|
"DANNY" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1980. |
| CHAPTER 4 |
| Karin jumped out of the back of the van, pulled off her sloppy joe and threw it into the yellow van, before slamming the door. The van drove off, leaving the obviously anxious girl standing alone. Sometime during the night she had changed into school clothes, but they were all rumpled and damp, as if she had rolled around on something wet. She ran to the toilet block. |
| Danny was aghast. Something terrible had gone wrong, and the police had not arrested the thieves. |
| For several seconds Danny did not move, then, as he wondered what was going to happen, he parked his bike; at the same time he kept an eye on the toilet block, but even when Karin emerged a few minutes later he still did not know what he could do. Nevertheless, Danny hurried up to talk to Karin. |
| "Don't bother me, Knock." She said, before he could open his mouth. Her voice sounded strained and she looked exhausted. |
| "You look like you've been run over by a truck." |
| "Go away!" |
| "I know about you and your father and the boats." |
| She stopped and her eyes widened as she stared into his face. "What do you mean?" |
| "You're the boat thieves. I've seen you and I told the police." |
| "But why?" Her question was almost a wail of pain. |
| "That should be obvious. How did you escape from the police last night?" |
| "We saw them near the house." There was no life in Karin's words as she realised she had no where to turn and no hope left for her. "What am I going to do?" |
| "How long has he been bashing you? Did it start with the robberies?" |
| She shook her head. "A long time. I can't remember... If I go home now I'll get arrested." |
| "Not if I tell them that he forced you to help him. There's enough evidence." |
| "What good will that do if he gets off? He'll kill me for dobbing him in, even if I don't say anything to the police. He always blames me." |
| "How can he get off?" Danny was stunned. |
| "He always said he could fool the courts into saying he's not guilty, or at most he'd get a light sentence." |
| To Danny, it was unthinkable that someone like Mr. Kind should go free. He only heard part of what Karin said next, and asked her to repeat it. |
| "I said I'll have to run away. He'll kill me. Or that pig will." |
| "Who is that other bloke?" |
| "My uncle... There's the bell." |
| "Look, after school, come to my place and we'll work something out." |
| "Sure." Her voice dripped sarcasm. |
| "I mean it. Don't worry. I'll see you later." |
| True to his word, Danny met Karin again at lunch time and persuaded her to go home with him once school was over. |
| As soon as the last lessons were finished, Danny doubled her on his bike. With Karin sitting so close, even leaning back to hold onto the luggage rack, Danny could not help noticing that she smelled of salt water and oil, from her previous night's enforced work. |
| At home, Danny dragged her past his mother and Granny with a hurried "This is my mate Karin" and into his bedroom, where he sat her on his bed. |
| "Stay her for a minute, while I tell Mum what's up." |
| It took all of ten minutes to explain Karin's position and persuade his mother to let the girl stay the night. |
| "On one condition. Tomorrow morning she goes to the police." |
| "I'll tell her. Thanks Mum." |
| When Danny returned to his room, though, he found Karin asleep. Instead of waking her, however, he did his homework quietly, and waited until his father got home. He shook her shoulder. |
| "Karin. Karin, get up. My Dad's home and he'll want to meet you." |
| She sat up and rubbed her face with both hands. "Where am I?" |
| "That's original... You fell asleep in my room. We'll be eating soon, then you can go to bed. I'll sleep on the lounge tonight. Will you go to the police tomorrow and tell them about your father and uncle?" |
| "That's about the only thing I can do now, I guess... I feel horrible. I'd kill for a good, hot shower." She slid off the bed and gave Danny a tired smile as he took her to meet his father. |
| "You see the bruises, Dad? She can't go home now, or it will be lots worse. Mum said it would be all right if she stayed. Only for tonight." |
| "That's okay, Danny. She can stay as long as she needs to. I don't believe in parents beating up on kids." |
| "Thanks, Mr. Nock." Karin smiled at him. |
| Before Karin went for her shower, Mrs. Nock loaned the girl a nightie, since Karin's clothes were in need of a good wash. With Granny, Mrs. Nock spent some time behind the bedroom door talking to Karin, but Danny had no idea what the three of them spoke about. |
| "Girls' stuff." His mother replied to his question, and he was none the wiser. |
| Later, as he was drifting off to sleep, Danny heard the sounds of someone working in the laundry. By the sounds of the footsteps, it was his mother. |
| Karin was still sound asleep when Danny woke in the morning. His father had been long gone to work, and Granny was the only other person up. The two of them talked for a while over cups of tea. |
| "It's disgusting the way that child's been treated. I hope he gets the same treatment in jail." |
| "She's fifteen, Granny, and really smart. Why didn't she run away before?" |
| "Fifteen. Hardly more than a baby." |
| "Oh Granny! Some girls of fifteen in school have had babies of their own." |
