By Mark Peters
www.ponyboysplace.com
Authors Note:
This
is a fictional story which contains scenes depicting sexual acts between
males of different ages. To
all those who are reading this story on Nifty I encourage you to visit
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~ Chapter Eleven ~
Almost
before we had even exited the front of the hospital both
Helen and I had our phones out and were hitting the dial
pad. It was time to start the ball rolling, to put our
plans into motion which would culminate in the arrest of
Andy Jarvis; assuming of course that we had all our
ducks lined up in a row and the Inspector gave us the
green light. Once
outside the building I listened to the phone ring at the
home of Martin's parents, while I could also hear
Helen talking to the Inspector. `Yes
sir,' I heard her say. `We have statements from both
boys and we're ready to move. Can we meet back in the
squad room in half an hour to go over everything with
you, please?' I
watched her as she listened intently to our commanding
officer, but before I could hear any response from her
my own call connected. `Hello,'
a rather breathless sounding woman said. `Hi
Beth,' I said. `Sorry, did I make you run?' `Oh
my god, Rick? Is that you?' she cried. `It's okay
. . . I was just out in the back yard. Now, what's
happened? Is everything alright?' `I'm
fine. Nothing has happened . . . apart from a new job in
the inner city. How about you and Tom? Everything okay,
I hope?' `Oh,
you know how it is . . . we're still getting by.
He'll be retiring soon, then we'll see what happens
after that. We're thinking of taking a trip
somewhere.' `That
sounds like a lot of fun.' `We
hope so. Oh, it's so great to hear your voice again.
It has been too long, dear.' `Yes,
I'm sorry . . . I know I should call more often.' `Yes
you should. And you should come and pay us a visit,'
she scolded. `We do miss you, you know.' `And
I've missed you guys too. And as for paying you a
visit, well, that's kind of why I called. There is
something important that I need to talk to you about,
but I was also wondering if I might be able to ask a
huge favour of you both?' `Of
course, sweetie.' `You
might want to hear me out before you say yes,' I
warned. `That
sounds ominous.' I
glanced across at Helen, who was still talking on her
phone, so I moved away a little and sat down on a seat
near the footpath, then began to explain the situation
regarding Jimmy and Shane, and my hope of our being able
to get them out of the city, at least for the short
term. She
listened without making any interruption, but after I
had finished she said nothing for a while, as she
digested what I had told her. `These
boys . . . they're not in trouble with the law?' `No
Mama. They are helping us, but they may be in danger, so
that's why we need to get them out of the city and
keep them safe. There will only be three people who will
know where they are . . . we can't afford to have
anyone find out where they've disappeared to.' I
had been calling her Mama for almost as long as I could
remember, as she and her husband had been as much a
family to me as my own . . . if not more so. The fact
that I was their only son's best friend since
childhood, and later on I was much more than that, well,
that only seemed to strengthen the bonds between us.
When Martin and I came out to his parents there were no
better people to have on our side. Any trepidation we
may have felt was soon swept away in a tidal wave of
love and support, and despite what happened, the love
they have exhibited toward me has been unwavering. `Okay
then. I understand the importance, but just let me talk
to Tom first . . . though I'm sure he'll be fine
with it.' `Thank
you. I know it's putting you on the spot . . .' `Shhh
. . . it's fine. If it's important to you, then
it's important to us as well. Now, what's this other
thing you wanted to talk about? Does it concern what
happened to Martin?' `In
a way, yes,' I uttered. `But I'd rather not talk
about it over the phone. I'd prefer to talk to you
about it face to face.' `When?'
