now, who else was

going to stand outside the prison gate in the drizzling rain.

Murray turned left and without a backward glance, began to walk down the road looking for a

cab, he had fifty two dollars in his pocket and he thought, even after two years he should still

be able to afford the fare out to Wantirna, the taxi drivers must have been doing alright for

themselves because hed walked close to a kilometre before one came cruising up on the opposite side of the road Murray waved it down and crossed the road, the driver got out and

took his bag which he heaved into the boot.

Lucky I dont have Aunt Sybils Spode dinner set in the bag, eh mate. There was no reaction from the cabbie.

Murray sat in the front passenger seat and the driver said.

Where ya wanna go mate. Wantirna, how much? Thirty bucks, that o.k. for ya. Murray nodded, thirty bucks, bloody hell, he thought, Ive only been away two years, he must have seen the expression on Murrays face because the driver said. Pentridge? Murray nodded again. The cab did a u-turn and the driver didnt speak again, Murray glanced at the cab licence, some name he couldnt pronounce, Greek or Lebanese he thought, probably lived in Oz longer than I have and I was born here! His mind went back to the events that had led up to his trial and sentence, the events were

still crystal clear in his mind, hed agonized over it every day of his imprisonment never allowing himself to forget a single detail.

It had been just after Christmas and Murray had been in his rented flat watching the footy on

the telly when the doorbell rang, opening the door Cecil Carrs eighteen-year-old son darted past Murray into the living room.

Murray, thank god, close the door, youve got to help me, the cops are after me. Calm down, Ted, tell me whats happened, what have you done? Cecil Carr was a bricklayer, now retired, who had worked for Murrays dad most of his life, Ted was his youngest son, a bit of a larrikin who always seemed to be getting into scrapes,

but usually a nice kid.

We did a smash and grab on the jewellers in the Mall but the cops chased us, can I stay here for a while, please Murray, just an hour till they bugger off. Well what could he do but agree, an hour or so later Ted thanked Murray and left, Murray thought no more about it and

went to bed, three or four hours later his door crashed in and his flat was full of police, they

dragged Murray out of bed produced a search warrant and then began to demolish his flat,

behind the sofa cushions they found a bag with a few necklaces and a couple of cheap

looking rings, but this didnt stop them from wrecking the rest of the flat, finding nothing else of interest they handcuffed him and took him to the station where he was charged with

receiving stolen property to the value of six hundred and fifty dollars, he phoned a solicitor

and was granted bail to appear in court two weeks later, as soon as he was released Murray

drove to Cecil Carrs house and hammered on the door until Cecil opened it. Cecil, Wheres that little toe rag, Ted, I want a word with him, do you know what hes done? Im sorry Murray, come in please, Ted was arrested last night he was refused bail, Im sorry he involved you, I think the cops must have leaned on him. You tell the little shit to change whatever hes told the cops, and Im not joking, Cecil. Murray was arrested again three hours later and his bail was rescinded for threatening a

witness, two weeks later he was tried and received two years imprisonment, he was due for

parole when hed served half his sentence. Ted received two years probation because hed been so helpful to the police and had confessed to the crime, Ted had thought himself a lucky

young man not being sent to prison, and Murray intended to disabuse him of this thought.

Ted was about to have a bad problem with reality.

For the time being though Ted and Cecil would have to wait, Murray was heading for a house

he owned in Wantirna, there was a parcel there that he needed to retrieve, the problem was

hed rented the property out and he knew he shouldnt go to the house without permission, for this little errand he needed to keep a low profile, in the lease agreement it clearly stated

that he had to give notice to the tenants whenever he wanted to conduct an inspection so he

asked the cabbie to drop him off at the Bervale Inn instead.

He would have to contact the estate agent first and get permission to inspect the property

from the couple that had been renting it for the last three years. The cabbie dropped him and

his bag outside the Bervale and surprisingly took the time to wish him good luck; Murray

paid him and he drove away.

As Murray entered the bar the first person he saw was Jacko Wilson sitting at the bar, the

days racing papers spread out in front of him, most of Jackos life was spent studying the racing form, hot in pursuit of that ever elusive winning streak, this obsession had always

seemed to Murray to be a total waste of a quite unique talent, Jacko had the ability, not unlike

a computer, to collect and keep information in his head, he knew everyone and their business,

even though they may not know Jacko from a bar of soap, he knew names, addresses, phone

numbers, maybe even what your Granny had had for breakfast, his brain was like a sponge,

soaking up whatever information was fed into it, the strange thing was though, hed never been known to gossip or make use of this talent in any way, not even to make a few bucks.

From the size of his girth Murray assumed he was unemployable, hed never been employed as long as Murray had known him but he never seemed short of a dollar, not that Murray had

ever been curious enough to ask him about his finances, one thing hed learnt early in life was that you never stuck your nose into a friends business, if he wants you to know hell likely as not tell you.

Refill, Jacko. Ill have a V.B. if you dont mind, thanks. Turning to see who his benefactor was his face lit up.

Hello ya ald bastid. His Scots accent showing through even though hed been born in Melbourne of Scottish parents and the closest hed ever gotten to Scotland was the Glenfiddich he poured down his neck, he stuck out his hand and squeezed very gently, thank

god, Jacko was built like the proverbial brick shit house being twice as wide around his gut as

he was around his chest, Murray had only ever seen him riled once and that was when he

witnessed a dirt bag hit a women in this very bar, Jacko had slowly lowered himself from his

stool walked over, picked up the wife beater as though he was a bag of groceries and threw

him the length of the bar, needless to say when he hit the floor the guy jumped to his feet and

kept on running out the door.

Turning to Mick Reynolds, the manager, Murray ordered a whisky for the three of them but

Mick declined, and looking Murray straight in the eye he said.

Im working at the moment, maybe later, nice to meet you anyway. No worries, give me a shout when youre ready. Turning back to Jacko they began to talk horses, now whadered, why did Mick act as though

he didnt know him, theyd gone through the same schools, the Bervale had been Murrays local watering hole for more years than he cared to remember, turning back to Jacko Murray

sneaked a side glance at Mick, who, like a gun dog was staring at the two scruffy blokes, they

looked like throw backs to the peace movement, both were in their middle twenties, ripped jeans, tatty t-shirts, looking as though they were overdue for their next needle -----.Drug

Squad !!! Murray let out a breath of relief, it had nothing to do with him, hed never in his life had anything to do with that shit, although he knew from some of his recent neighbours in

Pentridge of the enormous amounts of money that can be made selling the shit, but rather

than excite him, making those kind of millions actually scared him shitless and all his life

hed made it a point to avoid anyone associated with this dirty and violent trade, that included the pathetic back alley user as well as the multi-millionaire suppliers, this life plan of

Murrays also included staying as far away from the Drug Squad as he could, hed always avoided them like the plague, that included staying as far away as possible from loose

cannons, and as far as he was concerned anyone involved in drugs was a loose cannon, some

of these Drug Squad cops had the reputation of being worse than the filth they were supposed

to put behind bars, so Murray came to the conclusion that Mick must have it wrong.

He went to the public phone in the passageway to call the estate agent; the two grots passed

him and carried on to the toilet, the estate agent said that he would make an arrangement with

the tenants and that hed call back in fifteen minutes, Murray gave him the number of the Bervale then went back into the bar followed by the two undercover drug squad who were

coming back from the loo as he put the phone down, they went back to their table and sat

down, Jacko had got a couple of beers in while Murray was on the phone and they now

toasted each other, Jacko pointed to the race being shown on the telly, he then opened a

racing guide as though to show Murray the horses form, lying in the crease was a folded

piece of paper, Murray palmed the paper and slipped it into his pocket and began talking

form with Jacko, Murray ordered a couple of more beers threw a ten dollar note on the bar

and said he was going to the dunny.

