Jack & Harry (11 page)

‘Is it true that your boys are missing?' The policeman looked up from his notes.

‘Why didn't you report this to me before?' The policeman asked when they nodded. ‘They now have a head start and it'll be more difficult to track their whereabouts.'

A search of the immediate area was organised, the park and creek being the first locality concentrated on as everyone knew the two boys were often there fishing and playing by the river. After a short time one of the officers located the blue Malvern Star bicycle in the bushes beside the river.

‘This throws a very different aspect on the situation.' The sergeant in charge of the station was speaking to both the boys' parents in one of the interview rooms. Alice and Jean were crying softly and their husbands sat beside them stony-faced with shock and disbelief.

‘There's no point in being overly concerned.' The sergeant paused, taking a deep breath. ‘But we are going to drag the waterhole in the river near the bend where the bike was found.' He held up his hand as Jean and Alice gasped ‘It's only a precaution, but we have to eliminate all possibilities.'

Alice was at the Turner house. Alice's sister had come to collect the younger children and Jean's parents had taken her children back to their house. Both fathers were down at the river where the police were putting a boat in the water and officers clad in overalls were arranging ropes with grappling hooks. A crowd had begun to gather to watch the activities but the police had dispersed them and roped the area off. There were radio news people and newspaper journalists there, cameras flashing. It seemed bizarre to Jack and Claude who didn't think for one minute that the boys would have either taken the bike or gone swimming in the river. Fortunately they had been able to convince their wives of these facts, but it was unnerving for them to watch the grim event taking place as the men in the boat threw grappling hooks into the river searching for possible bodies.

Gus Boldini parked the milk truck in the dairy yard, locked it and went into the small office at the front of the building to complete his paper-work. He had just returned from his regular run to Northam and was looking forward to getting home but had to leave the delivery dockets on the bookkeeper's desk so the invoices could be attended to early the next morning before he came on duty again.

He switched the radio on, tuned the dial to the ABC and whistled quietly along with the orchestra playing. He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that that it was almost seven o'clock. The familiar news theme filled the office as Boldini worked and he figured he should be finished the end of the news bulletin.

He didn't pay a lot of attention to the items but his ears caught the mention of ‘Ashmorton River' so he turned the volume up to concentrate more closely on the broadcaster's deeply modulated voice.

‘Police this afternoon dragged a section of the Ashmorton River following the disappearance of two teenage schoolboys and the discovery of an abandoned bicycle beside the river. The boys, missing since Tuesday, have not been seen since they left for school that morning and there are grave concerns for their whereabouts. The boy's parents declined to be interviewed but a police spokesman said …'

Gus Boldini didn't wait for the rest of the broadcast. It hit him like a ton of bricks that the two missing boys must have been Jack Ferguson and Harry Turner that he had driven to Northam in his truck on Tuesday afternoon. It added up now, two teenage boys, missing since Tuesday … He rushed from the office, not bothering to switch off the wireless, slammed the door shut behind him and ran to his car.

The Turners were now at the Fergusons, relieved by the result of the police river search but confused, nonetheless. They had just heard the ABC news item and when Jack switched the wireless off they sat silently in the lounge room not knowing what else to say when there was a frantic knocking on the front door.

At first Jack didn't recognise the swarthy man standing on the porch but invited him in when he said who he was and that he had news of the boys.

They sat listening, without interruption, as Gus Boldini relayed what had happened on the Tuesday. ‘I'm sorry, Jack.' He shook his head when he finished the story. ‘I believed everything they said. Bloody stupid of me it was, but they were so convincing.'

‘Not your fault, Gus,' Claude replied.

‘Thank goodness they've come to no harm.' Alice couldn't stop sniffling but smiled through her tears.

‘What do we do now?' Jean asked.

‘First thing we do is let the police know that they are in Northam so they can look for them tomorrow. Who do they know up there? Alice … Claude? Any ideas?'

They shook their heads.

‘I've always thought there was something fishy about this bike business. I just knew they couldn't be involved in leaving that bike down by the river. That bloody Munse kid is going to be in a lot of hot water now for sending the police on a wild goose chase.' Jack was angry, his teeth clenched.

‘Forget about the Munses for now, Jack.' Claude anxiously paced the floor. ‘Have to find those silly young buggers before they get into any major trouble.'

