Warning: the rabbits get it, in this chapter! Remember they are a serious pest in Australia.

Also, thanks to all those who offered such sympathies over my back issues. It's very kind of you and it is getting better.

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Alice remained in hospital for a further week and, although she loved her son, she was right when she told Matthew as a doctor she made a lousy patient. Lucien took pains to see her daily and give her updates on any cases and even gave her a couple of reports to read. In the end he decided Richard was gaining steadily and he discharged her, much to the nursing staff's relief.

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Matthew was glad he had taken time off, Richard fed regularly during the night and he would take him out of the bassinet for Alice so he got as little sleep as his wife. They had lazy days as a family and he then knew what put the smile on Lucien's face, since he and Jean had married.

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Lucien, meanwhile, was still trying to work out how the man had died, and whether or not the slingshot had anything to do with it. They had finally found out who the man was. He had been visiting his sister, having come over from Adelaide. His sister had had a call to go to Melbourne to see to her son, who had got himself into a spot of bother with the local police. She hadn't been worried about her brother not answering the phone, he was very deaf, so she was down at the police station when she got home and he was not there.

In Matthew's office she wiped her nose and sipped the tea Ned had thoughtfully provided.

'Adam had health problems all his life,' she sniffed, 'his hearing loss was due to working in a factory. He worked in the offices but the noise was still too much for him. He had a weak heart, or so he had been told, so any shocks were to be avoided.'

Lucien looked at her. Her sorrow was not an act, she genuinely grieved for her brother, 'I did an autopsy on your brother, I found no sign of heart problems.'

Charlie looked at him, he wished it was the boss sitting here, not him, he hated family death, the ones where all you had to go on was the word of a devoted sister or brother.

'Oh,' she looked at him, 'well, when he was born he struggled to breathe. That's what I was told, he was quite a bit older than me.'

'I'll have another look, if you don't mind.' Lucien suggested gently. 'If that is the case then perhaps the little knock to the head would have been enough.'

'It wasn't a slingshot was it, doctor?' She asked, looking him straight in the eye. 'Only one of the boys from that school has been using one, to knock the birds out of my tree, or try to, anyway.'

'Oh, do tell.' Lucien looked interested. 'What does this boy look like, unless you know his name.'

'I do know his name, I complained to the headmaster, it's Finlay Ross. Skinny little tike, red hair and freckles.' She huffed in annoyance, 'he'd do better to stay in school, but his mother has no control over him.'

'Thank you, Mrs Shaw,' Lucien smiled, 'I don't think you'll have any trouble with the slingshot, now,' he took the offending object out of his pocket, 'another boy found it, I confiscated it off him.'

'Well, if you want my opinion, burn it.' She snapped.

'Hmm...' Lucien smiled. 'Charlie, perhaps you could have someone run Mrs Shaw home?'

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Lucien was sure there was nothing wrong with Adam Lewis's heart but he would have another look. He pulled the body out of the morgue fridge and opened up the original incision he had made. The heart was nothing out of the ordinary, no sign of disease, but then not all weak hearts showed anything. He looked closely at the surrounding tissue and there it was, a bullet. How the hell had he missed it? This man, with his medical history, would not have served during the war. So, the bullet must have moved when he fell over the chair, after being surprised by the pellet from the slingshot. Lucien took the bullet and closed up the chest, then he wanted to see if he could find a wound, consistent with a small calibre weapon, possibly something that would be classed as a 'ladies gun'. It took some finding, it was such a small mark that he had overlooked in the chest hair. It was an old wound, properly healed, must be years old, he thought. He wondered if he had, in the past, angered a girlfriend who had fired a shot at him. He'd have to ask Mrs Shaw. Also, surely he had noticed he had been shot, unless...

Lucien could picture it...a noisy factory, an argument with his girl in the office, a shot from across the room, a pinch, a scratch, but not death. Perhaps he thought she had missed. He ran his hand over his head and put the body away.

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Mrs Shaw said she knew nothing of a quarrel with a girl. Adam had never married, had few girlfriends in his youth, a quiet, unassuming man.

'Hidden depths,' Lucien thought. 'Quiet, unassuming men didn't go round getting themselves shot!'

