The Defector Read online

  Monterey glanced at the heaving main bar, smiled at her, ‘I think you might be right.’ he looked at Duval, an amused glint in his eye. It was pretty clear he knew what the deal was.

  Duval bristled, but he wasn't finished. Ignoring the put-down he looked enquiringly at Kate again. ‘I'd heard the boys were planning on having a few drinks tonight, maybe Scott's with them?’ Then added to Monterey, ‘Little celebration, we won the regatta of course.’

  Kate turned back to me, face set with urgency. I nodded and said loudly, ‘I'll see if I can find him, tear him away from the boat.’ I looked at Monterey, ‘Perhaps he could also join us?’ I said.

  ‘Certainly, I'd like to meet this young man.’ the glint in his eye was increasing. He was thoroughly enjoying the prospect of further combat. But as I started to rise there was a big cheer from the main bar. Everybody looked up as the crowd parted like the ocean before Moses, and right in front of us Scott staggered into someone's arms, an empty glass upturned on his head. A faint trickle of beer, or maybe sweat, running down his cheek. The Gold Breweries team had just won a drinking race by a short half. Scott collapsed in the middle of his back slapping colleagues.

  ‘I guess you won't need to look for him after all.’ said Duval, quietly, pulling out a gold cigarette case, ‘Though I doubt he'll want dinner, cigarette Mr Monterey?’ he was keeping a remarkably straight face.

  Monterey had been staring at the scene in the bar, slowly he turned to Kate, ‘Is that the chap we're seeing tomorrow?’ he said, mildly.

  ‘I'm afraid so.’ she replied, with a tremor.

  ‘Mmmm, what a shame my dear.’ he said slowly, with a sympathetic smile. Then he turned to Duval, accepting the cigarette, ‘Good brand.’ he said, coldly.

  I could see Kate struggling with her anger. I turned to her, tried to think of something to say, to diffuse the situation. She could still recover it, if she could keep her temper. Then I realised I didn't want her to. After a couple of seconds of pregnant silence, as Monterey lit his cigarette and Kate fixed Duval with a glacial stare, she flung back her chair. She strode straight towards Scott as he was hauled back to his feet. I followed at a safe distance. In a voice vibrant with anger, she said, ‘Look! See what a fool he is making of you!’ pointing back at Duval. He had sensibly stayed with Monterey and the sponsors, and the lot of them had now disappeared behind the surging crowd.

  Scott just looked confused, ‘Katie, sorry I didn't make it back to the hotel.’ the words were slurred and the breath heavy with alcohol. He hiccupped slightly to punctuate the sentence.

  I'd seen Kate angry a lot of times and I knew the signs. She was furious now. She slapped him once, hard, on the cheek. ‘Don't you see it? What you've done? Over there, the tobacco people. Your future you moron. You're pissed as a fart, look at you. It's over. No one will ever take you seriously.’

  Scott stepped back, obviously a little surprised at the venom, but Kate was still going, ‘I'm off, you're disgusting.’ she spat, ‘Give me the keys.’

  Scott slowly fished the keys out of his pocket, but not without some difficulty. Kate grabbed them with little ceremony. Then she turned to me, ‘Martin, are you coming?’

  The words froze Scott even through the alcoholic haze. He looked at me in a double take, finally realising who I was. Then he spluttered, looking for the words, ‘What the fuck's he doing here? He with you? Jesus I'll kill him.’ The Western Union couldn't have telegraphed the punch better and I stepped easily out of the way. A couple of the guys grabbed him. I looked wildly between the struggling Scott and the fast disappearing Kate. But there was no choice really, was there?

  I hurried after Kate, who was already through the door. ‘Kate, are you sure this is a good idea?’

  ‘Too bloody right. I've had enough of that clown.’ I dropped into step beside her as she strode across the grass.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘The skiff club.’

  ‘Uhhuh.’ I replied, none the wiser. She opened the doors of a pale blue van and I climbed in. The engine roared into life, horrendously over-revved, crashed into gear and we bumped across the grass towards the road. I sat in silence for a while, trying to catch up, figure out how to play it. I couldn't believe my luck. Scott had crashed and burned and I had Kate to myself. I needed to take it slowly, keep it light.

  ‘What's the skiff club?’ I said eventually.