Hed no sooner locked the cubicle and sat down when he heard the door open again, he pulled out the note and read, THEY ASKED 4 U. 2 MORE, RED CAR. CAR PARK, he was

reading it again when the door opened a second time and Jacko shouted.

Are you alright, your taking your time in there, mate, the next race is about to start, I thought youd fallen down the pan. Murray laughed, flushed the note away and came out of the cubicle the two undercover cops

were washing their hands so he waited for them to finish, Jacko was still standing by the door

and moved aside for them to leave.

What the hell do they want with me, Jacko? You know Ive never had anything to do with that shit, and Ive only been out a couple of hours. Thereve been rumours of a couple of these shitbags hi-jacking ex-cons who may have stached a few bucks for their retirement, I cant be sure but thats what this looks like. Thanks Jacko, I owe you one. Going back into the bar he noticed the two cops had been joined by their two mates from the

car park these were even scruffier than the first two if that was possible, the only way out was

past were they sat, so he skulled his beer and ordered another couple, then he said to Mick.

Excuse me, boss, Im expecting a phone call could you give me a call when it comes. Sure can, mister, heres your change. Murray pocketed the few dollars change and turned back to Jacko who was now engrossed in

the next race that was being televised, surprisingly his horse came in, he not only had the

winner he had a trifecta and began wobbling with excitement as he tried jumping up and

down, this seemed to be Jackos lucky day, and he began to order drinks for everyone, Mick shouted to Murray from down the bar.

Hey mate, your phone call, you can take it on the public phone. Murray nodded and walked to the passage leaving his bag next to Jacko on the floor, he

looked in the back bar mirror, one of the cops started to follow him but his mate grabbed his

arm and whispered something in his ear, he turned looked at Murrays bag on the floor then smirked and sat back down, Murray lifted the phone said wrong number before replacing it

and with the key that Mick had slipped to him along with his change he hurried through the

delivery door into the rear yard locking the door behind him, he put the key on top of the door

jamb then jumped the fence into the car-park, watching the pub door he walked over to the

only red car in the car-park and going around to the blind side so he could still keep an eye on

the door he let both passenger side tyres down then unscrewed the valves and put them in his

pocket, this car wasnt going anywhere for a while, then he was off and running like a long dog, they could have the toiletries and dirty shirts and underpants in his bag.

Hed only gone about two hundred metres when a cab went cruising past he gave a whistle and the cab stopped he jumped in and ten minutes later he was at the estate agents office.

The pretty young receptionist was talking on the phone and ignored him, the way she kept

crossing and uncrossing her legs, told Murray she was probably chatting to her boyfriend.

Excuse me, Miss The look she gave Murray indicated that she thought he was something the dog had dragged

in off the street and swivelling on her chair she turned her back on him and continued with

her conversation.

He took a deep breath, filled his lungs and bellowed as loud as he could.

Hellooo. Is anybody here? The pencils on her desk were rattling, the receptionist dropped the phone and spun around,

with her hands up to her mouth staring at Murray as though she thought hed flipped, he was about to repeat his bellow when three people came running out of an office to his right, one

of them was the agent hed left in charge of his house, James Ropp. Mr Warwick, good to see you again, please go into my office, I wont be a moment I just want a quick word with Janet. Murray had bought the house from James Ropp about eight years ago as an investment, and

hed been Murrays agent ever since, looking after the property and paying the rent he collected into Murrays bank account, the name and identity that Murray had used to purchase the house was John Warwick.

When Murray was seated the agent closed the door and sat in a chair facing Murray.

I apologise for Janet, shes young shell learn eventually, unfortunately for her it will be somewhere else. Theres no need to be that drastic, shes only a kid. Yeh I know, but your little experience is only one of a long list of complaints stacked against our little Janet, but enough about her, youre here to arrange an inspection, right, unfortunately your tenants both work in the city until six oclock in the evening but they will be available for an inspection on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. if that suits you, I can assure you

they have taken excellent care of the property. In fact they have asked me to approach you

with an offer to buy it Murray thanked him and told him that hed set his mind at rest about the property being looked after, so much so that hed forgo the inspection, telling the estate agent he didnt want to take up his tenants only day off and he would be busy himself for the next couple of

Sundays anyway, maybe he could arrange for an inspection when he had a free Sunday, as for selling the property if the price was right he would be open to offers, and that he would

like James to be his agent in any negotiations, Murray then wrote out an authorisation to this

effect, adding that he trusted the agents judgement, he then stood up shook the agents hand and left.

Three doors down was the bank so he turned in and filled out a withdrawal slip for three

hundred dollars and slipped the notes into his wallet, now he felt better, he could now do

what he had set out to do without being jerked around, first thing he needed was some

wheels, nothing flash, an old Holden would do the trick, if the pigs thought he was loaded

they wouldnt expect him to be driving an old bomb. By now the cops had probably figured out that he wasnt coming back to finish his drink or collect his dirty washing, he could imagine that right at this moment Murray wasnt the most popular ex-con on their list especially when they found the valve less tyres on their car.

At Bernies garage he picked up an old Kingswood, a hundred bucks for two days hire.

Bernie hadnt changed since the last time Murray had seen him, grease permanently under his nails, the same greasy overalls covered in oil and of course that cheeky grin that was a

permanent fixture, looking at the Kingswood Murray had his doubts it would last two days,

when he mentioned this to Bernie he gave Murray a short laugh and that cheeky grin hed always turned on the teachers at school, you really cant get upset with him. That was a crap deal with Ted Carr, Murray, does the little shit know your out. I dont know I might give him a bell later. Id like to see his face when he hears your voice. Murray just nodded, before he left the garage he picked up a sledge hammer and put it on the

back seat, Bernie saw him take the hammer, but he just winked and turned his back.

Twice Murray drove past his rented house in Wantirna, he couldnt see anyone watching the place so on the third pass he turned into the drive, he sat for a moment or so before turning

the motor off, nobody came out to question him, so collecting the hammer from the back seat

he stepped onto the lawn and walked to the ornamental pond, in the centre of the pond was a

statue of a cherub spitting water into the pond, the water in the pond was about fifteen

centimetres deep, slipping off his shoes and socks he rolled up his trousers and waded through the ice cold water to the statue, he lifted the hammer and with one swing the plaster

cherub disintegrated, hed never liked the little fat child-like angel, now all that was left of it was the plastic pipe with two lips still spitting water, obviously Murrays dislike for this fat plaster angel wasnt his only reason for destroying it, the two small cigar boxes in plastic bags that fell into the water was what he was after, picking them up Murray sat on the grass

and put his shoes and socks back on, picking up the hammer and the boxes, he walked back

to the car reversed out of the driveway and drove back to Bernies garage, Bernie stopped working on the tray of a Ute and came sauntering over.

Anything wrong, Murray? Naw, just thought I might change wheels, got anything a bit more upmarket, not Victorian plates though, maybe to buy. Take about three hours, need the papers? Murray nodded O.K. what name? Murray told him, he said.

Use the office I wont be long, theres beer in the fridge Murray retrieved the two boxes from the Kingswood, wiped all the parts of the car that hed touched and went up about four steps to the office, sitting at Bernies desk Murray tipped out the contents of the boxes, three separate identities, passports, tax file numbers, driving

licenses, credit cards, bank cards, birth certificates and ten tight bundles of hundred dollar

notes, each bundle to the value of five grand, looking through the desk drawers he found a

plastic document pouch, he kept out the papers for the identity that would cover the car

Bernie was in the process of acquiring, he also kept out one bundle of notes the rest he put in

the pouch which he put under his shirt in the small of his back, when he sat down it didnt feel too uncomfortable, feeling shattered with fatigue he leaned back in the chair and closed

his eyes and without realising it he must have nodded off because it was dark in the office

when he woke to the sound of voices out in the workshop, being as quiet as he could he stole

a peek around the door and froze, it was the four guardians of justice from the Bervale Inn,

Bernie was saying that he hadnt seen or heard of Murray for three or four years, that being the last time he had repaired his car, the scruffiest of the four did all the talking and seemed to

be the boss, he gave Bernie a card and asked him to call if Murray showed up, with that they

filed out the door Murray heard the car doors slam but no engine noise, always believing that

the old adage about discretion being the better part of valour was a good one, he stayed were

he was, Bernie started up his welding machine and the workshop was soon lit with the blue

flashes coming from the tray of the Ute.

