The Will of the Tribe Page 19

“You will so,” Tessa exclaimed, adding, “remember what Inspector Bonaparte said about it being best for everybody to tell the truth. Tell it, then.”

  “Telling it wouldn’t make it either better or worse, so don’t you start in on me.” Transferring his gaze back to Bony, he continued, “I’m willing to take the blame for moving the body to the Crater. I did what I thought was best for my people.”

  “And I am doing what I think is the best for your people,” Bony continued. “I think your story of the boomerang is so unrelated to reality that the authorities will not accept it. What say you, Howard?”

  “Too far-fetched for me to digest, Inspector.”

  “Captain, you are like the man who was travelling south, and found himself veering to the west. When correcting the error he veered too far to the east, and so was lost. Your boomerang story inculpates all your people.”

  “It was an accident. It happened.”

  “The law won’t believe anything until it gets the lot of you on the mat,” Howard asserted.

  “Can I ask a question?” Brentner interrupted. Bony nodded. “Why did you go with Young Col to Eddy’s Well that day. It seems that Captain’s troubles began with sending Mitti out there.”

  “As you say, Captain’s troubles really began that day, Mr Brentner. I went with Young Col merely for the ride and to see the country.”

  “Just shows how much of a fool you were,” Brentner told Captain. “Cost the company a horse, and dragged the tribe into this business.”

  “I have been a fool, too,” admitted Bony. “I made several mistakes, one being to accept the medical estimate of the time the man was dead. You will remember that it was from three to six days. I concentrated on those six days. I should have known better. Even though I had studied the photographs taken of the body, which indicated that it was three days, not six, I should have made due allowance for the lack of humidity in the Crater. For the man had been dead seven days when the body was discovered. He died on 29 April. Incidentally that was Tessa’s official birthday.

  “On the afternoon of this day, Captain mended Rosie’s box in the carpenter’s shop and removed a saw, with which he cut the poles. It was the day, Mr Brentner, that you drove to Laffer’s Point to repair the pump. You returned late that day. What time was it when you got home?”

  “Pretty late; about midnight. The track’s very rough.”

  “You had then repaired the pump?”

  “Yes. It’s why I was so late getting home.

  Rose Brentner was now studying her husband, and when she turned to Bony, she was smiling.

  “That’s right, Inspector. I remember Kurt telling me he worked on the pump until it was almost dark.”

  “Is it not true that the pump at Laffer’s Point was removed two weeks before 20 April and sent to Hall’s Creek for repairs and was not reinstalled until one week after 20 April?”

  Brentner sprang to his feet, anger blazing in his eyes. From Bony he glared at Captain, and the Aborigine rose to his feet slowly, to stand with his fist dug into his hips. At this moment of strain, Bony remembered that Young Col had referred to Captain and Old Ted as pots coming to the boil, and he said, “It was not Captain who put the lid on this pot. Please be seated, Mr. Brentner. Captain may have acted foolishly, but never disloyally. You did not go to Laffer’s Point that day: or did you?”

  “No, I didn’t go out there.” Brentner resumed his seat and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. His wife was regarding him with eyes wide and unwinking. He said, “As you pointed out, Inspector, Captain is a fool but he hasn’t been disloyal, although he did deceive me when he sent Mitti to Eddy’s Well, and then didn’t tell me about the results of that action. I suppose his idea was to save me from worrying, or perhaps it was to boost his ego as a fixer. Anyway, I’m man enough at this stage not to let him take all the knocks.

  “First thing that day—yes, it was 20 April—Captain told me about this white agitator and what he had said to Gup-Gup and the others the night before at the temporary camp. I went there with Captain. I intended to be peaceable, to get rid of him, the only thing I wanted was to prevent the tribe being involved with subversion. I told the feller to get going. Instead of clearing out he gave me lip. I clouted him one, and he fell back and hit his head on a tree root.”

  “Was Maundin present?”

  “No. He left for his own camp the day before. So I had a dead agitator on my hands, and that was something which couldn’t be left to Captain to fix. When we said we’d take care of the body, bury it or something, the Abos wouldn’t stand for it being done on their territory, which didn’t rightly include the Crater. And so I sent Captain to cut two poles while I stayed with Gup-Gup in that camp. I talked to the Aborigines, and they were with me all through. Yes, Rose, I was the second man.”

  “Why did you state in the work diary that you went to Laffer’s Point? Is the diary that important?” queried Bony.

  “Yes, it is important,” Brentner replied. “It’s this way. On the first of every month a copy of the work done the month before has to be sent down to the Company office, and the job has always been done by my wife on her typewriter.”

  The cattleman was now sitting crouched forward, his hands together between his knees. Rose went to him to sit on the arm of his chair and slip her arm about his neck. A long silence was broken by Constable Howard.

  “It’s still your case, sir.”

  “That’s so, Howard. Thank you for reminding me. I believe that is what did happen. Last night Gup-Gup went some distance to confirm it. I am going to leave it to the Brass. You?”

  “I’m all for passing the buck.”

  “Mr Brentner,” Bony said softly. “Under other circumstances I would have to ask Constable Howard to take you into custody on a charge of manslaughter, together with several lesser charges. You may ultimately be so charged, and I am glad to be able to pass the buck. Although your anger was righteous a man was killed. Personally I cannot criticize the motive you had when going to the camp, and personally I.... Well, were I not a police officer I think I might have acted as you and Captain did, following the accident. Have I your word that neither will leave the homestead until higher decisions have been made?”

  “Of course you have it. I think it’s ruddy decent of you.”

  Rose stood and said, “I think so, too.” Mastering the catch in her voice, she called to Tessa, “Come along and help with the supper, Tessa.”

  Tessa almost ran to her, and they were stopped by Bony who said, “There is a little something to be done by Constable Howard after supper. You failed to bring off a marriage, Mrs Brentner. I shall not fail to bring off this one.”