up and down and said, "It's a fine life for the ones who can take it, mate. Think you got what it takes?"
"What does it take?" Alfie said.
"Got to be able to take punishment, go without sleep or eating and still be able to fight, do all that lot and then some, take it all with a grin."
Alfie looked up from his battered boots to meet the Airborne sergeant's eyes for just a moment, then lowered his eyes and felt a thin smile come onto his mouth.
"That's the lot, then?" Alfie said.
"Easier said than done, son."
"Show me the paperwork."
Later at home, when Alfie showed him the papers, Mr. Edwards laughed out loud and cuffed him. Alfie took the blow, but said, "Will you sign or not?"
Both Edwards and his oldest boy laughed at the thought of Alfie as a paratrooper. The rest of the family carefully ignored the exchange, careful not to draw fire in the unending battle that had played out for years in the house.
"Oh, I'll be signing these papers… one of these days," Edwards said. He threw the early enlistment papers down on the table. "One of these days. In the meantime it's back to work for you."
Alfie went back to work.
Later that night, he signed the papers himself in a fair approximation of Edwards hand, gained after long practice on canceled checks. He took a check from the ledger checkbook for himself as well and lay down early to sleep. He had work to do.
Early the next morning, when Mr. Edwards went out to the pens for his morning look around, he stumbled and fell and hit his head against a shovel so hard it cracked his skull.
Or that was how Alfie told it to the constable and the doctor. Roy Edwards thought differently, but he choked to death while drinking alone the day of his father's funeral. People commented on the double tragedy and noted how the young Aborigine foster rose to the occasion and helped set things right around the station before he took off for the Army.
And Alfie Woodard showed up at the Army recruiter's office in the first set of new clothes he'd ever owned with a signed early enlistment form in his hand.
2.2
Lieutenant Oberstar held out one big hand to Charley, who perched uncomfortably on a too-small chair beside Bobby Lee's desk.
"Simon Oberstar," the lieutenant said. "I raised your friend here from a pup. You probably knew he was a son of a bitch, but he's my son of a bitch and that's the way I like it. You guys were Army together, Airborne, right?"
"That's right," Charley said.
"I did my bit a long time ago," Oberstar said. "Don't miss it one bit. You're too young for the Southeast Asia tour, eh?"
"Yeah, not me," Charley said. "You?"
"Yeah," Oberstar said.
"History," Charley said.
"There it is," Oberstar said, nodding. "So tell me what Australian Aborigines have to do with Madison Simmons?"
"Charley worked out an angle on the crime scene and that leads us to a connection with Australia," Bobby Lee said. "Simmons helped broker a complex series of loans and real estate acquisitions in Minnesota for some Australian companies. He's been known to have frequent visitors from the Australian Economic Development Council and the Australian embassy. I've got people running those leads down. On the surface there's nothing shady about those deals; they were straight-up loans with matching funds from the interested parties for real estate here."
"The Australians're buying us up now?" Charley said in surprise. "Not just the Japanese?"
"They've got lots of interest in what we've got," Bobby Lee said. "Lumber, minerals, high tech, deep-water port up there on Lake Superior… even with the shitty exchange rate we got stuff they want. Some of their big buck operators can play in any major league they want and some of them want Minnesota property."
Oberstar nodded sagely. "Lakeshore cabins, resorts, that sort of thing?"
"There's some of that," Bobby Lee said. "Some speculation on resort properties on the North Shore, but most of it's in the Twin Cities. My guy is getting a breakdown of
"What does it take?" Alfie said.
"Got to be able to take punishment, go without sleep or eating and still be able to fight, do all that lot and then some, take it all with a grin."
Alfie looked up from his battered boots to meet the Airborne sergeant's eyes for just a moment, then lowered his eyes and felt a thin smile come onto his mouth.
"That's the lot, then?" Alfie said.
"Easier said than done, son."
"Show me the paperwork."
Later at home, when Alfie showed him the papers, Mr. Edwards laughed out loud and cuffed him. Alfie took the blow, but said, "Will you sign or not?"
Both Edwards and his oldest boy laughed at the thought of Alfie as a paratrooper. The rest of the family carefully ignored the exchange, careful not to draw fire in the unending battle that had played out for years in the house.
"Oh, I'll be signing these papers… one of these days," Edwards said. He threw the early enlistment papers down on the table. "One of these days. In the meantime it's back to work for you."
Alfie went back to work.
Later that night, he signed the papers himself in a fair approximation of Edwards hand, gained after long practice on canceled checks. He took a check from the ledger checkbook for himself as well and lay down early to sleep. He had work to do.
Early the next morning, when Mr. Edwards went out to the pens for his morning look around, he stumbled and fell and hit his head against a shovel so hard it cracked his skull.
Or that was how Alfie told it to the constable and the doctor. Roy Edwards thought differently, but he choked to death while drinking alone the day of his father's funeral. People commented on the double tragedy and noted how the young Aborigine foster rose to the occasion and helped set things right around the station before he took off for the Army.
And Alfie Woodard showed up at the Army recruiter's office in the first set of new clothes he'd ever owned with a signed early enlistment form in his hand.
2.2
Lieutenant Oberstar held out one big hand to Charley, who perched uncomfortably on a too-small chair beside Bobby Lee's desk.
"Simon Oberstar," the lieutenant said. "I raised your friend here from a pup. You probably knew he was a son of a bitch, but he's my son of a bitch and that's the way I like it. You guys were Army together, Airborne, right?"
"That's right," Charley said.
"I did my bit a long time ago," Oberstar said. "Don't miss it one bit. You're too young for the Southeast Asia tour, eh?"
"Yeah, not me," Charley said. "You?"
"Yeah," Oberstar said.
"History," Charley said.
"There it is," Oberstar said, nodding. "So tell me what Australian Aborigines have to do with Madison Simmons?"
"Charley worked out an angle on the crime scene and that leads us to a connection with Australia," Bobby Lee said. "Simmons helped broker a complex series of loans and real estate acquisitions in Minnesota for some Australian companies. He's been known to have frequent visitors from the Australian Economic Development Council and the Australian embassy. I've got people running those leads down. On the surface there's nothing shady about those deals; they were straight-up loans with matching funds from the interested parties for real estate here."
"The Australians're buying us up now?" Charley said in surprise. "Not just the Japanese?"
"They've got lots of interest in what we've got," Bobby Lee said. "Lumber, minerals, high tech, deep-water port up there on Lake Superior… even with the shitty exchange rate we got stuff they want. Some of their big buck operators can play in any major league they want and some of them want Minnesota property."
Oberstar nodded sagely. "Lakeshore cabins, resorts, that sort of thing?"
"There's some of that," Bobby Lee said. "Some speculation on resort properties on the North Shore, but most of it's in the Twin Cities. My guy is getting a breakdown of
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