A couple of minutes later Bernie stopped welding to put in a new welding rod and Murray

heard the cops start the engine and drive away, he was about to step out of the office when Bernie dropped his face shield and carried on welding, he quickly stepped back into the

darkness of the office, a face appeared behind Bernie and a hand tapped him on the shoulder,

lifting his mask he turned around slowly, it was the scruffiest one of the scruffy quartet.

Hello, I thought youd left, how can I help, Ive got to get this tray out tonight. My colleagues gave you the wrong card, that number doesnt work any more heres the right number, therell be a good drink in it if you call, O.K. Fair dinkum, excellent, if he comes in Ill certainly give you a bell. Bernie said with a smile on his face and obvious interest in the reward offered.

The scumbag patted Bernie on the back and left, Murray heard his door bang and the car

drive away; Bernie burnt the rest of the rod then switched off the welder.

He came into the office, switching the lights on; he then took two beers out of the little beer

fridge and sat down; opening the beers he stared at Murray.

What kind of shit are you mixed up in, Murray, those are four serious dudes and they want your arse, bad. Bernies eyebrows shot up when he learnt that Murray had only been released that morning, he then told him what Jacko had said Mick had told him, that the cops were freelancing.

Mongrel bastards. He exclaimed as he pushed a beer at Murray. What you going to do now, youll have to leave town, the sooner the better, them freaks aint gonna go away, Murray, what do you reckon about that last rat-bag, hes even trying to shaft his three mates. I cant leave town just yet, Ive a couple of loose ends to tidy up first, but youre right Ive got to get these bastards off my back first, and I know exactly how. As Murray thought about it a grin split his face, Bernie said.

Ive seen that grin before, dont tell me, I dont want to know, you just be careful, these dudes are not fooling around, a few strange things that have happened in the last three or four

months are now slotting into place, remember Band-aid the safe guy from Footscray? Well,

he got out three months ago, two days later he was in hospital minus two fingers said he had

an accident and hes not the only one, Guy Buchan, McGregor, and half a dozen more all had accidents soon after getting out of the slammer, be very, very careful, mate. Has Shirley Griffiths still got the same flat? Yeh, she still does my accounts, Ive got her phone number here somewhere. Bernie rummaged about in a heap of papers and came up with a bill from Shirley.

Ill give her a bell shall I? Murray nodded and Bernie dialled the number, when Shirl answered he handed the phone to

Murray.

Hi, Shirl, Murray here, how you been? Long time no see, are you busy this evening? Ive a small problem you may be able to help me with, how about I shout you dinner, O.K. no

problem Ill see you in about fifteen minutes. Did you sort a car out, Bernie? Yeh, its parked outside the milk bar, West Australia plates, black V.W. Golf, test certificate and papers are in the glove box, everythings in working order, theres six months rego and a full tank, heres the keys. How much Bernie? Naw, well sort all that out later. Murray pulled out his money and peeled off three grand, which he dropped on the desk,

Bernie gave a nod and said.

Ya need a shooter?

No, a shooter didnt do McGregor much good did it, and the last thing I need right now is to shoot an undercover cop. What I would like are those two phone numbers they gave you. McGregor was a ruthless hit man, he had never been known to go anywhere unless he was

tooled up, he must have been suckered real sweet by those four scumbags, either that or the

three years inside had really eaten away at his finely tuned survival instincts.

Murray left Bernies garage and walked the fifty metres to the V.W. all the time expecting the four cops to step out of an alley or doorway and beat the crap out of him; he reached the car

with a sigh of relief.

He stopped at the first phone box he came to and finding Cecil Carrs number in the book, he phoned and a woman answered the phone, Murray said pleasantly.

G,day can I speak to Ted, please. Just a moment, Ill get him for you. A minute later a voice said.

Hello, Ted here whos this? Your worst nightmare, you little shit, tell Cecil Ill be having a word with him as well. Aaagh. Then Murray heard the phone hit the floor, he smiled but the humour never reached his eyes.

Lucky Ted and his two faced dad were going to have a bit of difficulty sleeping for the next

few nights.

In ten minutes he rang Shirleys bell and she opened the door straight away, she was wearing a white blouse and blue jeans, no matter what she wore shed always look beautiful to Murray, her face lit up when she saw him standing at her door she threw her arms around his

necith computers, she could operate them with the passion and skill that was on a par with the

skill of any top flight sportsman or musician in any tournament or musical they cared to

name, she was an absolute genius.

Shirl was in her early thirties; to Murray she was exciting and beautiful.

Hed had a crush on her since they were both youngsters, around women Murray turned to water, everything he said to them sounded stupid and inane, leaving him feeling like a

schoolboy once again, so hed never told her how he felt. When did you get out, Murray, have you seen that little toe rag Ted yet? This morning, No, I havent seen him yet Shirl, Im working on it. Shirl had trained as an accountant and she worked from home, her speciality was looking

after the books, finances and taxes of small business people like Bernie, mechanics,

bricklayers, self employed that kind of thing, she had quite a solid satisfied clientele and must

be pulling in a few bucks, not that youd notice looking at her flat, ever since hed known her she had always been in-between boy friends, he was yet to see one of these in-between boy

friends, she was still looking for Mr Right she said, although hed never thought she was looking very hard, in fact he very much doubted if Mr Right could compete with Mr

Microsoft.

Get yourself a drink, Murray, I wont be a minute Ive just got to finish something for a client. She went into the next room and Murray headed for the fridge, he grabbed a can of V.B. and

had just sat on the lounge when she came back.

Sorry about that, my clients are mostly self employed and cant afford the time during the day. Dont worry about it, you want a beer? She nodded so he got her one from the fridge, she said.

Do you mind if we order pizza and a bottle of wine Murray, instead of going out. No, that would be good, Shirl.

They made small talk while they waited for the pizza to arrive, about old friends alive and

dead, he reminisced about the first time theyd met, she was just starting her business and was trying to get Murrays old man, who had a builders yard, to let her do his books but Pop was having non of it, Murray knew that was the time that he fell madly in love with her, he

remembered she looked so vulnerable as she walked away with her head bowed, but next day

there she was outside Pops office again, Murray went out and told her that Pop was out delivering and wouldnt be back until late afternoon, she thanked him and left, hed mentioned it to Pop when he arrived back from his deliveries but Pop hadnt commented, sure enough next day she was there again, Murray had to admit he was impressed, Pop must

have been impressed as well because she became Pops accountant that day and Murrays secret dream and life long friend.

The pizzas arrived, while Shirl organized them he opened the wine and poured two glasses sat back down and tucked in, Shirl smiled as he tucked into the pizza he ate more than his fair

share, he hadnt realised how hungry he was and with the wine to help it down he made a bit of a pig of himself.

Right, Murray, now tell me about your problem, start at the beginning. So he told her everything that had happened from prison to pizza, she sat quietly listening and

when hed finished, she said. Nobody can say that you have a dull life, Murray, you certainly know how to fill a day, how can I help? Well, before I leave Melbourne there are a few things I have to do and I would appreciate getting these turds off my back for a day or two. First I need a cell phone that cant be traced back, then Ill need a good camera, a digital one, you know the type that you can down load into a computer. She nodded and her eyes began to sparkle.

Murray, youre a devious bastard. Theyre undercover drug squad, if I get photographs of them could you put them over the internet without involving yourself, I thought that would keep them too busy to be chasing

after me, if I can change their status, from being the hunter to being the hunted, it will give

me the couple of days I need. She sat with her chin in her hand for what seemed to Murray an awful long time, and then she

made her mind up and said.

