---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Old Valley Road Hotel.
By Wombat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Any constructive comments are appreciated. I'm at 'bungala_wombat@yahoo.com.au'. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Nifty Readers, If you enjoy this story or others on Nifty, please send a generous donation to Nifty.org at 'http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html' to help support and maintain this free service full of wonderful stories so it may continue to remain available to everyone.
Thank you all, Wombat ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 7 - 'A Rainy Day' Part 30.
------------------------------------ Part 90: The Last Party ------------------------------------
On a hot and humid summery Saturday evening in February, Bryn went to Debbie's birthday party held at the Truman house. He drove there in the Ferrari. He loved driving the Ferrari and drove it every opportunity he could. Ellis was willing to let him have the car most times.
As usual Ellis flatly refused to accompany Bryn to Debbie's party. Instead he went to the Croatian Club in a taxi. He had been invited to old Slavomir's one hundredth birthday party and that was worthy of great celebration. Ellis could not miss it for any reason.
At the Croatian Club old Slavomir had received a congratulatory telegram from Queen Elizabeth and he proudly showed the piece of paper to all who were present. Slavomir was Ellis's oldest English language student. He had started in Ellis's English Language class when he was in his nineties and was now able speak English with passable fluency. Ellis was pleased that the old man had even made the effort let alone do as well as he had done. Ellis had given him every encouragement. Because of Ellis's contributions to the club over the years, Ellis had been made an honorary life member.
Bryn and others of Ellis's friends joked that Ellis had become an honorary Croat. Roman pretended to be offended because Ellis had not shown the same interest in the people, language and culture of Poland. It became a standing joke.
A few years before Slavomir's one hundredth birthday, Croatia had achieved her independence from Yugoslavia after the bloody War of Independence and the even bloodier Bosnian War. The members of the Croatian Club needed little excuse to celebrate Croatia's independence. The memories of the Balkan Wars were still raw. That evening much was eaten and much was drunk. Many songs were sung.
A moving moment was when three national anthems were sung, the Croatian national anthem in honour of the land of most members' birth or ancestry, the Australian anthem 'Advance Australia Fair' in honour of their adopted homeland and the British national anthem 'God Save Our Gracious Queen' in honour of Slavomir's telegram from Queen Elizabeth. Ellis participated in the singing of all three anthems in full voice.
Ellis was also called upon to deliver a speech about Slavomir and the English Language course he took. He delivered it in Croatian to much applause and laughter.
Then a prematurely grey man named Stojan aged in his late twenties called out in Croatian, "Let us not forget those who died in the Siege of Vukovar when those Serbian bastards flattened our beautiful town. Let us drink to the everlasting salvation of our brave heroes who died trying to defend our town against those Serbian barbarians."
That raised a loud cheer.
Many toasts were drunk to the dead of Vukovar. Ellis was told that Stojan had left the safe haven of Australia and had gone to fight in the Croatian War of Independence. Stojan had fought against the Serbs in the unsuccessful defence of Vukovar but miraculously had survived to return home. Ellis commented that it would certainly be some story that Stojan had to tell.
As the night got later, Ellis stood at the bar drinking with Zoran and his and Marica's sons as well as Ante, Branko, Zlatko, Dinko, Dragan and other friends. Marica circulated amongst the club members 'being presidential', as her son Joe put it. Many toasts were drunk to Marica, old Slavomir and also to Stojan and the other veterans of the Balkan Wars. It seemed to Ellis that he kissed passionately on the lips every man in the room. He loved it.
Sometime well after midnight, the party broke up as people went home. Ellis took a taxi home. He shared it with Branko and his wife Jelena and took them home because their house was on Ellis's way home. The three of them sat in the taxi singing loud Croatian songs to the bemusement of the Japanese taxi driver.
At the apartment building, he merrily got into a lift with Alison and Clint.
"You've been drinking!" exclaimed Alison.
"God, Ellis, you smell like a cheap plonk distillery," remarked Clint.
Ellis wrapped his muscular arms around Clint and planted a kiss firmly on Clint's lips. Clint struggled but he was no match for Ellis's strength.
"Ellis, stop it!" scolded Alison.
Ellis took no notice of her. Clint struggled futilely in Ellis's iron grip while Ellis enjoyed kissing the hot sexy hunk firmly on the lips. He relished feeling Clint's hard strong body struggling against his own powerfully muscled body. Clint was definitely one hot sexy guy.
"Ellis, stop that at once!" demanded Alison.
Ellis could hear muffled cries coming from Clint as he continued the enthusiastic lip-locked kiss.
"Ellis, stop that now!" shouted Alison. She poked him hard in his back.
Ellis reluctantly let Clint go. He was grinning from ear to ear.
Clint wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He glared at Ellis.
"What was that for?" he demanded.
"One, Sam says you're a real hunk and I agree with her," laughed Ellis. "You sure are. You're one hot sexy hunk. And two, I've been kissing men like that all evening."
"Where? At some gay bar in Oxford Street?" jeered Clint.
"No. At the Croatian Club. That's the traditional greeting in Eastern Europe, kissing men on the lips."
"Fuck me!" snorted Clint.
"You gonna have to ask me a lot nicer than that," laughed Ellis.
"Fuck off!"
Ellis laughed. The lift doors opened.
"You're going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow," commented Alison.
"Maybe. See you guys tomorrow, I guess."
"Maybe."
Alison and Clint departed.
The lift continued upwards. The doors opened onto the lower lobby of Ellis's penthouse. Ellis made his way to the kitchen and found an electric torch. He moved quietly because he did not want to wake Bryn who would have come home and gone to bed hours ago. He ascended the stairs without any noise and showered in one of the spare bathrooms.
Naked, he padded silently through the darkness into his and Bryn's bedroom. He gingerly got into bed. To his great surprise he discovered that the bed was empty. There was no Bryn. He looked at the glowing digits of the bedside clock. They read 3:48 AM. He switched on the bedhead light. He could see no sign of Bryn. He got up again and checked the bathroom. That was empty. It had not been touched since early that evening.
He looked around the upper floor and then the lower floor. Still no sign of Bryn. Ellis could not possibly misplace a man as big as Bryn. He went to the kitchen and checked the drawer where the car keys were kept. He saw two sets each of the Monaro keys and the Mercedes keys but only one set of the Ferrari keys, his own. Bryn's keys were missing.
He pulled on a pair of brief tight white shorts and knee-high ugg boots. He took the lift down to the basement carpark. The Ferrari was not in its usual place. There was no sign of the Ferrari in the carpark. There was nobody in sight in the carpark. Not surprising at after four o'clock in the morning.
Ellis heaved a sigh. Bryn must be sleeping it off at the Truman house. That was not like Bryn. The thought that Bryn may have gone on a bender made Ellis feel irritated. Surely Bryn would have learnt his lesson after that Christmas at Roman's and Bill's place all those years ago.
Ellis took the lift back up to his penthouse. His mouth felt furry and stale. He went into the kitchen and mixed himself a glass of liver salts. He went upstairs to bed and drifted off to sleep.
