Pat Ritter. Books

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'The Bush Detective' - Page 112:

‘I can use this horse anytime I need then.’ Allan inquired. Constable Ferguson nodded in agreement.
‘At Cunnamulla my horse’s name Apache. Has this horse a name?’ Allan asked.
‘Don’t . Indian.’ Constable Ferguson stated with a grin. Allan smiled. They left their saddles, bridles at the stables returned to the police station. Allan excused himself walked to the post office next door to post his letter he wrote to Lynne.
After work he saddled Indian rode to the hotel.
‘How was your first day at Charleville?’ Bill asked when Allan appeared at the bar placed a cold glass of beer in front of Allan. ‘This may help.’
Allan sipped his beer. ‘Thank you, Bill. You’re a mind reader. This is what I need. Done nothing today except a guided tour by Constable Ferguson around Charleville. No investigations. Been told to wait until someone breaks the law.’ Allan explained his thoughts.
‘I wouldn’t worry if I was you. Word around town. You’re here to clean up the town. Most of the troublemakers have skipped town. Won’t be back until you leave.’ Bill explained. Nothing like information from a publican to keep Allan up to date with the latest gossip.
‘I’m here for the duration. I’ll have another of these.’ Bill poured Allan another beer. Allan excused himself told Bill he’d meet him for dinner.
To overcome boredom Allan collected his paint, brushes, canvas to paint a painting for Lynne for a wedding present. Each time he painted this helped him overcome boredom, release worries of doing nothing. Allan walked to a nearby creek, set up his painting equipment; started painting. His mind relaxed, content with moving the brush across the canvas to form a picture from his mind.
By sunset Allan’s painting began to take shape. Collecting his equipment returned to his hotel room. Cleaned himself, changed clothes, went to the dining room. Allan entered the dining room. Bill beckoned him to join them.

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‘Good evening Margaret. How was your day?’ Allan expressed in a welcome voice.
‘Better than your day. I’ve been told.’ Margaret looked at Bill.
‘No investigations to work on. Bill tells me troublemakers have left town. Will not be returning until I leave. Haven’t a clue what I’m going to do.’ Allan expressed to Margaret.
‘Your reputation came before you arrived. You are ‘The Bush Detective’ after all. Troublemakers found out from bush telegraph you were coming to clean up Charleville. They decided to leave.’ Margaret explained.
‘My job is done.’ Allan commented before eating his meal placed in front of him. ‘When do I pay you for board?’ Allan asked.
‘You don’t. You’re here with our compliments. Free board and lodgings for ‘The Bush Detective’. Margaret answered.
‘I can pay.’ Allan replied.
‘We’re certain you can pay. Since I instigated your move from Cunnamulla to Charleville; I insist you board here free with our compliments.’ Margaret replied in a clear tone.

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Chapter 15

Two days went by without an investigation. Each day Allan wrote a letter to Lynne, posted at the post office. Afternoon gathered his paint, brushes, canvas walk to the nearby creek to finish his wedding present for Lynne. Boredom didn’t have time to settle into Allan’s mind. His thoughts: painting Lynne’s wedding gift.
Arrival at work the following day Constable Ferguson waited in Allan’s office. When Allan arrived, Constable Ferguson jumped from the seat, said to Allan, ‘We have something for you.’
‘What?’ Allan questioned; uncertain on what ‘something for you’ meant.
‘Kate Gayer lives with her family on ‘Collaroy Station’ eight and a half miles north of Charleville. Reported her daughter Bridget missing.’ Constable Ferguson blurted out in an excited voice.
‘Did you speak with Kate Gayer?’ Allan asked.
‘Yes.’
‘What did she say?’
‘A week ago; her daughters Bridget and Annie rode their horse to Charleville from ‘Collaroy Station’ to shop. Annie, Bridget’s younger sister stayed at the north end of town with their horse whilst Bridget went shopping. Bridget didn’t return to Annie, returned home thinking her sister may have visited a neighbour. Told her mother who rode into town to search for her daughter. Bridget hasn’t been seen since.’ Constable Ferguson finished.
‘How old is Bridget?’ Allan asked.
‘Fourteen days before her nineteenth birthday.’ Constable Ferguson answered.
‘Missing for a week sounds unusual. Can you come with me?’ Allan asked.
‘Yes.’ Constable Ferguson rushed from the office, caught the horses to ride to ‘Collaroy Station’.
‘What do you make of Bridget not arriving home?’ Allan asked.
‘Mother sounded genuine. Worried about her daughter. She’s afraid something has happened to her.’ Constable Ferguson told Allan. They arrived in front of the homestead. Dismounted, tied their horses to the hitching rail. A woman stood on the front veranda.

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‘Mrs Gayer. This is Detective Allan Honor. We’re here to speak to you about your daughter. Has she arrived home?’ Constable Ferguson asked.
‘No. I’ve searched everywhere. Visited her friends, neighbours. They haven’t seen Bridget since she disappeared. Please help me to find her.’ Mrs Gayer burst into tears. Allan removed a handkerchief, handed to Mrs Gayer who blew her nose. ‘Thank you. I’ll wash this before I return to you. Please come inside. Would you like a cuppa?’ She asked.
Both nodded their heads. Followed Mrs Gayer inside the homestead to the kitchen. Mrs Gayer offered them to sit at the kitchen table whilst she prepared to boil the kettle on the stove. A girl entered the kitchen.
‘Annie, this is Detective Allan Honor and Constable Ferguson from the police. They’re here to speak about Bridget.’ Mrs Gayer spoke.
‘Pleased to meet you both. Have you found Bridget?’ Annie stated in a worried voice.
‘No. Has she ever gone missing before?’ Allan asked both mother and daughter.
In unison they replied, ‘Never.’
‘When she left you at the top of town. Did she mention where she was going?’ Allan asked.
‘Told me to stay. Look after our horse. She wouldn’t be long. Only had a little shopping to do. I’m worried. Bridget’s never done this before. Disappeared.’ Anne burst into tears, sobbed. ‘My fault. I should’ve gone with her. Damn the horse.’ Anne stopped bubbling, sat beside Constable Ferguson.
‘Who else lives here with you?’ Allan asked Mrs Gayer.
‘Annie, Bridget, Ellen, my older daughter who’s married to William Scanlan, me. I lost my husband a couple of years ago.’ Mrs Gayer told Allan.

