Free The Day of the Gecko by Robert G. Barrett

handball; mainly at Clovelly Surf Club, but also at the Bondi Icebergs. Being a kind and generous person and knowing at the time the Icebergs were scratching a bit for money, Price had offered to build the club a new handball court. It was all excavated and laid out with several tonnes of fill stacked to one side, ready to go in before the concrete pour the following morning. The fill was stacked in such a way that if you removed the wooden poles and gave it one good heave the lot would fall in without having to use a bulldozer. Price said this would be an ideal spot to hide the bodies fortwo reasons. Firstly, they’d never find them under all the rubble and concrete. And secondly, Price, having a great sense of humour, reasoned that it would be nice to be able to play a few sets of handball over the top of two dropkicks he hated. Afterwards, all the people Price used to play handball with never ceased to be amazed that either win, lose or draw, Price would always dance a little soft-shoe shuffle after the game on the ocean side of the handball court.
    â€˜So that’s the story, Les,’ said Price, taking a sip from another Scotch and soda, then turning to Eddie. ‘It was a funny old night all right.’
    â€˜Yeah, real funny,’ said Eddie. ‘We almost got sprung.’
    â€˜Did we what,’ chimed in George.
    â€˜Sprung?’ enquired Les.
    â€˜Yeah.’ Eddie was a little serious. ‘We dragged the two bodies down to the handball court, while George waited in this old panel van we had. And we get sprung by these two wog skindivers in wetsuits.’
    â€˜Fair dinkum?’ laughed Les.
    â€˜Fair dinkum,’ repeated Eddie. ‘Actually I think they were in front of us. You got to remember, Les, it was pitch black and they just seemed to appear out of nowhere. They were probably out ripping off abalone and lobsters. They were carrying all their stuff with them in this big black bag and as soon as they saw us they dropped what they were carrying and pissed off. Naturally we weren’t bloody hanging around. We dumped the two bodies in the hole, hit the poles holding up the fill with a sledgehammer and we’re out of there in about two seconds flat before the dust evenstarted to settle.’ Eddie started to laugh, along with George and Price. ‘Next thing, these two wogs started screaming at each other, and us, too, I think. I don’t know what they were saying, we were too busy getting out of there. The last thing we saw as we drove off was them still screaming and crawling over the rubble with torches looking for their diving gear. The poor silly cunts.’
    â€˜Serves them right anyway,’ said Price. ‘Plundering the ocean’s resources like that.’
    â€˜My sentiments exactly, Price,’ agreed Norton, raising his glass.
    â€˜But of all the fuckin’ times to get sprung by a couple of mugs.’ Eddie shook his head and laughed. ‘It was a bloody crack-up, when I look back on it.’
    There was quiet for a moment, then Les spoke. ‘So they’re still in there. And now we’ve got to get them out?’
    â€˜Yes, unfortunately,’ said George. ‘Thanks to Waverley bloody Council.’
    â€˜And you’ve got a plan, have you, Eddie?’ said Les.
    â€˜Yep. I sure have.’ Eddie smiled and seemed to perk up. ‘And it’s a ripper.’
    Les watched the little hitman rub his hands together and looked away. ‘I hate it when you do that, Eddie,’ he said.
    Eddie continued to smile. ‘Mate, it’s all sweet. I got a bloke coming down with the explosives. We blow up the place. Grab the two bodies and throw them in a rubber ducky, which will come over from the boat-sheds. We transfer them to a game fishing boat, which another bloke’ll bring around and have waiting for us.He gets rid of them about twenty clicks out to sea. We take the rubber ducky back to the boatsheds. Leave it