It was broad daylight when he awoke. Half asleep he reached out from sheer habit for the huge warm heavily muscled naked body of his man but found nothing but empty bed. Suddenly he was fully awake. He remembered that Bryn had not arrived home the previous evening and his conclusion that Bryn had slept overnight at the Truman house.
Ellis opened the bedroom curtains. The sunlight flooded in and dazzled him. It was quite late in the morning. Ellis was not in the best of moods. He had a mild headache and his nose felt stuffy. He was hungry. He quickly put on a blue muscle tank top, a pair of white shorts and the ugg boots. He grabbed his mobile phone and caught the lift down to the cafe.
In the cafe he saw Alison and Clint. Geoffrey was sitting at the usual table by the window.
He paused at Alison's and Clint's table.
"Sorry 'bout last night," he said. "I got a bit carried away."
"You certainly did!" declared Alison.
"I reckon!" replied Clint with a smirk. "You're forgiven."
"How's the hangover?" asked Alison.
"It's there," replied Ellis.
"Where's Bryn?"
"Dunno. Probably sleeping it off somewhere."
"I hope he's all right."
"Yeah. So do I. Um, Geoff's waiting for me. I'll see you guys later."
"See ya later, you old pisspot," said Clint with a laugh.
Ellis walked over, sat down at Geoffrey's table and greeted him. The remains of breakfast lay in front of Geoffrey.
"Is Bryn coming down?" asked Geoffrey.
"I don't know. He didn't turn up last night."
"What happened?"
"Not sure. He went off to Debbie Truman's birthday bash last night in the Ferrari and I haven't seen him since. He probably crashed at their place last night."
"Debbie Truman, isn't she the woman who married that Roman Catholic priest James Truman while he was studying medicine? Debbie Lambert she was. She was an Arts student."
"Yep, that's the one," said Ellis.
"Yeah, I remember that. It caused a sensation when it happened."
Ellis ordered a big breakfast and a mug of coffee. Suzie took his order as usual.
"Is Doctor Powys coming down for breakfast?" she asked.
"Tell you the truth, Suzie, I don't know," replied Ellis. "I wouldn't think so. I think he's having breakfast somewhere else this morning."
"OK. Thank you," she smiled and walked off.
After Ellis had eaten his breakfast, Geoffrey indicated Ellis's mobile phone sitting on the table and suggested that he phone Bryn.
Ellis dialled the number of Bryn's mobile phone and received an automatic message saying that the phone dialled is either out of range or switched off.
Ellis dialled the number of the Truman house. Debbie answered.
"What do you want?" she demanded when Ellis had announced himself.
"Could I speak to Bryn please?" asked Ellis struggling to stay calm.
"No."
"Why? Is he still asleep?"
"I have no idea."
"Isn't he still there at your place?"
"No."
"Where is he then?"
"He went off with Jamie's little gay friend last night and didn't come back."
"Er, do you know the guy's phone number?"
"No."
"Can I speak to James please?"
"He's not available."
"Do you know how I could get hold of him?"
"I said he's not available."
"Look, I really want to get hold of Bryn. Please let me know how I can contact him."
"Listen, Ellis. I don't know where Bryn is and Jamie's definitely not available as I told you. I can't help you any more than that. So, goodbye Ellis!" With that Debbie hung up.
"Bitch!" exploded Ellis as he banged the mobile phone down on the table.
"Problems?" asked Geoffrey.
"Yes!" snapped Ellis. He continued in a high effeminate voice imitating Debbie, "'He went off with Jamie's little gay friend last night and didn't come back.'"
"It sounds to me like she's winding you up."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I thought Bryn would never do that, like go off with another guy."
"Are you jealous?"
"Yes! But I don't understand it. Bryn's never showed any interest in anyone else, male or female, apart from me in all the time I've known him. I was pretty sure I'm the only guy he's ever wanted ever since I first met him and that was in the professor's office years ago."
"Yes I was there. You looked absolutely smitten when you first saw him. Your face really lit up when I told you he was gay."
"You know how much he likes it up the arse. I'm pretty well hung and I make him really happy. And sex with me is safe. I can't get AIDS."
"Yes, you super-duper elite suppressor, you," replied Geoffrey with a wry smile. "Perhaps he wanted to fuck a guy for a change."
"He's always got me," protested Ellis. "I like it up the arse too. It doesn't happen very often because he really likes me fucking him up the arse so much but I'm always there for him if he does want to fuck me. Anyhow, 'Jamie's little gay friend' sounds like a pretty small kind of guy. He might have trouble fitting Bryn up his arse. As you know, Bryn's a bloody big guy and he's big in the cock department too. It's bloody good fun having him up my arse on the rare occasions it happens but then I'm not a small guy."
"No, you are most certainly not!"
"You know, Geoff. The thing that really bothers me is that I'm immune to AIDS but Bryn's not immune. Surely he hasn't forgotten that!"
"I shouldn't think so."
"Why take the risk of playing around? Look, Geoff, my former lover BJ died of AIDS a few years back and died slowly and pretty bloody horribly too by all accounts. He caught it playing around getting fucked in the gym by all and sundry even though we were in a really good relationship, well so I thought."
"Yes, I know. You told me."
"Geoff, I would really hate that to happen to Bryn. I really would."
Geoffrey put his hand on Ellis's forearm and looked Ellis square in the eyes.
He said, "I would too, Ellis. I really would. With you he's grown into a really wonderful person and he's so full of ideas. He truly is a brilliant man and he's put us here in Sydney on the map worldwide. Thanks to Bryn, everyone on the planet knows about us and the work we do. It would be terrible if anything happened to him, truly terrible. I don't mind telling you, Ellis, that we would be lost without him. No-one could possibly take his place. No-one comes close to him. But have faith. He'll turn up. Of that I'm sure. And he's highly unlikely to pick up HIV from sticking his cock up some random guy's arse. The chances of him catching AIDS from that are small, he'd be quite unlucky to pick up the virus. Mind you, he could catch other nasty things like gonorrhoea, pubic lice and herpes, for instance."
"Yeah, and when he does turn up, I'll have a bit to say to him!"
"I'm sure you will. Don't be too hard on him."
"No. I'll just ask him why he needs to play around, like how we can improve our relationship. I'll remind him of the risks he's taking. I'll tell him it would break my heart if anything happened to him. I love him just so much."
"Like do him over a slow fire."
Ellis gave a wry smile and said, "Yeah, something like that. Well, he should turn up today if he's going to work tomorrow as tomorrow's Monday."
"If he doesn't show up tomorrow, we should report him to the police."
"Why? He hasn't done anything wrong, has he?"
"No. We should report him as missing and soon. The police have access to far better resources to look for him than we have. You wouldn't happen to know who the 'little gay friend' might be."
"Absolutely no idea. I can't think of any of James' and Debbie's friends who'd fit that description and I've met quite a few of them over the years when I used to go there. I think Bryn and I were their only gay friends. I can't even remember if any of their other friends could be gay."
