Phryne had spent the better part of an hour in the foyer, already dressed for lunch. She had seen Matthews and his daughter leave for the golf course; now, she was waiting for Jack to emerge. As if on cue, he stepped out of the elevator and studiously ignored her. She waved at him, until, from pure awkwardness (people were starting to stare), he gave up and approached her. "Yes?" he scowled.
"No need for that, Jack; they've left."
He instantly dropped the scowl. "Waiting for Reynolds?"
She gave a warm smile. "No, waiting for you, he's just my excuse for being here. I spoke to Miss Matthews earlier. You were right about her being direct by the way - she'd give Mac a run for her money - anyway, as I thought, there is an excellent reason she is immune to your charms."
He stared at her blankly for a moment, not following at first, "Oh... are you sure?"
"She was exceptionally forthright in her approach."
"A potential blackmail weakness, especially if she is blatant about her preference. And obviously career-limiting."
"Yes, and from what you have said, Matthews would not take kindly to a threat against his daughter. One other thing: I spoke to my policeman, as you call him..." Jack smiled. "...he says Matthews is the majority owner of the construction company working on this side of the bridge. Also, he confirmed all the evidence they need has been gathered from the site so there's no reason for it to remain closed."
"Broadbent?"
She nodded. Her eyes drifted over Jack's shoulder. "Damn, my date's here, scowl at me Jack," she said, leaning in as though she was going to kiss him. Jack instinctively jerked back to avoid her lips. The woman sitting in front of him now was not his Phryne, just a shallow facsimile. Her bitter laugh echoed through the foyer. "You better make up your mind. I won't be around forever," she said, standing to walk straight into Reynolds' arms.
"I thought it was over between you two," Reynolds commented as he led her into the dining room.
"Let's just say I'm considering my options," she replied.
"I hope you are including me as one of those," he said suavely as he pulled out her chair.
"It really is too early to say. Why don't you tell me about yourself," she invited. After thirty minutes of inane smiling and making suitably appreciative noises, she tried to steer the conversation to her topic of interest. "How do you think this week's game will go?" His response took another twenty minutes of mundane detail that made her consider piercing her eardrums - Jack really owed her big time for dumping this arrogant fool on her. "So you think the new coach is better than O'Kane?"
"He drinks a lot less, so that's a start."
"Oh, a drinker is he? Do you think he's disappeared on a bender, then?"
"That, or decided to go off in search of that daughter of his."
How interesting, she thought, he had a daughter. "Run away with some bloke he doesn't approve of, has she?"
Reynolds laughed, "If there had been even the remotest chance a man was involved in her disappearance, O'Kane would have been over the moon. No, it's more likely she's been kept hidden somewhere by Matthew's daughter. These progressive women stick together like glue," he said with a sneer. Phryne broke a piece of French stick off, imagining it was Reynolds' neck. The motivations for the killing were becoming more complicated and Jack was not going to be happy with the direction in which things were heading.
Jack watched Matthews striding towards him from the golf course. He was glad he had been able to avoid playing. Golf held no interest for him, being just an expensive reason to go for a stroll, as far as he could see. "John, glad you could make it. Let me introduce Dave Porter." Jack shook hands with the elderly man beside Matthews. "Dave is looking to purchase the team from me. I just need to convince him that our luck is turning."
Porter laughed good-naturedly, "If I wasn't a believer in my own luck I wouldn't be looking to buy a league team," he assured them. "But that's just a bit of fun. What I really want is the construction business."
Jack made a mental note to ask Phryne to get her policeman to look into the financials of the team. He looked around, "Miss Matthews?"
Matthews looked pleased at his enquiry. "She's still on the course. We only did nine holes; she doesn't consider that a proper game. She'll join us when she's finished all eighteen."
