Murder on the Ballarat Express 11
...
The next morning Charlie and Blake walked into the shop front of the Ballarat Auctioneers, Stock and Station Agents in La Trobe Street and asked to see Bruce Fletcher. The young receptionist told them that he was not in the office but currently attending a Prime Sheep and Lamb sale at the Ballarat Sale yard. He was a livestock agent advising a local grazier on the sale and purchase of new stock. Getting directions from the receptionist they thanked her and proceeded to the Sale Yard.
With pens crowded with sheep and lambs, Auctioneers shouting prices, stockmen and graziers making deals, bleating sheep and lambs, the Sale Yard was a dusty, smelly, bustling place of business. The two men searched the large yard for Fletcher and finally located him in the far corner of the pens, negotiating a deal between a seller and buyer. They watched as the deal was negotiated. Holding forward the papers for the negotiators to sign, he dropped his pen. With a grimace he bent stiffly at the knees and retrieved it from the dirt. Blake watched curiously as the deal was finalised. Finally, the sale was sealed with a handshake and the three gentlemen parted ways. Bruce Fletcher turned, spotted them, started, then waved them forward.
'What brings you gents out her?' he inquired.
'Just following up on our enquiries,' Charlie responded. 'We need to ask you a few more questions about your relationship with Elizabeth.'
Second interview: Bruce Fletcher
I didn't know the woman. Hadn't seen her since I was 9 years old. Mum tried to get me to learn piano from the old bat. It was hell and I never learned a damn thing from her. Told Mum on my 10th birthday that I wasn't going to be any concert pianist, I was going to be a farmer like Dad and stop wasting her money. Well, I'm not a farmer, but this is close to it. I like the animals. What do you mean giving false evidence? I didn't know the woman, I only had four or five lessons with her before I packed it in. Oh, sweet baby Jesus! It must be over 25 years or more since I spoke to her! I didn't lie. After how she treated my sister I never wanted anything to do with her. Yeah, my sister Sue. Sue Mason. She's five years older than me, left Ballarat when she was 17. Why? She was accepted into the Melbourne Conservatory of Music, that's why. No thanks to that Elizabeth bloody Peterson though. They had some sort of falling out over it. No, it wasn't her teaching, Sue had talent. Not even Peterson could have beat it out of her.
No, I don't bloody know what happened. I was 12, a kid when she left. What does a kid know? All I saw was that Sue was unhappy and miserable that last year. Peterson made her life hell, Mum did a lot of shouting about Peterson, then Sue left and it all came good. I don't know what that Peterson woman did to her, Sue never told me. As far as I know Sue never spoke to Peterson ever again, she has certainly never come back to Ballarat. Married a conductor she did. She's a concert pianist for the Melbourne symphony, she's that busy she couldn't even get away for Mum's funeral! That's why I was on the train. Hadn't seen her for yonks so I'd been in town visiting her and watching her performance for the ABC concert series. They recorded it for tv and she is going to be famous!
So someone did for her at last? Well I won't cry any tears for her. They should pin a medal on the bloke who did it.'
…..
With that final comment, Bruce Fletcher stormed off stiffly and was lost in a sea of sheep and stockmen. Blake looked at Charlie and said 'I think I'd really like to talk to Sue Mason. Fancy a drive down to Melbourne after we talk to Peter Grady?
Charlie looked at him. 'Have to be in your car and you'll have to clear it with the Boss. It'll take all afternoon to get there and back.'
'Consider it done' responded Blake with a winning smile.
…
Peter Grady lived about 20 minutes out of town out past Cresswick towards Bendigo. As Blake and Charlie sped down the Midland/Bendigo Highway towards Grady's farm Blake said to Charlie, 'You know, Jean is worried about us being too hard on Grady. She told me to go easy on him.'
'She didn't say I had to go easy on him though, did she!' responded Charlie with some spirit. On occasion he thought Jean interfered just that little too often in their police work.
'Charlie,' Blake had that conciliatory tone in his voice, 'I think she just meant we were to be a bit sensitive in our questioning the man.'
Charlie snorted. 'Tell you what Doc, I'll let you do your caring doctor impression and question him and I'll play the dumb copper role. But if I sniff out anything suss I am going to step in.'
'Fine Charlie, fine. But before we do any interviewing let me say I have an urgent nature call. You keep him occupied. That way I should be able to check out what he's got in his bathroom cabinet without raising suspicion.'
Charlie had the address Ned had written down on a scrap of paper for them and as they approached he sung out to Blake, 'Here it is, turn right up this drive.'
Blake turned up the dusty track and they began to wind their way up the long drive to the farm house in the distance. It was a well maintained farm. The paddocks were still lush with spring growth. Grady had left several stands of native gum trees to offer shelter and under these were clustered groups of merino sheep, several with young lambs. Their car left a fishtail of dust behind them alerting anyone on the farm of their approach. As they neared the farmhouse they saw a small Holden ute being driven towards them from the other side of the far paddock. Both cars arrived at the front of the house at the same time and pulled in. Charlie and Blake stepped out and from the ute Grady emerged.
'Morning Gents,' Grady sung out laconically. 'Lawson told me you'd be here, come inside and we'll grab a cuppa while we chat. Hope it won't take too long, I've got a bloody ewe up the far paddock that is due to drop any second.' With that he strode up and mounted the verandah then held the front door open for them. 'Come through, kitchen's up the back. I'll just put on the billy.'
