Pat Ritter. Books

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'Page 27:
‘We don’t have time to carry out a proper investigation. Yes, DNA is used and yes, it makes our investigation easier. We still have fingerprint evidence and other evidence.’
‘Don’t get me wrong. If we had DNA in our day, we would’ve solved many more crimes. It was nose down sniffing out the evidence, talking to people, listening, and learning, recording details, every detail; and work until you found the culprit.’
‘That may have worked in your day but today we rely on forensic evidence rather than waste time chasing culprits. Everything has changed. If you miss them on the hurdy-gurdy you pick them up on the merry-go-round.’
‘I suppose it’s why the Commissioner asked me to help you.’
‘Touché!’ She smiled. ‘Do you want me to pick you up at your home before we go to Mrs Clayton’s tomorrow?’ Kate invited.
‘Yeah – that’d be a good idea. Give you an opportunity to see where I live and have a trip to the beautiful Mary Valley to see the best country in Australia. Thanks.’ Bundy echoed. ‘You’ve got one of those GPS things so you shouldn’t get lost. I’ll have the kettle on when you arrive.’
‘Alright, I’ll be at your place at nine o’clock in the morning, sharp.’ She concluded...

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'The Proposition' - Page 28: Chapter 4

Precisely at nine o’clock the next morning Bundy saw a white coloured Ford Falcon drive across the grid to his property. He walked from the front veranda to where the vehicle parked at the front gate.
‘What a beautiful place you have here.’ Kate voiced as she opened the driver’s side door to alight from the vehicle, ‘got the coffee on?’
‘You’re punctual; I’ll say that about you. When you said nine o’clock, I didn’t realise you were spot on. Yeah – only take a minute.’
‘What are the small horses?’ Kate asked walking across to the house. Miniature horses were in the front paddocks and looked at Kate, ‘they’re cute.’ There were different shapes and colours.
‘My son and his wife breed and show miniature horses. They live up there on the hill and use my place as their own.’ Bundy nodded to a house further up on the hill.
‘What a wonderful place to live. No wonder you wanted to retire when you did. I’d retire here if I had the chance.’ She smiled and looked across the paddocks.
‘You’ve got years ahead of you before you think about retirement. The way you’re going you’ll probably become the first female Commissioner for the State.’ Bundy smiled.
Kate’s face immediately grew into a wide smile, she looked at Bundy; he saw she had her chest poked out more than it usually did, ‘you never know when you say it that way. Where’s this cup-of-coffee you said would be waiting for me?’
‘Join me on the veranda, take a seat and I’ll bring it to you.’ Bundy pointed to a cane table with two chairs, ‘sit in this one nearest the window, the other’s mine.’ He left Kate seated gazing at the miniature horses...

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'The Proposition' - Page 29:
He prepared the coffee and tea, placed biscuits onto a plate and carried them to the front veranda. ‘Kate, could you open the screen door please?’ She rose and opened the door. Bundy placed the plate of biscuits on the cane table with Kate’s coffee beside her, ‘it’s not flat white what you’re used to, but Nescafe from the bottle.’ He remarked. Bundy closed the screen door.
‘How tall do these horses grow?’ She asked.
‘Around thirty-four inches, any taller and they are classed as a small horse.’
‘Do they race?’
‘No – they show them at the Nationals in Sydney each year. Last year they won seven National Titles, which is a credit. They show them in a show ring and jump them over jumps – six panels high.’
‘Do you bet on them?’
‘No – they’re only show horses, not racehorses. Have you spent all of your winnings yet?’ Bundy wanted to know.
‘Not yet, I banked most of it. I’m not stupid, you know, I realise I was lucky the other night; I really think my luck is growing to find Peter.’ She shared with Bundy. ‘It’s lovely here. I feel so relaxed I could go to sleep.’
‘Unfortunately, there’s no time to relax. What time do we need to see Mrs Clayton?’ Bundy asked.
‘I told her we’d be there at eleven o’clock, we’ll probable have lunch. She’s always fussing when I arrive; I love to spend time with her, you’ll like her, I’m sure.’
‘I’d better show you the palace.’ Bundy told Kate. He picked the spent cups and plate up and carried them inside. Kate followed...

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Proposition' - Page 30:
‘You keep the place tidy and clean for an old fellow.’ She remarked when they walked into the lounge room.
‘Enough of this old fellow stuff. I know I’m old enough to be your father but have a little respect for your elders.’
‘I didn’t mean anything mean by it, you do keep your place clean and tidy. It’s the first thing I noticed when I drove up. Don’t take it the wrong way.’
‘Point taken - this is the lounge room, over there the kitchen and my office and a spare room. Through here is the main bedroom, the bathroom, laundry, and toilet at the end. It’s big enough for me.’
‘This is great.’ Kate looked in all the rooms before returning to the lounge room. A huge photograph hung on the wall. ‘Is this your wife?’ She asked looking at the photograph of a horse winning driven by a female.
‘Yes, Ada won on this horse on her first drive after she obtained her driver’s license to race at country tracks. If you come with me, I’ll show you where I built a garden and placed her ashes.’
They returned to the veranda and walked down the steps. At the front of the house next to the steps was a brick structure. On top lay a statute of a miniature horse. A plaque showed the final resting place of his wife.
‘I placed her ashes with her racing gear in a box. She wanted to be cremated and placed in a garden at the front of the bedroom. She never got a chance to see the house built. It was her final wish before she died.’ Bundy’s eyes swelled and a tear formed, his throat thickened and he drew back tears, ‘we’d better be going.’ He mumbled.
‘This is beautiful. I think your wife would be proud of what you’ve done for her.’ Kate said.
After closing the doors and windows to the house he sat in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Kate drove...