Jack telephoned the local police station and reported what Gus Boldini had told them.

‘Let's all try and get a bit of sleep now, as hard as that may be,' he said when he hung up. ‘You and I will drive up to Northam at first light in the morning, Claude.'

‘Righto, Jack.'

‘Shouldn't you go
now,
Claude?' Jean wiped her eyes with a crumpled handkerchief.

‘No point,' Jack answered kindly. ‘We couldn't do much at this time of night anyhow, Jean. We'll get there early in the morning and find them. Northam's not that big and someone will have seen them. With the police looking as well we'll have them back home safe and sound in no time.'

The Holden was pushed to its limits as Jack headed toward Northam in the early hours of Thursday morning. He knew he was driving fast but was experienced in travelling on the open road.

‘Need to keep an eye out for roos, Jack.' Claude concentrated on the road and surrounding bush ahead of the car as dawn broke over the Avon ranges.

Arriving in Northam they drove to the police station and knocked on the door as it was well before office hours. When there was no answer the two men went to the house next door A man answered their knock with a not too pleased expression on his face. He held a mug of steaming tea in his hand. ‘What can I do for you? I'm Sergeant Mitchell, the office isn't open yet. I hope this is important.'

They explained who they were and why they were in Northam and the policeman apologised for being gruff and said he had received a call from the Ashmorton station the night before. He invited them in but they decided to wait until he had breakfasted and then they went into the station when he opened up a short time later.

The policeman said he would get a couple of his men to make enquiries around the town and see what information they could turn up on the boys. ‘Not too hopeful though,' He told the two men. ‘We usually know when anyone strange comes into town and is seen around the streets. I'm sure if your boys had spent a couple of days here someone would have seen them by now and my blokes keep a pretty close ear to the ground. Still, we'll have a look around; what are your plans?'

‘Thought we'd ask some of the shopkeepers if they might have seen them, maybe go to the school. Not sure where to start really but just couldn't sit at home and do nothing.'

Claude nodded in agreement with Jack ‘You don't mind if we ask a few questions around do you?'

‘Not the usual thing to do but under the circumstances I can understand your concern. The more the merrier as they say.' The sergeant picked up the telephone. ‘I'll let my senior constable know and he can have a check on his way to the station. Do him good to get an early start too as I'm
already
up.' He smiled at the two men. ‘We'll do our best, I'm sure something will turn up.' He began to spin the handle on the phone to reach the exchange. ‘Call back here around lunchtime.'

Jack and Claude drove to the main street, parked the car and stepped onto the footpath. Shopkeepers were opening their doors, placing advertising boards on the street and sweeping paths in front of their shops, readying themselves for the day's trading.

‘No point doing them all,' Jack reasoned. ‘They'd only go to places that sell things like food or clothes or such. Waste of time going to all the shops.' They passed by a furniture retailer and a haberdashery store and went into a bakery enticed by the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries.

Back at the station just before noon Jack and Claude excitedly told the sergeant that two boys answering their sons' descriptions had bought a loaf of bread and some rolls at a bakery on the main street and asked for directions as to where the white swans were.

‘Then we went a few doors up the street and went into a fish and chip shop,' Jack explained. ‘It seems the girl there remembers a couple of young boys, who she didn't know and carrying bags with them, bought sixpence worth of chips. It had to be them, eh?' Jack was animated and couldn't stand still.

‘It's a possibility, yes.' The sergeant was non-committal.

‘We went down to the river but of course they weren't there, but at least it's a start,' Jack said hopefully. ‘Those boys just love a river … don't they, Claude?'

‘Trail's a bit cold, gents.' The sergeant didn't want to raise their hopes too much. ‘But, yes, at least it confirms they were probably here but I wonder where they are now? Do they know anyone in the area?'

‘Not that we know of.' Jack scratched his chin thoughtfully ‘I know a few people here because of work but I'm sure the boys know no one here though, do they, Claude?'

‘We've racked our brains on that question, sergeant, no luck there. I can't imagine why they would come here to Northam, it's a mystery to us.'

A uniformed officer came to the door and motioned to the sergeant to join him out of the room. He glanced at Jack and Claude and the sergeant excused himself and stepped from the room, closing the door behind him.