It occurred to Jack then that there was a very good reason Matthews was being so friendly, which meant either he was unaware of his daughter's preferences (though that seemed unlikely given the obvious closeness between the two), or it was possible, devoted father that he was, he hadn't thought it through. Either way, it was a complication he didn't need. "If you'll excuse me gents, I'll go join her." There was probably nothing he could have said that would have made Matthews happier. Jack wandered along the paths and found her on the 13th hole.
"Come to romance me, Mr Robertson?" she asked without looking up from her ball.
Jack waited until she had taken her stroke. "No, I only just realised how it might look from your perspective and wanted to let you know that I have no intention of forcing my attentions on you."
She actually stopped, looking up at him. "Well, there is clearly more to you than I thought. No wonder Philly is in love with you." He shrugged, wishing desperately that that wasn't just part of Phryne's cover story. "The two of you are actually well suited, you should reconsider your decision."
"I'm afraid that the differences between us are too great."
She measured up her shot, "I think people are often driven to be what others expect rather than what they would really like to be. Having someone who loves you for who you are makes a hell of a lot of difference. I would be a completely different person if my father didn't accept me as I am."
"Philly told me of your conversation. It's a lonely life you've chosen," Jack remarked as he picked up her golf bag and followed her to the next tee.
When they got there she rifled through the clubs to find the right driver, seemingly unsurprised by his revelation of Phryne's lack of discretion. "I'd rather be on my own than compromise. You're the same, I've seen you look at Philly. Do you seriously want me to believe that you'll settle for anything less than her?"
Jack was surprised to hear himself answer, "You're right, if I can't have her, I won't bother having anyone."
"What would it take for you to have her, I wonder," she paused, lining up her club.
"Balance," he replied, "I need to know that we can find a balance that keeps us both happy and on an even keel. I might not get everything I want and she may be the same, but if we each get enough, I think it could work."
She nodded, "Sounds simple enough." She struck the ball and they watched it disappear down the green.
When Jack returned to the hotel he found Phryne sitting in the foyer. She had changed again, ready for an evening on the town. His heart sunk at the thought of her spending more time with Reynolds. Though he accepted the need for her to gain his confidence, he would have enjoyed an evening with her on his arm, here in a city where he wasn't a police officer.
"Go get changed, Jack, and meet me here in thirty minutes," she whispered as she walked past him, pressing a match box emblazoned with The Ambassadors Cafe in his hand. He didn't get a chance to reply but tightened his fingers around the box, went straight to his room, changed and left by the back entrance rather than risk running into Matthews. Tonight the case could look after itself - it was after all supposed to be a balance.
She was at the bar when he walked into the club. There was a man already beside her and at least two others keeping a watching eye on her. The moment she saw him though, she excused herself and came to him, placing her hand on his arm. "So, tell me, Jack Robinson, why have you never offered to take me dancing?"
"Back home, every place you dance at would empty within sixty seconds of me walking in, Miss Fisher."
"You have a point," she conceded, "so tonight you will have to make up for all the dances in Melbourne we can never have." She indicated a table in a dark corner where they had no option but to sit close. "But business first: O'Kane has a daughter and she's gone missing. Reynolds believes Miss Matthews is hiding her. And he knows her interests are strictly in the fairer sex."
"Hmm, that could make things difficult for her. I can believe she's hiding her but I don't think they are lovers." Phryne raised her eyebrows. "I was subjected to another of her frank discussions earlier today." he explained. "Also, Matthews is selling the team and his construction business. Here's the name of the preferred buyer." He handed her a note, "Can you have a chat with your policeman, see if he can dig up anything on the financials of the club and the buyer?"
Phryne took the note and placed it in her bag. "My lunch with Reynolds was not a great deal of fun, Inspector, and I'm meeting him tomorrow for a drink at some club function."
"If it counts for anything I am not keen on Miss Mathews and her horribly insightful comments. Shall I arrange to be at the function too?" he asked, pleased when she nodded her agreement. "Good. If you have nothing more on the case what say we put that to the side." He stood holding out his hand, "Shall we dance, Miss Fisher?"
