The Journo and the Pollie

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a chance. I'm thinking." After a few more quiet moments he asked. "How reliable is your source?"

"Not very. It was a call out of the blue. I don't know who it was. She was given my name by Gage."

"And you think there will be drugs on board?"

"I'm positive. It might be their last chance, if Goldseal goes belly up."

"Hmmm, yes, good point. I'll do some digging around. No promises."

After hanging up, I had another avenue I could possibly follow up with. Going back through my contacts at Goldseal, there was this one guy who was very anti Goldseal. He worked at their yard. It was a stretch, but he might be able to find out something.

"Hello, Peter."

"Oh shit, what the fuck do you want?"

"I'm just chasing some info about Goldseal shipping some equipment back to NZ on the twenty-first. Do you know anything?"

After what felt like hours he replied. "Yeah, that rings a bell, but Christ almighty. After this morning, the place is in chaos. There are angry people all over. Whatever you do, don't come down here. Your name is mud. If they found out I talked to you, I'd be dead meat, and I mean that literally."

"Okay, I get that. Look, what I'm after is confirmation that they are actually shipping stuff. Can you get an inventory for me?"

"I could have a look around the office. If stuff is coming here directly, there's usually a list."

"When can you get it?"

"I'll try today, but shit, the place is in an uproar. You really stirred shit up."

"Sorry," I murmured.

"Fuck, don't be. I'm fucking stoked. I hope the bastards go down. They treat us like shit. As soon as I can find a job, I'm outa here."

"Good luck with that." I gave him my email address and disconnected.

Turning on the TV, the news was full of stuff about Goldseal, and Jenny Carsworth being stood down by the Nationals. I watched a little parliament TV and it was fun watching Ivy and the PM ripping into the Opposition. They shredded them. Seeing Ivy in full-flight was heart-warming. She was in her element and making the most of clearing her besmirched name.

I went back to my list and kept trying to get more information. It was hard locked-up here. If I could talk face to face with some of those people, I might be able to urge a little more out of them. As I went through some of the docs, I realised, in my haste to get out of my place, I left some behind. With a little cabin fever setting in, I decided to go back to my place and retrieve the missing files.

I went via the crosstown bus. Walking into my street, I was shocked to see the burnt tarmac where my car had been torched. I ducked inside to grab the stuff I needed, and a few more clothes. I was buried in my closet looking for some sexy lingerie I had stored away.

That's when the pounding on the door started. Panicked, with my heart in my mouth, I ran out to the door, which was barely surviving the onslaught. I watched as the door jamb splintered, fragments of wood breaking off, the way the frame shattered, I was in big trouble. Judging by the comments I could hear outside, I didn't want to talk to them. Fucking Demons, I was certain.

I rushed to the back of the building, there was a small balcony. With the door about to give way, I stepped out onto it, pulling the slider closed behind me and locking it.

Peering around, there was no real escape, The balconies were all separated by block walls. With no alternative, and my heart pounding I clambered up onto the hand rail and shimmied my way out around the wall onto the neighbour's balcony. I repeated that four more times until I was on the last one. I sat down in the corner and put my head in my hands. The tears were impossible to stem, I got this far on adrenalin only. I pulled my phone out and dialled triple one.

I vomited out information between sobs. The incident controller took my name and address as I hissed, "You have to hurry, they've broken down my door. They're in my apartment right now."

"Calm down, dear, we have a team on the way. They will be there directly. Where are you?"

"I'm perched on a neighbour's balcony. I can hear them destroying my place right now."

"Are you safe?"

"I think so."

"All right, stay where you are and say nothing. I will stay on the line. Can you see what's happening?"

"I can hear them, they just smashed the sliding door out onto my balcony, I can hear them."

"The team is already dispatched. They will be there in less than five minutes."

I stood carefully and peeked around the block wall. Just as I stared back at my apartment, my eyes locked on one of them. "She's down there, the bitch must have climbed around."

"Well, don't just stand there," another yelled, and I watched as he climbed up and climbed onto the next balcony.

"They've seen me," I hissed. "I have to go."

"No, stay where you are, the team will be there in a moment."