  ‘It's another yacht club, across the harbour.’

  ‘You sure you want to go to another yacht club?’ I replied as gently as I could, ‘Maybe we could just go somewhere for a quiet dinner or something.’

  She was silent.

  ‘Somewhere really nice, you have a favourite place? Just the two of us, like the old days Kate.’ I reached out and brushed away a tear that was sliding down her cheek.

  She flinched away, ‘I don't think that would be a good idea.’ she said tersely, not taking her eyes off the road.

  ‘Why?’ I said, taken aback by the physical and verbal rebuff.

  ‘It just wouldn't. The situation is complicated enough as it is, without making it any worse.’

  ‘And asking me to leave with you didn't make it any worse?’ I said, my anger building quickly.

  She just shrugged, expression grim.

  ‘What the fuck are you trying to do to me?’ I retorted, harshly, too quickly. I knew as soon as I said it that it was a big mistake.

  She slammed the brakes on, hauled the wheel over and flung the van into the side of the road, narrowly missing a shiny new Toyota. Horns blared as the drivers behind us swerved. ‘What makes you think you've got any right to come barging back into my life like this!’

  You were the one who came looking for me, I thought.

  ‘Like the old days? Shit! Don't you remember the old days Martin? Didn't you ever look in the mirror after I left and check for that naked greed I told you about. Didn't you see it, staring you back in the face? I loved you once Martin, when we met and you'd just started that job, but you turned into some kind of monster, the stuff you did, the money, and for what? Screwing other people's lives up. You say you've changed, but was that before or after you helped destroy the ERM for your own benefit? Before you got yourself hooked up in some drug deal playing your stupid games. Who's next for the treatment, me and Scott?’

  She slammed the car back into gear, hit the gas and we roared off, completing the rest of the journey in silence - while I wondered if she had any idea how much that had hurt. I should've got out and taken a cab back to the hotel and got on the next plane to anywhere. But of course I couldn't, I didn't want the evening to end like this, I wanted to stick around till she had calmed down, try again. I had to tell her why I'd left England. What I had learned. But now wasn't the moment.

  Chapter 13

  The car rolled to a halt on another patch of grass outside another clubhouse. Kate flicked the lights and as the key turned the engine died. With one hand the seatbelt was unclasped while the other reached for the door-handle. She pulled the keys from the ignition, climbed out of the seat and slammed the door shut. Not a word was spoken. I trailed inside after her, then headed for the bar. She was wrestling with the cigarette machine when I returned with the drinks. I held out the glass of wine, a peace offering. She ignored it and carried on struggling. I watched in silence.

  ‘Here Katie, let me help you with that.’ We both turned at the sound of the new voice.

  Kate smiled, ‘Thanks Josh.’ she said and held his drink for him. The newcomer was a big bloke, tanned with a mass of curly blond hair. He pinned the machine against the wall with one hand, then slammed it hard, about two feet from the bottom on the left side. There was a clunk, and he pulled the draw open easily.

  ‘Isn't that your new employer's product?’ he asked, exchanging the packet for his drink.

  Kate looked at him intently, taking the drink from me without so much as a glance in my direction. ‘Not after tonight,’ she said, ‘how do you know about that anyway?’

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sp; ‘Small town and news travels fast.’ he smiled. ‘Are you okay Katie?’

  She was trying to smile, but it looked like an effort. So she drank instead, the glass was quickly empty.

  ‘Jeez.’ said Josh, ‘You're not gonna be alright in a minute if you keep that up.’

  The grin seemed to come much more readily now. ‘Get me another one Josh.’ she said.

  I followed the two of them over to a group standing by the french windows at the end of the room. Behind them, the lights of the city glistened in the water of the harbour. Kate was welcomed noisily into the group. The boys were shooting the breeze, telling their stories, drinking their beer. If I had felt reasonably comfortable in the other club, I was totally out of it here. The slang was incomprehensible and the dress code was formal at shorts and a tee shirt. And those were only the surface representations. I didn't belong. I knew it and everyone else knew it, but I hung in there. Kate was slowly unwinding - as you would, after drinking steadily for a couple of hours.

  It was Josh's loud exclamation and the sudden movement that pulled me up from my analysis of the carpet pattern. Kate was being led away by Marc, a slightly built man with the trace of a French accent. She was laughing. He whirled her out of the bar and down the stairs. Leaving me wondering what was going on. I followed them, along with most of the group, feeling completely lost.

