The Silent Country (63 page)

‘The business operator? Casinos? You name it, unsavoury type?’

Andy nodded. ‘When he heard we were doing this story he tried to stop us because the group thought there was no-one else around when Topov died and so suspicion for his death would fall on them. Obviously, under these circumstances, Cardwell doesn’t want it to come out that Topov wasn’t taken by a crocodile.’

‘Christ!’ Rowe stopped, then looked at Andy. ‘This doesn’t make me look too good, does it?’

‘Is Norman still around?’

‘No, I parted company with Norman not long after because I got tired of his temper and his unpredictability. He died quite a few years ago, long before I raised the capital to operate mines in the north. So it’s just my word against a dead man’s?’

‘What are we going to do about this?’ asked Andy slowly. ‘Cardwell has taken out an injunction against us screening the show. He’s always been a bit paranoid about media exposure but I guess he has some justification this time.’

‘Telling what I know will clear all of them, won’t it?’ said William Rowe, staring at Andy. There was silence in the room. Finally Rowe said quietly, ‘You’re the Executive Producer. You’re the only one who knows
my story so it’s your decision what to do with it.’ Rowe didn’t break his steady gaze and Andy looked away first.

‘I’m thinking this story could be very damaging to your reputation,’ he said.

‘You have to tell your producer Veronica Anderson,’ said Rowe.

‘Yes. I should,’ agreed Andy. ‘But because you own the network, I feel it’s your call.’

Rowe looked thoughtful. ‘For a couple of days, until that newspaper report about the Russian being killed by a croc turned up, I lived with the thought that I had left an injured man in the bush. We left him pretty badly cut up. But then I was able to go on with my life thinking that he’d met a different fate and I was off the hook. And I went on to make a lot of money. Now I realise that my original guilty feelings were justified. ’

‘Did that make you become a philanthropist?’ asked Andy suddenly. ‘You’ve given money away, helped a lot of charities and set up a big foundation to help others in the community who aren’t as fortunate as you’ve been.’

Rowe shrugged. ‘It seemed the right thing to do. Maybe remnants of that guilt were still there.’ Rowe stood up and shook Andy’s hand. ‘You’d better share this with your producer and let me know what you plan to do.’

‘No instructions from you?’ asked Andy, wishing Rowe would make the decision for him.

‘I said the day I arrived I would not interfere in the production decisions of my staff or in the content of programs.’

‘And you’re a man of your word.’ Andy turned to leave the office, his shoulders slumped.

‘Andy.’

He turned to look at the man behind the desk.

‘If it helps, you can tell your producer that I intend
to decline the nomination for Australian of the Year. It will help the judging panel if I withdraw and they don’t have to make such a contentious decision.’ William Rowe smiled.

‘That’s a damn shame,’ said Andy.

Andy sat on the sofa in his office, his face in his hands.

‘Hey, what’s up?’ Veronica sat down beside Andy.

‘I saw Rowe.’

‘And?’ Veronica was trying to fathom Andy’s expression. ‘Did he see anything? Did he remember being out there?’

‘Oh, yes.’

She stared at Andy. ‘You don’t look happy. What happened?’

‘I’ll tell you the story as he told it to me.’

Veronica sat still, trying to digest the details of the full story of Topov’s death.

‘Poor old Topov,’ she managed. ‘I suppose that there can’t be any doubt, not when you put together Marta’s story and see Topov’s film footage. It all adds up.’

‘Hopefully he didn’t recover consciousness. Better than being eaten by a crocodile, you’d hope,’ said Andy. ‘But now we’re left with a bit of a moral dilemma, aren’t we?’

Veronica nodded. ‘It’s a shame that William Rowe is such a decent man. If I hadn’t found Topov’s body and confirmed Marta’s story then no-one would have been any the wiser. Perhaps I should have taken Jim Winchester’s suggestions and left things alone.’

‘Even though Big Bill has said he’ll decline his nomination for Australian of the Year, this story will be a big blot on his character,’ said Andy.