She smiled as she stood, "I was honestly starting to think you would never ask, Inspector."
"Miss Matthews." Jack approached her as she waited for her father to join her for breakfast. "I have a favour to ask." She looked at him with interest. "I've been thinking… about Philly and… well, I'd like to give it another go." She smiled. "But she's going on another date with Reynolds to this afternoon's function…"
"And you were wondering if I could get you in?' Jack nodded. "And if I do, you plan to declare yourself to Philly?" Jack nodded again. "Meet me at four o'clock, down here."
"Thank you."
As he passed Matthews on his way out he was given a wink. "Will I see you later today?"
"Yes, Miss Matthews and I will be at the function after practice."
"Good work." He slapped Jack on the back, striding off before Jack could say anything more.
Jack wondered what he should do next. Phryne would be out most of the morning conducting her enquiries, so he went back to his room and changed clothes. Slipping out the back door, he headed down to the bridge construction site. He had yet to see where O'Kane's body had been found and he was starting to doubt Broadbent's information. Scaling the fence, Jack scanned the site for points of reference from Broadbent's file notes, recognising the shed come office behind which the shallow grave had been dug. Beside it stood a pile of loose gravel. Jack walked around it, wondering. It struck him as odd that the body had been so poorly hidden. It would have made far more sense had they covered the body with the gravel. Perhaps they wanted the body to be found? At this point the sole connection between O'Kane and the site where his body was found was Matthews - much as he liked the man, he had to admit it was not looking good. He heard a car pull up at the gate and ducked down behind the office just in time. He watched as Matthews climbed out of the car and unlocked the gate. Having driven in, he sat in the car waiting. A few minutes later another car drove in and parked beside him. A man got out and came to stand by Matthews' door. Matthews wound down the window.
"I'm here, what do you want?"
"Bit of gratitude wouldn't hurt, for a start," the man observed as he lit a cigarette.
"Gratitude! For what? Dumping a dead body on my construction site so it's closed down by the police?" Matthews did not sound happy.
"You know the price to make this all go away…"
"I have told you already, I do not want anything to do with you," Matthews barked.
"Too late for that," the man sneered. "You owe us."
"I never asked for this." His tone was defensive now. "I didn't know who those lads were and this is not what I wanted."
The man flicked his cigarette away. "You wanna' talk to that daughter of yours. Ain't she a lawyer? She'll tell you – ignorance is no defence. See you later and make sure you bring the goods." Laughing, the man returned to his car and left.
Matthews sat motionless in his car. Jack mulled over what he had just witnessed. Matthews had somehow got tangled up with the gangs and needed a way out. Perhaps… if he was prepared to testify against them? Just as Jack was about to approach him, the car started and he drove away.
Jack paced back and forth in his room. He hadn't seen Phryne since this morning and he was starting to worry. It was clear now the gangs were pulling the strings and the offer to remove inconvenience suggested police involvement. Using Phryne as the go between with the local police didn't seem that clever now. What if her cover story had been exposed? They could have her somewhere… A gentle tap at the door had him rushing towards it as she let herself in. "Are you alright?" his eyes conducting a quick visual check for injuries, whilst his hands rested lightly on the top of her arms.
"I think so, though the buttons on this dress were challenging without Dot's assistance."
Jack pulled his hands back and stepped away realising how strange his behaviour must seem to her. "Sorry… I…"
"You worry about my safety, Inspector? This is not a surprise to me," she teased gently, "but tell me what has brought this latest concern on?"
He told her about the conversation he had overheard.
Tilting her head, in a way she had seen him do more times than she cared to remember, she pointed out, "Reckless, Jack - disappearing on your own like that." He looked embarrassed, knowing her criticism was fully justified. "Don't worry, you're bound to make a mistake here and there." She stepped into him. "Just don't let it become a habit, remember we're a team now." She ran her hands down his lapels and back up, letting them rest there as she held his gaze. He swallowed, knowing this was exactly what he wanted, them to be a team, in every sense.
