Peter Corris - Forget Me If You Can

Would you care to introduce yourself to these ladies and gentlemen, Mr Hardy? As you know, they are charged with deciding whether or not you are a fit person to hold a private enquiry agents licence.

And who are you?

Dr Campbell. Im the Chairperson. My speciality is the socio-psychological profile of applicants.

Holder, in my case.

Yes. Although suspended.

Well, perhaps I could just give them my card, but thatd be assuming theyve got time to read it. Theyre busy people, I imagine.

I can understand your resentment at these proceedings, but now youre being insulting which wont help your cause. I gather that youre a rather aggressive individual.

I dont know. I was an amateur boxer as a kid, then I was in the army, then I was an insurance investigator. Ive been a private detective for fifteen years. Theyre pretty violent occupations at times, but whether I was aggressive to begin with or the jobs got me that way, I dont know. Question of nature and nurture, I guess.

An interesting observation. Youre an educated person?

Not really. I did a year of Law at university, but I didnt do well at it and dropped out.

Why?

I thought Law might be about law, which I was interested in. I found out it was about money.

Youre not interested in money.

My Irish gypsy grandmother told me Id never have any.

Irish gypsy. Thatd account for your dark appearance and the beaky nose Im sorry to be personal This is irrelevant.

Thats okay. The nose has been broken a few times. I dont recall my grandmothers nose. She was five foot one and a hundred pounds, so Ive got a bit more than a foot and sixty pounds on her.

I notice you use the imperial measures rather than the metric. Isnt that rather old-fashioned of you?

Yes. Im old-fashioned in some ways, but I wear a digital watch.

So you do, and youre looking at it. Are you an impatient man?

Yes.

Are you an intelligent man, Mr Hardy?

I dont think theres an intelligent answer to that question. My guess is that the thing youre most likely to overestimate is your own intelligence.

I see. I thought you were a little defensive about dropping out of university.

Maybe. If Ive got a reputation for anything its for seeing matters through. I like to finish things off, if I can. I feel bad if I cant.

Thats the first serious thing weve heard you say.

You come to me with a serious problem and pay me serious money and youll see how serious I can get.

Do you smoke and drink?

Stopped smoking years ago. Sometimes I go a day without a drink if Im too busy or I forget.

Where do you do most of your work.

In Sydney. All over the city. Ill go to the bush if I have to, but I prefer pavements to paddocks.

What sort of work do you prefer?

I take what comes along. The client has to be at least as honest and ethical as me.

How honest and ethical is that?

Impossible to answer. As much as I can be while doing my job.

What are you afraid of?

Boredom, bureaucrats and bullshit.

I was told by one of your referees that you were charming. We havent seen much of that in this interview.

Im sorry. You were right. I resent these proceedings and Im a bit tense. The charm tends to drop away when Im tense. When this is all over, Ill be charming.

How would you describe your relations with the police?

I find it hard to be charming with the police.

What about with other professionals you come in contact with?

I try to avoid doctors and politicians. I deal with lawyers a lot. Some are okay. I dont mind journalists. I like beekeepers.

Really? Do you know many beekeepers?

Not many.

How do you feel about cars?

Theyre necessary.

Guns?

Useful-sometimes, rarely.

What is the role of the private enquiry agent in the general scheme of law and order, in your opinion?

Big question.

You must have thought about it.

Yeah. Id say were at the end of a chain, a sort of last resort. People have been let down by ringing other numbers in the phone book.

That sounds rather negative.

I dont think so. It means the private detective can turn people away, exploit them or help them. His choice.

And which do you do?

Apparently, its not for me to say. Its for your committee to decide.

Mmm. Youre not married, Mr Hardy?

Divorced.

Children?

No.

Well, I think thats all I need, Mr Hardy. Thank you. Ill hand you over to the other members of the committee.

Thank you, Dr Campbell and uh, I like your dress.

Senior Detective Sergeant Martin Oldcastle said, I cant tell you how much I hate doing this, Hardy.

I looked at him-fifty-four and beginning to show it in face and body, hair retreating and almost completely grey, thick-lensed glasses. Thats great, I said. Really encourages me to take the job and give it my best.

You know what I mean. Jesus. Ive been in the force for nearly forty years. Loved it. Now I feel that every bloody copper in Australias out to get me, cept Mickey, of course.

Oldcastle had blown the whistle on a clutch of policemen, a few senior, most junior, to himself. These officers were involved in extortion, covering up of crimes from murder on down, witness intimidation and the organising of armed robberies. Oldcastles story was that hed stumbled across the skullduggery when he happened to be present at the death of Irish Jack Murphy. Murphy was a long-time prison escapee, hit man and standover merchant who was shot by police in Coogee three years back. Oldcastle was only marginally involved with the task force that cornered Murphy, who had fired several shots but taken a great many more himself.

Oldcastle was concerned that the force had been excessive and, with no-one else close by, he bent over the supposedly dead body to examine the wounds. Murphy told him with his dying breath the names of the corrupt police (several of whom had been in on the shooting) and some details of their activities.

I was shocked, I admit it, Oldcastle had told me at our first meeting a few weeks back. Id seen crims shot before. Our blokes, too. I wasnt a cherry or anything like that. Id wounded men myself. But there was something about this- Irish was practically blown to bits and still he was talking. That was what got to me. If hed been stone dead, as he shouldve been Okay, end of story. Or if hed just been pinged and was talking. Right, I couldve understood that. But the way it was, shit, I had to believe him. I had to! Didnt want to, didnt want to fuckin be there. But I was, and my lifes never been the same since.

It was Oldcastles mate, Mick Gordon, whod suggested that he come and see me. This was after Oldcastle had poked around, working on his own time, taking considerable risks, to accumulate evidence that indicated a number of police officers were far worse criminals than any they had put away or were ever likely to put away. Id got to know Mick when he worked at the Kings Cross station. He was one of those men, and theyre not unknown in the police force, who you instinctively like. He told a good yarn and listened well; he smiled easily but took serious things seriously. He effaced himself in a curious way but remained a strong personality in your memory. Wed got on as well as a copper and a private investigator can. The time came when Martin Oldcastle felt ready to present his evidence and confided in Gordon, whom hed known since school days in Darlinghurst.

I dont mind telling you, Cliff, Gordon had said to me, I advised Marty to forget the whole thing. To go for early retirement, take his package and get to buggery out with all his friendships intact and no bloody trouble.

It was typical of Gordon that he would be frank in that way, both to Oldcastle at the time and to me later. But Oldcastle hadnt taken Gordons advice. When, inevitably, yet another enquiry into police corruption was announced, Oldcastle submitted a sample of his material anonymously, was encouraged to supply more and eventually offered himself as a witness. His safeguard, supposedly, was that only the enquiring commissioners knew the areas and names his evidence covered, but it wasnt long before that vessel leaked and Oldcastle got his first death threat. The first of many. The commissioners offered him protection, of course, but how safe does the fox feel when the huntsmen are offering him protection against the hounds? Mick Gordon had sent him to me after the death threats and here we were, discussing round-the-clock seclusion and protection for six days before his first appearance and for as long as he was singing.