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Matthew came back from his family time break and told him that there was really no case. The man had died, natural causes. The wound was so old and Lucien admitted the bullet could have moved at any time and seen him off. With his medical history... Lucien's involvement would have stopped there, but Finlay Ross' mother complained about the theft of his slingshot. Not one of her best ideas, as her son was constantly being complained about. Mr Jones heard about it and decided something had to be done.

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'Dr Blake's surgery,' Jean picked up the kitchen phone, 'Oh, Mr Jones.'

She listened to his problem and then his request,

'...you see, Mrs Blake,' he sighed, 'a lecture from the headmaster on something like this is unlikely to have any effect. Now the doctor...'

'I'll ask him,' she smiled, Lucien would enjoy something like that, but she was still sending her children to St Patrick's, her elder boys had gone there...

At dinner that night Lucien looked at her as if she had gone mad.

'A lecture, on the use of a slingshot?' He swallowed his whisky, 'well, I suppose I could.'

'I'm sure you could temper it to suit young boys.' Jean smiled, 'no pictures of dead bodies or autopsies, though. You'll have the parents on the doorstep.'

'I had a slingshot,' he mused, 'as a boy.'

'Why am I not surprised?' Jean sighed, heavily.

'I used it to knock bottles off walls.'

'Hmm...' Jean pursed her lips.

'Maybe a few rabbits...' he grinned, but she just looked at him. 'Right, maybe not stories of my misspent youth.'

'No.' She returned to eating her meal.

Jack and Cath kept their heads down, trying to hide the grins spreading over their faces.

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Jean caught Jack when he came back from walking Cath home,

'Jack,' she was waiting for him, 'can you help Lucien with this lecture?'

'I'll offer,' Jack saw she was worried, 'but...'

'He's used to speaking to adults, coppers, not schoolboys.' She whispered.

'I'll give it a go,' he bent and kissed her cheek.

Lucien was grateful for Jack's suggestions. They spent the weekend practising in the garden and Lucien got a pigeon, much to Jack's surprise, and Lucien's.

'I could use this as an indication of the harm a slingshot could do.' Lucien picked up the offended creature, limp in his hand.

'You could, 'Jack agreed, 'but a pigeon is a pest, how about a rabbit?'

'Your mother will have a fit!' Lucien grinned, liking the idea immensely.

'She could always cook it for dinner, afterwards.' Jack was partial to his mother's rabbit stew, a recipe refined over the years.

'True.' Lucien stowed the slingshot in his pocket, 'come on then, let's go on a rabbit shoot!'

They poked their heads into the kitchen and announced they were off to work on the lecture. She didn't really want to know what they were up to, no good, of that she was sure, but they were very alike, she had noticed, very much alike.

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Jack and Lucien parked up by a field and gathered enough small, sharp stones to fill their pockets. They found a quiet, hidden spot by the hedge and sat, hoping not to have to wait too long.

'You any good?' Lucien showed him the slingshot.

'It's ok, doc,' Jack whispered, conspiratorially, 'got my own.' He reached up the back of his sweater and produced an old, well-used catapult, 'made it when we were on the farm. Rabbits, rats, I was quite good, a long time ago.'

'Right,' Lucien grinned, 'I won't tell.'

'We shouldn't have to wait long,' Jack said, 'there's a lot of rabbits around now, this time of year.'

They sat in silence for a while until Lucien nudged his step-son. 'There,' he pointed out to the left of the field, under some trees, 'ready...aim...fire!' He hissed. Two missiles flew across the field hitting their targets sharply. They shook hands. The rest of the rabbits weren't too clever and instead of diving down into their warrens scattered around. Lucien and Jack couldn't resist taking pot shots at the animals, until they decided that if they got anymore they'd be eating rabbit for the next year!

They picked up their 'victims' seven for Lucien, five for Jack, and headed home.

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'Home from the hunt, wife!' Lucien called cheekily through the sun room. He and Jack put the rabbits on the kitchen table. 'We need to pick a couple for demonstration purposes, then Jean can...'

'...Jean can what?' Came a stern voice from behind them.

'Jean, my dearest wife,' Lucien grinned, 'Jack and I have been trying our skills with slingshots.'

'Lucien!' She shouted, 'not on the table!'

Jack grabbed an armful and Lucien picked up the remaining catch.

'Oh really,' She put her hands on her hips, 'what are you, schoolboys?'