| "It's not right." She insisted. "Besides, Karin probably grew up afraid of her father. And what about her mother? How does she treat Karin? Did Karin have anyone to trust? Friends, perhaps?" |
| Danny shrugged. "Actually, I don't know her that well. There's usually a bunch of girls she hangs around with, but I never paid much attention to them." |
| "It wouldn't surprise me, Danny, if you were her first real friend. That's something you should both treasure." |
| She watched him solemnly, but Danny did not know if she wanted him to say anything or not, so he just nodded to show that he was listening. |
| They heard the toilet flush, and moments later Karin joined them in the kitchen. |
| "Good morning." She said shyly. |
| Danny had to admit to himself that she did look a lot younger than fifteen, with her long hair in tangles and a nightie that was much too large for her. |
| "Good morning, Karin." Granny replied. "Don't stare at the girl, Danny. Bring another cup. Sit here, darling. How did you sleep?" |
| "Very well, thank you, Mrs. Nock." |
| "None of that if you please. Granny is what I'm called. Danny's mum is the only Mrs. Nock in the house now." |
| Karin nodded, then smiled at Danny, who had set a cup in front of her and was pouring it full. |
| "Another cup, Granny?" |
| "Thank you, but offer your guest milk and sugar first." |
| As Karin took her first drink from the cup, her eyes closed and her whole body relaxed. "That's lovely." |
| "Nothing like a good cuppa to make everything right in the morning." Granny advised her. "Now then. Today neither of you are going to school. With Danny's mum we are going to take the bus to Woy Woy, see the police and get this business out of the way, and then do some shopping. How does that sound?" |
| Danny and Karin both grinned at her. A day with no school would be great. |
| "It's settled then. Danny, you go and get dressed. I'm sure that Karin is not used to seeing young men in their underwear. Karin, your clothes aren't dry yet, but it shouldn't be much longer the way it's blowing outside. Would you mind watching the toast under the griller, while I take a cup to Danny's mother?" |
| "I'd love to, Granny." Her eyes sparkled at the old lady. |
| An hour later, the four of them were on the bus and chatting happily. |
| "Mum, would you mind if I had a look at that new yacht after we've been to the police?" |
| "I suppose that would be all right, but don't you think you should ask Karin if she'd like to see it too?" |
| "I love boats!" Karin said. "Is it the Spray Dancer?" |
| He and Karin swapped dreams of yachting until they reached Woy Woy, and all of them became serious as they walked to the police station. Danny's mother spoke to the sergeant. "My name is Helen Nock, and this young lady is Karin Kind. She has been beaten, as you can see. Her father is responsible, and he is also the man you are after for all those break-ins on boats." |
| The officer looked at all of them, but his eyes settled on Karin. "I think we were looking for you, too, Miss." |
| Danny spoke up. "He made her help him. I saw what he did to her when she said she wouldn't do it any more." |
| "I'll get Detective Styles. If you'll all follow me to the interview room?" |
| Seconds later, the detective joined them, and shook hands with Danny, who felt proud of being treated as an equal. |
| When Detective Styles nodded at the sergeant the other man left. |
| "So what brings you here, Danny?" Styles asked, as he switched on a video recorder. |
| Danny introduced everyone, and the story began. His mother and Granny added little, leaving the explanations up to Danny and Karin. The detective took many notes and asked questions until he had all the details. |
| "I take it, Karin, that you're staying at the Nock's?" |
| "Yes." Danny's mother replied firmly, when the girl glanced at her. "As long as necessary." |
| "Great. Look, Karin. We haven't got your father yet. I don't suppose you have any ideas as to where we could find him or your uncle?" |
| She shook her head slightly, and her eyes unfocused, as she thought for a moment, then she shook her head more forcefully. "I wish I did." |
| "Okay. Thanks for what you've given us. Keep in touch. You all understand that you may have to appear in court? Fine. I'd better get this typed up. Will you be in Woy Woy for a little while?" |
| Danny spoke. "Karin and I are going to the moorings to see a yacht, so we'll be around awhile." |
| "Great idea. Can you come back here after, say, lunch to sign your statements?" |
| After agreeing to return, the group separated, with Danny and Karin walking to the water, while the ladies went to the shops. |
| "Look." Karin pointed at a small crowd of people. "That must be where she's tied up." |
| "Let's go see." |
| They squeezed between the men and women who were inspecting the Spray Dancer. A single crew member sat on the deck, drinking beer from a can. |
| "No one's allowed aboard, 'less the Skipper says so." The sailor told the crowd. |
| "Where is he?" A woman with a note pad asked. |
| "Looking for a place to kip down for a few days, I guess. All I know is that he ain't here and no one's to touch the Spray Dancer." |
| Danny realized that some of the people around them were reporters. About the same time someone recognised him and pointed him out to a photographer. |
| A flash blinded both of them, and seconds later questions were being thrown at them. |