"You see the problem. We don't know where to start and Debbie is openly hostile to you. She won't tell you anything and James mightn't be much help either for whatever reason."
"Yeah, oh well. I guess we just gotta wait and see when or if Bryn turns up."
"Yes, something like that. Sorry."
"No, not at all, Geoff," protested Ellis. "It's been really great to have you to talk to."
"Pleasure. Let's see what tomorrow brings."
"God, I hope it brings Bryn."
"Yes, so do I, very much so."
After breakfast Ellis felt at a loose end. Already he was missing Bryn. He thought about having a workout at the gym. His head felt muzzy and his breakfast sat heavily in his stomach. He decided against the gym. He felt moody and irritable. He did not know what to do with himself.
He ended up going for a walk around the harbour to Vaucluse.
That night he had a nightmare. He woke up with his body slick with sweat and the vivid memory of his body being filled with a terrible and excruciating pain. He was writhing and screaming in the purest agony. He awoke to the sounds of his screams.
The following morning he was in his small office at the university trying to mark student assignments but he had terrible difficulty concentrating. The memory of the horrible nightmare haunted him although he could not remember much detail.
He had recently come back from having morning coffee with his departmental colleagues in the staff common room. He looked at the colour photograph of Bryn smiling that he had on his desk. It was a good one. It showed a strong, sexy, handsome, vigorous and happy man in his prime. Many of his female colleagues had commented on it favourably.
The phone rang. It was Geoffrey.
"Bryn hasn't come into work this morning," he said.
"Shit!"
"Yes. My feelings too."
"What do we do now?"
"As I told you yesterday, you report him missing to the police."
"Shit! Must I?"
"Look, Ellis, let's face it. It's been more than a day and a half since you saw him last. Something may have happened to him, something bad perhaps. It's most unlike him not to come into the department given his complete devotion to the point of obsession to finding a cure for AIDS. I'd be greatly surprised if he's decided to goof off somewhere and take time off unless he absolutely has to. Maybe he's lying injured somewhere, or worse. The sooner the police know about it, the better. Anyway, the police should be able to get more information out of the Trumans. You've got no chance of getting anything more from them."
"Yeah, alright. I'll do it."
"Good. I'll meet you at midday out the front of your building in my car. A photo of him would help. That photo you have on your desk in your office would be ideal."
"OK. Thanks, Geoff. Thanks for everything."
"It's the least I can do."
At midday Geoffrey picked Ellis up in his car and drove to a major police station near the hospital and university. They both reported Bryn as missing.
The police officer who took the report was very sympathetic. She recognised Bryn from the photograph as the AIDS doctor. She even told the two men that her brother had died of AIDS. She added the notation to the report that Bryn was the AIDS doctor saying that should spark some action. She took a good copy of the photograph for the report and handed the photograph back to Ellis. Geoffrey told her that Bryn was a big, extremely strong man who was well versed in martial arts and was a martial arts teacher. Ellis added that he was a martial arts student of Bryn's. The policewoman looked at Ellis and remembered him as the man who put sixteen rugby players in hospital. She commented that Bryn should well and truly be capable of looking after himself should he be attacked by any gang of thugs.
As Geoffrey was driving him back in the car, Ellis commented, "Now we wait for something to happen."
"That's the size of it," said Geoffrey sympathetically.
Ellis had a tutorial that afternoon. He apologised to his students for not completing the marking of their previous assignments. He found it difficult to keep his mind on what the students were saying. He occasionally lost track and had to apologise again. He was starting to really worry about Bryn.
That evening there was still no sign of Bryn. Sam had made a chicken casserole which she left in the oven. Ellis ate half of it alone in the kitchen. He reflected that the number of times he had eaten alone in the years since Bryn came into his life could just about be counted on the fingers of both hands. It happened rarely. He was missing Bryn already. He worried, staring vacantly at the half-empty casserole dish sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.
He was startled from his reverie by the phone ringing. It was James Truman.
"Hi, how are you?" asked James.
"Nothing flash," replied Ellis curtly. "And you?"
"I'm fine, thanks. We haven't seen you in a while."
"You know why."
"Sorry. There's not much I can do about that. Anyway, the reason I rang you is, do you know where Alfie is?"
"Who's Alfie?"
"He's a patient of mine. He missed his appointment with me today, which is most unusual. I rang his landlady and she hasn't seen him since Saturday evening when he came to Debbie's birthday party."
"Why the hell do you think I would know?"
"Well, Alfie was afraid to go back to his car on his own in the dark after the party and Bryn very kindly walked him to his car. Alfie was so pleased to have such a big, really strong man like Bryn protect him. He felt so safe with Bryn."
"Is Alfie your little gay friend?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"When I rang your place yesterday, your wife told me that and I quote, Bryn went off with Jamie's, that's you I assume, Jamie's little gay friend and didn't come back. I might add that I have not seen Bryn since he left to go to your wife's birthday party."
"Oh, I do wish Debbie wouldn't refer to Alfie in those terms. People will get the wrong impression. Why did you ring her in the first place?"
"The reason I telephoned your place yesterday, James, was that Bryn has not come home after the party at your place. I have not seen him at all since he left here to go to your party on Saturday. When he didn't turn up here after your party, I thought he may have slept over at your place. Maybe he had a few drinks and wasn't game to drive the Ferrari home afterwards. It's a pretty lively little car and you don't want to get behind the wheel after a few drinks. It's easy to get yourself into trouble. Anyhow, I rang your place to see if Bryn was all right and Debbie answered the phone. She told me that Bryn had gone off with Alfie and when I asked for more information because I didn't have a clue who, quote, your little gay friend was, she told me you were unavailable and that was that. End of conversation."
"I was busy yesterday afternoon. But I would have spoken to you if I'd known. Debbie didn't tell me you'd rung. I got to say I thought it was a bit strange that I didn't see Bryn afterwards. But, you know, it's a bit hard to keep track of everyone in the hurly-burly of a party."
"Yeah, well, Bryn hasn't shown since your party. I've not seen or heard any sign of him at all. He's just gone and disappeared. James, I'm worried, very worried, so worried I've reported him missing to the police. As you know, Bryn is a bit of a celebrity because of his AIDS research so no doubt the police will be taking this seriously. And it's likely that RPA will call in a few favours. Very likely the police will be around at your place soon wanting to know who your little gay friend is. Yes, I quoted Debbie to them."
"Oh shit! What has Debbie got us into?"
"I've got no idea. What I do know is that I want Bryn back and I want him back safe and sound as soon as possible. OK, then, what about Alfie? Are you worried about him?"
"Yes, quite worried. He is a delicate soul. He is... Oh, never mind."
"Are you worried enough to report him to the police?"
"His landlady, Mrs Binks, already has. He does need looking after and Mrs Binks has really taken him under her wing."
"Do the police know that Bryn walked Alfie to his car?"
"I don't think so. I didn't tell Mrs Binks that."
"The answer is no, the police don't know."