They entered the cool house. It was immediately obvious that the place was lacking a woman's touch. It was clean enough, but slightly grimy around the corners and the breakfast dishes were unwashed in the kitchen sink. 'Scuse the mess. I try to keep on top of it but just can't seem to quite do it all as well as Narelle could. Don't really have the time or feel for it.' He filled the kettle under the sink tap and put it on the stove to boil.
'Excuse me Peter, but I've been caught short as they say. Can I use the ...?' asked Blake.
'Sure thing, it's that little house up the back there,' Peter held open the rear screen door and pointed to the outhouse. Blake stared at it in dismay. Then Peter let out a guffaw, slapped Blake on the back and said, 'Hah! Got ya' good! Just kidding around, wouldn't expect a posh Doc like you to hafta use the outdoor dunny! Hah! Don't worry, I had an inside dunny installed for Narelle.' He sobered a bit in memory. 'Just down that hall there and to the right. Now then young fella', he said turning to Charlie, 'howdya' like your cha?'
Leaving Charlie to Grady, Blake strode up the hallway glancing left and right into the rooms as he went. A couple of bedrooms off the hall, one empty, the other obviously Grady's, clothes haphazardly strewn about the room. Quietly Blake stepped into the bedroom and had a quick look and poke around finding nothing of interest. The new indoor toilet and bathroom was next to this bedroom, it had obviously once been a third bedroom now converted to accommodate an invalid. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The walls and floor were white tiled and there were handholds around all the walls and bath tub with a hand held shower fixture. The room had been designed to accommodate a wheel chair and was large and roomy. There was a toilet in the corner and folded up next to it was an invalids' toilet chair. A few towels hung on the railings. Blake stepped over to the sink and opened the mirrored cabinet that hung above it. He carefully inspected all the contents, again finding nothing of interest. Stepping back he walked over to the toilet, flushed it, walked back to the sink and run his hands under the water then left the bathroom.
Entering the kitchen again he found Grady and Charlie sitting at the table with 3 mugs of tea placed there. Grady looked up at him and said 'Thought you might'a fallen in, was gonna' send a search party in a minute.'
'Uh, yes,' Blake put his hand over his stomach, 'it plays up a bit sometime. The war you understand.' Blake gave Charlie a quick shake of his head.
'Humph. Was in New Guinea myself. Tough times.'
'Yes. Forgive me Peter, but we need to ask you some more questions concerning Elizabeth Petersons' death.'
Second Interview: Peter Grady
That bloody woman. Even dead she doesn't leave me alone! Bloody horrible woman. You know what she did to my Narelle? They was friends for a bit. Narelle used to help in the church when she could and Elizabeth seemed to take a bit of interest in her. Used to call her up and they'd chat a bit on the phone. Once or twice we'd go for tea with her at the cafe after church. No, I never liked her much, but Narelle didn't have many lady friends so I didn't object. Narelle was always kinda shy with people. Heart of gold my Narelle, but quiet-like. She loved this farm and the sheep and all the animals. Was always nursing a little poddy lamb. It took time to get to know her. I courted her nearly 5 years before she agreed to marry me. (sighs) I miss her more than I can say. But then she got sick. Got the cancer. Thanks Doc, it was hard, for both of us. She had the operation and seemed to come good for a bit, but then it came back. Bloody Elizabeth would call her up and upset her. It took me a good long while to find out what that woman was saying to her. She'd been telling my Narelle that it was my fault she got the cancer! That me being a Proddy was against the church and we weren't really married. Kept calling it 'God's judgement.' Said she was the one who really loved her, not me. Wanted her to leave me and go live with her, told her she'd look after her. Well, when Narelle told me I saw red. If Narelle hadn't of begged me I would have gone and throttled the woman then and there. But Narelle stopped me, talked sense into me. She stopped answering the phone and I would just hang up on Elizabeth when she called and I answered. That Elizabeth even called after Narelle died and said such horrible things to me. Couldn't even let Narelle rest or leave me in peace. (There was a long pause) I did my best for my Narelle. Made the house comfortable for her. Let the farm go a bit so I could look after her. (he gave a sad laugh) She used to worry about the lambs so much. I would bring them into the bedroom so she could see them, later, when she couldn't walk anymore. That made her laugh and she would hold them on the bed with her and nurse them. Those doctors, they wanted her to go into the hospice, but she wanted to be here on the farm, with me and the lambs. (he put his head in his hands, sorrowing). What's that Doc? Yes, the hospital gave her some tablets to ease the pain. Morphine. No, there are none left Doc. All gone. In the end, in the end... we used them all. It was the only way. She wanted the pain to end, she begged and begged for the pain to stop. Narelle took them all. None left Doc. None. Nothing's left. (He looked up at the men with tears streaming down his face.)
...
The two men drove south to Melbourne not saying a word. Neither spoke for some time, until eventually Blake asked Charlie softly, 'What will you tell Lawson?'
Charlie didn't say anything for a moment. Then he spoke. 'I'm a good cop. I know the law... but sometimes the law doesn't seem to fit, does it Lucien?'
'No Charlie. No it doesn't.'
They drove in silence for a while more. Charlie spoke, 'My report will state that we found no evidence of morphine on the premises and have no reason to suspect Peter Grady as being responsible for the death of Elizabeth Peterson. I think that's all I need to say.'
'Bravo Charlie, bravo.' replied Blake very quietly.
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