"I have a theory about police corruption…" she stepped back, all business again, "you said yourself it was politics that had you assigned to the case, but what if it was more about having someone unassigned?" His eyes narrowed. She continued, "Broadbent knew O'Kane's daughter was missing. That's another key fact, along with the body being found on land worked by Matthews' construction company, which he chose not to share with you. Plus, the man is far too good-looking for his own good."
Oh, so she had noticed then. "What about your contact at the station, can he be trusted?"
"Definitely. He's slow, methodical and I doubt he has the imagination to be involved in corruption." A frown forming she gave Jack a worried look. "No doubt that's why Broadbent made him your contact, as he's equally unlikely to have an original thought. His paperwork is excellent though; you'd like it - a lot."
It wasn't perfect, but her intuition was generally reliable. "Alright, let's assume he's not working with Broadbent."
She nodded. "Did you get an invite to this afternoon's function?"
"Yes, turns out Miss Matthews is quite the romantic at heart and so, provided I declare my intentions to you, she is quite happy to assist."
Phryne looked very pleased, "I can't wait to hear what you have to say."
Jack rolled his eyes.
The next time Jack saw Phryne was at the hotel across the road from the construction site, where she was spinning across the dance floor in Reynolds' arms looking as if there was nowhere in the world she would rather be. "Looks like you're finally rid of her," Matthews said as he handed Jack a drink.
"I doubt it, but that's not what I'm thinking about."
"Oh?"
"Look, we both know that your daughter hasn't the slightest interest in me." Jack let the statement hang, waiting to see how Matthews would react. To his surprise the man calmly took another drink of his beer.
"You're a perceptive man, John, I should have realised it wouldn't take you too long to work it out." Matthews threw a glance at his daughter sitting with the coach and other members of the management team. "Is it so wrong of me, to want someone to take care of her when I'm not around?"
Jack shook his head, "Of course not, but I think she may want to have some say on who that person will be."
"She'll pick some fool girl like O'Kane's daughter, when what she needs is a liberal minded man like yourself who recognises her genius and will respect her… choices. A help mate. It's not love but it could be very close."
"I don't disagree but I still say she won't have me."
Matthews nodded and sighed, "I dare say you're right." He looked across at her. "I've sold the team and the construction business to Porter. The paperwork went through earlier today. That'll give her a significant cash fund to invest. She'll never have to work, though I suspect she will…"
"You've provided for her well; she's very lucky."
Matthews snorted, "No, if she was lucky she would have been born a man."
They stood side by side in companionable silence watching Phryne sparkle.
"You're in love with that girl, you know?"
"I know," Jack admitted.
Matthews slapped him on the back, "Good luck, mate." And he walked away.
An hour or so later Miss Matthews came to stand by him. "Building up your courage?"
He turned to her, "I've told your father that we won't be pursuing a romantic entanglement."
She chuckled. "Is that what he hoped?"
"Out of concern for your future."
She sighed. "How sweet. Unnecessary, but still sweet. I'll be sure to tell him off gently. Has he come back? I haven't seen him for a while. And have you spoken to Philly yet?"
Jack scanned the room for Phryne. She had been here just moments ago… there was Reynolds but he was on his own. His heart clenched. Turning to Miss Matthews, he asked, voice low and urgent, "When did you last see your father?"
"Nearly thirty minutes ago. He was with a man I have never seen before. He didn't look happy."
Worried, Jack described the man he had seen at the construction site earlier in the day.
"Yes, that was him. He said they were just walking over to the site office to pick up some paperwork."