‘And he really didn’t put any pressure on us?’

‘No. You’re the producer, what do you think we
should do? Should we ignore the truth about Topov’s death to save the reputation of a good man?’ asked Andy.

‘Andy, you can coat the story in as many layers as you like to push extenuating circumstances and so on, but the fact remains, Rowe walked away leaving a man to die in the wilderness.’

‘And at the end of an illustrious career, he’s to be damned for an incident that happened fifty years ago?’

‘I know all that. But the fact remains, we are journalists and we have to tell the truth, no matter how unpleasant. If Rowe wasn’t our boss, would we think twice?’ argued Veronica.

‘Yes, the decision would have been easier if Cardwell had been responsible for Topov’s death,’ said Andy. ‘You’re right, of course. It’s a heck of a surprise end to the whole episode.’

‘Which is why we have to tell the truth,’ said Veronica firmly. ‘I hate my job sometimes.’

‘Has he made it easier for us by declining the nomination?’ asked Andy.

‘I don’t know. Putting the program to air will affect his standing around here as much as it will in the public domain. He might retire because of this. And just when we had someone running the place whom we all liked and respected and who seemed to have the right idea about television,’ said Veronica.

‘Which is why he expects us to do the right thing,’ said Andy.

‘Yes.’ Veronica stood up. ‘Is he prepared to tell his story on camera?’

‘I assume so. Once he knows we’re running with it.’

‘So who’s going to tell him? I think I should,’ said Veronica, answering her own question.

*

Tom followed Veronica into the editing suite, closed the door and put down the camera. ‘That’s been the most painful interview that I’ve ever had to do. What a decent bloke, though. I think he comes across well, despite the terrible facts.’

‘He was certainly honest. Didn’t try to make excuses, fudge or hide anything. And because he was so straightforward, his integrity shines through and you can’t help feeling sympathy for him,’ said Veronica.

‘It’s going to shock people,’ said Andy. ‘Especially Cardwell. And poor old Colin. Are you going to tell them ahead of time?’

‘No. But the legal people are sending the DVD of the show to Cardwell. That’ll get him to remove the injunction,’ said Veronica. ‘I’ll send a copy to Marta, too. Now all we have to do is to shoot my wrap-up of this final segment. I’ll have to think about how to do it,’ said Veronica. ‘I’ll get a coffee.’

In the end she decided to just tell it as it happened. She sat on a seat in the garden outside the Network Eleven studios and explained how once they’d identified the young William Rowe on the film that Topov had shot a day or so before he died, they’d asked Mr Rowe for an interview.

Veronica looked into the camera lens. ‘Mr Rowe had no hesitation in explaining in full the details of what had happened fifty years ago – as you have seen. Even though he is the owner of this network, he asked for no favours, nor did he put
Our Country
under any kind of pressure. However, by revealing a young man’s weakness and fallibility he has shown that even a kind man, a philanthropic icon, can be flawed, as good men often can be. Because he does not want to place the judges in a difficult position, Mr Rowe has declined his nomination for Australian of the Year. But I still believe him to be a decent and caring
man who, while ignorant of the results of his actions so long ago, has dedicated his life to helping others.’

Tom turned off the camera. ‘Nicely put.’

Veronica stood up and unclipped her microphone. ‘Maybe, but the media will still have a field day with this, especially the opposition TV networks. I’m going home, Tom.’

‘You’ve earned a stiff drink. Is Jamie still around?’

‘Yes. Thank goodness. But he’s going back to Darwin in a few days.’

‘Bummer. He’s a nice guy.’

Veronica nodded. Suddenly she felt tired, overwhelmed, depressed and sad. She needed Jamie.

Walking in the door she suddenly saw that her little place was now as she’d always wanted it to be – a home. Even though Jamie wasn’t back yet, his boots were on the little patio, his bush hat was by the door, his notes and books on the coffee table and his clothes in her wardrobe.