`Can
I call you back tonight? Then if Tom is happy for us to
bring the boys up I'll explain everything to you
then.' `All
right then dear, that sounds like a plan. We'll talk
to you tonight then.' After
we disconnected I have to admit to having some feelings
of guilt, not only for my phoning them out of the blue
like this, for the first time in quite a long time, but
also because of the possibility that involving them may
also be placing them in a potentially dangerous
situation, if things went wrong. Knowing both Tom and
Beth as I did, however, I had a feeling that Tom would
have no issues at all with taking the lads in. I just
wanted to be totally up-front with them and make sure
that they knew everything there was to know about what
was going on down here, not only with regards to the
boys, but also with the new developments concerning
Martin's death, and the only way I could do that would
be if I sat down with them and talked it through. It
was while these thoughts were running through my mind
that Helen came over and sat down beside me, looking
slightly exasperated. `What's
up?' I asked. `What did the old man have to say?' `Would
you believe he's more interested in us organizing that
bloody Mardi Gras float, than us catching bad guys? Or
at least that's the impression I got. Anyhow, I told
him we've got it under control, so that seemed to have
settled him down a bit.' `And
do we?' `Fucked
if I know,' she sighed. `I'll give Elvira a call
in a sec and see how she and Jimmy Tan are getting on
out at Redfern.' `And
what about Jarvis?' I prompted. `The
boss wants to review what we've got, but it looks like
it's all systems go. I told him we've got the
boys' statements, and leads on Jarvis's right hand
man as well, so he's happy enough for us to pick them
up. When I told him we might have them for the murder
charge as well, that seemed to be the clincher.' `So,
what's next?' `A
quick trip back to the station, then we set off in
search of Jarvis. How did you get on with Martin's
parents?' `Good,
I think. I just need to call them back tonight.' `Tonight?' `Yeah,
Marty's dad, Tom, is at work, so Beth will talk to him
first.' `Okay.' `How
soon before you think we'll be able to get the boys
out of town?' `If
Jarvis is in custody this afternoon, then first thing
tomorrow I hope. If we can arrange for the charges to be
laid today and get him a remand hearing overnight,
we'll be all set to move them in the morning.' `I'd
feel better if we could get Shane out of here today,'
I remarked, while jerking my head toward the building
behind us. `So
would I, but I before we can do that we have a few
hurdles we need to jump first.' `I
guess,' I sighed. I was then that I recalled what
Shane had mentioned about faces on the television, so I
asked, `So tell me, what was it that Shane said about
cops on the telly that caused you to go all white when
it was mentioned back inside his room?' `All
in good time, my good man. All in good time.' *
*
* As
expected, the Inspector was waiting for us when we made
it back to the squad room a short while later. We found
him pacing up and down like a caged animal and just as
soon as we had arrived he ushered us both into his
office, where we also found another man waiting for us. `Okay
then, you two, this is Warwick Cooke, Police Prosecutor.
So, tell us again what you have,' he commanded. We
shook hands with the man, who was dressed smartly, but
seemed to lack the usual smarminess of those involved in
the legal profession. As we all sat down on opposite
sides of the Inspector's massive desk, I had the
distinct impression that I was being sized up by the
man. Helen
started at the beginning, right from Jimmy's desperate
phone call, which felt like a lifetime ago now, and
finishing with our visit to the security control room at
St. Vincent's Hospital, backed up by the boy's
statements. For
some reason she left the hospital CCTV printouts in her
pocket, and as she didn't raise them I thought it best
that I shouldn't either. I figured she must have had
her reasons, or at least a plan in mind, so I figured I
would just let that play out. `And
what about the murder?' Warwick asked. `We
have a witness who saw Garry being hit, then later being
carried out by Jarvis and his right-hand man, Gus,'
Helen offered. `We also have another witness who
overheard Gus talking about dumping someone, which the
other kids all assumed was Garry, but can't be sure
about that.' `That's
not very conclusive,' Warwick said. `No,
I agree,' Helen replied, `but I feel sure that once
we have Jarvis and Gus both collared, and we can talk to
some of the other boys, without them fearing for their
lives, then I think that the flood gates will open and
we'll have more information on Jarvis than we had ever
thought we would find.' `So,
in your opinion, Warwick, where does that leave us right
at this moment?' the Inspector asked. `I'd
say that we've got more than enough that we can use to
pick him up with and charge him. There's prostitution,
assault and grievous bodily harm for starters. With the
statements you have, especially if they can be
corroborated by some of the other boys involved, I'm
sure that we can make all of that stick. As for the
murder charge, we'll throw that into the mix as well,
and if we can make that stick also, then all the
better.' `That's
excellent news,' the Inspector replied. `Now,
what about these two young witnesses that you have
statements from . . . where are they right now?'