You do realise whats going to happen to them dont you, dont get me wrong, Im not sympathizing with them, most cops are just people trying to feed their families, but I cant stand bent cops and what ever problems these four dirt bags are heading for they deserve

twice over. Its just that the drug barons are very protective of their business, these scumbags wont last two days on the streets. He sat and pondered this as Shirl got together the camera and cell phone and checked the

batteries, Murray came to the conclusion that he didnt give a rats arse what happened to them, they could be crucified outside Flinders St station for all he cared.

Wont I need a tele photo lens on the camera? No, the computer will blow the picture to any size you want, how are you going to find them to snap their pics. Oh, thats easy, the dumb shits left their phone numbers with Bernie, Ill arrange a meeting. Youll come back here afterwards or do you want me to come with you? No, No, Shirl I dont want you involved, these scumbags play rough, Ive been racking my brains for a safe place to lure them, it has to be well lit and have lots of people around. At this time of night Macas would fit that description. Shirl, youre a beauty, thats the ideal place, see you later.

Murray drove into Macas car park, and parked between two four wheel drives, he had a perfect view of the main doors, the car park was in shadow but the lights from the restaurant

blazed away, the neon strips lit up the place like a Christmas tree. Taking a deep breath he

phoned the filth.

Hello, whos this? Never mind who it is, Ive just seen Murray in town and I heard you were looking for him, hes eating a burger at Macas in the city, thought thered be a drink in it for me. Whoever Murray was speaking to slammed the phone down and so he settled back waiting

for them to show, he watched the families come and go, business seemed to be pretty lively,

for everyone who vacated a seat there was someone else waiting to immediately fill it,

Murray scrutinized every vehicle that came into the car park, it was ten minutes later that he

noticed a black Ford drive in, do two laps of the car park and park in front of the main doors,

no-one got out they just sat there so Murray took a couple of snaps of their car and settled

back in his seat waiting.

People came and went and the drug squad still stayed in the car, it was half an hour later that

the rear drivers side door opened and the tallest of the four got out waving his arms, Murray

got a good snap of him as he slammed the door, they seemed to be arguing about something,

as big boy neared the doors of the restaurant the other three got out of the car and followed

him, unfortunately they had their backs to Murray, but it wasnt long before theyd satisfied themselves that Murray wasnt inside eating a chicken burger, as they came out they stood on the top step still arguing and he got some excellent full frontals, walking back to the car the

dumb shits were so intent on their argument that they didnt give the car park another glance, how the hell they had survived undercover in drug land was a mystery to Murray, as they

drove away he could still see their arms waving as they continued the argument.

Murray gave them a couple of minutes then drove back to Shirleys place, he didnt know if she was nervous or just eager but she met him at the door with an air of excitement, pulling

him indoors and bolting the door.

Well, what happened? She demanded. He laid the camera and mobile phone on the table and told her everything that had happened

she listened with rapt attention and when hed finished she jumped up and brought him a beer.

Tomorrow we can start the ball rolling, Shirl. We start the ball rolling right now, the drug world never sleeps, and by tomorrow not only Melbourne but the whole world will know the identity of these scumbags. Ive already written the text that will accompany the photos I think the police will be wanting to have a word with them also, it all depends who catches them first, the crim world, the drug world or

the internal police investigators. He watched as she down loaded the camera, he thought the photographs were quite good but

Shirl wasnt satisfied, she set about enhancing the features of each individual, she then separated them, enlarged them and wiped out the background, then to each photograph she

added the text about their undercover work and their recent freelance activities, this took just

over fifteen minutes.

She pushed her chair back and said.

Would you like to send it on its way? On its way where? How can we know anybodys going to read it? Oh, somebody will read it alright, you see its like this, my computer sends it to someone I know, who will remain nameless, who through a slight shall we say illegality, relays it to a

sort of government library, a library of almost every internet address in the world, believe me

within an hour, everyone in the world who has their computer switched on will be getting an

E-mail, our E-mail. Most people wont be interested reading about our four little piggies and

will delete, but I can assure you there will be quite a few people, especially in old Melbourne

town, who will be very interested indeed, and the sweet thing is anyone who wants to know

were it came from, well, the trail stops at the government library. Without hesitation Murray clicked the mouse that she had indicated, sending the material on

its way, she moved to another computer on her desk,

How long until we receive incoming mail? Five minutes, thirty minutes or an hour maybe, you sit here and time it, Ill go and get us another beer each. As Shirl walked back with the drinks the mail icon started to flash, she smiled and leaned

over and clicked the read mail icon, the photographs and text that they had sent a few

moments before began to slowly scroll up the screen, he had to admit he was very impressed

and told Shirley so.

Ill make up the couch for you, Melbourne will be a very busy and hostile little town tonight, it would be prudent to stay indoors for a while, I can guarantee the four little piggies

will have a very busy night tonight. Why havent we got any mail on the other computer? Cryptically she replied.

What computer? That computer doesnt exist. Hed always known Shirl was clever around electronics and I.T., tonights performance sent his admiration through the roof, fortunately she was very level headed and not at all

vindictive, there was not an ounce of small mindedness in her, which was just as well, with

her skills she would make a terrible and terrifying enemy.

They talked and drank beer, wine and vodka for most of the night, hed never had much endurance when it came to alcohol and he collapsed onto the couch and slept the deep sleep

of the intoxicated.

2nd

February

He awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking and the Eighteen Twelve Overture being

played with hockey sticks beating on a rubbish bin situated on the top of his head, the smell

of eggs and bacon emanated from the kitchen. When he went into the kitchen Shirley was

bending over the stove humming a tune that the radio was blaring out at a high rate of

decibels, something similar to a 747 taking off. Morning, did I wake you? I kept the radio down low, you looked like you needed the rest. She turned around saw his face and full of sympathy, burst out laughing.

So the big tough crims still a two pot screamer, I thought youd have learnt to handle your grog by now. He made no reply, seeing his hangdog look she burst into fits of laughter again, just to show

how concerned for him she was.

This always happened to him when he mixed his drinks. He always swore hed never do it again, and then he remembered the number of times hed made this vow, it must have been nudging four figures.

Sit yourself down Ill cook you something, drink some of this. She handed him a two litre plastic bottle of mango juice, he slowly lifted it to his mouth and

tentatively wet his lips, so far so good, he chanced a swallow and felt it soothing his throat as

it trickled all the way down, in small gulps he downed half the bottle and was feeling almost

human, the orchestra had moved to a spot just above his eyebrows and were now performing

a lively Irish jig, then Shirl put the plate in front of him, bacon, sausage, French toast and two

runny eggs, one of the egg yolks had broken and began to run over the bacon, he charged for

the dunny followed by peals of laughter from Shirl, Murray thought, some women can be

really cruel, couldnt she see he obviously needed top flight medical attention. Turn the telly on, Murray, lets see if the craps hit the fan yet. The last thing he felt he needed right now was more noise; it was still a few minutes early for

the midday news so he finished off the rest of the mango juice.

Its coming on now Shirl if you want to watch it. She came through from the kitchen with two cups of coffee and sat next to him on the

unmade bed.

Police are still investigating the startling revelation of last nights Internet message, which disclosed the identity of four undercover drug investigation officers, complete with

photographs and a list of crimes allegedly committed by these officers, crimes ranging from

grievous bodily harm to robbery with violence, one of the undercover officers had been

admitted to hospital in the early hours of this morning, when interviewed a hospital

spokesperson said that the officer was comfortable after the loss of all the fingers from his

right hand, he would not comment when asked how this had happened, a police spokesman

told the media earlier today that two of the officers concerned were helping the police with

their inquiries and that a fourth officer was still to be accounted for, anybody knowing his

whereabouts please contact your nearest police station this information will be treated as

highly confidential, he went on to state that the present surveillance of the internet was

inadequate and new legislation was needed to curb this mindless and dangerous use of the

internet, he ended by saying that the police will be following back the E-mail message and

expected the arrest of the perpetrators in the very near future, next in.. Murray hit the remote off button, and they both sat in silence until Murray said.