| Karin snatched his hand and led him away at a run. There were no attempts to follow them. "Do you think it would be safe if I went home and got some things?" She asked him. |
| "I suppose so. What are you after?" |
| "Just clothes. Stuff. You know." |
| "It's a long way to walk, but okay." |
| Karin smiled, and hailed a taxi that was on its way to the railway station. Tyres protesting, the taxi did a U-turn and allowed them into the back seat. |
| "How are you going to pay for this?" Danny whispered into Karin's ear. |
| "I've got enough. Don't worry." |
| "This is the first time I've been in one of these." |
| "Really? How come?" |
| "We're poor." |
| "Uh. Sorry." |
| "That's the way the cookie crumbles. We weren't always poor, but Mum got sick and the doctors' bills were too expensive." |
| "Wow. That's lousy... Do you sail?" |
| "No. No money. I just read the books and look at what's on the water. What about you?" |
| "I took lessons at Gosford. I even did some racing." |
| "Did you do any good?" |
| "The competition killed me!" She laughed at what must have been a happy memory, and Danny joined in the laughter. |
| They stayed in a cheerful mood until they reached Karin's street. There were no police in sight, and the yellow van was absent as well. |
| "Driver, would you wait five minutes while we pop inside?" Karin asked. "We want to go back to Woy Woy." |
| "Where's your money?" The driver was suspicious. |
| "Here. " Karin held up some notes. Too many, Danny thought, eyes wide. |
| "Okay. Five minutes." The woman agreed, as if it was something normal. |
| "Thanks. Come on Danny." |
| Karin ran up to the front door, produced a key and let them inside. Danny felt nervous, expecting something to go wrong any at any moment. Karin surprised him by not going straight to her room, instead she entered another and pulled a box from a hiding place under the floor. |
| "Take this." She said, and he had to hurry to follow her into her bedroom. Clothes and toiletries were thrown into a duffel bag and the two of them went back to the taxi. |
| "Three minutes. Not bad." The driver said with a grin. "Where to now?" |
| "Woy Woy police station." Karin replied. |
| "What did you do? Burgle the place and now you're giving yourselves up?" |
| "Something like that." |
| When Karin failed to explain further, the woman turned her attention back to driving. |
| "What's in the box?" Danny asked in a low voice. |
| "Dad's notes. All the phone numbers of where all the stolen stuff went. His whole stinking business." That said, Karin remained quiet until they got to the police station. |
| Danny handed the box over to Detective Styles, while Karin told him what her father used it for. |
| "This is fantastic, kids. A few eyebrows will be raised over this lot." The detective said as he opened the box. Then he looked up at the two of them. "Did you go through this box?" |
| Danny glanced at Karin, who shook her head, so he answered the policeman. "We just picked it up and came straight here." |
| "There's a lot of cash here, Karin." He held up a bundle of fifty and hundred dollar bills. "A few grand in this lot... Constable Broughton! Got a job for you." |
| Danny and Karin watched as the two policemen counted and itemised the contents of the box. Danny's eyes grew wider, as more bills piled up in front of the officers. |
| "Seventy three thousand dollars." Danny said, echoing the final tally. "I have never seen so much money." |
| The detective scratched his head. "At a guess, I'd say this must be pretty close to half his takings, at the going rate of stolen property. Wonder why he was keeping it?" |
| Karin shrugged. "It wasn't there the other day. He never left money in it before." |
| "Sounds like he was planning to run off in style. Recovering this much is quite a feather in our cap, thanks to the two of you. The insurance companies should be very happy, too." |
| A short time later, Mrs. Nock and Granny came to find Danny and Karin. The latest adventure was related to the adults as they all rode home in the bus. |
| "What you did was very dangerous." Danny's mother admonished them. "I suppose no harm was done. Still, that Detective Styles was pleased." |
| "I guess." Danny nodded. "But we still haven't had a chance to have a look at the yacht. Do you think Dad might let us borrow his bike when he gets home, so Karin and I can both ride back here?" |
| "I think he's working back tonight. He was going to leave us a note if he was going past our house to those new flats at Green Point." |
| Danny was disappointed to find a note on the kitchen table, that confirmed that his father was working overtime. Karin's face was even more crestfallen than his own, so he volunteered to double her on his bike again, the next day after school. |
| Karin smiled, then looked worried. "Do you think my dad will come looking for me tomorrow? He'll know it was me who took the money and books." |
| "No worries. We can keep out of sight during the breaks, and we can tell your teachers that the police are after him." |
| In the morning, after breakfast, the two of them climbed onto Danny's bike and rode off. |
| "Would you like me to pedal?" Karin offered after about a kilometre. |
| "It's okay. The road's flat all the way." He replied, trying not to sound like he was exerting himself. He felt that he should try and be the stronger of the two, even if Karin was more than a year his senior. |
