-- Chapter 37 --

The brotherly bond between Levi and Jamie was still forming, still developing, but it was getting there. The small differences between the boys – after all, there were a few years between their ages – were still being worked through, but they were growing closer all the time. Their chat by the waters of Hidden Bay had laid the groundwork for what was to follow, a close bond that both knew would last.

They were brothers now. And brothers were there for each other. There to mentor and help, and to protect. And Levi took his new role seriously.

Jamie still had his bad nights and, on these occasions, when the panic would rise within him, he would be silently welcomed to Levi’s bed for comfort. Levi would shift over without making a production of it, and he would hold his brother, and they would talk quietly, until both would finally drift off to sleep. The comfort that remained was simple: a solid presence, an arm over a thin shoulder, the quiet reassurance that neither were alone.

There were, of course, times when both boys experienced natural reactions to such closeness, but there was no embarrassment. They had talked about boundaries after the earlier incidents, and they would talk about these incidents as well, but each ensured that there were no lines crossed. In the mornings Jamie would slip back into his own bed before the rest of the house was properly awake, and the day would begin as normally as any other.

***

Throughout summer, Levi continued working with Zack, as well as helping Father Costas, and Jamie would often tag along as well, especially when a trip to Macquarie Harbour and the hostel was on the cards. There they would catch up with the two new boys, Jake and Martin, and make sure that they knew there were people their own age, with some similar experiences, who were in their corner.

The new boys had begun to settle into the background of the place, and their own story gradually began to come out to Jamie in bits and pieces – first from the carer, then in careful fragments from the boys themselves while Levi and Zack worked. They were both sixteen. Both kicked out after their parents discovered they were together. They kept close to each other without being dramatic about it, and Jamie had taken to sitting with them on the back steps when he visited. Levi watched the three of them sometimes and felt the quiet weight of how easily a life could be tipped over.

The boys had grown up in a small town about two hours inland from Macquarie Harbour. Jake’s family was conventional and church-going in a quiet, low-key way rather than aggressively strict. He had always been the quieter of two brothers – good at school but not especially sporty. He met Martin in Year 9 through a regional youth theatre program that pulled kids from several local schools. What started as friendship turned into something more over the next year and a half – slow, careful, and mostly hidden.

Jake came out to his parents on a Sunday afternoon after church, sitting at the kitchen table with Martin’s name already in his mouth. He had practised the words. His mother cried. His father went very still and asked whether this was “a phase” or “something online.” When Jake said it wasn’t, the temperature in the house changed. Over the next three weeks the atmosphere became unbearable – long silences, pointed Bible verses left on his bed, his father stating that as long as Jake “chose this” he was choosing to put himself outside the family. The final argument ended with his father telling him to get out until he “came to his senses.” His mother packed a bag for him and cried the whole time, but she didn’t stop it.

Martin’s home was louder and more volatile. His father had a temper and a rigid idea of what a son should be, and how he should behave, and Martin had learned early to keep things to himself. When he and Jake became serious, Martin was the more anxious of the two about being discovered. In the end he didn’t get to choose the timing. His older sister found messages on a shared family tablet and, in a moment of panic or spite, showed their mother. The explosion was immediate. His father called him a list of names, told him he was a disgrace, and said he could get out that night if that was the life he wanted. Martin left with a school bag and the clothes he was wearing. He walked to the only person he trusted.

Jake had already been sleeping on a friend’s floor for a week when Martin turned up at the same friend’s house, shaken and trying not to show it. The friend – whose older sister knew about the youth service in Macquarie Harbour – made a call. Two days later both boys were in a new town and searching for the Nathan Reynolds Hostel. They arrived as a couple and were welcomed by the carers who looked after the day-to-day operations. Word was quickly passed on to those who were in charge, and once their situation became known, arrangements were quickly made to provide these two quiet, young men with a place to stay.

They told their story to the staff – and even to Tony Scott, when he called in one day, after hearing of their arrival. With each other they were quietly tactile in small ways – a shoulder bump, sitting closer than necessary, clearly oriented around each other. Around strangers they were reserved and watchful – at least until they got to know them a little. Jamie’s friendliness was one of the first things that seemed to draw them out a little. The welcome of Levi, Zack and Tony and others seemed to help complete the process and help them leave that initial state of low-level shock behind them.

By the time they were given their first visit to Bayview, these boys were not the same exhausted and timid boys who had arrived.

***

From the time that Levi and the other kids at school had seen Casey be hauled off in the waiting police car, rumours about him – and by default, his friends as well – were swirling around the little town. Every bad deed that had been committed in recent weeks was quickly attributed to them, although in reality, not all of those offences could have been attributed to the charismatic, self-assured teen.