"Yeah well, they are going to be too late. I have to go." I spotted a drain pipe running down the last wall. Sucking in a deep breath, I climbed up, jumped onto the drain pipe and slid downwards as quickly as I could. It was more falling than sliding.

Falling the last few feet to the ground, I started running. I don't think I have ever run so fast. I rounded the corner onto the side street and ran full tilt towards the intersection. Surely on a busy intersection, they wouldn't be able to touch me. I could scream and get help. Surely?

I turned to the sound of sirens screaming. I couldn't tell which way they were coming, I just kept going. I turned my head back over my shoulder as I ran, there was one of them after me, and he was closing in fast. I saw a newsagent on the left and barged in screaming. "There's a man chasing me, help, please call the police."

The diminutive little Indian woman behind the counter stared at her husband. I wasn't sure if she understood. "There's a man chasing me. He's going to hurt me, I'm in danger."

A young guy, obviously their son, walked out from the back. He grabbed the phone just as the Demon barged in through the door. "You fucking bitch," he screamed. "You're going to pay."

The kid screamed into the phone. I stared at the bikie. "That's the cops, they're on their way, arsehole."

He pulled a knife from under his jacket. "They ain't saving your arse, bitch."

The old lady behind the counter hit a loud screeching ear-splitting alarm. The young kid pulled the fire extinguisher off the wall and hit my assailant full in the face with high pressure CO2.

He reeled backwards, staggering and falling into a book stand, his hands clawing at his eyes as he screamed in pain.

The old lady eased around from behind the counter and grabbed my hand. In her very heavily accented accent she said. "It will be all right."

The guy writhing frantically on the ground rolled towards the door, trying to get out. As he got to his knees and crawled out onto the sidewalk, he bumped into a couple of police officers.

The younger of the two approached. "Are you the woman who made the emergency call?"

"Yes, these people also called, but him and another couple of gang members broke into my apartment on Thompson Street."

The guy was now in handcuffs and in the back of the squad car as an ambulance turned up to treat him. Another police car pulled up, and I saw a couple of gang members in the back, handcuffed and angry. As one of the officers took down my statement, another pointed out to the police car. "Were they involved?"

I didn't actually recognise them, but I answered quickly, "Yes, they're the ones." I took a good look at them in case I needed to identify them later.

Once they had collected statements from the shop owners and gathered the discs from the CCTV cameras, they escorted me out to another car and I was taken down to the station.

I was met by a detective who took me into a separate room. "Okay, tell me everything."

I explained all the story, or as much as I could without my pad, and notes.

It took a couple of hours before I was released. Walking outside, I was cautious. I hadn't seen the bastards at my apartment, and I didn't want them to know I was staying at Ivy's place. I walked over to a taxi rank and didn't have a long wait before I was picked up. I got dropped of at the Sushi place on Cuba street. I sat for a while picking at some food and a nice coffee.

Glancing around, I couldn't see any signs of anybody following me. I wandered out and walked down to the mall. I did a couple of quick laps of the Farmer's building department store, before exiting through the back doors onto Victoria street. I was lucky enough to catch a cab to Ivy's place.

Locked inside, I quickly started to write the story. Now that the cops were involved, it would go public quickly. I gathered all the information I had and rang Phil.

"Where the fuck have you been, Mel? Jesus, I've been trying to get hold of you all day."

"Sorry, Phil, I've been busy." When I explained, he sucked in a deep breath. "Christ almighty, where are you now?"

"Can't say, but I'm safe. What shall we do with the story?"

"We'll sit on it for now. I'll talk to the cops. What did they say to you about it?"

"Nothing, but I imagine the story will hit tonight. I recognised a couple of reporters at the station."

"All right, then. Here's what we do. We break the story about them chasing you, about their connections with Goldseal, but we don't mention the bit about the drug shipments. Can you do that?"

I laughed snidely. "Check your inbox. It's already there."

He chuckled softly. "Should have bloody known. Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"Yeah, I'm safe where I am."

I made a cup of tea and moved out onto the balcony to relax. God, it was only hours ago I was swinging off the edges of one just like this. Although this one seemed a little more solid, and there was no way to climb around the edges.

I watched the evening news, and there was a small clip about the Demons chasing me, but nothing too much. It would be the morning when the real shit would hit the fan.

