Jack Irish: Bad Debts Page #4

to tell you something else.

Don't ask me any more questions

about McKillop, OK?

That's what I came around

to tell ya.

You can get out now.

(Starts engine)

SFK...

'Son of the f***ing king'.

Excuse me, are you Martin Scullin?

Who wants to know?

Oh, Jack Irish.

I was Danny McKillop's lawyer

back in...

What, or who the hell,

is Danny McKillop?

Well, in 2001 you were his arresting

officer in the Anne Jeppeson case.

I arrested thousands of citizens.

Well he was gunned down recently.

Really?

I should send some flowers.

You know, these days

I make 25 grand a week,

so unless you want me

to start the meter,

this little friendly is over.

Mrs Bishop. Jack Irish. I rang

before, about your son, Ronnie.

Have you found him?

No. I thought you said he was here.

No.

No, I said he WAS here.

Three weeks ago.

Arrived in a terrible state,

all the way from Perth.

Spent one night.

I made his favourite breakfast,

scrambled eggs and toast soldiers.

Look, I told the police all this.

Come in. Come in.

I'll put the kettle on.

Did you call the police?

No.

No, they just came,

to tell him that his place

in Fremantle had been broken into.

Did he leave anything behind?

Yes, a case.

But the police took that.

Looking for clues.

Nice place you've got here.

It's all Ronnie.

Packed me off to Noosa one day.

Came back to this.

(Laughs)

What, he came into some money,

did he?

He won the lottery! (Laughs)

Sh*t.

Ten years ago.

Before then he'd

just been living hand to mouth

working as a social worker

for the Good Hands Foundation,

making his little

documentary films on street kids.

He loved working with kids.

You know, he always

wanted to be a filmmaker.

He's in big trouble,

isn't he Mr Ireland?

Oh, let's not worry yet,

Mrs Bishop.

Listen...

Did he call anyone when he was here?

He used his cordless phone

a couple of times, I think.

Have you got the number

for that phone?

It won't do you any good.

He's not answering.

Oh, the police didn't get this.

It's the last thing he gave me.

Nat King Cole.

Don't know why.

I don't really like him.

Have you played this?

Yes.

And?

I still don't like him.

No, I mean, it's just music, is it?

No. He sings.

You can borrow it if you like.

But you promise to bring it back.

Mrs Bishop, do you have any idea

why anyone might want to hurt Ronnie?

Before he left he said something

that just made my blood run cold.

He said,

'If I turn up dead somewhere,

don't ever believe

it was my own fault.'

PEOPLE:
Hip, hooray! Hip, hooray!

(Cheering, clapping)

Hey.

Hold these. Just take my jacket off,

thank you.

(Sighs) Thanks.

Hi.

Hi.

Oh, how old world of you.

(Sighs)

This is a nice way to end

a real pain-in-the-butt day.

Signorina. Parmesso?

Parents would approve of this place.

I took the liberty

of ordering some starters.

People have been known to eat

their shoe leather here at Donelli's,

waiting for their first course,

so I hope you don't mind.

You're out of practice at this,

aren't you?

Am I?

So, tell me, why are you digging up

all these ancient stuff?

It's a bit late to help anyone,

isn't it?

Oh, well, Danny McKillop's

left a daughter behind,

and she's gonna grow up

thinking her old man's a scumbag.

And if he wasn't,

she's got the right to know.

Compliments of the house,

for the signorina.

So beautiful.

Belladonna.

I'll be back to take your orders.

Wow. You've certainly got clout.

He's just being a suck.

He uh... It's a case

of outstanding legal fees.

Well, a bad debt

that he can't pay, so he...

and just ignore the accent.

He was born

about half a K up the road.

His parents are from Galway.

Cheers.

Cheers.

So, is that the only reason?

Oh, no.

I didn't really

ask enough questions at the time.

I wasn't really on top of my game.

And now there's just a whole

lot of stuff that doesn't add up.

You know, like Ronald Bishop telling

his mother that he won the lottery.

I checked. He's never won

a bloody thing in his life.

Some mystery woman

calling up Danny McKillop

to say that she's got evidence

proving he's innocent.

Then she disappears, he dies,

and now the lottery winner's

disappeared as well, so...

Well, I'll tell you what I found,

which isn't going to clear up much.

The whole Hoagland tender process

was initially handled by the

Minister for Planning at the time.

A guy called Pixley.

Kevin Pixley.

Yeah.

I mean, he's a dipso,

but he's straight enough.

And then there's a cabinet reshuffle

and Lance Pitman becomes

the Minister for Planning,

and his first order of business

is to flog off Hoagland.

So, imagine... that...

..here is Yarra Cove.

'Launch your new life

with Yarra Cove'.

And this...

..this was the

Hoagland Commission flats.

There were dozens

of different companies

that had been

buying up disused land...

Thanks.

..and busted warehouses along the

river front in the preceding years.

What kind of companies?

Oh, well, offshore, just names.

Still checking.

What's interesting is that

when Hoagland was sold...

..to this...

Sorry. Thanks.

..the olive oil...

Extra virgin.

..all these other condiments -

the salt and pepper, sugar,

three-day-old bread

and the parmesan cheese...

Let's not forget the toothpicks.

No, the toothpicks

were not actually involved.

Oh.

..all sold their holdings

to this entity within a month.

Ah.

To the virgo intacto olive oil.

Yep.

A Company called Hexiod

bought up everything.

And was there collusion

amongst these condiments?

Well, that's about

impossible to tell,

because Hexiod was

deregistered eight years ago

when it was bought

by this new player...

If I could just swap... Thanks.

The oak-aged balsamic vinegar.

Also known as

the Charis Corporation.

Right.

So Charis are the ones making

the real money out of Yarra Cove?

Squillions.

We have Joseph Kwitny CEO

and Chairman of the Charis board.

I mean, there's no crime

making money, so they say.

Well, no, not unless

you know in advance

that the Planning Minister's going

to award you the tender, I guess.

Yeah, well, that would

start to smell like a crime.

But the details of that tender

are locked in the same vault

as the Petrov Affair

and the Communist shark

that ate Harold Holt.

So, if Anne Jeppeson

did stop the development,

Charis would have ended up with

a whole lot of shitty

old warehouses and factories.

$600 million worth of them.

600 million reasons

to knock her on the head.

I do have one other question.

About Charis?

Yeah, sort of.

I was just wondering, um...

if you're seeing anyone

at the moment.

Do you think if there

was anyone important in my life

I'd be sitting here

moving condiments about a table?

Signorina.

Thank you.

Signor.

I'd quite like

to do this again one day.

Eat and drink?

Yes...

And... whatever else.

I'm not going to sleep with you.

Tonight. If that's...

Is that what you're asking?

'Cause talking about

Jeppeson and Yarra Cove,

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