  Outside a crowd had already gathered, with people lifting a boat and masts off a trailer. It was the strangest looking craft I had ever seen. It must've been nearly twenty foot long, a wide, open dish shape. But as it grew from the various parts under an army of willing helpers, that wasn't half of it. Two huge aluminium frames were bolted onto either side, with netting joining the edges to the main hull. The rig was enormous, with an unbelievable collection of wires to hold it in place.

  The activity grew and soon I saw Kate standing alone, she didn't look quite so happy. I came up beside her. ‘Kate, what's going on?’ I said.

  ‘We're going sailing.’ she replied, more than a trace of defiance in her voice.

  ‘In that! Now?’ I replied.

  Then Josh came up beside her, ‘You'd better get changed into a wettie.’ he said, holding out a bright orange rubber wetsuit, ‘it may not be too warm out there.’

  Kate took it without a word and ducked behind the trailer. Josh turned to me, ‘You a mate of Katie's?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Well, maybe you could talk to that bloke over there,’ he pointed, ‘and see if he'll take the rescue boat out in case we have a problem.’ He must have recognised the look of alarm on my face, because he went on, ‘Shouldn't be necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.’

  I nodded and hurried over to the man in question. He was cooperative, though a little drunk as well. He led me out to another jetty where we stepped into a small and rather battered speedboat. Behind us the strange craft, now upright and with its sails towering over the grass, was hoisted onto many shoulders and carried into the water. Our engine fired into life and I threw off the ropes, we backed out into the dark waters of the small inlet.

  I watched the boat with interest. I'd done a little sailing, but I'd never seen anything like this. Marc was aboard and starting to fit the rudder, Josh helped Kate on. I could hear his instructions quite clearly, even over the engine.

  ‘Wait up near the centreboard in the middle Kate, and don't move, ok?’

  She nodded. The sails cracked a couple of times as a puff of wind blew through. Josh waded out to the left hand frame and hung on. There was a third guy already in position on the other side. The helpers, many still in shorts or jeans, were slowly climbing out of the water.

  Marc had finished with the rudder, ‘All set guys?’ he shouted. The two remaining helpers holding the stern gave a shove and Marc climbed onto the wing and started to pull in the mainsail. The other two flicked themselves out of the water and into the boat as she started to move. Immediately they began to accelerate, heading straight towards us. The engine revved and with a churning of wash we backed out of the way.

  ‘Wow.’ I breathed as they flashed by.

  ‘Mate, they ain't even got her cranked up yet.’ my driver said.

  ‘I guess that's a skiff huh?’ I asked.

  ‘An eighteen foot Sydney Harbour Skiff mate, that's what that is. And these blokes are the World Title holders.’

  We turned and powered after them, the cheers of the landlocked spectators receding behind us. I watched Kate move out towards the others and soon all four were on the netting of the wing frame. Josh and the other guy standing, Marc sitting at the stern steering with Kate beside him. The boat was nearing the end of the narrow cove that led to the club. In front of us lay the open water of Sydney harbour. Directly opposite were the bright lights of the Opera house, with the bridge under the sails to their right. In front of Kate the two crew clipped something to their waists and then together, they pulled in the sails and moved outboard. Finally stepping over the edge of the wing so their weight was supported on the wire at their waist. That in turn seemed to be attached to the top of the mast somewhere. The bubble of water turned into a froth as the boat responded to the new horsepower. The engine churned as we pulled up right behind them. There was a light splash of water as they hit a couple of waves.

  I watched Kate pull herself up beside Marc and take the wire from him, she clipped it on. I heard Marc shout, ‘Ok, out you go,’ encouragingly. She scrambled and slipped her backside on to the edge of the wing, tugged her pelvis against the wire to check it would hold, then pushed out with her feet. I smiled, I could see she was starting to enjoy it, and I had to admit, it did look kind of fun, now they were out here. I saw her turn and look back at me, with the biggest smile. I grinned and waved, beer bottle still in hand, ‘Yo, go Katie!’ She waved back.