Jack and Miss Matthews moved cautiously towards the construction site office. Jack spotted Phryne's shoes hidden behind some tools leaning against a shed; she must have removed them so she could move silently. His eyes searched desperately for her but found nothing. He wasn't sure whether to hope she was in the office or not. A hand squeezed his arm and he looked across to see that Miss Matthews had seen the shoes, too. With a sense of foreboding he moved towards the office, listening for voices inside; hearing nothing he opened the door to find it empty. Looking around he found an earring. No doubt she had managed to leave it as evidence she had been there. Picking it up and clenching his fist around it, he went back outside. "John!" Miss Matthews called him over, pointing up at the curve of the bridge above them. "Can you see them? Philly and father are up there, with that man."
He scanned the scaffolding until he saw the flutter of her red scarf where the arch spanned over the water. He glanced at Miss Matthews, "Get the police. Tell them Inspector Robinson needs them, now!"
She repeated back, "Inspector Robinson?"
"Yes." Jack was already half way to the base of the bridge. "Tell them Miss Fisher is in danger." Jack climbed up to the walkway along the lower arch, never taking his eyes from her. He prayed that when he got there he would be of some use.
Phryne struggled against the man who was dragging her behind him. Finally, he stopped walking and turned his gun from Matthews to her. "I have no idea who you are, you nosey cow and I really don't give a damn whether I push you off this bridge now or later." Catching the warning look Matthews gave her, she stopped resisting. When they got over the water, he forced Matthews to climb over the guardrails of the platform onto the spans between the arches. Phryne looked down at the dark water below them and immediately wished she hadn't. "You were supposed to bring the coaching notes," the man shouted angrily at Matthews. "If you're not going to play the game, you're no good to me."
"Then I'm no good to you," Matthews replied calmly.
Phryne could feel the gunman shaking with rage, and even as she admired Matthews for his stance, she doubted it's wisdom. Her concern was proven correct when she felt herself dragged forward, a gun rammed against her temple. "Still feeling noble?" the man taunted him. "Play the game, or say goodbye."
Phryne looked directly at Matthews, trying to guess his likely reaction. He looked unfazed. "She's just some bird one of the players picked up a couple of nights ago. I don't even know her name. I'm hardly likely to sully the reputation of myself and my daughter for a random woman," Matthews pointed out reasonably.
The grip on her arm tightened and then, "Shit!" He flung her away and began to yell at Matthews. "All you need to do is fill the hole left by O'Kane. Just give us the game plan so the other team can be prepared, it's not hard, you'll be rewarded. We'll get Broadbent to allow the site to re-open and there will be money. Why are you making this so hard…" he was pacing back and forth now, waving his arms (and the gun) wildly as he did.
Phryne, blocked from getting back to the ground, found a corner as far from him as possible, making herself as small as she could. It occurred to her that his behaviour was not rational and he may have been overindulging in some of the gang's main money maker. Either way, she had no intention of drawing his attention back to her, not until she was out of choices. She calculated she had left the party fifteen minutes ago. Jack would have noticed by now, might even be somewhere on the bridge. The thought gave her comfort. She'd wait as long as she could before doing anything rash. Matthews, however, had no such notion. When the gunman turned his back he flung himself forward over the guardrail, grappling for the gun. Strong and wiry, and, most importantly, not off his head with cocaine, at first he appeared to have the upper hand.
A gun shot rung out and Phryne hunkered down even further. Looking across, it seemed neither man had been hit and their struggle continued. Then she glimpsed a widening blossom of red on Matthews' side. It didn't slow him down, though, and the gun went off again. This time the gangster went staggering back in slow motion, overbalanced on the guardrail and toppled over the side of the bridge. She looked up at Matthews. "Shit!" he held a blood-soaked hand up as though not quite believing it. "That hurt a hell of a lot more than being hit by a German bullet."
"Closer range?" Phryne suggested, from where she was still huddled.
He looked at her. "Fair point."
"Shall we?" she nodded her head back towards the base of the bridge.
He turned his head to look. "I might just stay here." He climbed back over the guardrail.
She stood. "Are you sure?"
