and I didnât want to be on the end of one of Fitzwilliamâs wild swings.
I sat in the back of the car with Fitzwilliam while the young policeman drove. For some time Fitz said nothing, which was unlike him. He enjoyed the sound of his own voice, boasting, exercising his authority. I tried to look unconcerned and to keep quiet while the driver did a skilful U-turn and headed back towards Newtown.
âDo you remember being scrubbed as a private detective by the Board? For life?â
âI do.â
âItâs come to my attention that youâre making enquiries as if that ruling meant nothing to you.â
âItâs not quiteââ
âI donât give a fuck what itâs not quite like. Your mate Bachelor is allowed to employ associates as long as they have the appropriate qualifications. You bloody well donât and you know it. Bachelorâs licence is hanging by a thread.â
He was right. The PEAâs Act is specific on this matter and rightly so. Canât have people running around doing the job without the training.
âMake your point, Fitz.â
We were travelling down King Street and the driver made the turn into Missenden Road, cut across to Bridge Road and headed towards Glebe. Fitzwilliam said nothing until we pulled up in front of my house.
âThere you are, Hardy. Brought you home. Donât say I never did nothink for you. And I see youâve spent some money on the joint.â
I had. Front garden cleaned up, guttering replaced, tiles and pavers expertly relaid, fence and gate renewed and painted. All done while I was away.
âA tidy-up,â I said, reaching for the door handle.
Fitzwilliam grabbed my arm; pudgy though he was, he still had a strong grip. âI havenât forgotten the couple of times you put me in the shit, Hardy. You and that mate of yoursâthat fuckinâ Parker. I donât like you. I donât like you inheriting money from your dead slut of a girlfriend, and I donât like you surviving a heart attack and coming up roses.â
I wanted to hit him, but you just canât do it. âIâd feel the same about you if things were reversed.â
âI canât do bugger all about all thatânothink, but I can tell you if you go on playing fuckinâ private eye, Iâll get Bachelorâs licence lifted and Iâll find a way to get charges laid on you both. Piss off!â
He released me, opened the door and used his bulk to shove me out. The door slammed and the car drove away.
Interesting development. Would Phil Fitzwilliam have the clout to get Hankâs licence lifted? I doubted it. So far Hank had a pretty clean sheet and it takes more than one infringement to bring about a cancellation. I should know; I had a pile of them before I finally went too far. There was no question that Fitz hated my guts and wanted to get even with me, but it was an odd way of going about it. How had Fitz heard about our investigation of Henry McKinleyâs disappearance? There were several waysâa leak from the Missing Persons Division, information from Josephine Dart, or a spin-off from Hankâs enquiries. The last was the most likely and that brought the Tarelton company squarely into the picture.
I didnât go in for interior renovation of the house. I liked it the way it was, and with some new carpet, fixing of the staircase and some quarry tiles to replace the kitchen lino, I was content. Iâd had a bit of rising damp treated, a few walls repainted. On the advice of the people installing wireless broadband and Foxtel Iâd spent money on the wiring. The insurance company would be happy about that.
Not wanting to mix my drinks, I sat in the breakfast nook in the kitchen with a gin and tonic on the scarred table and thought about Fitz. Among those in the know, heâd been notorious for taking kickbacks from companies and individuals for information about police