"Shit! It sounds like we're in a bit of a pickle!"
"You're in a pickle! Look, James, Bryn has gone missing. He's vanished without a trace. He's been gone two days and I'm worried, worried as hell. I want him back. He is the man I love. I love him very much and I really want him to come back. I would do anything to have him back." Ellis's voice wobbled with a tumult of emotion.
He managed to regain control of his emotions and he continued. "Look, James, to answer your original question, I have absolutely no idea where Alfie is. I wish I did know 'cos maybe we could find Bryn. But I don't and that's the size of it."
"I'm sorry. I do hope Bryn turns up again."
"Yes! So do I! Look, James, just one more thing before you go. Did Bryn have much to drink at your party?"
"I don't think so. I don't recall him drinking much alcohol at all apart from a glass or two of champagne at the toasts. I think he stuck mainly to things like soda water and lemon squash. He doesn't seem to need any alcohol to get going. He's so much fun these days, so funny and amusing. He's got so many funny stories, especially about the hospital. He's really come out of himself these days, especially since you came on the scene. He was playing with the kids so well. They really love him 'cos he's so big and strong and gentle with them. It was so good to have him at our place. He was so much fun. It's a real pity you weren't there, Ellis."
"Well, I wasn't. How did Alfie get involved?"
"Um, Alfie wanted to go home early but he was too afraid to walk to his car on his own in the dark. He wanted someone to go with him so I asked Bryn to walk him to his car. Bryn's so big and strong and he's a martial arts instructor, he was the biggest man there, so I would think he would of all people be able to stop anything bad from happening to Alfie."
"Well, Bryn's disappeared and Alfie might've too. I've not seen or heard a thing of Bryn, or Alfie."
"I hope you don't hold me responsible because I asked Bryn to see Alfie to his car."
"No, James, I don't. Look, why was Alfie afraid to go on his own? Most guys wouldn't have given it a second thought."
"Oh, because... various reasons. You know, patient confidentiality and all that. He's a patient of mine."
"Yeah, you told me."
"Sorry. I really hope that Bryn turns up again."
"Yes, so do I!"
"Well, thanks for talking to me."
"Yeah, OK, see you," said Ellis and hung up.
The following day passed in a blur. He managed to make his way through the tutorial that morning without making a fool of himself in front of the students. In the afternoon he finished marking the students' assignments. It was difficult for him to concentrate on their essays but through sheer grit and determination he forced himself to concentrate.
That evening he went to the gym for a workout. It was hard for Ellis because all the other men asked after Bryn. He did not want to break the news of Bryn's disappearance to them yet.
The next morning he was halfway through a tutorial when a flustered receptionist came into the room and blurted out to Ellis in front of the students that there were two policemen waiting to see him in his office. Ellis feared the worst about Bryn. He felt the colour draining from his face as he got up from his seat and followed the receptionist to his office where two plainclothes police officers awaited him.
The receptionist introduced Ellis to Detective Inspector John Hunter and Detective Sergeant Bruce McIlroy. Both were from the Homicide Squad.
Ellis recognised DI Hunter straight away as the policeman who had questioned him about the sixteen rugby players Ellis had put in hospital years before. He looked very much the same only older and a bit thinner. His face had acquired more lines. He had a lean and hungry look about him like a hunting dog. He wore a grey suit.
His partner DS McIlroy was tall, about the same height as Bryn. He was a fit, strongly built, good-looking man who looked to be about thirty. His skin was tanned and he had a shock of dark brown hair with brown eyes. He wore a short-sleeved shirt that showed off his muscular build. He looked like an amateur bodybuilder.
Ellis shook hands with DI Hunter and said, "So we meet again. Congratulations on your promotion, Inspector."
"Thank you."
Hunter turned to his partner with a wolfish smile and said, "This man is the gay gay basher basher."
"Pleased to meet you, Mister De la Mare," said McIlroy with a smile and shook hands firmly with Ellis.
"You look nervous, Mister De la Mare," commented Hunter.
"I fear you bring me very bad news," replied Ellis fighting to keep the tremor out of his voice.
"About what in particular?" asked the detective inspector.
"About my partner Doctor Bryn Powys. I reported him missing on Monday."
"Interesting," commented Hunter. "Alfred Engelbert Nugent, does that name mean anything to you?"
"No, not really," replied Ellis puzzled.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Er, is he the Alfie who's a patient of Doctor James Truman's?"
"Yes. How do you make the connection?"
"Doctor Truman rang me the night before last asking me if I knew where Alfie was. I didn't know and I still don't know where he is. All I know about him is that Doctor Truman told me that my partner, Doctor Bryn Powys, walked him to his car and neither have been seen since to my knowledge. I have not heard anything since."
"Isn't Doctor Powys the AIDS doctor?" asked McIlroy.
"Yes, he is and he's been missing ever since Doctor Truman's wife's birthday party last Saturday," declared Ellis.
"Hmm, interesting," said Hunter. "We've spoken to Doctor and Mrs Truman at length and it appears that Doctor Powys might be the last person to see Alfred Nugent alive."
"What? What's going on?" queried Ellis, his voice rising.
"Where were you on Saturday night?"
"I was at the Croatian Club getting rather pissed. I was celebrating the hundredth birthday of Slavomir Pavletic who's my oldest English Language student. I drank many toasts to his continuing good health and also to the heroes who died during the Siege of Vukovar in Croatia."
"So you had witnesses?" asked McIlroy.
"Yes, lots, like hundreds. I even had to get up and give a speech. In Croatian too."
"So you speak Croatian?" asked McIlroy surprised.
"Yes. That's why I'm here as a tutor in the School of Eastern European Studies."
Hunter and McIlroy looked at one another. Hunter raised his eyebrows.
"It looks like you might have a pretty solid alibi for that part of the evening," Hunter commented. "OK, at what time did you leave the Croatian Club?"
"Look, what's this all about?"
DI Hunter said in a business-like manner: "The dead body of Alfred Nugent was fished out of the harbour Sunday afternoon. Nugent had not drowned. He was beaten to death. His head was so battered it took a while to identify him.
So, Mr De la Mare, this is a murder investigation. Any help you can give us would be much appreciated. I shall repeat my question. At what time did you leave the Croatian Club?"
"Not sure really," said Ellis. "About three-ish in the morning, I think. I took a taxi home and I dropped off a couple of friends on the way. It was about quarter to four when I looked at the clock when I discovered that Bryn hadn't come home."
"Any witnesses?"
Ellis looked embarrassed. "Well, there was the couple I went up in the lift with. I was pretty drunk and I made a bit of a goose of myself."
"What did you do?" asked McIlroy.
"I kissed the bloke. He didn't appreciate it."
McIlroy snorted with laughter. Hunter looked at him with a raised eyebrow and cleared his throat.
"Names?" asked Hunter.
"Alison Beaumont and her partner Clint Walker."
"OK, names of the people you dropped off in the taxi please?"
"Branko Matic and his wife Jelena."
"Who's the president of the Croatian Club?"
