The Tattooed Man by Alex Palmer Page A

run your operational decisions past me for my countersigning. If you want God on your side, you’d better start doing that today.’
    ‘No, mate,’ Harrigan interrupted. ‘You don’t make operational decisions. God said that was my responsibility and I’m not sharing it with you.’
    ‘You’re not here. You’re on leave.’
    ‘Nothing is going to happen on this job without me knowing about it. You can get that through your head right now.’
    Marvin looked at him silently for a few moments. Then he glanced around at the pictures of home and family on Trevor’s desk, at the Sydney Roosters football club scarf draped over the filing cabinet. In a relaxed way, he got up from behind the desk.
    ‘How do you know you can trust your inspector?’ he suddenly asked. ‘I’ve often heard it said that he’s an embarrassment to you.’
    ‘What did you say?’
    Trevor’s voice made it clear that he was close to losing it. Urgently, Harrigan signalled to him to stay silent.
    ‘You’ve never heard that from me, Marvin. You be very careful saying things like that.’
    ‘How do you know he’s not a security risk as well? Did he leak any of the information that’s in today’s papers? Was he paid for it? How much?’
    ‘You look me in the face when you say that kind of thing!’ Trevor almost shouted.
    ‘Quiet!’ Harrigan ordered. ‘You keep your scuttlebutt to yourself, Marvin. I have complete confidence in Trevor. I’ll say so to God whenever I’m asked to. But I don’t have to, do I? The minister said it himself.’
    ‘Aren’t you two golden-haired boys?’ Marvin spoke very softly. He moved closer to Harrigan. ‘It’s your career down the toilet if this goes belly up. You should be careful what you do and who you rely on.’
    ‘You know, Marvin, you never come down here to get your hands dirty. Why are you so interested all of a sudden? You must have a reason. Come on. Share it with me. I’d like to know.’
    ‘I told you. The money’s mine. I want to know how it’s spent.’
    Marvin walked out, the rest of the incident room silently watching him go. Trevor sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands. Unlike other offices in the building, Trevor’s office walls weren’t made of glass. People couldn’t see inside. Harrigan shut the door.
    ‘Don’t let him bait you like that again!’
    ‘Jesus, boss.’ Trevor rubbed his large forehead. His face and neck had turned a deep, dangerous red. ‘He’s getting to me. He’s been on my fucking back ever since I got here this morning. Where are we up to? What are we doing? He was down here bending my ear when his PA rang to tell him Edwards was here. I never saw anyone run out of here so fast in my life. Fucked if I know where that “security risk”stuff came from. I’m not letting him get away with saying that sort of thing about me.’
    ‘No, I told you. Don’t let him bait you. If you do, you’ll end up hanging yourself. That’s how he works. Take this and put it away with yours. Then get your head together. Tell me exactly what you told Marvin this morning.’
    Trevor locked both copies of the dossier away in his filing cabinet. Then he took a packet of tablets out of his desk drawer and swallowed one of them. Slowly the red flush faded from his face and neck. The big man suffered from hypertension. Too much pressure could put him in a hospital bed or worse. Did Marvin know this? Was it all part of the plan? Harrigan glanced at one of the photographs on the desk, just visible side on. Taken at a party sometime somewhere, it showed Trevor with his partner of eighteen years, Vincent, an accountant who had his own business at Randwick Junction. They were sitting side by side on a sofa, laughing. Harrigan reflected how pictures of the people who mattered to him were always hidden in his wallet. Trevor had never had any such qualms. He’d always said he was big enough and ugly enough to look after himself. Not if the Tooth had him in his