“Just a quick visit.” Wiley didn’t want to talk. He wanted to think.
His phone sat on his lap and he was tempted to bring up a map to see how far they had to go, but he had turned off his GPS and had the phone in aeroplane mode. He would ditch the phone when he found a replacement.
“Looks like you may get good weather.” The driver leaned forward and looked to the sky. “The clouds are clearing.”
Wiley nodded. The driver caught the nod in his rear-view mirror. He had a good view of Wiley.
“Wonder if that big asteroid—or whatever it is—is still in the sky?” the driver said. “They say its orbit should take it out of our skies soon, which will be good. My wife is getting a bit panicky. You know, end of the world type stuff. The kids are excited and looking forward to the alien invasion.”
He had to engage. “Yep, it can be a bit unnerving. I’m sure the aliens will be friendly.”
Again, he saw the driver looking at him in the rear-view mirror. This idea of a private limousine may not have been as clever as he thought. Silence returned to the vehicle. Wiley closed his eyes and reviewed his strategy. He sought out his spiritual guides and in time they responded. He opened his eyes. A number of large rocky peaks came into view. The Glass House Mountains. The peaks gave off a sense of power. He sensed it and took a deep breath.
There was a driver identification card attached to the passenger sun visor. He raised his phone, focused the phone’s camera on the ID card and pressed the shutter button. The shutter sounded louder than normal in the silence of the vehicle.
“Get a snap of the mountains?” the driver asked.
“Nope, took a snap of your driver identification.” His confidence was returning.
The driver looked at Wiley in the rear-view mirror, a frown was forming.
“And why would you do that?”
“Just in case I want to use your services again.” Wiley sensed a change in the driver’s mood. Good, because he wanted to plant some seeds of doubt.
“Glad you’re pleased with the service.”
“I could be gladder.” He saw the driver raise his eyebrows in the mirror. “Gladder if there was no record of me making this trip.”
The driver thought for a moment. “I could possibly accommodate that.”
“I’m sure you can. Could we turn the possibly into a definite?”
The vehicle lurched left as the driver pulled over to a side road. The driver turned around. “Listen, jerk, I know who you are. We do receive police alerts.”
Wiley pressed himself back into the seat, no longer in charge, and dug into his backpack.
“You add a few hundred dollars to the trip fare. Pay now. Give me your phone and get out of the car.”
A knife appeared at the driver’s throat. Wiley was back in charge.
“Maybe it’s best I do get out now. I’ll pay the fare and give you a tip. But the phone stays with me. Be warned—I have forwarded your ID onto another contact, so it’s in your best interest to stay away from the authorities and to look after your wife and kids. You know, make sure the aliens don’t get them.”
“You’re a nasty one and you’ll get your just desserts.”
“Oh, I’m sure I will. Now, I need you to drop me off at the nearest shopping centre and you’ll be done with me.”
12 - Heading north
The team meeting was over. After a quick review of his email inbox, Jack unwrapped his egg and lettuce sandwich. Time to eat while he caught up on world and local events on his computer. Cath approached at a good pace. She obviously had news—hopefully good news. Not much came out of the team meeting.
“That looks healthy,” Cath said.
“Maybe. It’s what my body told me it wanted to eat.”
“That’s the body craving something you haven’t given it for a while. There must be some nutrients in there that your body wants.”
He took a bite. His tastebuds thanked him. “You may be right. I felt an instant burst of energy.”
“Don’t think it would happen that quick. But I understand you wanting to make me feel good.” She tapped her cheek.
Jack got the hint and brushed the scraps off his face. “You look like you have news.”
Cath pulled up a chair and placed her tablet device on Jack’s desk.
“A call came in to PoliceLink and one of the client service officers forwarded some information on to our team. You want to listen or read the transcript?”
“Listen.”
Cath looked around the office and picked up the tablet device. “Let’s go into one of the meeting rooms.”
Jack grabbed his sandwich and followed Cath into the nearest room.
Cath closed the door and they got comfortable and she started the recording.
“Hello, PoliceLink, how can I help you?”
“Ah hi. I just had an encounter with a person you have an alert out on.”
“Which alert was that, sir?”
“I think he was referred to as the Orange Man.”
“Thank you. Where was the encounter?”
“In my hire car. I drive a private limousine, and this man wanted me to take him to Noosa. About three-quarters of the way there, he started making some idle threats about not reporting the trip to authorities. I think he believed a private car wouldn’t have the same security measures as a taxi or Uber.”
A soft cough.
“He’s changed his appearance—shaved off the goatee, and his face is pale. That was the giveaway. Anyway, I challenged the jerk and he pulled a knife on me and threatened my family. Said they could be in trouble if I spoke to the authorities.”
“That’s quite serious, sir.”
“Not really. I can handle myself. I don’t think he’s the full quid. You know, a little slow, a bit crazy, wacky. He took a photo of my ID and believed that would lead him to my family. My surname is Smith, so it’s going to take him a long time. The alien invasion may be over by the time he finds us. Sorry about the bad humour, but it was sort of connected to his threat. You’ll hear it on the recording—”
“Did you say ‘recording’? Did you record the conversation?”
“Yes. Standard practice. Did you want me to give a copy of the recording to you?”