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‘Where were Ellen and her husband when Annie and Bridget went to town?’ Allan asked. Can’t suspect anything at this stage. Only collect facts. Allan pondered.
‘William went shearing at a neighbour’s property. Ellen to a horse show in Charleville.’ Mrs Gayer replied.
‘Which property did William go shearing?’ Allan asked needed to check everything.
‘Tom Clarke’s place. Down the river. Speak to Tom. He’ll tell you.’ Mrs Gayer stated.
‘Thank you for being cooperative. Everything helps to find Bridget. We’ll leave you. If Bridget does arrive home, please tell us.’ Allan mentioned before leaving.
On their return to the police station Allan said to Constable Ferguson. ‘Have you met Bridget?’
‘Yes. Spoke to her a couple of times in town. Pretty. Never thought she’d run away from home. Not the type of girl who’d leave her home. Loves her mother and family.’ Constable Ferguson explained in a serious tone. They returned to the police station.
‘Since arriving here I’ve never met local businesspeople. Would you mind accompanying me to met them. Find out if Bridget visited their establishments.’ Allan asked Constable Ferguson.
‘We’ll walk.’ They left the police station to speak with businesspeople of Charleville. After visited each establishment no person had sighted Bridget on the day she disappeared. ‘Appears she disappeared into thin air.’ Constable Ferguson admitted after their visits.
‘I agree. Let’s start fresh tomorrow. Need to check out a few places. Speak to Tom Clarke. Meet me at my office in the morning. We’ll start fresh.’ Allan explained to Constable Ferguson.
During dinner, Allan bombarded with questions from Bill and Margaret about disappearance of Bridget Gayer. Allan couldn’t tell them any more than he understood himself. Bridget went missing after leaving her sister Anne at the top of town to go shopping. Bill and Margaret met the family many years ago.

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Constable Ferguson met Allan about to mount ‘Indian’ at the hotel early the following morning. ‘Have you found her?’ Allan asked now aboard ‘Indian’.
‘A couple of fencers came to the police station this morning to report a body lying in a gully near where they were fencing. Thought we’d have a look.’ Constable Ferguson admitted.
They rode to the spot the fencers described. Two men stood nearby. ‘Over here.’ One waved his hand to beckon the police to the sight. Allan and Constable Ferguson dismounted, tied their horses to a nearby tree. Walked toward the men. Shape of a female wearing a white coloured dress lay face down in a gully. Her body covered with branches.
‘Don’t anyone walk any closer. I want to examine the area.’ Allan spoke in an authoritative voice. Walked toward the body took his notebook from his pocket. Sketched surrounding area where the body lay. Wish Lynne was here to search for tracks. Allan pondered. Without removing the body Allan said to Constable Ferguson, ‘Go to the hospital, tell a doctor of this finding. Bring back a wagon to shift the body to the hospital for a post-mortem.’ Constable Ferguson left the scene.
Allan searched the ground beside the body. ‘Did either of you walk near the body?’ He asked both fencers.
They didn’t go nearer than they were where they stood.
Allan crouched beside the body. He sighted a boot print. Sole of the boot print worn through leaving two oval holes imprinted on the ground beside the body. Allan sketched the boot print in his notebook. Placed three fingers of his left hand above the holes to measure a distance. Three fingers covered two oval holes imprinted on the ground.
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Allan sketched everything of the deceased person, recorded colour of clothing, type of dress, hair, everything. His mind raced to understand if this deceased person was Bridget Gayer. His suspicions. She was. Allan waited for the wagon to arrive. Spoke with the fencers, thanked them for their community service to report their findings. Allan recorded their names, asked to look at the soles of their boots which they gladly gave. No circles on the sole of their boots.
Constable Ferguson arrived with the wagon. With the help of an employee from the hospital they loaded the deceased onto the wagon with the body faceup. ‘Oh shit.’ Constable Ferguson stated in a loud voice.
‘What’s up?’ Allan asked.
‘Bridget Gayer.’ Constable Ferguson stated covered her face with a blanket.
‘Are you certain?’ Allan asked. Constable Ferguson nodded.
‘I’ll return with the body to the hospital. You ride to ‘Collaroy Station’? Ask Mrs Gayer to accompany you to the hospital to identify this body. Tell her a female body has been found. Need to be identify. Don’t tell her your suspicions of being her daughter.’ Allan finished. Constable Ferguson mounted his horse rode away from the scene. Allan returned to the hospital with the wagon and deceased.
Charleville Morgue a distance from the hospital on the same grounds. Allan helped to remove the body to a table in the morgue. The deceased face and body completely covered with a blanket. Horses’ approached. Allan walked outside. Constable Ferguson accompanied by Mrs Gayer. Both dismounted. Walked to Allan who stood in the doorway of the morgue.
‘Mrs Gayer. A female person has been found this morning.’ Mrs Gayer nodded. She accompanied Allan inside. Allan removed the blanket from the deceased showing the face.