| Taking his time, Danny got them to school ahead of the bell, and he felt a lot less exhausted than he had expected. |
| "I couldn't have done that." Karin admitted. "That's a long way to double someone." |
| Danny grinned, pleased by her praise. Living a hard life did have advantages. |
| As they went towards their separate classrooms, though, some of Danny's friends began to tease him for having arrived with Karin as his passenger. Other kids, who were definitely not Danny's friends made comments he thought were so disgusting that he was ready to break heads by the time school was over. |
| The last lesson ended, and Danny found Karin standing next to Mr. Quip. |
| "You do get involved in the strangest things, Danny." The teacher said. "Karin tells me that you're having problems with her father. I wouldn't worry too much, since he's probably shot through to Queensland by now, or some place like that." |
| "I hope so. Ready to go, Karin?" |
| She nodded, smiling, and followed him to his bike. |
| "What's up, Danny? You seem uptight." |
| "Nothing!" He snapped. |
| Karin stopped short as if she had been struck, then hurried to catch up. "Did I do something wrong?" |
| Danny was instantly regretful, as he could not blame her for the way other people acted. |
| "I'm really sorry, Karin, it's not you. I've got my own problems, but let's fix yours first." |
| "Okay... Still want to visit the Spray Dancer?" |
| He grinned at her. "Let's go!" |
| The ride helped burn off Danny's anger; he pushed himself to reach the moorings quickly, and all the way there, Karin chatted into his ear about other boats she had been on, and about the articles she had read in boating magazines. |
| They found another crowd, again mostly adults, scrutinising the yacht. Danny recognised the owner, Jack Malone, from his photo in the paper. |
| He and Karin made their way through the crowd to question the man. At first, Mr. Malone gave them simple answers, until he realised that both Danny and Karin knew what they were talking about, and then he warmed to his subject. Mr. Malone even showed them aboard, and told one of the crew to take his young guests on an inspection. |
| Danny stuck his head into the sail lockers and the cockpit, and Karin appraised the radio and navigation area. |
| When the sailor jokingly suggested that they climb the mast, Danny surprised everyone by swarming up the handholds like someone born to it. |
| "Hell, kid!" The man yelled up at him. "I wish we'd had you aboard in our last storm. You must be half monkey!" |
| From the top, Danny waved at the tiny people, but as he surveyed the area he saw an unwelcome sight. There was a yellow van, which resembled the one Mr. Kind had. |
| In seconds, Danny had slithered and climbed back to the deck. |
| "Damn it, Kid!" The crewman growled. "I thought you'd break your neck." |
| Mr. Malone ran up cursing. "Why'd you let him up that mast?" |
| Before the other man could stammer a reply, Danny interrupted. "It was my fault. Are you keeping anyone on board all night?" |
| The two men stared at him, then the owner replied. "Not usually. Why?" |
| "We've had some trouble with things being stolen from boats for awhile, and I think I saw a car that belongs to the man that the police are searching for." |
| "How do you know all this?" |
| Karin spoke up. "Danny is talking about my father. He's the thief. Just ask the police." |
| "Who are you kids?" |
| They told him their names and where they lived. |
| "I'll check your story. If the police confirm it, I'll put a guard on tonight." |
| "Ask for Detective Styles." Danny suggested. "We have to go now. I don't want her father to see her." |
| The skipper rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "Will I see you tomorrow? I'm staying a few days longer." |
| "That'd be great!" Danny grinned. "Can I bring a camera so I can get a photo from the top of the mast?" |
| Mr. Malone laughed. "You've got guts, Danny. None of my men will climb up there unless they have to." |
| "I'd like to try it, too." Karin said. "I'm not scared of heights." |
| "We'll just see tomorrow." |
| Danny was feeling pleased at the way things had turned out. As he unlocked his bike, Karin snorted in disgust. "Tomorrow I'm wearing shorts and sand shoes. I can't do anything in a skirt!" |
| "Do you want to go fishing later? I've got an extra hand line. We can dig for worms, since the tide will be low." |
| She thought for a few seconds. "You're on. I've got a fair bit of homework, but I guess I can do it before we leave for school tomorrow." |
| Danny made room for her on the bike, and they started off. Then Karin did something that caught Danny completely off guard. |
| Instead of holding onto the rack behind her, as usual, Karin put her arms around his waist. |
| Danny's stomach started doing somersaults, then his face and ears began to burn, as he realised for the first time how a girl could make him feel. Karin's grip tightened when he let the bike wobble a little, and he was too preoccupied with that when everything went wrong. |
| The yellow van shot out of a side street, completely blocking the road. |
| They were too close for Danny to have any chance to avoid the crash. |
| The bike went straight into the side of the van, and Danny was slammed against the metal by the weight of Karin behind him. Agony shot through his groin, then the tangle of bodies fell to the roadway. |