Well Shirl, not bad for a pair of old has beens, eh. I wonder what happened to the fourth little piggy? Probably went wee, wee, wee all the way home. She began to titter and Murray started to laugh, then they were both laughing like a pair of

idiots.

Get your glad rags on Shirl well go and have a counter lunch at the Bervale Inn, Ive got to thank Mick Reynolds and find out what happened after I left. As they pulled into the car park Murray checked the dozen or so parked cars, everything

looked normal, they went into the bar and of course Jacko was still sitting on the same seat

studying the racing form, Murray glanced around taking in every detail, good, everything was

back to normal.

Shirley, Murray, this is a surprise, whatll you have. Murray looked at Shirl who asked for a G and T, Jacko had a beer, Murray then shouted a

Glenfiddich for Jacko, and whatever Mick wanted, which also turned out to be a single

Glenfiddich, when the glasses were charged Shirl proposed a toast.

To the four little piggies. Jacko and Mick looked at each other, it started with a smile and grew into a belly laugh from

all four of them which drew a bit of attention from the other customers, Murray asked Mick

for a menu and sat at a table with Shirl, Mick brought the menu over and sat down, his missus

Sarah waved from the bar and Shirl got up to talk to her, Mick then filled Murray in on what

had happened after hed left through Micks back yard, he said that the four little piggies began to fidget after five minutes then one of them went out to the dunny, seconds later he

came running back out shouting Hes gone with that they all jumped up and ran outside, two came back in and threatened to close Mick down, they were not apparently very happy

little piggies, after Mick denied all knowledge they then left really uptight, returning a few

minutes later even angrier when they discovered that they had two flat tires, asking Mick to

phone a garage, Mick told them there was a public phone in the passageway, this set them off

arguing with one another again.

Murray thanked him for the use of the key and they shook hands.

Murray thought to himself, Mick is one of those few fair dinkum blokes you meet in life, in

Murrays opinion youre a lucky bloke to have a mate like Mick, his parents had always said when they were schoolmates, that they were as thick as thieves yet Mick has never committed

a crime in his life, he just looks after his mates, when Mick was working in a bottle shop in

Moonie Ponds and started getting serious about his missus, Sarah, Murray had suggested if he

was seriously planning on getting married he should think about a proper job, Mick told

Murray that they were saving to try and buy their own pub but at the rate they were going

theyd be old and grey before they had enough, Murray asked if he had his eye on any pub in particular, Mick said he knew of a little starter pub in the Dandenongs, just right for him to

learn the trade, the next day Murray gave Mick an envelope containing fifty grand telling him

to pay it back when he could, no hurry, that was almost twelve years ago and Mick and Sarah

through hard work had prospered.

They both joined Shirl and Sarah at the bar the food forgotten; Murray bought another round

and included Sarah this time, not able to add anything intelligent to the girls conversation about clothes and shops he turned to Jacko who said.

That was some trick you pulled, mate, Id take my hat off to you if I had one, as they say in some circles, a right royal shafting. Dont get upset with me Jacko, but that bit of information is for your ears only, I know Im stating the obvious but I feel very protective towards Shirl, you do understand Jacko, yeh, no

offence meant but shes a bit more vulnerable than me. Okay mate. How can someone as smart as you be such a dill, Murray, why would I take offence? And another thing when are you going to make an honest women out of that girl, everyones been waiting for years for you to pull your finger out, as for the E-mail I knew it could only have

been you, Shirls safe in here but tell her, nowhere else, there again knowing Shirl for as long as we have I dont think you will have to tell her anything. Now tell me have you seen Cecil and Ted yet? Not yet Jacko, I phoned Ted to let him know I was out, I think Ill let them stew for a while mate, down the hatch with that one, Shirleys just bought another round, Im beginning to get the feeling this is going to turn into an all-day session. They got back to Shirls pad around eight that evening, they were both shattered after Murrays belated coming out party, Shirl put on a sad face when he broke the news that hed be leaving the next day, in a subdued mood they sat on the makeshift bed and watched the

telly, Shirls head was on his shoulder and she began to slowly undo the buttons on his shirt then she began to rub his chest he started to stroke her hair.

I really missed you, Murray. Are you serious? Very, Ive had a crush on you since the first day I saw you in your dads yard, why did you think I kept going back? To see Pop. To see you of course. What a pair of idiots weve been, youre the only women Ive ever thought of, I dream of you constantly, Ive wasted all that time because I was too shy to tell you how I felt, I thought Id spoil our friendship if I told you. Thats exactly what I thought too, so lets not waste any more time. She stood up and taking his hand they went into her bedroom, Murrays fantasies were becoming a reality at last.

3rd

February

They both woke up as the sun shone through the window, Murray stepped into the shower

and Shirl followed him, no man could have enjoyed a shower as much as he did that morning,

and after a shave and a breakfast of coffee and toast he got his stuff together and he was at the

door when she said.

Do you want me to come with you? I didnt like to ask Shirl, I thought youd be too busy, Id love you to come but its business, serious business. Ill be back when its done, I promise. Okay, dont forget were I live. Just dont move or Ill hunt you down. She laughed, they had a long clingy kiss and he turned to wave as he left.

On the way to the Volkswagen, Murray felt like he could have kicked himself, hed never find another women like Shirl, and here he was walking away from her again, theyd never had any romantic attachment until now, but had both skated around the edges of a serious

fling, content to just fantasise about each other, they were comfortable with each other like no

other couple he knew, he then made a serious promise to himself, after this business was over

he would do something about Shirl, and of course he thought, neither of us are getting any

younger.

He drove down the Princes Highway to Geelong, found the main post office and enquired if a

letter had been delivered for him.

Name please and Ill need some identification. John Jeffrey Murray, will a drivers licence be enough? Yes sir that will do fine, Ill go and find out about your letter. She came back after a few minutes with a white envelope, checked his drivers licence, handed over the envelope and turned to the next customer; he pocketed the letter and strolled

back to the V.W. He drove to the next block and locking the car went into the shopping

centre for a coffee, he took out the envelope and examined it, his name, poste restante and the

address of the post office was neatly typed on the front with no return address, inside the

envelope was a sheet of paper with a phone number, nothing more, just a phone number for a

mobile phone, Murrays mind went back five days to that last Saturday afternoon before his release, hed been watching the footy match, B Wing were playing D Wing, when he returned to his cell he spotted the piece of paper on his pillow, the note was short and said that a letter

which would be to his advantage would be at Geelong Post Office, his first thought was that

someone was having a lend of him, he screwed it up and flushed it down the dunny, but for

the next three days the note kept popping back into his head, so he decided it wouldnt cost him anything to check it out, but what does he do if this was someones idea of a joke, what the hell he thought, Ill go along with it. Back in the car he sat for a few minutes then making up his mind he placed the call on the

phone that Shirl had given him, after three rings a mans voice said. Hello whos calling please? Ive just collected your number from the Post Office. Good, theres a room booked in the name of Mr Jay at the Sunshine Motel in Caloundra, Queensland, number seventeen, for the fifteenth of this month, I will contact you there. Whoa, before I go anywhere I want to know what this is all about. Is your phone safe? Hundred percent. Im impressed, you come highly recommended, we will work together once only and I can assure you, you will not have to work again, Mr Jay, are you in or out? In.

The phone went dead, the mysterious benefactor had hooked his fish and rang off and Murray

now had another name to add to his long list of aliases, Mr Jay. He next rang a number in

Melbourne a printer friend who lived in Northcote and arranged for the paperwork for a Mr

Jay, the printer still had some photographs from the last bit of business hed had with Murray and told him the package would be ready in three days, usual papers, usual price, Murray

agreed and rang off.