"Mrs Marica Brcic. I was drinking with her husband Zoran and her sons, Joe, Peter, Dan and Jerry and some other friends including Branko for much of the evening."
"Will you spell the surname please?"
Ellis did so.
"Thank you. Do you still live in the penthouse on the top two floors of Elizabeth Bay Towers?"
"Be worth a bit," commented McIroy.
"Quite, thank you McIlroy," reproved Hunter.
"Sorry, Boss."
"Yes. I gave that address when I reported Bryn missing," returned Ellis.
"Good. I'm just checking to make sure that the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed," said Hunter.
"Sure."
"OK then, what did you do after you got home from the Croatian Club?"
"I got undressed and had a shower in one of the spare bedrooms then I snuck into bed. It was then that I discovered that Bryn hadn't come home. That was about quarter, ten to four in the morning. I had a look around the apartment and there wasn't any sign of him. I checked the car keys and found that his keys to my Ferrari were missing. Then I went down in the lift to the basement carpark and the Ferrari was definitely not there. It was then I decided that Bryn was sleeping it off at the Truman house. So I went back up, got into bed and went to sleep. I slept in until pretty late and had breakfast with my friend Doctor Geoffrey Bland. Is that the sort of thing you want?"
"That's fine. Now, about your partner, Doctor Bryn Powys..." started Hunter.
"Look, I told you," Ellis interrupted him. "I reported Bryn missing on Monday because I have not seen him since he went to Mrs Truman's birthday party. He's just disappeared without a trace. I would do anything to get him back."
"Yes, Mr De la Mare, I understand that. We know that you've reported him missing. We looked at your missing person report after we spoke to Doctor and Mrs Truman. I take it that Doctor Powys had your permission to drive your car to the Truman house?"
"Yes, of course he did!"
"I take it also that the details of your car you gave in the missing person report are correct?"
"Yes, they are. Doctor Bland was with me and he can vouch for them."
"Good."
"Who is Doctor Bland?" asked McIlroy.
"Doctor Geoffrey Bland is a long-time friend of mine and he's the Director of Research in the Department of Immunology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He's in essence Bryn's boss as well as being a long-standing friend of his too. He did encourage me to report Bryn missing to the police. He was with me when I reported him missing. His name is in the report."
"That's answered that question," said Hunter. "Now, I'll just add that we are actively looking for Doctor Powys and your car, the red Ferrari Dino as well."
"That's great! Bloody marvellous in fact! God! I bloody hope you find him, and pray God, you find him alive and well."
"Yes, we hope to find him too. We want to ask him some questions about the late Alfred Nugent."
"What? Surely you don't think..." Ellis's voice trailed off.
"We must consider all possibilities," said DI Hunter implacably. "Doctor Powys was the last person known to be with Nugent before Nugent died. He is a suspect in the murder of Nugent."
"That's crazy," cried Ellis. "He's a doctor. He wouldn't kill someone. He's sworn to save lives. He's devoted to saving lives."
"Unfortunately, Mr De la Mare, doctors can and do kill. History is full of examples of doctors who have killed. I must inform you that Doctor Powys is so far our only suspect in the murder of Nugent. We also know that Doctor Powys is a martial arts expert. He taught you karate and judo, I remember from the last time we met. He must be regarded as a potential killing machine just as you must be. If he does make contact with you, you must counsel him to present himself to us for questioning over Nugent's death. If you conceal him, you will become an accessory to Nugent's murder. It is your duty, Mr De la Mare, to help bring Nugent's killer to justice. If the killer is your lover, so be it. It is your duty to see that he faces justice."
"This is crazy." Ellis put his head in his hands. "This is a nightmare. I wish I could wake up from this and Bryn is with me telling me it's all alright."
"I'm sorry, this is real. This is a real murder investigation and your lover is implicated."
"But why Bryn? He just walked him to his car!"
"That's what Doctor Truman and his wife are telling us but that may not be what actually happened. Look, Mr De la Mare, Doctor Powys is an extremely strong man. He is more than capable of inflicting the injuries that killed Nugent, particularly with his martial arts skills."
"Couldn't it be someone else?"
"Of course it could. It could have been someone else at the Truman party. It could have been some random fellow walking past. However, we do need to speak to Doctor Powys to help ascertain what happened. I'm very open to the possibility that we'll clear him in the same way we expect to clear you. Yes, we will check the details of your story of your activities on Saturday night and if they hold up OK, you will be cleared of any suspicion of involvement, Mr De la Mare."
"Thank goodness for that!"
"I might add our officers did a sweep this morning of the streets in the neighbourhood looking for your Ferrari. As we speak, officers are also checking the nearby off-street carparks. So far it hasn't been found. We will let you know if we find it."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."
"Do you have a spare set of keys for your car?"
"Yes, but not on me. They're home. I could go and get them if you like."
"If we find it, yes, we'd appreciate that. Better you unlock your car than we break into it. We need to check it for evidence."
"OK, sure, thanks."
"Well, Mr De la Mare, there's nothing more we need to discuss at the moment. Thank you for your assistance. However, we may have further questions for you so please don't leave Sydney. See you around."
"I won't say it's been a pleasure. The thought that Bryn's a murderer is just too horrible to contemplate."
"Well, maybe he isn't. It remains to be seen."
"Yeah, OK, see you."
DI Hunter smiled. "Be seein' ya."
The police officers left the office. Ellis heard them walking down the hallway talking in low voices. Then he heard a mobile phone ring. Someone spoke in a low voice. Footsteps sounded in the hallway. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," said Ellis nervously.
Hunter and McIlroy re-entered the office.
Hunter smiled. "Good news, sir. We found your Ferrari. It looks like it's been untouched for a few days."
"That's good. Thank you. But I wish you'd find Bryn," replied Ellis with feeling.
Hunter gave a wolfish smile and said, "Yes, so do we, very much so."
"Well, I'm glad you found the car. That's something."
"Yes, that is indeed something. Our forensics people are on their way now. They'll be going over it for fingerprints. Now, your car is on the fourth level of the U-Beaut Carpark in Balmain."
Hunter gave the address.
"OK," said Ellis. "I'll go home and get my keys now."
"Good. What car will you be driving?"
"The Mercs. Yeah, a dark green Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the previous model."
Ellis gave the registration number. He noticed a wry smirk on McIlroy's face but said nothing.
"Good," said Hunter. "We'll meet you there then."
"Sure."
The three men left Ellis's office together. Ellis peeled off to the administration area to let the office staff know that he was taking the rest of day off and asked them to cancel the afternoon's tutorial.
"I'll take it," offered Doctor Veronica Ivanovic, the head of the school.
"Thank you very much," said Ellis. "I really appreciate that."
"It's quite alright," replied Veronica.
"Have you been arrested?" asked Maria the typist.
"No, I definitely have not and please let everyone know that I have not been arrested," declared Ellis. "Would you lot do that please?"
Veronica laughed, "Of course we will."
Sandra the receptionist giggled.
