Saving Billie

'Big mistake, you making.'

'Shut up!'

I heard the wheels on the dirt, a slight bump, the grind of gears, and then two sharp beeps on the horn.

I backed a few steps and saw he was preparing to rush me.

'I'm good with this at thirty metres,' I said, 'bit erratic after that. I'd advise you to keep your distance.'

I retreated. Give him his due, he came after me, closing a little, probably hoping I'd trip over. I didn't. I reached the car, got in and Sharon gave it the gas, slewing back down the track.

'D'you think he'll follow us?' she said as she got the car under full control and slowed down a touch.

'Would in an American movie.'

She giggled. 'I hate to admit it, but that was sort of exciting. Would you really have shot him?'

'I don't know.'

'You want to drive?'

'No, you're doing fine.' I looked back when we hit a straight stretch but there was no sign of pursuit. 'I took a punt you'd be able to drive a manual.'

'Are you kidding? We started off in old bomb Holdens and Vdubs. I still like the Vdubs.'

'Yeah, they're good.' I realised I'd kept the pistol in my hand and shoved it back in the glove box.

'How many people have you shot, Cliff?'

'Not many lately and I'm not anxious to add to the tally. The paperwork's horrendous.'

'You're trying to impress me with your toughness.'

'Right. And myself.'

We drove on in silence for a while and reached the main road. She made the turn and pulled over. 'Now what?' she said.

'My guess is he'll hang around and then probably send someone to keep an eye on the place. You can't go back for a bit.'

'Great. I've got a living to earn. I've got jobs on hand and a class on Tuesday.'

'Well, that gives us a couple of days. I think you ought to meet up with Lou Kramer and talk a few things through.'

'Like where Sam is?'

'And money to help Billie.'

'Shove over.' She got out and went around to the passenger side. I slid across as she got in, scrabbling in her shoulder bag. She pulled out her wallet.

'I've got twenty-three dollars in cash and about another sixty in my keycard account. That's it. My Mastercard's at its limit. How'm I going to get by? I've got no clothes… no…'

The adrenalin fuelling her through the confrontation with Manuma and the helter-skelter drive had ebbed away. She let her head drop back and her body sag.

I reached over and put my hand gently on her shoulder. 'You can stay at my place. Lou Kramer's pretty much your size. I'll ask her to bring some clothes. And you can phone your kid and tell her what you need to.'

'Okay,' she said. 'Okay. You win.'

But it didn't feel anything like a win. Not yet, not by a long stretch.

I took it easy on the drive back to Sydney to give Sharon time to adjust to what was happening. She looked disconsolate for a while but brightened up when we got closer in.

'I used to love this place,' she said, 'the people, the energy, the pubs…'

'I still do.'

'It's different for men. When a woman reaches a certain ^a g ^e..'

'Come on, that's old-style thinking. Anyway, the thing about Sydney is you can be what you want to be. Young and sensible, old and silly-you'll find somewhere it's acceptable.'

'You really believe that?'

'I do.'

'First I've heard of it. Well, I prefer the country now- the quiet, the routines, the trees and everything.'

I nodded and kept driving. She was well on the way to being her balanced self and she was going to need to be to cope with what was coming. The painkillers had worn off and I was feeling the odd stab around the eye. I must've reacted.

'What's wrong?'

'Bloody eye hurts a bit still.'

'Did this Clement do that?'

'Not him. One of his helpers.'

'And you'd like to meet up with him again?'

'Under the right circumstances.'

'What would they be?'

'When the eye doesn't hurt. But the point is there's something big at stake here. I don't know what it is, but Lou Kramer and Billie and Sam and me and now you, possibly, are all caught up in it.'

'I've been doing some thinking. Maybe Billie's safest where she is with the Bible-bashers, and Sam the same.'

'Maybe. But d'you think cold turkey and Jesus are really going to work with Billie?'

'No, but it could be a toss-up between that and millionaires who have thugs to bash people.'

'Hmm. Let's at least hear what Lou Kramer has to say. Here's Glebe Point Road. Almost home.'

I drove past my house a couple of times, checking the street for anything out of the ordinary. Sharon looked puzzled.

'What're you doing?'

'Just being careful.'

A while ago I installed an alarm, and security doors front and back and on the windows. Hated to do it and resented the expense, but a break-in and a nasty encounter with an aggrieved client had made it necessary. I did the unlocking and deactivated the alarm.

Sharon took a look at the two rooms off the passage, glanced up the stairs with its faded runner and two uprights missing on the rail, and went through to the kitchen- renovated in the sixties, but not since.

'Good place,' she said. 'Worth a bit.' 'Bought for a song when Glebe was still Glebe. Have a seat. D'you want coffee or a drink?' 'I want a sleep.'

'Upstairs, at the back. Titchy bathroom next door. Should be a towel in it. I mostly use the one down here.' She smiled. 'Titchy?'

'When I was young, little things were called titchy. Small blokes were always Titch.'

'You probably talked about bodgies and widgies.' 'That was more a Melbourne thing, I think.' I got her a glass of water and a couple of painkillers. 'These're for the head. Get it down and then we'll have a talk before I contact Lou.'

She nodded and went up the stairs, dragging her feet. I heard the shower running and then the spare room door close. Cliff the Good Samaritan needed some more Panadeine Forte and a drink.

I did my thing with the names and the circles and squares and connecting arrows and dotted lines in my notebook, while I washed down the tablets with a big glass of cask red. The day had given me quite a few more entries to make. I put a big question mark alongside my note on Mr X and his Beemer's registration number and knew that there at least I was on track to learn something. The day cooled down the way it does at this time of year; I found a clean flannel shirt and hung it on the knob of the spare room door. 'No, no, no.'

She was moaning in her sleep. Sharon was obviously in better mental and physical condition than her sister, but we all have our demons. I left my mobile switched off and in the car. I'd talk to Lou Kramer when Sharon and I were ready. I was awaiting the bank notice about the dishonoured cheque. Bound to come. Re-present and wait how long? I wasn't prepared to give my client quite everything I knew or suspected just yet. As I'd said to Sharon-call me careful.

I went out to the car and retrieved my mobile and the pistol. I was about to turn the mobile on when the phone in the house rang. The machine picked up.

'Hardy, where the hell are you? What's going on? I-'

I grabbed the phone. 'Take it easy, Lou. I'm here. Everything's more or less under control.'

'Says you. That woman who rang me. What're you playing at? I've been trying your mobile for hours ever since.'

'As she told you, she's Billie Marchant's sister. Hang on.'

I went to the stairs and listened but heard nothing.

'What now?' Lou snapped when I got back on the line.

'I've got her with me here. We've had developments. I found Billie.'

'Great. Where is she?'

'Still where I found her. Listen, Lou, it's all a bit tricky. But the sister knows where Billie's son is and she's halfway to helping us get hold of Billie. So calm down.'