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'The Proposition' - Page 31:
‘Don’t you lock up out here?’ She asked.
‘I never do. I only closed the house in case it rains. We’ve never been robbed. This is the tenth year. It’s why I purchased the property at the end of a road and the forestry is at the back of us so we can’t be built out.’ Bundy shared with her.
‘I suppose you’d be safer here than in the city.’
‘Too right.’ He concluded.
After they crossed the grid leaving Bundy’s property Kate asked, ‘how long have you known the Commissioner?’
‘Since 1970, going on forty years or more, he was a constable at the local police station when I went to apply to join the police. He’s followed my career; each time I was transferred or promoted he’d be the first to phone and congratulate me. Why should you ask?’
‘Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against you, but think about it, he pulled you out of retirement to work this case with me. I think it’s strange – that’s all.’
‘He did mention at our little talk in his office before you came in, he wanted me to show you how the ole detective worked. I suppose you could be the guinea pig.’ Bundy smiled and looked across to Kate.
‘It’s hard to think how you investigated cases in your day. I looked at some of your old investigations and you must have never been home.’
‘Yes - Ada often told me she didn’t see me for eight months one time. I can’t believe it, when a job needed to be done, you did it.’
‘Everything has changed now in the service. If you can’t solve the case within a week, you hand it over or close it for a later date. It’s frustrating because you think you’re close and next they pull the rug from under you and you land on your face.’ She concluded...

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'The Proposition' - Page 32:
‘I know what you’re saying. In my final days as a detective I investigated the rape of an eight-year-old girl. I was about to interview the suspect and had to gain approval for overtime. The boss gave me four hours to finish the investigation. It didn’t matter because I had it finished in half the time. It was the only time in my career a person admitted the offence in the presence of his solicitor.’
‘When was that?’
‘1986.’
‘Nothing has changed.’
‘How have you retained this investigation for eight years?’ Bundy asked Kate.
‘I think it had something to do with the Commissioner. Did he have some hang-up about children?’
‘Ah yeah, he was the major investigator of a twelve-year-old girl who was murdered. I remember the case well. I was at the Computer Branch at the time and accidentally created new investigation tools to use in the field using police computer programmes. This was the first time we used them. The tools didn’t catch the culprit but afterwards we did a little more work, it helped with other investigations.’
‘Did you have anything to do with the change?’
‘A little – you’ve got to understand in those days computers were in their infancy and police were reluctant to use them, particularly the older more senior officers. I wanted each police officer, from the top down, to understand the programmes on the computer. For instance, the vehicle of interest system; if an officer had modified this section when he received information about a vehicle, perhaps the young girl the Commissioner investigated wouldn’t have died. I don’t know but it certainly went against my grain. Police should have known about computer programmes as much as I did. There were no excuses.’ Bundy’s thoughts returned to the time saddened by the fact - ‘ignorance was no excuse’...

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Thank you dub: Page for today:

'The Proposition' - Page 33:

Little more was said on their way to Mrs Clayton’s home. Bundy deep in thought, many questions needed to be answered. Eight years is a long time for a child to be missing with no results.
They approached the small township where Mrs Clayton lived, ‘can we have a look around the town before we go to her home?’ Bundy asked, ‘it’s ten thirty, we have half-an-hour.’
‘I’ll take you through the whole investigation step by step if you like. Although it’s been eight years since he’s reported missing, I can’t live a day without knowing what happened.’ Kate replied.
Kate drove the police vehicle across railway tracks and stopped on the opposite side of the railway station. She alighted from the vehicle as did Bundy and they walked toward the steps leading to the overhead railway bridge.
‘Each Tuesday Peter walked from his home, to this railway bridge, walked across the bridge, purchased a ticket from the machine over there’, she pointed to the railway platform, ‘boarded a train two stops ahead to visit his grandmother. On the day he disappeared he never arrived at his grandmother’s home or purchased a ticket from the machine.’ Kate shared.
‘How do you know he didn’t purchase a ticket?’ Bundy queried.
‘I had the railway department examine the computer equipment in the ticket machine. They found a ticket was purchased each Tuesday prior to the day Peter disappeared. There was no record of a purchase on the day he disappeared.’...
‘We can safely say this was the final place he’d been before his disappearance. Where did he live from here?’ Bundy asked...