Warwick asked. `Are they secure?' `One
is safely tucked away with some friends of ours,'
Helen replied. `And the other is still in St.
Vincent's Hospital, recovering, but under guard.' `And
after Jarvis is picked up?' `We're
making arrangements for them both to stay with some
friends out of the city . . . which will hopefully be
first thing tomorrow morning.' `That's
good then, provided that they'll be available for
further interviews and any possible court case. And, of
course, the fewer who know their whereabouts, the
better.' `Absolutely.
I'd like to think that the only people who will know
where they will be are those who are sitting in this
room right now,' Helen added. `Of
course,' the Inspector agreed. `This is a very
delicate matter, and the fewer who know about it the
better.' `Indeed,
indeed,' Warwick added, while getting to his feet.
`Well, just keep me posted about what happens, will
you. And good work, you two. This is one fish we've
wanted to fry for a long, long time.' `We
certainly will, Warwick,' the Inspector remarked, as
he moved around the desk and shook his hand. `Thank
you, sir,' Helen and I both replied, as we both shook
Warwick's hand as well, before the Inspector then
showed him out the door. `Is
there anything else?' the Inspector asked, as he
turned and faced us. `Errr
. . . yes, sir,' Helen replied. `This is actually a
bit more than just a delicate matter, Inspector. I think
there is more at stake here than we had first realised.
Jimmy and Shane and young Greg Walls are just the tip of
the proverbial iceberg.' `Oh?' `Both
Jimmy and Shane told us a good deal more this morning,
which hasn't been included in their statements yet, as
they were already typed up and signed. Shane in
particular has indicated that some of their clients are
quite high profile.' `How
so?' `They
recognised them off the television. Sportsmen and
television hosts for starters.' `And
why do I get the impression that there is still more to
come?' the Inspector asked flatly. `He
said some of their clients were also cops,' she added.
`And one was a cop that he recognised from the
television as well.' For
the second time that day I saw someone go pale at the
mention of this. The inspector slumped back into his
chair, then started drumming his fingers slowly on the
polished timber desk. `Has
he given a name? Or have you shown him a photo?' `No
sir.' Now
I was more than intrigued and when Helen glanced my way
I raised my eyebrows at her. `The
only cops that are regularly on the telly, Coop, and who
people might actually recognise, are the Commissioner
and the two Deputy Commissioners,' Helen said. `And,'
the Inspector added, `it wasn't so long ago that
Deputy Commissioner Barrett was reportedly photographed
leaving an establishment in Kings Cross that could only
be described as a gay sex den, even if it was all hushed
over at the time. The police force can be a relatively
closed shop at times, and while many of us had heard the
rumours, it was kept from the mainstream media, thanks
to some pressure applied in the right places, no
doubt.' `So,
if Deputy Commissioner Barrett is tied up with Jarvis
somehow, then he could be in a whole lot of trouble,'
I asked. `Yes,
but there's more to it than just that,' the
Inspector added. `There were others who were also
implicated at the same time. We have no way of knowing
just how far and wide the whole shooting match will
go.' `And
then, Inspector, there are also these,' Helen offered,
as she pulled the CCTV print-outs from her hip pocket
and handed them to him. He took them, then reached for
his glasses on the desk. `And
these are?' `CCTV
images taken at St. Vincent's Hospital. These two are
the cops who have been visiting young Shane and telling
him how much trouble he is in because of what he's
been up to. Do you recognise them, sir?' The
Inspector simply nodded, then for my benefit Helen said,
`They're from the Vice Squad . . . Azzopardi and
Ryan. Well known hard heads, who have been rumoured to
be on more than just the Police payroll.' `So
. . . is it just me, or is there a connection being
formed here?' I enquired. `No,
it's not just you, Coop. We can all see it. The
questions are, though, just how wide has this tangled
web been spun, and just how the hell do we handle it?' *
*
* Before
we left his office we discussed our more immediate
problem, being the location and arrest of Andy Jarvis. We
knew that it would be reasonable to assume he would know
we were coming for him at some stage, especially
considering his hired helpers, Azzopardi and Ryan had
already been to visit Shane in hospital to try and apply
some pressure to the kid. What we couldn't be sure of,
however, was whether Jarvis knew we had Jimmy tucked
safely away, and more importantly that we had the
statements of two boys who were willing to testify not
just against him, but also against others who worked for
him or helped him. As
far as the three of us could see, we held all the aces,
and Jarvis, even if he thought he was safe enough, was
in a whole world of trouble. `So,
how do you intend going about this?' the Inspector
asked us. `Well,
sir, that will depend on where he is,' Helen replied.