"You're an intelligent woman, Miss Robinson, he was just a representative. They'll send someone to finish the job."
"You could go to the police, explain…"
"We would spend the rest of our lives in hiding. It's my own fault, once you run with the wolves they never let you go. And anyway, there's always the possibility I might hang…" he looked down at the blood now freely flowing down his side, "...plus, this doesn't look like it's going to stop bleeding any time soon."
Phryne followed his eyes. It was bad. "Your daughter?"
His voice shook and he started to sway, struggling to remain conscious. "O'Kane knew we'd taken in his girl after he'd tried beating some sense into her - she was a bloody pulp when he'd finished. Poor lass will carry those scars for the rest of her life. I knew it would mean trouble, but?" his attempt at shrugging nearly saw him topple, but he managed to grab hold of a strut. "He began to threaten me, wanted the girl back, said he had enough proof of immoral behaviour to have Angel kicked out of law school, make sure she'd never be able to enter any profession. I wanted to scare him off, perhaps give him some scars of his own. I never meant them to kill him though; can you make sure she knows that?" He looked at her beseechingly, "And this… don't tell her? Just say we fought, I got shot, I died? Say it was quick?"
Phryne nodded, "She's lucky. If my father loved me one tenth the amount that you love her... my life would have been very different."
He shook his head. "You don't need your father." He looked down to where Jack was just coming into view. He let go of the strut and fell into the deep water of the Sydney Harbour.
"Phryne!" Jack's panicked cry reached her as he ran towards her.
"I'm alright, Jack." She looked down through the metal at the dark water below, where Matthews had disappeared. "I wouldn't mind a hand getting back to solid ground though." When Jack reached her, he slipped his jacket across her shoulders and held her tight until she stopped shaking.
"Thank you, Miss Fisher," Jack said politely as he closed the trunk of the car.
"For what, Jack? Forcing my way into your investigation? Getting myself kidnapped? Making you practically carry me off the bridge?" She was now standing on the pavement beside him.
He smiled. "It wasn't all bad, after all you were rather helpful with the investigation side of things."
Her face brightened. "Was I?"
He looked at her in surprise. "Of course you were. You always are," he winked, "It's why I keep you around."
"Is it?"
He reached out to grab her hand. "Yes, why else would I put up with you?"
She looked down at where their hands were joined. She squeezed his hand once before releasing it. "Well, good night, Inspector,"
"Good night, Miss Fisher." He walked her to the driver's side and held the door open as she climbed in. "Thank you for the loan of the car."
She laughed, "I'm just sorry it didn't produce any opportunities; it's normally far more effective."
He gazed into her eyes. "I wasn't interested in opportunities."
She tilted her head, returning the look thoughtfully. "None at all?"
"Maybe, there was one," he admitted, unconsciously licking his lip, 'but I found myself a bit off balance."
Her eyes, which had been tracking the movement of his tongue, came back to his. "I admit to being slightly thrown, myself, at times." As their eyes met she remembered something, "I still have your Zane Grey."
"Perhaps, you might return it in person one evening," he suggested, "I have a bottle of cognac that needs drinking."
She raised her eyebrows and a small smile played across her lips. "I always imagined you drinking hot milk whilst you read."
He shrugged. "And I thought you'd prefer DH Lawrence." He smiled, "Shall I let you know when I'm off nights, Miss Fisher?"
"You make sure you do, Inspector." She started the car and drove away. Way too fast. He turned and walked into the station. He wondered if Broadbent had actually cleared any of the files on his desk, and whether it would be rude to ask about them before he arrested him?
Note 9: The Ambassador's Cafe was built in the basement of the Stand Arcade by Sydney jeweller and well known man-about-town Percy Sydney Dawson after his eviction from the Wentworth Hotel following an incident involving a "lady in a low cut dress" and a "slightly drunk" party-goer. I imagine Phryne would have got on well with him (and Jack would have rolled his eyes.)