He went back into the shopping centre, this time to shop, first an overnight bag then toiletries,

a pair of jeans, two cotton shirts, jocks, socks and a pair of thick soled runners and lastly a

good strong briefcase, now he was ready to roll.

He headed back to Melbourne, stopping at a florist he bought a large bunch of bright crimson

roses, when he arrived back at Shirls unit, from the reception Shirl gave him anyone would think hed been away for weeks not hours, the flowers were forgotten as she dragged him into the bedroom.

Murray asked Shirl if she could take a few days off for a little trip away from Melbourne,

Shirl squealed with delight and gave Murray a long lingering kiss, saying shed pack an overnight bag, she then bustled around like an excited schoolgirl going to Luna Park, they

drove to Lakes Entrance and booked into a hotel.

4th

6th February The next couple of days they both thought, like all lovers do, that life couldnt get better than this, oblivious to everyone they were in their own piece of heaven, Shirl was everything hed dreamed shed be, they made sex with a regularity and passion that amazed them both, it wasnt all sex though, they talked through the night baring their souls to each other, sometimes into the small hours of the false dawn.

He told her of becoming Mr Jay and the promise of a prospective job that would give them

the means to retire, the news that he would have to go to Queensland didnt go down well at all, not that she said anything, just dropped her shoulders and looked at the ground, Murray

picked up on it and felt awful. She perked up when he suggested they go down and eat

breakfast in the hotel restaurant, afterwards they went for a walk hand in hand like teenagers,

the next few days went like a dream, sleeping, reading, swimming in the not very warm

heated pool, they visited a craft shop and after taking his purchases to their room he spent a

couple of hours putting in place a false bottom in the briefcase where he stashed the money

and I.D.s. On the third day he phoned his printer friend who told him his order was ready to be picked

up, so sadly they packed their bags and headed back to Melbourne, they called at the printers,

where Murray insisted that Shirl should stay in the car, trying to keep her isolated from his

dodgy life style, the photograph that the printer had used was an old one, it showed him with

a blonde head of hair and a moustache to match, pleased with the workmanship Murray

settled up with him and added a little bonus, now he thought he should get out of Melbourne

as soon as possible, before returning to Shirls flat they visited a chemist and collected some dye and some gum Arabic there was no use having identification if you didnt at least attempt to look like the photo, again Shirl found his new appearance hilarious saying that he looked

like one of her old university lecturers who was a real dork, he picked up on this remark and

decided that was how he would promote himself on this Queensland job, a knowledgeable

geek, if he decided to go ahead with the gig.

Even though he still had eight days to get to the motel Murray decided he would take a slow

circuitous route to give him time to check out the lay of the land, and get into the right mind

set, he knew if he stayed with Shirl for much longer he wouldnt fancy going at all so he decided to head north the next day.

They went out for dinner, and when they got back to the flat they finished a bottle of red wine

and went to bed arm in arm.

7th

February

Murray had been up the coast road a couple of times so he decided to try the inland route, and

it turned out to be a most satisfying trip, the transition from the Victorian countryside to the

tropical splendour of Queensland was quite startling, as he travelled north the weather was

noticeably warmer and so were the people, stopping every afternoon at a motel or pub he

phoned Shirl letting her know were he was staying, they usually spoke for about half an hour

ending with kisses and declarations of love, words hed never ever thought hed hear himself say to Shirl, he pulled over to watch the flocks of colourful birds, hed seen parrots and galahs before but never in such profusion the flocks numbered in their thousands, the emus

that raced alongside his car amused him, and the massive wedge tailed eagle circling over

head waiting for some victim of road kill, maybe a kangaroo or wallaby hit by a road train

He found the friendliness and hospitality of the people a welcome change from the city rat

race, at first he was suspicious when for no reason strangers spoke to you as though theyd known you for years, not being used to this openness it took him a while to come to terms

with it, but once he had he was surprised to find himself feeling quite comfortable discussing

the weather or the football with total strangers.

All too soon he was on the Sunshine Coast at Caloundra, having first checked on the map the

whereabouts of the motel where he was to meet his mysterious employer, he drove past the

Sunshine Motel twice, he hadnt expect to spot anything out of the ordinary and he wasnt disappointed but not liking surprises he always checked everything, the appointment was for

the next day so he booked into a hotel further down town.

Hed always treated his work with caution always walking away from anything which he thought had too much risk of capture, no thats wrong he always walked away if there was any risk of capture, over the years hed fine tuned his instincts and was proud of the fact that he was never a hungry thief. He had walked away from lots of jobs that had seemed to be

foolproof, some he later found out went off like a dream, but the majority of the work he had

turned down ended in disaster, it wasnt just the risk that made him shy away, his whole lifestyle was a risk, no, it was some indefinable survival thing that sets the alarm bells

wringing in his head whenever he feels something is about to go pear shaped.

Up till now he was impressed with the security on the present job, lying on his bed he went

over what he knew so far, someone who knew him had obviously recommended him and

someone else was going to no small trouble to remain anonymous, at least until tomorrow, so

when it was all rendered down he didnt really know diddley-squat until tomorrow and thats the way he liked it, so he stopped thinking about it, turned over and was soon asleep.

15th

February

Next morning he had breakfast at the hotel and left about ten thirty, fifteen minutes later he

was at the Sunshine Motel collecting the key to unit seventeen, it was a typical motel room,

bed, cabinet, fridge, shower, telly and phone.

He was playing a game of Chinese patience on the bed when there was a knock on the door,

going to the shower he took two glasses off the shelf, and put them next to the bottle of

whisky on the cabinet, there was a louder knock this time and he opened the door.

Mr Jay I presume, may I come in. Oh, sure, sorry I was sleeping, yes come in. Murrays visitor was about the same age as Murray, brown hair cut short, definitely middle European origin with a strong Australian influence in his speech so Murray surmised he was

not a recent immigrant, Murray guessed his brown skin was not all suntan, first impressions

and Murray got the immediate picture of a timber wolf, those people who thought wolves

were handsome would say that Murrays visitor was a very good looking carnivore, about five eight tall he seemed to Murray to be almost that wide across the shoulders, as he came in

Murray noticed his grey eyes swept the room, he moved well on the balls of his feet,

definitely a predator to be watched very closely.

Would you care for a drink? No thank you, I have reserved a table at a nearby restaurant we can talk over lunch. You can call me Mr Wren. Murray sat in the passenger seat of Mr Wrens car, which he had noticed had Queensland plates and he made a mental note of the number, not that he expected it to lead anywhere, it

was more from habit than hope, as they drove to the restaurant, Murray might as well have

been alone for all the notice Mr Wren took of him, they sat at a table overlooking the beach,

Mr Wren ordered the lobster and a half bottle of red wine and Murray ordered the sirloin

steak and a large beer, the drinks arrived first and Mr Wren seemed to thaw a little.

We have one more recruit, a Mr Crow, you will meet him tomorrow, I expect to take with a minimum of fuss, between one and a half and two and a half million dollars in cash, I know

there is never less than the low figure and never more than the higher figure. Murray almost choked on his drink and finished with a coughing fit, Mr Wren, with a grin on

his face, reached over and slapped his back, which gave Murray a chance to regain a small

measure of normalcy.

Sorry about that you caught me unawares. Mr Hawk leaned back on his chair with that crocodile smile still on his face, Murray noticed

the humour never reached his eyes, which remained like two chips of granite, he was about to

say something else but stopped as the waiter arrived with their meals, nothing else was said

as they ate, Murrays mind was spinning, between one and a half and two and a half mill was a healthy piece of change, depending on the split, no matter which way you looked at it,

Murray thought to himself that he would certainly have to keep his eyes out for the pot-holes,

yes, money in such quantities usually went hand in hand with greed and treachery, he would

certainly have to keep his wits about him, starting right now, his first priority was insurance,

he had to know who his partners were on this venture, hed seen, more often than he liked to remember, what greed did to normally solid people, although Murray expected greed from

his associates he would have been horrified if anyone had accused him of greed, it would

have been interesting to hear his excuse for stealing.