'Come on mum,' Jack implored, 'you used to be grateful for my kills when we were on the farm.'

'Yes, well...' She huffed, 'they damaged the crops, and it was free meat. Money was tight.'

'Jean, we, I want to demonstrate to the children the effect of a slingshot, I only need a couple, can you use the rest?' Lucien looked over the heads of two good sized bucks. 'Your rabbit stew is...'

'You can entertain the children while I skin and gut them, Jack.' She turned, true they didn't need to make use of free meat now, but rabbit was easy to cook and she had more than one recipe. 'You, doctor, can help me with the preparation. They can go in the freezer.'

'Right-oh,' Lucien relaxed, 'I'll put these two in the study.' He headed off out of the kitchen relieved he still had his head.

'Lock the door!' Jean called after him, 'I don't want the little ones seeing dead rabbits in the house.'

Lucien waved over his shoulder. He didn't mind, but there again, they were rather small for that yet. Rabbits were cute in stories, they just got caught in nets in Mr McGregor's garden or fell asleep after eating too many shot lettuces off the garden waste pile.

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Lucien entered the school hall. Rows of young boys sat facing the front waiting to hear a talk from Dr Blake. Mr Jones had not said what the subject of the lecture would be but it was only for the boys. Lucien had wanted to speak to the girls as well but Jean had suggested that, even though girls could be as bad as boys, a lecture on this subject may well have the parents up in arms at their little girls being subject to such a bloodthirsty discussion. Perhaps he could come up with another subject for the girls. He looked at her, confusion all over his face, he worked with a woman who wasn't bothered about cutting up dead people. He shook his head and left her to her cooking.

He stood in front of their upturned and expectant faces. Jack had suggested a shock opening. Lucien looked at them, put his hands in his pockets and wandered around. Then he stopped, took his hands out of his pockets and loaded up the slingshot. He raised it, aimed and fired. The missile hit the back wall of the hall with a resounding thwack!

There was a gasp from his audience. Lucien sauntered to the wall and reached up, running his finger over the space and teasing out the tiny stone. Up to now he hadn't said a word. He continued his silent musings as he wandered back to the stage, tossing the stone in his hand.

'Good aren't they?' He waved the slingshot around. 'Had one of these as a boy.'

There was a bit of mumbling, whispering.

'Hands up if any of you have one.' He watched them and waited. One hand went up, followed, gradually, by several others. 'Thought so.'

Lucien put his weapon down on the table and leant against it. 'Well, boys,' he said, 'I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not here to discuss the finer points of slingshot use, or how to get the best out of them. This slingshot is not mine, it was found and passed to me when I was looking into the death of a man down this road.'

There was a gasp.

'Don't worry, he wasn't murdered by slingshot, but it was part of the evidence. Slingshots are dangerous, in the wrong hands and used in the wrong places. Now, where would be the wrong place, I wonder.' He waited for an answer.

A little lad nervously put his hand up.

'Hello, son,' Lucien smiled genially at him, 'what's your name?'

'Er Sammy, sir.' Came the shaky reply.

'Well, Sammy, what do you think?'

'Er, near houses, sir?' Sammy blinked, 'you know where there's people.'

'Well, that sounds fair, but why?'

'Well, you said it was part of the evidence in a murder, and if you can get a stone stuck in the wall maybe you can get one stuck in a person.' Sammy reasoned.

'So where do you think is a sensible place to use one?'

Another brave lad put his hand up.

'Yes son?' Lucien pointed at him.

'Um, in the fields, sir?' The boy suggested.

'Now that's a good idea.' Lucien grinned. 'But how much damage do you think a slingshot and pebble can cause, eh?' He looked round the expectant faces. 'Anybody squeamish?' Silence, 'because if you are don't come up to the table.' He whipped a sheet off the two rabbits he and Jack had bagged over the weekend.

'Now, me and my step son, Mr Beazley, went out at the weekend to see if we could remember how to use a slingshot and this is part of the result. As I said, if you are squeamish don't look.' He stood aside and watched. Sammy was obviously one of the braver boys and was eager to see the dead rabbit. He waved some of his mates over and pretty soon most of the boys were examining the cadavers with oohs and aahs.

'Watch'er goin' to do with them?' One curious, skinny lad asked.

'Well, some of the others are your lunch.'