`Ideally we'd like to be able to raid all his
possible lairs at once, but given the nature of the
whole situation, and also given the scant recourses we
have, I guess we're just going to have to take a
punt.' From
what I had heard and read in the few days since I had
been here, Jarvis was known to own several locations in
and around the city, including a home in the eastern
suburbs, the house he used for his rent boys, and
several businesses – which appeared (from the outside
at least) to be legitimate. `I'd
like to keep this as low key as possible,' the
Inspector added, `so we won't go in with a task
force or all guns blazing. Just the three of us, I
think. I'll tag a long so you have some back-up, and
without involving any other members from this command.
The fewer involved, the less chance there is of any
outside element interfering.' `We
appreciate that sir, ` Helen replied. `Now,
I've also spoken with the Department of Community
services and advised them of the likely situation, and
that there may be minors involved, so they are prepared
to go in after us, if needed.' `I
agree,' Helen replied. `And
what if he's not at his house?' I enquired. `Then
we look at his business premises,' the Inspector
offered. `And
if someone tips him off that we're looking for him?
You don't think he'll go to ground someplace?' I
added. `I
think he's too arrogant for that,' Helen said.
`I'm sure he thinks that he's got the whole police
force all wrapped up in the palm of his hand and can get
away with anything he wants. The bastard will be in for
a bit of a shock when we slam that cell door shut on him
tonight, though!' `Well,
how about we go and test that theory?' the Inspector
suggested. It
sounded like just about all eventualities had been
covered, so it was with high hopes that the three of us
left the squad room and descended to the underground car
park and piled into Helen's car. I
sat in the back seat in silence as we made the trip
across town, from Darlinghurst to Rose Bay, and located
the house we were looking for, which proved to be an
older style, two-story home, with a lavish garden and
located behind a low sandstone wall. From where we stood
beside the road we couldn't see the harbor, but I
suspected that from the second floor of the house the
views would be well worth the asking price, which I
figured would be in the millions. `Very
swish,' Helen remarked as she got out of the car.
`But I kind of expected gates, high fences, security
cameras and a slobbering Rottweiler pacing up and down
inside the perimeter.' `Even
the dodgy characters need to project an air of
respectability, Wheeler,' the Inspector dryly
remarked. `How else do you think they would be let
into a neighbourhood like this?' `But
once you're accepted by the neighbours, you're in
for life, eh boss?' `I
think it works something like that,' he replied.
`Come on, let's do this.' I
followed the pair of them up the driveway, taking note
of the silver BMW parked outside the two-car garage at
the end of the driveway, before we climbed the steps to
the porch outside the front door. Helen
did the honours and rang the doorbell, which was
answered a few moments later by a very well-dressed
woman who appeared to be in her fourties, wearing a
tight fitting, sky blue dress complemented by a strand
of pearls and a new hair-do. Judging by her appearance I
guessed she was about to head off to some fancy fund
raising function for the Gould League of Bird Lovers, or
some equally obscure group. `May
I help you?' she asked, while looking from one of us
to the next. `Mrs.