  The boat creamed along for about another ten minutes with us churning away alongside. It was a blur of water, moonlight, the chuckle of the bow wave and the throb of the engine. Then suddenly the skiff was spinning and slowing as it turned down, away from the wind. The others were gone from beside her, moving inboard, and Kate started to fall forwards, slamming into the wing about half-way along. She scrabbled frantically at the netting and finally managed to arrest the slide towards the bow. By the time she had sorted herself out Josh had the huge brightly coloured spinnaker hoisted and was headed back up the netting towards her.

  He was out on the wire again and the spinnaker cracked twice as he fought to sheet in the sail. Then it filled and the boat shot forward as though it was jet propelled. Kate was thrown backwards into Marc with the acceleration. I saw her desperately trying to get a foothold and just as she planted both feet onto the wing the boat leapt in the air off a wave. I heard her scream as the boat came down with a bang and shot an enormous plume of water out from underneath the hull. It caught Kate full in the face. She was gasping for air, my driver laughing loudly at her antics. But she was still in the same place, the boat was upright and they were charging towards the Opera House under a luminous moon at what seemed like a thousand miles an hour. Our speedboat roared as we tried to keep up. The boat kicked and trembled as it skipped off waves and thundered forward under the puffs of wind.

  The Opera House was only two hundred yards away now, I could see a crowd gathering on the railings, this was not the usual entertainment, but it promised to be special. The boat turned and Kate ducked as the mainsail came whistling over her. The boat wobbled unsteadily as it slowed. But Marc and Josh were already past her and sheeting the sails back on. The skiff stabilised as it began to accelerate. By the mast there was furious action as Josh hauled the spinnaker in. We all watched as the last piece of cloth was tucked away and the bag zipped up. The boat was reaching home now, and we motored quietly beside them.

  As we drew slowly back into the dock, there was still a big crowd watching. I noticed one figure in particular, standing alone, knee deep in water, at the foot of the slip. I looked across at Kate, but she had seen him too.

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nbsp; ‘And where the hell have you been?’ Scott's question boomed across the water as the boat drifted in towards him, ‘You've been sailing? On this thing? In the middle of the night? Do you realise how long I've been looking for you?’ He grabbed the boat as Josh and the third crewman hopped over the side to slow it down. We were already back at our jetty and I hurried round to the slip. Kate was out of the boat, and sploshing through the water towards Scott.

  ‘Look...’ she started, trying to interrupt his tirade, but got no further.

  ‘It was these idiots huh? I'll kill'em.’ And with that he plunged into the water, headed straight for Josh. Josh was considerably disadvantaged, having one hand still on the boat and being neck deep in water. Marc was struggling to take the rudder off so that the boat could be pulled in closer to the shore. But Scott got there first, diving at Josh full-length. They disappeared in a huge cloud of spray. I heard Kate scream. And the crowd that had begun to disperse, was regrouping at the possibility of more action. Marc dragged the rudder into the boat and leapt into the water on top of the struggling pair. There was a huge cheer from the crowd. Some were helping pull the boat to safety as Josh and Marc had long since lost interest in anything but Scott. Others dived in to try and stop them, or just because it was a good excuse for a fight. Either way, they quickly became embroiled. And so it grew.

  Soon the entire waterfront was a mass of struggling figures. But I could hear laughter now, and there on the grass foreshore was Scott. Racked with laughter. The most hopeless case of the giggles you ever saw. He lay there, rolling from side to side in the dust, guffawing. Lungs and chest heaving for air through the howls, tears streaming down his face. Damn him, I thought, where the hell was Kate? Then I spotted her, climbing into the van. I dashed after her.

  ‘Kate!’

  The door slammed and the engine started. I banged on the window, ‘Kate!’ she wouldn't even look at me, I could see the tears on her cheeks. ‘Kate!!’ I screamed frantically as she started to pull off, swerving away and heading for the gate. I ran across the grass and vaulted the fence. If she turned this way I could cut her off. The van spun through the gate, wheels spewing dust and then blue smoke as they found traction on the tarmac. Foot down she accelerated towards me, seventy yards away and closing. I had to stop her. I jumped into the road, yelling and waving. But with no lights on I would be hard to see. Then she found the switch and flicked it up to high beam. I was caught in the glare of the lights, blinded. I heard the tortured howl of stressed rubber as she braked, but I stood my ground, I didn't trust her to stay braked. This was going to be close. I held my breath.