It was about eight-thirty when Ivy came barging in. She looked distraught. "Mel, are you all right. I saw something on the news about you being chased?"

"I'm okay. Yeah they caught me at my place. I needed to get some docs."

"Oh my god, Mel, what the hell were you doing there?" She dragged me into a tight embrace. "Good god, chick, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Ivy, I was careful, I didn't see them. They were waiting for me."

"Well, thank god you're all right." The embrace quickly turned into more as her mouth crushed against mine, her tongue an eager investigator.

As our ardour cooled, we decided on getting takeaways again. As we ate, I told Ivy everything I knew and she listened in shock. "You're a bloody one-woman police force."

"I just want those bastards off my case, so life can go back to normal."

She flinched. "Well now the police are onto it, we just have to wait. If the delivery is next week, it's not long to wait. The SFO is on it, too. They went in with all guns blazing, today." She grinned, as she whispered happily, "Goldseal is toast."

"Fingers crossed the same is true for the Demons."

She frowned, "I don't think that is as simple. They might lock up the leaders, and some of them, but not all of them. Hopefully, they will lose interest once their financial supply is cut off."

"Guess you are stuck with me for a while."

Ivy gave me a warm loving smirk. "Oh babe, I'm not stuck with you. I want you. You might not feel the same way, but I am falling head over heels. Mel, you're all I think about. When you walk in the room, my heart rate goes up. I get little flutters, my palms get clammy. I am in love with you. I want you in my life."

It scared me seeing how fervent and impassioned her statement was. I had been feeling things that were new to me. This wasn't my first relationship, god, even thinking those thoughts made me shiver. Relationship... that's what it was though. Peering into Ivy's eyes, it was impossible not to feel it.

"I love you, as well, Ivy. I will be honest, just saying those words scares me. But I can't hide from it."

"Why do you feel that way, I don't understand?" The look of what I can only describe as horror gave me a real jolt.

"Ivy, it's just, it's not how I feel about you, it's how others will see me."

"But nobody needs to know. It's none of their business."

"Ivy, there's no way we could ever keep that a secret. New Zealand is a small country, and the world of politics is even smaller. Somebody will find out."

She slammed her hand down on the table with such venom it bounced the glasses. "Mel, if they do they do. I love you. I shouldn't have to hide that. If we get outed, then so be it."

Shaking my head vigorously, I spluttered, "No, that might be okay for you. You have had a long time to prepare for that. I'm not ready, I might never be ready."

"Are you ashamed of me?" she blurted out.

"No, but I am worried. My parents would have a fit. Ivy, I have always dreamed about getting married, having a family. I want all of those things."

"So do I." Her conviction was so obvious, her mouth quivered, her eyes glistened as the tears formed. "I'm no different, Mel. I want all of those things. Just because I'm a woman and I love a woman shouldn't preclude me from everything you just said."

"Yeah, then why haven't you told the world?" I didn't mean it to sound spiteful, but it did, and that made me feel bad.

Ivy burst into tears and ran headlong for her bedroom. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath. I never meant to hurt her. I stood slowly and followed her. I found her curled into a tight ball, bawling like a beaten child.

I curled up behind her, my arm pulling her tightly back against me. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I had no right to say that."

She turned in my arms, her big eyes staring forlornly back at me. "No, you're right, I'm a coward, a fraud. I don't have the strength of my conviction. I feel so miserable sometimes. Having you here with me has given me new strength. The way you saved my career, put your life at risk. I do love you."

Holding her tight I whispered back. "And I love you. We will have to see where that takes us."

"Are you sure, Mel?"

"Yes, I'm scared, but I have never experienced these feelings. If it changes my life, then I will have to live with that. I can't walk away from it."

Our lovemaking that night was on a different level. Still passionate, still fervid, but there was a new warmth, love, gentleness, and it opened up my mind in a way I never expected.

I did love Ivy, I really did. Until then, I had said the words, but didn't understand what it meant. Now I did. I wanted to be with her forever.

As the lights went out and the darkness of night embraced us, we lay in each others arms. We talked, about everything: life, our failed romances, things long forgotten. It made me wonder if this was why my relationships with men had always struggled.