'What?' Several lads gaped, 'lunch!.'

'Yes. Don't worry, your mothers have all been asked,' Lucien smiled, 'My wife makes a rather tasty rabbit stew and because Mr Beazley and I are rather handy with a slingshot there's plenty.'

'Me mam says they used to eat a lot of rabbit,' Sammy licked his lips, 'but now she can only get it at the butchers and don't like payin' for pests.'

Lucien laughed, and gently squeezed his shoulder, he'd taken a liking to young Sammy.

'Now!' He raised his hands to get them quiet, 'I don't know what Mr Jones told you you would be told today. What I really want you to know is that slingshots can be dangerous. They can kill a man or woman, if you must use them, go out into the fields, target the rabbits, then get them home to your families, good honest meat. The man that died down the road was hit with a slingshot, but it didn't kill him. He had a weak heart and also had a small bullet still inside him, from a previous attack, that moved. It was that bullet that killed him, BUT, a slingshot could easily do the same thing.'

'Yes, sir!' Most of the boys chorused.

He continued to talk to the boys in a friendly manner, about anything they cared to ask, some questions were about his jobs, some about the war; but he was a little reticent on that; some about his childhood, when he used a slingshot.

'By the way,' Lucien waved the slingshot over his head, 'anyone missing their slingshot...Finlay Ross.'

The room went quiet. At the back of the crowd, Finlay Ross, red of hair and now very red of face, stood, head down.

'Come here, boy.' Lucien's voice was quiet, but the boy advanced, without looking the doctor in the eye. 'You are a very lucky young man.' He looked down, 'this could well have killed someone. Where would that have left you? Eh?' He took him aside, 'look Finlay, I know there are complaints about your behaviour, using a slingshot down the road, trying to get the birds in the trees. So, here's the deal. I'm going to keep your slingshot and when I hear that you are attending to your lessons, doing as you are told and keeping to a true path then, and only then, can you have it back. If, young man, I hear that you are not then no slingshot and a punishment that fits the crime. Understand?'

Finlay nodded,

'I can't hear you, Finlay.' Lucien murmured.

'Yes sir.' The boy whispered.

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Mr Jones had been watching from the back of the hall. He wasn't sure what to expect from the doctor but he had an idea that he had got through to them. It had been a gentle lecture, the start had made him jump, but he had put the block of wood up that the doctor had asked for, not wanting to damage the wall. He had agreed he would give Dr Blake weekly updates on young Finlay who was a worry for him. A naturally bright boy who was easily bored, which was why he got into trouble so often. Punishment for his transgressions would be visits from the doctor, then a police constable, then a sergeant then a senior sergeant then Superintendant Lawson. Mr Jones hoped he'd get the message before the superintendant had to come and visit.

The rabbit stew was served and enjoyed by nearly all, Nicholas thought it revolting to eat a pest, but Lucien managed to persuade him to eat some of the stew, the vegetables and liquid, which he did say was tasty.

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'Dr Blake,' Mr Jones shook his hand as he took his leave, 'thank you. Most interesting and entirely what the boys needed. You didn't upset them or tell them they were naughty, just gave them a use for their slingshots. I had one too, but I'm afraid I was a rotten shot.'

'Now, Mr Jones,' Dr Blake smiled, 'I would have liked to give the same lecture to the girls but I was advised that girls are supposed to be sensitive and not predisposed to violence. It's not something I believe but that's by the by. It seems a shame they have been left out, so, perhaps my colleague, Dr Lawson could give a lecture at some point. What it's like to be a woman in a man's world, or some such title, but I would leave that to her. Or I can come and talk to them about careers in medicine.'

'Dr Lawson?' He queried.

'Yes, she's married to the superintendant, but is a pathologist. A very clever woman.'

'Right,' he scratched his head, 'well, times are changing I suppose. Can I leave that one with you, maybe if the doctor is amenable I can square it with the board and the parents.'

'Mr Jones.' Lucien shook his hand and headed back home, wondering how Alice would feel about talking to school girls about her job.

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So there you are, a use for a slingshot, a not a murder, one heck of a cold case it could be, but this is not 'New Tricks'! I'm sure there will be more in the lives of the Blake's and the Lawson's, and maybe Alice will give a lecture to the girls, but it would probably be quite gruesome!