Free The Tower by Michael Duffy Page B

sailing to work this morning,’ he said. ‘You want a lift?’
    â€˜I’ve got my car. Need to get to the site. Closing it down will cause chaos.’ He looked at his watch: he should be there now.
    Wu said, ‘Tell Taylor to hold on. I’m meeting Superintendent Siegert and the head of the Homicide Squad shortly. The decision will be reversed.’
    â€˜You are joking?’
    For a moment Wu looked offended, but then he smiled and gestured towards the open door that led onto the rear deck. Randall felt immensely relieved. Wu said, ‘Happy hunting.’
    â€˜I’ll see what I can find out from the cops.’
    Wu smiled. ‘You take care out there, Sean. Don’t forget, the people in this town are descended from convicts. They’re not honest people.’
    â€˜No.’
    It was one of Henry’s jokes.
    â€˜Not like you and me.’
    Randall wasn’t sure if he should laugh, he’d heard the line so many times now. But he did, instinctively, giving it all he had. For a moment he saw a flicker of pleasure on Henry’s face.
    As he walked out and across the gangplank, he knew he’d done the right thing. It was all going to work itself out.

Seven
    T he sea was like a washing machine for people, Troy thought. He would plunge into the surf, it would roll him around, and he would emerge clean and renewed. This was how he’d seen Maroubra Beach since moving there four years ago. His swimming had improved—he had a strong chest and good lung capacity—and before long he’d become an expert bodysurfer. Walking along the beach in cut-off jeans, with a tan in mid-summer, he felt as though he’d lived here all his life. But he always knew, when he went in, that the sea was in charge. Some people, the ones who were born here, could go through life without realising that. They were the ones who became champions.
    He was catching a wave, gliding towards the beach with one arm outstretched, when Anna shook him. As he woke up he tried to pull his arm in, before realising he’d been dreaming. The clock on the bedside table showed it was almost seven, and for a moment he lay there, disoriented, not hearing what she was telling him. Then she was sitting on the bed, leaning down and pressing herself on him, and he could feel her tears on the side of his face.
    â€˜I love you,’ she whispered.
    He wondered if this might bring them back together.
    â€˜I love you too,’ he said, her hair in his mouth. ‘I didn’t—
    â€™ She sat up and put a finger on his mouth, and just looked at him for a long time. Then she took the finger away and wiped her eyes.
    â€˜So you heard,’ he said.
    She stood up, her lovely face full of emotion, brushing the long dark hair back, the brown eyes warm in a way he hadn’t seen for a long time.
    â€˜You’re in the newspaper. Tracia brought it over.’
    He recalled the two journalists, and wondered how they’d used what he’d given them. But that could wait. They’d taken his gun and he was on leave, so everything could wait. Pushing himself up, he took the mug of coffee Anna had left on the bedside table and sipped it. She was still standing there, looking at him as though he were something new.
    â€˜I’m on leave,’ he said. ‘Until further notice.’
    Her face lit up and she asked him to tell her about the night before. He patted the bed beside him, wanting to feel her close to him again. She shook her head and said lightly that she had to go check on Matt. She left the room.
    Troy sighed and stretched his arms, wondering how he felt. Not too bad, he decided, and swung his legs onto the floor. He sat for a while, longer than he realised, for when he looked at the bedside clock it was seven thirty.
    After he’d showered he went into the lounge room and found Matt in his bouncinette, playing with his baby gym. Anna was in the kitchen, washing up. Troy sat