It seemed weird when the dawn awoke us and Ivy went of to her days in Parliament. I was picked up by a police car and we drove to the station where I had to deliver all the information I had about the Demons and their plans. It was a long day, a somewhat boring and tiring day.

Back at Ivy's place I watched the news developing. TV was full of the story of the collapsing world of the Carsworths. The businesses were shut down, their staff retrenched. The depths of their deceit only now becoming apparent. So many of the funds paid had been deployed into other projects. Michael Carsworth had his accounts frozen. His possessions were impounded. He Jenny's reputations were destroyed. They were given name suppression, but everybody knew. It was public knowledge who the alleged perpetrators were.

The day the container ship landed in Auckland, its contents were impounded and the biggest drug bust in New Zealand's history was uncovered. My story made the front pages and we got the drop. We had the scoop.

The Demons. headquarters were raided, millions of dollars worth of cars, bikes and property impounded. Guns and a mountain of cash and other drugs were also impounded. Their personal accounts were frozen, and because of the weapons they were imprisoned, without bail until their trial.

It was ferocious and quick. The Demons were dismantled pretty quickly. It wouldn't be the end of them, but it did mean we got some time.

New contractors were employed and the motorway project began again. I got a pretty good bonus for the story.

Things couldn't have been better, life actually seemed pretty good. It was obvious I couldn't stay at Ivy's place. She did ask, but I declined. She had a lot of visitors on a regular basis, other politicians, friends, and now I was semi-famous. I was easily recognised.

I tried going back to my old apartment, but I now felt uncomfortable, even a little scared being in there. It took me a week, but I found another place. Ivy and I entered into a clandestine relationship. We dated, we went out, appearing to be nothing more than friends. At first it felt great, we had our little secret and it felt exciting to have our secret.

It does get old very quickly, though. Ivy inducted me into her tight group of friends. It was weird sitting in among her group as an add-on. Seeing her friends tease her about some hot guy at the bar, and having to watch Ivy rave about how cute he was, it started to eat away at me.

I still lived with a certain amount of uncertainty. Every time I heard a motorcycle roar past, I jumped. I guess I was still expecting some form of reprisal from the gang. It was with that in mind, with Christmas holidays coming up, I decided to go home to the folks' place for a week or two.

Telling Ivy was the hard part. "Oh no, please don't go. I had such wonderful plans for us," she grumbled. "Please, babe, stay with me."

"I can't, Ivy, I know your parents are coming for a visit, and you're having them here from Christmas dinner. What am I supposed to do while you entertain them?"

"You could come, as well. They know you, we are friends. They won't even wonder why you are here."

"Ivy, I don't want to have to lie to your parents. I feel guilty enough as it is. All the sneaking around, the lies and pretence. It is really starting to wear thin."

She pouted sulkily. "When are you going?"

"Not sure, I need to clear it with Phil, but maybe next week."

She hugged me tight. "God, I'm going to miss you. I had such wonderful plans. I wanted it to be our first Christmas together. I know it's been hard. I see it on your face. I have lived with it longer. I suppose I am used to it."

"Ivy, I hate the lying. I do love you, I love being with you, but I'm not sure I can live like this. Part of going home is to give me a chance to re-evaluate my life."

"Oh my god. You mean break up don't you? No, please, we can get past this."

We kissed and embraced, her hungry mouth pushing away my unease. The taste of her lips, the feel the smell. God, she was intoxicating. We made love on the living room floor, unable to walk the ten metres to the bedroom. Our passion was like that, explosive and overpowering. She was impossible to ignore.

The day before I was travelling down to my folks place, Ivy came to visit as I packed as much as I could into a travel case. She walked in looking sad. "I wanted to give you your present before you leave. She handed me a little box.

Feeling it's weight in my hand, I sighed softly. "You didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did, I have others as well, but they can wait for your return. I love you, Mel. Please come back to me."

I opened the beautifully gift-wrapped box. The shiny silver paper with pink hearts and the perfectly tied pink lace bow came apart easily.

Opening the box, I found a spectacular gold and diamond encrusted bracelet. Styled after a medieval Anglo Saxon design, with delicate filigree patterns. It was stunning. Inside there was an inscription. 'To the love of my life.'