By the morning following his being placed in a police car, the whole school knew about the misdeeds of Casey Thompson. Or they thought they knew. Casey had been arrested the afternoon before. He had been seen near both the burned-out cars – Matt’s old Commodore and the sedan behind the service station. Other charges were already being mentioned in the same breath: stalking, sexual assault, robbery, a string of smaller offences that had apparently been sitting in the background waiting for a clearer pattern to emerge.

Everybody had always known that the kid was bad. Now it had just been confirmed.

Dylan and Jarrad’s names were also attached to some of those same whispers. And it quickly became known that Constable Leggatt was determined to connect all the possible dots, so there were more than just a few people around town who were currently on edge.

At school, students would huddle in groups and discuss the developments. Furtive glances towards Levi gave mixed feelings at first, but gradually the atmosphere around him began to change in subtle ways. People looked at him longer. Only a few avoided the subject entirely. Others asked careful questions that were really statements. The after-effects of the parties at the campground and the quarry had never fully died; and now they had been given fresh oxygen.

***

Constable Leggatt called into Matt’s workplace late one afternoon and asked whether he and Levi could come down to the station.

‘What’s this for?’ Matt demanded to know, but the policeman calmly replied that it was just for a chat. To Matt, it was obvious that Constable Leggatt had something on his mind, but that didn’t allay the fears he held for his son. When school let out that afternoon, Matt was waiting at the gates for Levi and Jamie, standing by his truck, and when the boys spotted him, they stopped in their tracks.

‘What’s happened now?’ Levi asked.

‘I’ll tell you on the way,’ Matt replied, then only once they said goodbye to Levi’s friends and were crossing the weir, did Matt tell him where they were going. ‘I’ll drop you at home first, Jamie, will you be okay for a little while?’

‘I guess.’

‘We shouldn’t be too long.’

Constable Leggatt showed them through to his office, which had a lived-in appearance. Pinboards carried various posters and rosters and notices, the desk had several piles of papers, along with some ring-binders at the end touching the wall, which were propped up between steel bookends. At least it wasn’t an interview room, with a single light bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling, Levi thought.

Matt sat beside Levi, solid and quiet, on one side of the desk. Constable Leggatt sat on the other side, and placed a folder on the desk, but did not open it immediately.

‘I’m going to be totally straight with you both,’ he said. ‘This isn’t a formal interview, but it’s a chat we need to have.’

‘Okay,’ Matt replied.

The policeman looked across at Levi, unsmiling, and a shiver went through the boy. ‘We’ve had whispers for a while that you were at that party at the campground, Levi. And the fact that your dad’s car ended up there and was later burned is a coincidence that has certainly raised a number of eyebrows.’

Levi’s heart was hammering inside his chest, wondering just what was coming next. Was this it? Was he about to be dropped in the shit?

‘But here’s the reality of the situation,’ Constable Leggatt continued, his expression softening slightly. ‘No one has given us a clear, confirmed statement putting you behind the wheel of the car. Nor is there any physical evidence that might confirm that. If there had been, well, that went up in smoke with the vehicle. Without either, a charge was always going to be difficult to make stick. And if it was just a reckless teen mistake, then maybe it just goes down as a learning experience.’

He paused, carefully studying father and son, and noting the furrow across Matt’s forehead.

‘So, here’s what I think might have happened,’ the policeman continued.

Something tightened in Levi’s chest.

‘I think your friendship with Casey was misguided. I think he saw you as an easy mark. A plaything, if you will . . . he coerced you into borrowing your father’s car, and you, wanting to impress your friend, went along with it . . .’

Levi’s eyes went wide at that comment. How could he possibly know that?

‘You went to the party . . . had a little fun . . . maybe you guys even drank a little. How am I doing so far?’

Levi’s mouth opened, as if to say something, but nothing came out. Matt reached across and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder

‘Then afterwards, on the way home, things got a little out of hand and there was an accident.’

Levi could feel the blood draining from his face. He was so busted!

‘I’m inclined not to pursue you for that, Levi. But I am asking for your help with Casey. He’s been moving into more dangerous territory – the fires, the stalking complaints, assaults, a couple of robberies we’re looking at. Things are being passed to us, which we need to act on. And those activities need to stop before someone does get seriously hurt. Any information you can give us about that night, or about what you’ve seen and heard since, would be useful. I promise you that we will handle your assistance very carefully.’

Leggatt’s voice dropped a fraction.

‘You’re sixteen years old, Levi, and what teenager doesn’t go through their teen years without making a few mistakes? Lord knows, I made enough of my own when I was a kid, so I’m prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt. But what I need you to do for me, is to think about the bigger picture here. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

Levi nodded. His mouth was dry.

‘I . . . I guess so . . .’

‘Okay then. We won’t do this now, but I want you to think about what I’ve said, and we’ll talk again in a day or two. Is that okay with you both? Just remember I’m not out to get you. I can see the good you have been doing lately, and I commend you for that. Father Costas tells me what a great young man you are. This is a chance for you to make a real difference though. Okay?’