"Thanks. I must be off. They've found my car," said Ellis.
"That's good. Have they found Bryn yet?" asked Beata the office manager.
"No, worse luck, they haven't yet. Sorry. Must fly."
"Good luck," chorused the ladies after him as he dashed off to get his car.
Piloting the big Mercedes through the heavy lunchtime traffic was a frustrating exercise. The Ferrari was much nimbler. Ellis reflected sardonically that he would have to pretend to be a very respectable pillar of the community driving his very respectable car.
At the apartment building, he dashed upstairs, gave a hurried greeting to Sam and then realised he needed another person to ferry the two cars back to the apartment carpark. He explained the situation to her and asked her to drive the Mercedes. She grinned from ear to ear and said she was happy to oblige.
Ellis retrieved his Ferrari keys, gave Sam the keys to the Mercedes and they went back down. Sam drove the Mercedes to the U-Beaut Carpark in Balmain chatting happily all the way. She commented that it was the first time she had driven a Mercedes S-Class. She had driven smaller models. At the carpark entrance a policewoman looked at them quizzically but waved them in.
On the fourth level, they found the Ferrari cordoned off with a whole lot of police officers standing around it. Ellis noted that the car had its roof on. DS McIlroy waved them to a park near the Ferrari.
"Golly, he's a hunk," commented Sam. "Ooh, he's super gorgeous."
"Yeah, he is, and he's a policeman too," remarked Ellis.
"I think I could cope with that."
They got out and Ellis introduced Sam as his housekeeper to DI Hunter and DS McIlroy. In turn Hunter introduced them to the other police officers including the forensics officers.
"Kids!" complained one of the forensics officers, Sergeant Ed O'Halloran, a portly grey-haired man in his fifties.
He turned to Ellis and said, "Sir, you may want to put your car through a carwash."
"Why?" asked Ellis worried.
"Ice cream, sir," replied O'Halloran with a straight face.
McIlroy laughed. Sam giggled. Laughter rippled around among the other police officers. Even Hunter cracked a smile. O'Halloran pointed to a runnel of what looked like pink paint running down the red paintwork of the front right fender.
"Strawberry ice cream," he intoned. "The joy of kids. They spread sweetness and stickiness everywhere they go."
"Just as well, sir, you had the top of the car on or you would've had sweetness and stickiness all over the inside too," one of the other forensics officers commented to Ellis.
"Any fingerprints?" asked DI Hunter.
"Yes, sir, lots of fingerprints, and handprints too," replied O'Halloran, "but they're all put there by kids. We weren't able to get any adult fingerprints off the vehicle at all."
"Rightio. You did your best, I know," said Hunter with a wry half- smile, "we draw a blank on that then."
"Yeah, I guess the car is a kid magnet," said Ellis ruefully.
He unlocked the driver's door.
"I see what you mean," he commented. "The door handle really is sticky."
O'Halloran laughed.
Then he said, "Please don't touch anything inside the car, sir. We need to go over it for fingerprints."
"Sure," replied Ellis.
Ellis went around to the other side and unlocked the passenger door. O'Halloran leaned in into the cabin and looked.
"Cosy, isn't it. That the luggage compartment behind the seats?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Ellis.
Two gloved forensics policewomen got into the car and started examining the interior for fingerprints.
"Right. What about the seats?" asked O'Halloran.
A gloved policewoman demonstrated the range of movement of the seats.
"Can you get a full-size suitcase in there past the seats?" asked O'Halloran.
"Not without taking the top off," replied Ellis.
"Be a bugger if it's raining." O'Halloran looked up and saw Sam. A wry smile crossed his face. "Pardon the French, Miss," he said.
"You're forgiven," replied Sam.
"Hey, Sarge, what about us?" remonstrated one of the policewomen in the car.
"Er, sorry, ladies," said O'Halloran. "I thought you'd be used to that sort of thing."
"You're forgiven," returned the policewoman.
"OK, Ed, do you reckon you could get a body in there?" asked Hunter.
"You might get a body the size of Nugent's in there with the roof on but it could be bit of a struggle," replied O'Halloran. "You certainly wouldn't get one in that's much bigger. It'd be a lot easier with the roof off."
"OK. You lot had better check the luggage compartment and seats for blood stains or other bodily fluids," ordered Hunter. "What about the front and rear compartments. Let's look at the rear first."
One of the gloved forensics policewomen opened up the engine compartment. The men and some of the women crowded around and looked. Two of the women swabbed the seats and luggage compartment for samples. Sam drifted off and started talking to one of the policewomen.
"Geez, there's a lot of stuff in there," commented a policeman looking at the crowded engine compartment.
"You'd never get a body in there, even one as small as Nugent," remarked McIlroy.
"True," said O'Halloran.
"Hell, it's a V8 under all that clobber," exclaimed McIlroy. "I bet it goes."
"It sure does," replied Ellis with a smile.
"Bet you got a few speeding tickets," remarked a policeman.
"Just the one," said Ellis. "It's just so...o...o embarrassing."
"Good," put in DI Hunter with a smirk.
"I was just wondering," said Ellis. "I get the impression that Alfie Nugent was a pretty small sort of guy."
"Yeah, he was pretty small," replied McIlroy. "He would have been shorter than your housekeeper and a lot skinnier. Your housekeeper, Sam, she's nice, like really nice. She's a real hottie."
"Mind on the job, McIlroy," reproved Hunter.
"Yes Boss," said McIlroy grinning.
Muffled laughter rippled through the police officers clustered around the rear of the Ferrari.
"Interesting," mused Ellis. "I also get the impression that Alfie suffered from some sort of mental handicap."
"How do you work that one out?" asked Hunter sharply.
"Just a couple of things that Doctor Truman said when he telephoned me. I just joined the dots."
"Like what?"
"Like he said that Alfie was a delicate soul and he needed a lot of looking after and that his landlady had really taken Alfie under her wing."
"Yeah, well, so much for patient confidentiality. To be fair though, Doctor Truman clearly didn't realise that you're a highly intelligent man, Mr De la Mare."
"Thank you, Inspector."
"Yes, Nugent suffered quite a serious brain injury after a previous bashing from which he never fully recovered. It was one of several that he had received. He was left with a significant mental deficit."
"Would you consider the bashings that Alfie received were gay bashings?"
"Quite possibly."
Hunter turned to McIlroy and said, "We had better go and talk some more to Doctor Truman and see what more we can find out about Nugent. It might be an idea to let him know what Mr De la Mare worked out about Nugent too. And we'll ask about Doctor Powys as well."
"Sure Boss."
McIlroy turned to Ellis and asked, "Why didn't you go to Mrs Truman's birthday party?"
"The excuse is the engagement at the Croatian Club to celebrate my oldest English Language student's one hundredth birthday," replied Ellis. "The reason is that I can't stand the woman."
"Why?"
"She hates my guts and she never misses an opportunity to have a go at me. She is a walking definition of 'bitch'."
"Oh I see. How come Doctor Powys went to the party on his own and you're his lover?"