As though Mr Wren had read Murrays mind he excused himself to go to the gents, when he was out of sight Murray leaned back and took a wine glass off the table behind him, tipped

Mr Wrens wine into it and wrapping the original glass in a serviette he put it in the inside pocket of his coat, Murray had finished eating when his employer returned and Mr Wren

ordered another half bottle of wine and another beer for Murray.

The first thing I need to know, Mr Jay, can you open a Wilson Brothers strong box without the destruction of the contents, the second thing I need to know is, if you can, how long will it

take you? I can understand why you would want a time frame for opening this particular box, I assume you are aware of the novel little extras that this box has built into it, top of the list must be the location alarm built into the unit, to move the box fifty centimetres in any direction upsets

the Global positioning, this Global positioning is set by a switch inside the box, the box is

then locked, two minutes after moving the box outside this fifty centimetre tolerance

everything inside is coated by a release of a printers dye, once the dye touches the money

only the Federal bank is empowered to exchange it, the next little goodie is the combination

lock, this is tamper proof, it is a work of art designed with zero tolerance anyone turning the

dial must know the numbers, put one wrong number on the dial and a direct alarm is beamed

to the two nearest police stations and again the contents are coated with dye, and finally the

Wilsons best kept secret, the metal that the box is made of is an amalgam of some of the hardest metals ever used for security, an oxyacetylene cutter doesnt make any impression on it you could grow old trying to open this box with an oxy-acetylene mixture, the mixture of

the metal is a closely guarded secret, I have the greatest admiration for the Wilson safe. So you cant open it? I dont remember saying that, although I admire their thinking in designing such a box, there are a few flaws, such as when the box is in transit the Global positioner must be switched off,

this allows transportation anywhere, again there is a problem because the box also has a

battery powered homing device built into it, this device is switched on whenever the Global

Positioner is switched off, which is whenever the box is in transit and informs the owner

exactly were his precious box is at any given time, from what Ive just mentioned I assume our box is stationary, without knowing the dimensions of the room or the materials used to

build the room I can only give a guestimate based on the one and only forced entry ever

committed on a Wilson. So its true a Wilson has been opened, everybody has heard the rumours, Im afraid I only half believed them. A Wilson can be made to disgorge its contents believe me, next problem how much time do we have? The two guards are changed every four hours, maximum fifteen minutes to disable them, half hour for the getaway that leaves three and a quarter hours, will that be enough? Well be cutting it fine but I would say its a goer Mr Wren, next question is when? Ill need to get quite a lot of materials which should take three or four days. Our next window is in ten days time, can you be ready by then? Ten days, you really do play your cards close to your chest, dont get me wrong I like the way you do things, anything that is designed to protect my liberty has my whole hearted

support, another important little detail, hows the money split? I was wondering how long it would take you to get around to that, I shall stand all expenses which will come off the top of the take, the remainder will be split four ways, one share for

each of the players and one share for my informant, agreed? When Murray nodded he continued.

First we need a list of your requirements, then tomorrow we will meet Mr Crow, for the moment thats enough information, Ill drop you off at your motel. Back in his room Murray took Mr Wrens wine glass out of his pocket and holding it up to the light he looked for clear fingerprints, he could see three or four clear prints and a few

smudged ones that were of no use, hed picked up the wine glass by the stem so he wiped this clean, wrapping the glass in toilet paper he put it carefully in his briefcase, then he lay on the

bed and thought of what little he knew.

Murray couldnt keep his thoughts disciplined, the size of the pay-off kept popping into his head, hed worked it out that his share would be between three hundred and seventy five thousand dollars upwards to six hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, these figures kept

gnawing away inside his head and then a thought struck him, maybe that was Mr Wrens intention, to keep him focused on the money and stop him thinking of anything else and it

had almost worked, the more he thought about it the more convinced he was that this was

indeed the case, in future he would have to be aware of Mr Wrens manipulation. If he needed to keep Murray tracked in to the money there must be something he doesnt want Murray to know just yet, yes indeed, Murray thought he would have to keep an open

mind about this enterprise at least until he knew more about it, so he forced his mind back to

his original thought, up to this moment what did he know?

The answer was, not very much at all, theres a box guarded by two guards and its full of money, nothing very helpful there, so he put that line of thought away until tomorrow and

getting some paper and a pen began to itemise the equipment he would need to open the

famed Wilson Brothers Safe, when hed finished he went over the list again all the basic equipment hed need was on the list, over the next couple of days he would probably be adding to the list as more information was given to him.

16th

February

Mr Wren arrived at Murrays motel room about ten the next morning, Murray gave him the list of the materials he would need, Mr Wren said hed study it later but right now they had to collect Mr Crow, they drove about ten ks to a place called Golden Beach were they pulled into the car park looking down onto the beach, Mr Wren got out and told Murray to wait a

moment then went across to a Toyota Cruiser with Victorian plates, after saying something to

the driver he returned and they drove back towards Caloundra, the Cruiser fell in behind, ten

minutes later they pulled in at a road side diner, the Cruiser parked next to Mr Wrens car. All three then went inside the diner and sat in a corner booth next to the window, Mr Wren

ordered a plate of sandwiches and three coffees, while they waited for their order to arrive they introduced themselves to Mr Crow.

Mr Crow was a big man, a very big man, it was plain to see he would be the muscle, if things

got a bit sticky he was the one who was supposed to handle it, he was quite a bit taller than

Murray and built like a Sherman tank, he definitely worked out on the weights, Murray felt as

though he should know him, he seemed to be familiar in some way, he dismissed this thought

because there was no way he would ever not remember a player of the dimensions of Mr

Crow, his black hair was cut close to the skull resembling Hollywoods idea of a Prussian army officer, his neck being almost nonexistent, all in all the impression Murray got was of

being in the presence of the last Neanderthal, this impression was only physical, there was

nothing wrong with Mr Crows mind, he dismissed the introductions with a curt. Whats the deal? Mr Hawk gave him the same speech that he had given to Murray, when he got to the part

about the money Mr Crow gave a sharp intake of breath and immediately asked.

How many are involved and whats the split? Just the three of us and the person I received the information from, making four, after expenses the take will be split four ways. Thats a bit high just for information, isnt it? You get what you pay for, the split is non-negotiable. Mr Hawk had an icy edge to his voice as he gave this reply, the tone and the answer went

straight over Mr Crows head, and without a care in the world he then asked the no-no question.

Who is this guy that gave you the information? How reliable is he? You could have cut the tension with a knife; Murray looked at Mr Hawks face, the latent violence bubbling just below the surface was under control but ready to explode at any

moment.

Mr Crow you came highly recommended, as one professional to another you must know that that information is none of your business. Okay, well skip that for now, next Id like to know wheres the job and when does it go down? Mr Crow if you stay around me long enough you will learn that I only give out information on a need to know basis, when I think you need to know I will tell you, now for your decision

are you in or out?

At that moment the waiter delivered our sandwiches and coffee, Mr Crow ignored his food

and looked out the window for a few minutes before saying what Murray knew he would.

Im in. He then slipped his jacket off, his short-sleeved shirt revealed tattooed forearms, on his left

arm a mermaid and on his right a dolphin, he attacked the sandwiches as though he hadnt seen food for a long time, having had a big breakfast and not in the least bit hungry Murray

pushed the plate of sandwiches towards Mr Crow, picking up his coffee Murray leaned back

and quietly studied the huge troglodyte, it was bugging him were hed seen Mr Crow before. Dont say much do you Mr Jay, were do you come from then? Perth, and you, Mr Crow? Im from Victoria myself, thats probably why weve never worked together before, eh, and whats your special talent I dont think I have a special talent Im more a sort of jack of all trades. Turn your hand to anything, eh. Murray nodded and noticed that Mr Hawk was looking at him keenly; he could see a question

in Mr Hawks grey eyes. Mr Crow then asked.

