Who Killed Jimbo Jameson? by Kerrie McNamara Page A

bowl of grey slush. “Ya must excuse me. I look terrible, but I jest can’t stop cryin’ and I haven’t ’ad much sleep.” She reached into her blouse, fished around, and produced a tiny something with huge eyes and a pink nose and a tail. “This is me new baby. He’s hungry. Correction. He’s always hungry when ’e’s not sleepin’ or poopin’. But isn’t he precious?” I fell in love instantly. “What is he?” I asked.
    â€œThis is Poss. He’s a baby ring-tailed possum and ’e’s lost ’is mum. I’m with WIRES, and I’ll be lookin’ after him until he’s a bit older. He’s lonely, and it’s just easier to carry ’im around in me bra. So do youse mind if I feed him while we talk?”
    I could almost see Constable Jack’s heart thumping, but he was out of luck. Little Poss was an eye-dropper baby.
    â€œSo how can I help youse? What happened to Jim? No-one will tell me. The people at the office won’t return me calls and I’m losin’ me mind. Please, what happened?” She reached for the Kleenex and gave it a most unladylike trumpeting blow. She didn’t weigh much, but there was nothing delicate about Miss Vanessa Blake.
    â€œWhen was the last time you saw him? Can you think of anyone who would want to kill him?” I asked.
    Unfortunately, blowing her nose hadn’t helped her voice. “He left here last Friday morning ta go to a meetin’ in the city and ’e said ’e might stay there because there was a footy thing on Sat’dy arvo and he had to see some people. I didn’t go because me little girl ’ad a birthday party on Saturday and Poss came to me on Thursday an’ I ’ad to look after him.” She stroked the little possum with purple acrylic talons. “I got a call on Fridy arvo from that bastard Sam Bradley and ’e told me that Jim was dead but as usual he was ’orrible and jest kept yellin’ at me not to talk to no-one and not to touch any of Jim’s stuff because he was comin’ back from Jakarta and would see me in the mornin’. He’s so fucking rude. He jest kept shoutin’ at me.”
    She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued. “Then the newspapers an’ everyone started to call and I didn’t know what to do an’ they camped outside all night an’ the police wouldn’t do nuffink to make ’em piss off. At least when Bradley turned up they went away, but he wouldn’t tell me what was happening. He just took all of Jim’s stuff, well, all his papers and his laptop, and said ‘Don’t say anything to anybody’ an’ disappeared. He looked really terrible, but.”
    â€œWhat was in the papers? Do you know? Why did he remove them?” I asked.
    â€œI dunno. I’m not interested in all that stuff, and Jim really didn’t bring anyfink home. That’s just Bradley being Bradley. He makes a big deal out of everyfink.
    â€œI do know that Jim had some big deal coming up because Bradley would phone at all times of the night an’ Jim said that ’e had a surprise for me for me birthday. That’s next week, but I dunno what ’e was planning and I just miss ’im so much an’ I want to know what’s happening and no-one will tell me. I mean, am I going to be paid this month?” Another sniffle. Another honk.
    She’s just a simple soul, I thought. But then, she was probably a welcome relief after the other women in Jimbo’s life. But how had he coped with listening to that voice for more than ten minutes? Was he deaf?
    â€œWe’re working on exactly what happened,” I said. “How long were you with him? How did you meet?”
    â€œOh gosh, I’d known him for ages. I used ta work at The Crow and he used ta come in on Fridays with his son, Jace, who played tennis sometimes with me brother,