‘I was going to take you out to dinner,’ said Jamie as he came in and found Veronica in casual clothes, her feet up, sitting in silence, sipping a glass of wine.

‘I’m not up for going out. I feel terrible.’

‘Are you feeling sick?’ He was immediately concerned.

‘In a way. Sick in my heart and sick to death of the media. Especially TV. It’s shallow, sensational and voracious. It eats your time, talent and energy.’

‘Okay. Let me get myself a beer and you can tell me what’s happened.’

He got a glass, poured himself a drink and sat beside her. ‘Go for it.’

She told him about William Rowe and he looked at her in astonishment.

‘Well, you wanted a dramatic ending. You’ve got your final piece of the puzzle. But not how you wanted it, huh?’

‘I feel bad about Rowe because I think this story is going to destroy a good man. Maybe some others couldn’t or wouldn’t have gone all the way with this. But the ethics of journalism are strong in me and I have to tell the truth and the whole story.’

‘That’s who you are, Veronica.’

‘Yeah. A good journo, but at a cost. And suddenly I hate myself, hate my job. I don’t want to have to make decisions like this. I’m tired of peeling away the layers of people, exposing people’s motives, histories, souls.’

Jamie was a bit nonplussed. ‘I thought you loved your job, you’re making a big career move and you work with people you like and admire and they think the world of you. Promotion awaits. I wouldn’t be throwing that away easily.’

‘But it’s all more of the same from here on in. I don’t want to be the best known face in the country or whatever. And, yes, Andy will retire at some stage and I could be offered his job. But doing this program has made me look at things differently, rethink a few things.’

‘You’ve become very involved emotionally in this story. You’ve sort of lived it,’ he said quietly. ‘My mother would probably tell you to go away, clear your head, get things into perspective. She does that when she goes to the farm and rides one of her horses for miles.’

Veronica was silent a moment. And then it was as if a light switch just flicked on. She turned to look at the man whom she now knew she loved more than she thought it possible to love anyone.

‘Jamie, you know what? I have the rest of my life waiting for me,’ she said. ‘And I don’t know why I’m hanging around Sydney working long hours, under pressure, being pushed into a work role I’m not happy about and having to make terrible decisions like I did today.’

‘So what do you want? Really want?’ asked Jamie softly.

Veronica answered slowly, thinking aloud and enunciating her wishes for the first time. ‘I want to feel happy. And that means being loved and loving someone back. Waking up every morning and looking forward to sharing the day with that person. To feel I’m doing something that’s worthwhile and be in a place that makes me feel good. Calm. Contented. You know, when I looked at the footage we shot at that fabulous home of Marta’s at Lake Como and then I looked at Brolga Springs, riding, swimming at the waterfall or just being in that extraordinary landscape, I thought, nah, I don’t want Marta’s life.’

‘Sounds like you want my life,’ said Jamie casually. ‘Maybe you’d better move to Darwin.’

They looked at each other, the enormity of his casual remark sinking in.

‘And? Do what?’ she asked.

‘Be with me. And Billy. Give yourself some space for a while. Decide how permanent you want it to be.’ He glanced away, his long lashes covering the deep longing she suddenly glimpsed in his eyes. ‘You’d find work. If that’s what you want. Maybe not as a big TV star . . .’

‘Been there, done that,’ she said softly as she leaned towards his outstretched arms.

He held her tightly, resting his chin on top of her head. ‘I love you, Veronica. I don’t know how things will work out for us, but I’d like to give it a try, if you want to.’

She lifted her face to kiss him. ‘I certainly do. I love you too. Seems a good place to start.’

‘Welcome back,’ said Andy as Veronica drifted into the office after seeing Jamie off at the airport. ‘You must be feeling sad, eh?’

‘Not really. Taking two days off was great. We went to Melbourne. I finally got to see my sister and her family in their new house.’

‘And they got to see Jamie,’ said Andy.

‘They did. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sue stuck for something to say,’ smiled Veronica. ‘Now I’m wondering if you’ll be stuck for words. I have some news.’