And where are you from, Mr Hawk? Oh, Im a local boy, Mr Crow, a born and bred banana bender. When they had finished their snacks Mr Hawk said to Mr Crow.

You are booked into the same motel as Mr Jay in three days time I will come and collect you both, be packed and ready to leave about ten A.M. in the meantime you are free to do as

you please, do not attract any unnecessary attention to yourselves, theres nothing more to say, Ill take you back to the motel in my car Mr Jay, Mr Crow can follow us. On the way back to the motel Mr Hawk said.

You seem very pensive Mr Jay, what do you think of Mr Crow? Hes big. Surely you have more to say than that, does he fit the bill, and more to the point, can you work with him? As Ive already asked what do you think of him? I pride myself on knowing most of Victorias heavies and Im sure Ive seen Mr Crow before but I cant remember from where and that is unsettling me, how could I not remember a muscle that size, any other time Ive felt this way Ive cut and run, my instincts tell me I should bolt, how good is your recruiting agent, he wouldnt slip you a dummy would he? My recruiting agent as you call him is good, but I see your point, I shall have another check run on our Mr Crow, he may just turn out to be a person who likes to ask questions or he may

turn out to be something entirely different. Ill keep you up to date on what I find out. 17

th February

The following afternoon Murray got a call on his mobile from Mr Hawk to say that hed had two independent checks done on Mr Crow and that everything had checked out, Murray lay

on his bed still feeling uneasy, something was niggling at his brain, were and when had he

seen Mr Crow before? It kept going around and around in his head, as he lay there he

methodically went through his memory, back over the last few years, but nothing about Mr

Crow popped into focus, maybe he should stop trying to force the memory out and hope that

if it was important it would come of its own choice, not really believing this he phoned Shirl maybe she could help.

Good afternoon, can I ask whos calling please. Its me, Shirl, how are things in the big city. Are you using the phone I gave you? Yes, why whats the problem. It seems the fourth little piggy never learned how to swim he turned up floating down the Yarra.

Is there any flak coming our way? No, theyve done the usual round-up of the usual families, you know the score, makes it look as though theyre doing something, but you didnt call just to hear the latest gossip, what can I help with, love? He explained about Mr Crow, gave her his description, height, weight, build, approximate

age, the tattoos on each fore arm and the plate number of the car he was driving, he then asked if she could run a check on him, she told him to call back in six hours and then she

broke the connection without any small talk whatsoever not even a goodbye, Murray assumed

that there was now probably a customer with Shirl.

Feeling a bit peckish Murray left his unit and went to the motel restaurant for a snack and a

nightcap, the first voice he heard was Mr Crows, he was sitting at the bar flanked by two chicks, they had their backs to him so he sat in a booth were he could see and hear them, the pretty young waitress came over for his order, she looked about thirteen years of age but was

probably seventeen or eighteen, working the graveyard shift on a casual basis and paid

peanuts, so much for politicians and labour leaders, greedy bastards the lot of them, God, he

thought Im beginning to get maudlin, I must be slipping, he had an innate hatred of greed in all its guises, he got a grip on himself and ordered burger and fries and a large beer then he sat back and listened to the tale Mr Crow was spinning to the two chicks, they seemed happy

to listen to his bullshit as long as he kept their glasses topped up and they seemed to be very

thirsty young ladies who knew how to keep a bartender busy.

The place began to fill with customers; Murray had finished the burger and was halfway

down on his beer when Mr Crow spotted him and made his way over.

Ive got two chicks, want to share? No thanks, Im happily married. How can you be both, happy and married? Just lucky I guess. He was slurring his words slightly so Murray assumed hed been at the grog all afternoon, Murray finished his beer, said goodnight to Mr Crow and went back to his room.

When he next phoned Shirl, typically she asked who it was.

Its me, get anything? Nothing Im afraid, hes as pure as a new born babe, not so much as a parking ticket I even phoned Jacko, he knew nothing, I tried New South Wales and South Australia as well. A total

blank Im afraid, Ill try the other states and let you know when you phone tomorrow, if it helps at all I think you might be on to something, nobody is a total blank in this age of

electronic information, theres something screwy here, it might help if you can tell me what its about. Not really Shirl, I dont want you involved, lets just say hes a prospective partner in our retirement plan. In that case Murray, Id say go with your instincts, wait a minute, did you say our retirement plan, our, meaning what I think it means. You heard right Shirl, what do you reckon? You always were a smooth romantic bastard, this has got to be the proposal to beat all proposals, a bloody retirement plan, Murray you beat them all, you really do. He could hear her laughing and she was still laughing as she put the phone down, he

reckoned hed never understand how a womans mind works, maybe the laugh meant yes, on the other hand maybe she was just laughing at him, whichever it was he was still non the

wiser.

He thought of what shed said about Mr Crow and decided to phone Mr Hawk, Murray told him what hed learnt or I should say what he hadnt learnt about Mr Crow and he suggested

they should have a meeting at the place theyd had breakfast, he then hung up, Murray switched off his bedside light and was asleep within minutes

.

18th

February

Murray was woken about eight the next morning by a delivery truck on the highway using the

air brakes, he showered, shaved and got dressed, taking a half carton of orange juice from the

fridge, he paced up and down the room trying to make a decision on whether he should cut

and run or should he wait and see how it panned out, finishing the juice he decided to phone

Shirley to see if shed managed to find anything. When she eventually answered she gave a big loud yawn.

Im sorry did I wake you up Shirl. I havent been to bed yet, its taken all night to find out that this bloke doesnt exist anywhere in Australia, no tax file, absolutely nothing, there are a couple of government sites I

cant get into, if thats were he is then hes very bad news Murray, please watch your back, this retirement plan has to have a Darby as well as a Joan remember. Okay Shirl, I have to meet someone now so Ill talk to you later, Bye. He was still non the wiser and full of indecision as he drove to meet Mr Hawk, as he was

passing the shopping centre he spotted Mr Hawks car in the car park, thinking it was a bit early for him to be shopping he carried on to the roadhouse, he was half way through his

coffee when Mr Hawk came in, Murray ordered another coffee as he sat down.

Well Mr Jay, time is running out, tell me the situation as you see it and leave nothing out. Mr Hawk, my contact is a computer whiz, the best Ive ever seen, if there is anything you want to know about anybody my contact will find it in a matter of hours, not just Australia, I

mean world wide, an hour ago I was told there is no indication anywhere that Mr Crow exists

or ever existed, unless his persona is part of a government site, if this is the case we are up

shit creek without a paddle. Mr Hawk stared into his coffee his hand nervously rubbing his chin.

Im sorry to have involved you in this, Mr Jay, please accept my apologies, we will have to cancel and I shall have a strong word or two with my recruiter, it was such a sweet score,

again I cant stress how sorry I am. Murray couldnt believe he was saying it when he said. The job can still be a goer, if Mr Crow knows as much about it as I do which is nothing, then we just dont go back to the motel, leave him there kicking his heels and flexing his muscles. Mr Hawks head came up and the light was back in his cold grey eyes. Are you serious, youd still do it? You know because of the box the job cant be done without you, were can we get a third man at such short notice though, it definitely needs a

three man team, another problem Mr Crow can describe the pair of us. His head sank down again, Murray watched Mr Hawks jaw muscles tensing and could tell he was working himself up to do damage to someone, there was no percentage in that, violence

was not the way to salvage anything from their predicament, they had to have a clear head if

they were going to recover any control of this job.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself, we need clear heads if were going to salvage this job, now starting from the beginning tell me every detail about the job, first I need the name of your

recruiter, I know this is a no-no question but I really need to know, the time for security

between us is well and truly over, if were going to come out of this ahead of the game I need to know every thing, as you said time is at a premium, so if you still want to have a go, I need

to know everything.

Murray could see by the expression on Hawks face that he was struggling about telling him anything, professional to the end, Murra