"Bryn Powys and James Truman go back a long way together. They went through medicine together. Bryn's known him since James was a Catholic priest. Bryn helped him a lot. In fact James says quite candidly that he would never have got through medicine without all Bryn's help. Yeah, he did rely on Bryn's brilliance and he's ever grateful to Bryn for helping him get through. He's quite a few years older than Bryn, I might add, having been a parish priest before he went and studied medicine.
"I thought Catholic priests weren't allowed to marry. How come he got married?"
"I'm told the Archbishop released him from his vows but that meant James had to leave the priesthood. He's no longer a priest and hasn't been since he was released from his vows."
"I think I understand," said McIlroy.
"Interesting," said Hunter. "If Doctor Truman hadn't married and he stayed a priest, he would have been both a doctor and a Catholic priest."
"There are a few men like that around, sir," put in O'Halloran.
"Yes, interesting combination, doctor and priest, healer of the body and the soul," mused Hunter. "Anyway, putting that aside, let's have a look under the bonnet, if that's what you call it in this car."
One of the policewomen in the car released the catch and opened up the lid of the forward compartment of the Ferrari. Most of the space was taken up by the wheel arches and the spare wheel.
"No way you could fit a body in there," observed O'Halloran.
Ellis saw Bryn's wallet and mobile phone tucked into what little space remained. He made to pick them up.
"Excuse me, sir," said O'Halloran. "I need to have a look at these before you touch them."
He picked up the mobile phone and said, "One mobile phone switched off."
He held it towards Ellis and asked, "Is this Doctor Powys's phone?"
"Yes," replied Ellis without hesitation.
O'Halloran picked up the wallet and examined it.
He said, "There's 245 dollars in here, four fifties, two twenties and one fiver. Fair bit of money here."
He went on: "One Bankcard and one Visa Card from ANZ, one Visa Access Card from the National Bank, one American Express card, all in the name of Bryn H. Powys."
Ellis interjected: "The National and Amex cards are on my accounts. I've given him access to my working account with the National Bank and my credit card account."
"Brave man," remarked McIlroy.
"Not at all," retorted Ellis. "I trust him and he's never breached my trust."
"That's good," observed Hunter. "We need Doctor Powys's wallet for the time being, Mr De la Mare. We will contact all the banks and put a watch notice on all these accounts and get them to look for any other accounts in his name. Are you aware of any other accounts?"
"No," replied Ellis. "I'm damn sure he doesn't have any other accounts."
"OK. I'm afraid we'll need to monitor all activity on your working account with the National Bank and your American Express account. Please check your statements thoroughly. If you become aware of any transactions not authorised by you, please let us know immediately and we'll follow it up. That may be a way of tracking him down."
"I don't see how he or anyone could do it without the access cards."
"There are ways around that if you're a good enough bullshit artist. So please do keep track of your transactions."
O'Halloran held up the type levers and wheel brace and said to Hunter, "No, these wouldn't have done the job, sir."
"Done what?" asked Ellis.
"Smashed in Nugent's skull. That was very likely done with a one and a half inch (40 mm.) iron bar across the top of the head from the side," replied O'Halloran.
"I'll tell you now that Bryn's never had an iron bar. I have never seen one in our place or in any of our cars. If he had one, I would have seen it," declared Ellis hotly.
"What about 'borrowing' a barbell or weight bar from the Sparta Gym?" asked McIlroy. "Could he have taken one without you seeing it?"
"He never would have been able to walk out with one. Someone would have seen him and told him to put it back."
"Why?"
"Stuff was disappearing from the gym a few years back. The police caught the guy and he got fined and had to return all the stuff he'd pinched from the gym and pay compensation as well. He got kicked out of course. The guys there are bloody protective of the gym equipment these days. Bryn and I are in that group too. It would look bloody bad if Bryn ever got caught walking out with a weight bar. He'd never do it. You know, loss of face, shame and all that."
"So it's not that likely he got an iron bar from the gym," put in Hunter. "But it's not impossible."
He asked the forensics policewomen examining the interior of the car, "Found anything yet?"
"Nothing yet, sir," replied one of the women. "But we got a bit to go still."
"OK, carry on."
"They're thorough," commented Ellis.
"They're good," replied Hunter.
"Just one question, Sergeant," said Ellis. "Would it be possible for Alfie's skull to be smashed by a karate chop?"
"I very much doubt it, sir," replied O'Halloran. "It was one hell of a whack that shattered it. If it was a karate chop, I would think the blow would have broken all the bones in the assailant's hand. And I reckon that if a karate chop did it, it would have been a very big hand. And the assailant would have had to be a very strong man."
"Interesting question, Mr De la Mare," said Hunter. "Doctor Powys was an experienced martial arts practitioner with both karate and judo skills. After all, he did teach you your martial arts skills."
"Look," asserted Ellis, "if it had been Bryn who killed him, he never would have done it with a karate chop to the top of the head. As Sergeant O'Halloran said, it probably would have broken every bone in his hand. Bryn showed me several ways of killing someone, things like a karate chop to the back of the neck, you know, a rabbit chop. That would've severed the spinal cord. Or a jab to the upper belly. That would've stopped the heart. Or there's..."
"Yes, quite," interrupted Hunter. "You've made your point and that is that Doctor Powys would not have killed Nugent by a blow from his hand to the top of Nugent's skull."
"Yes, absolutely. I might just point out, Inspector, that Bryn made it very clear to me that you should never kill anyone unless you had absolutely no other choice. It is better to disable them."
"OK, then. Did Doctor Powys play any musical instrument?"
"Yes, he plays our piano. Not very well because he hardly ever bothers to practise. Mind you, our piano teacher puts up with his stumbling efforts very graciously."
"Did he have any problems with flexibility in his hands?"
"No, not at all."
"Do you play the piano?"
"Yes, pretty well. I've been at it for years. In fact I can play all of Beethoven's piano sonatas and many of Mozart's and Chopin's piano works and works by Schumann, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and so on. My, or our, piano teacher is very pleased with my progress."
"Who's your piano teacher?"
"Frau Sabine Kretschmer, or rather Mrs Kretschmer. She lives in the same apartment building as we do."
"Yes. What kind of piano do you have?"
"A Yamaha concert grand."
"Hm, yes. May I have a look at your hands please?"
"OK."
Ellis looked at Hunter askance but still proffered him his hands. Hunter examined each hand paying particular attention to the outside of the hands.
When Hunter finished, he said, "I'm not seeing the thick calluses on your hands that one sees on the hands of the karate experts who can break concrete blocks. Those calluses restrict the flexibility of the hand significantly. However, those fellows could quite easily shatter someone's skull with a barehanded blow to the top of the head. You don't have those calluses. Did Doctor Powys have any such callusing?"
"No, not at all. Bryn was a strong believer in maintaining your flexibility in all your body parts and he taught me that," declared Ellis.
"OK."