Jarvis?' Helen asked. `That's
right.' `I'm
Detective Wheeler, and this is Inspector Richardson
and Detective Cooper,' she said, as we all flashed our
identification at her. `We were wondering if your
husband was at home, please?' `No
he isn't, I'm afraid. Just what's this all
about?' `We
would just like to ask him some questions,' Helen
replied. `Do you know where we might find him?' `I'm
sorry, but I haven't a clue,' came the curt reply.
`He doesn't tell me where he goes every day. He
could be at one of his businesses, or on a golf course
for all I know. Why don't you try calling him? Now if
you'll excuse me, I have a function to be going to,'
she added, following which the heavy wooden door was
then abruptly closed in our faces. `Well,
ain't that just great!' Helen growled. `Relax
Wheeler. He'll turn up,' the Inspector proffered.
`He won't be getting away from us this time.' As
we stepped down off the porch and started back through
the rose garden toward Helen's car, we heard the sound
of an engine start and looked up to see the silver BMW
being backed down the drive way, with Mrs. Jarvis at the
wheel. She
gave us one long look, doing nothing to disguise the
obvious disdain she felt toward us, before then backing
out onto the road and slamming the car into gear, then
speeding off. `Lovely
lady,' I remarked, having taken an instant dislike to
her. `Do you think she's aware of the full extent of
her husband's business interests?' `That's
a good question,' the Inspector replied. `If I was a
betting man I'd say that even if she doesn't know
the full extent of it, she would at least know that some
of what he does isn't one hundred percent kosher.' `Which
could make her an accessory?' I ventured. `Only
if she did actually know what he was up to and was
involved in some way,' Helen replied. `So,
we'd really need to prove it then?' I mused. `Yes
Cooper, we really would,' the Inspector replied with a
sigh, and with what sounded like just the slightest hint
of amusement in his voice. I guess, if anything, he
could have been annoyed at my obvious stupidity, but
I'm sure that even a man like him can understand the
frustration of coming up against someone who was quite
possibly guilty of an offence, yet we were unable to pin
it on them. `Don't
you know that all good things come to those who wait,
Coop?' Helen remarked. `And
next I suppose you're going to tell me that patience
is a virtue?' I scoffed. `Well
. . .' she simply shrugged. `Okay
you two, in case you hadn't noticed we're yet to
collar our crim, so if you're good and ready, how
about we go and track him down?' the Inspector stated,
still sounding slightly amused. `Yes,
sir,' we both replied, as we followed him toward the
car. It
wasn't long before we were back on the road once more
and heading toward the city. Helen punched an address
into the GPS and we followed the instructions, arriving
at a rather run-down looking auto body shop about twenty
minutes later. `Classy,'
Helen remarked as we pulled to a front outside the drab
looking building. Getting
out of the car we crossed the road and walked in through
the large open doorway, where we were immediately
accosted by the acrid smell of paint and chemicals.
There were numerous vehicles inside, all in various
stages of repair, while a team of workers scampered
around. Nobody seemed to pay us any attention, but as I
had a look around us I soon noticed a small office
located in a corner at the front, just inside the main
doorway and close to where we were standing, so I walked
over to the doorway. `Can
I help you?' a rather plain looking, middle-aged woman
asked as she looked up from her desk and noticed me
there. `I'm
looking for Andy Jarvis,' I replied. Suddenly her eyes
narrowed and she was on full alert `Who
wants him?' she asked. Pulling
my badge from my pocket I flashed it in front of her and
watched as she gave it the once over. `So,
what's the stupid bastard done this time?' she
asked, before then letting out a rather large sigh. `Ma'am?'
.
To be continued... |
Authors Note: |