Unhappily Ever After Bk. 01 Ch. 06-07

"As she never goes anywhere without her phone and is rarely far from her 'Master', we've also been able to maintain a listening watch over Kingston's planning sessions; particularly as they relate to you. Sadly, she's on board with his plans to remove you from the gene pool, even offering a few suggestions of her own about how it could be achieved.

"The really interesting piece of intelligence we picked up the other day was from a meeting that took place between Sam and Kingston and Manyweather and Charlie. Despite their ideological differences, it appears they have decided to join forces to address a common problem: you.

"During that meeting - which ran for more than two hours - the single item on the agenda was how to get rid of you. After tossing ideas around and trying to work out how you'd foiled their earlier, more subtle attempts, they finally decided that the only way they were going to be able to get you was to ambush you.

"It was decided that Kingston would pay Manyweather the fifty-thousand-dollar bounty he had put on your head to do the job. He has learned from his earlier mistakes, however, and has made Manyweather's contract payable on completion. He wouldn't even consider a 'half up-front' deal. It's a case of success or nothing.

"Manyweather finally agreed to Kingston's terms. He wants you dead, anyway, so he sees the money more as a performance bonus than a contract fee.

"They then talked strategies. In the end, Manyweather announced that he would set up a four-man ambush team in the section of forest that fronts both sides of the road before you get to your property boundary. They aim to get you in a crossfire as you head home.

"But Manyweather has also learned from past mistakes, so he's not going to rely on a single-strike approach. He also intends to set up a second ambush at your front gate in case you manage to slip through his first line of defence. He figures that's where you'll be most vulnerable. Having seen the film footage taken on the day of your arrest, he knows you'll have to get out of your car to unlock the chains."

"I think he plans on fulfilling that part of his plan himself."

From what Tommy was saying, I suspected that Manyweather only wanted to put the wind up me with the forest ambush. A few shots would be fired, but nothing too close. Just enough to get my heart racing. I'd then be coming down off an adrenalin rush when I turned into my entry lay-by, which is when he'd make his move. Knowing how much he hated me for the disrespect he believed I'd shown him, I knew he'd want to see the surprise on my face when he aimed and fired.

"The really interesting thing in all of this," Tommy continued, "is that it looks like Charlie hasn't said a word about my involvement in all of this. Nor, it appears, has she said anything about the lads who are camped on your place. Maybe she is working with us, after all. It would be nice to think so."

'Yes, it would be nice,' I answered silently. 'But, whatever her reasoning, she was still working against us. Betrayal can never be forgiven; regardless of whether it be against one's country, one's comrades or one's intimate friends.'

If Charlie really had kept schtum about Prancer and the lads, though, we might be in with a chance. We spent the next few hours developing a plan of attack. I didn't want to get only Manyweather. I wanted his whole crew. As with every other aspect of this operation, the timing would be critical. Timing, with a large portion of luck thrown in for good measure.

Before retiring that night, I called my mother and brother to let them know I was out of jail and was fit and healthy and that I'd catch up with them at some point over the holidays. I apologised for having to miss spending Christmas Day with them but explained that it was unavoidable. I asked Mum to call my sister to let her know that all was well. I didn't want to call her myself in case someone was tracing my calls.

---oooBJSooo---

...Continues, Part Six.

Footnotes:

Queensland's Fitzgerald Inquiry was an investigation into police and political corruption. It took two years to complete (finally being presented to State Parliament in 1989) and resulted in four politicians - all of them Ministers of the Crown - being charged with corruption and jailed. The state's Premier was also charged with perjury, but a hung jury ensured he was not convicted. The state's police commissioner was also convicted of corruption and forgery and was imprisoned for eleven years. The number of police officers who either lost their jobs or ended up behind bars as a result of the Inquiry was in the hundreds.