"Just one thing, sir," put in Sergeant O'Halloran. "It would have taken a bloody big hand to do the damage to Nugent's skull that we saw. I don't think I've ever seen a hand that big in all the years I've been a police officer. That's why the forensic pathologist says the damage was done by an iron bar because it was big and heavy enough and I reckon he's right. Even a very strong man like Doctor Powys is supposed to be wouldn't be able to smash Nugent's skull like that with a karate chop. I definitely think it was done with an iron bar like the pathologist said."
"Yes, quite," said Hunter.
"How big were Doctor Powys's hands?" he asked Ellis.
Ellis looked at his own hands.
"They are bigger than mine," replied Ellis, "but not that much bigger."
"Hmm."
The group around the Ferrari broke up. DS McIlroy walked away. Ellis saw him go and talk to Sam.
Ellis sauntered over to DI Hunter and asked quietly, "Inspector, in the light of what we found in my car and our discussion, how likely do you think it is now that Bryn killed Alfie Nugent?"
"Still likely," replied Hunter.
"Even though he's got no money, no car, no phone and no shelter? Look, he disappeared four days ago. He definitely has not turned up at our place. We've been living together for more than twelve years, nearly thirteen in fact. He hasn't made contact with me at all or any of our friends. As far as I'm concerned, he's just disappeared off the face of the earth. Inspector, I've got a very bad feeling about this. Yes, Alfie Nugent was murdered. But what if something happened to Bryn? What if he's been killed too? What if he's lying dead somewhere and his body hasn't been found? And all this time you're barking up the wrong tree?"
"You can rest assured, Mr De la Mare, that we are exploring every avenue possible. We are taking this case very seriously and we will continue searching for Doctor Powys using all means at our disposal. I met with the chief superintendent this morning before we visited you and he emphasised that we are to treat the disappearance of Doctor Powys with the utmost seriousness, particularly as he is implicated in the murder of Alfred Nugent. I might just ask you, what would Doctor Powys have done if Nugent has propositioned him?"
Ellis snorted. "He would have just laughed it off. He would have refused of course."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Absolutely. It sounds like Alfie Nugent just simply isn't Bryn's cup of tea. He's far too small. Bryn wouldn't have been interested at all. He much prefers men with muscle like me."
"What if Nugent was persistent?"
"Bryn would have refused and kept on refusing. I suppose that he would've ended up treating him like a pestering child and kept on saying no. He used to have a reputation around RPA for being arrogant and treating people he disagreed with like children. People hated that. In fact some staff there used to call him Doctor Muscle God Shithead behind his back."
A wry smile crossed Hunter's face.
Ellis continued hotly: "I hasten to add that he's a lot better now. People really like him now. Look, there's no way he would've harmed Alfie, particularly as he would have picked up that Alfie was brain- damaged. He would have looked after Alfie. He would have been like a tolerant big brother. There's no way he would've killed Alfie. He just wouldn't do something like that. It just wouldn't make any sense. He's my lover, my partner and I know him so well. He's..."
Hunter interrupted him with, "I do understand your feelings, Mr De la Mare. However, I've heard so many wives, husbands, partners, lovers, parents, etcetera of murderers say what you are saying. It comes as a dreadful shock to loved ones when a person is charged with murder. It seems to me after many years in the job as a detective that those who commit murder and other serious crimes do not consider the collateral damage to the loved ones that the arrest and charging of that person causes. I've seen it happen so many times and, believe me, I wish it didn't. As police officers, we cannot let emotion intrude in our investigation. We must stick solely to the facts. We prosecute solely on the evidence. If the evidence shows that Doctor Powys was the person who killed Nugent and he is convicted on the basis of that fact-based evidence, then that is the hard truth that you are going to have to accept, like so many have had to before you."
"But he could be dead, like Alfie! Or he could be lying injured somewhere and dying! He could have been shot, like in the back!"
"Yes, I do understand that. The way I see it is that these events occurred or commenced in or around Balmain, a well populated suburb. Doctor Powys is a very big man. He weighed 160 kilograms (350 lb.) I recall. If he had been killed or incapacitated, it would have taken at least three or four reasonably strong men to lift him. That to me indicates some organisation. At this stage we have no evidence of that. If his body had been found in the street or elsewhere, we most certainly would have known about it. If he had crawled injured into someone's front yard and sought help, we would also most certainly have known about that because he would be a material witness to the murder of Nugent. Let me assure you, Mr De la Mare, you most certainly have been informed in either case. At this stage, neither has eventuated. All we have is the murder of Nugent and the disappearance of Doctor Powys and both events are connected. And believe me, we will leave no stone unturned in our search for Doctor Powys."
"Yes but he's just vanished completely. He's disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace," cried Ellis.
"We call those cases alien abduction cases," said a young uniformed policeman standing nearby with a smile.
"Thank you, Constable. That's enough of that," reproved Hunter sharply.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," replied the constable with a smirk.
Hunter turned to Ellis and said, "Let me assure you, Mr De la Mare, that we are treating this case with the utmost seriousness. We are putting a major effort into this investigation."
"Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that," said Ellis numbly.
"One thing I must ask of you, Mr De la Mare, is that if you come across any evidence or any information at all pertinent to either the disappearance of Doctor Powys or the murder of Mr Nugent, you let us know immediately. That is important. Will you ensure that you do that please?"
"Yeah, sure, OK."
"We will definitely keep you informed of any developments in either of the two incidents."
"Thank you. I would appreciate that."
The forensics officers announced that they had found two sets of fingerprints inside the car and possibly a third indistinct set. Sergeant O'Halloran took the opportunity to get Ellis's fingerprints and asked who would have been inside the car.
While Ellis was wiping the ink off his fingers, he told O'Halloran that one set would definitely belong to Bryn who often drove the car including the night that he disappeared. The third indistinct set was likely to belong to the mechanic who serviced the car.
O'Halloran and the forensics officers compared the fingerprints that they had found in the car with Ellis's and they saw that one set did belong to Ellis. They could assume for the moment that the other clearer set found on the steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and driver's side doorhandle belonged to Bryn because Bryn was the last person to drive the car.
The forensics officers found no trace of blood or any other organic fluids inside the car. DI Hunter said that the investigation team had no further need for the car and that Ellis could take it away. The forensics officers packed up their gear and made ready to depart.
Sam and DS McIlroy were deeply engaged in conversation together. One of the older policewomen was watching them with a wistful smile on her face. Hunter virtually had to tear his detective sergeant away from Ellis's housekeeper.
Ellis looked at the Ferrari keys pensively wondering what happened to Bryn's set of keys and Bryn himself. Sam came up to him bubbling.
"Bruce has asked me out on a date tonight," she announced happily.
"Detective Sergeant Bruce McIlroy?" Ellis asked.
"Who else, Ellis?" she laughed.
"Sorry. I was thinking about Bryn."
Sam put her hand on Ellis's shoulder.
"Yeah, sorry. I do hope Bryn turns up and he's all right," she said.
"Yeah, thanks. So do I."
-------------------------------------- Continued in Part 91. --------------------------------------