Levi nodded, as the policeman got to his feet, then shook both their hands.

They left the station with almost nothing further being said. In the car, Matt drove in silence for several blocks before glancing across.

‘You okay?’

‘I . . . don’t know. I guess I might just need some time to think,’ Levi said.

Matt nodded once and didn’t push it.

***

Father Costas was in the church garden when Levi arrived, tying up tomato plants that had grown heavy with fruit. He took one look at Levi’s face and could see the turmoil, then suggested they sit on the low brick wall.

Levi told him everything – the discussion, the offer, the fear of what helping the police might bring down on the people around him, the equally sharp fear of staying silent while Casey continued unchecked.

Father Costas listened without interrupting. When Levi finished, the older man was quiet for a while.

‘There’s a line in John’s Gospel,’ he said eventually. ‘“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ People often quote it as if the freedom comes easily. It doesn’t. Truth can cost. Sometimes it costs a great deal. But the alternative is living inside a lie that keeps growing, and evolving into something it isn’t, and in the end, that will always cost more.’

He looked at Levi steadily.

‘You’re not a child anymore, Levi. You’re old enough to understand that some decisions define the kind of man you’re becoming. I can’t make this one for you. I can only tell you that telling the truth, when the truth is needed to stop further harm, is not a small thing. I have faith that you will make the right decision.’

Levi sat with the words until the light began to soften. Then he thanked Father Costas and rode home.

***

Levi gave his statement two days later, with Matt again present.

He told them what he knew about the campground party – who had been there, how the joyride had started, the way Casey had pushed him into it and controlled the situation, the things Casey had said afterwards. He did not exaggerate or invent. He simply set the truth down as clearly as he could remember it.

Leggatt listened, made notes, and asked a few questions.

‘And is there anything else we should know about?’

Levi glanced at his father, who gave a slight nod.

‘Yeah . . . there was another party . . .’ Levi admitted.

‘The quarry party?’

‘Yeah.’

‘What happened there?’

At first Levi could only look at his hands, as the shame burned through him, but after taking a few breaths, and feeling the comforting hand of his father on his back, he straightened up and looked across the desk at the policeman.

‘He . . . he tried to assault me,’ Levi said.

‘In what way?’

‘Sexually . . . with everyone watching . . . it was like he had planned it . . .’ he answered, before recounting what he could remember of that night.

‘And there were witnesses?’

‘Yes,’ Levi replied, then rattled off a few of the names of those he could recall were laughing at him.

Constable Leggatt scribbled down a heap of notes, then once finished, he closed the folder in front of him.

‘That’s all very helpful,’ he said. ‘We’ll need you to sign the statements once we type them up, but we’ll be in touch when we need that to happen. As far as you’re concerned, this matter stays where it is. As we’ve already mentioned, we’re not pursuing you, Levi. In fact, given the coercion, and also what happened at the quarry party, you are more of a victim in Casey’s activities than we had previously thought.’

The relief that this was over was real, but it did not feel clean or simple. It felt like stepping through a door that could not be closed again.

***

They found out that Casey was released on bail later that same week, but nobody saw him around town. It was like he had disappeared from the face of the earth.

The additional charges were attached to everything else that had been laid on the table. Dylan and Jarrad had also been spoken to and were, according to the talk at school, in their own mess of partial admissions and panicked silences.

The threat had not disappeared; it had only changed shape. There were moments when Levi caught himself checking the street when he and Jamie rode to school of a morning, or left the school of an afternoon to ride home, or he would find himself watching the edge of the school oval more carefully than before. Matt and Luke were quietly more vigilant. Tony and Aaron made a point of asking how things were. Zack was a protective big brother to both the boys. The Avalon household had become something people were prepared to stand around.

At school the friend group tightened.

Jimmy and Dan had never wavered. When Brooke heard that Levi had gone in and told the truth, something in her finally eased. She didn’t make a speech about it. She simply started sitting closer again, joining the conversations without the old sharp edge, laughing at Jimmy’s worse jokes. One afternoon she looked at Levi across the bench and said, ‘You did the right thing, you know.’

That was all she said. But it was enough.

Trust with Matt and Luke, already largely repaired by the months of steady effort and the mountain climb rescue and the fostering of Jamie, now felt solid in a new way. Levi had carried a secret that could have damaged them all and had chosen, finally, to put it down.

***

On the Friday evening after Casey’s release, the four of them – Matt, Luke, Levi and Jamie – sat around the kitchen table after dinner. The windows were open to the warm night air. Somewhere down the lane a dog barked and then fell quiet. A vehicle drove past.

Jamie was drawing absent patterns in a bit of spilled salt. Levi watched him and felt the strange double weight of the week: the younger boy who now belonged to this house, and the older threat of Casey, who perhaps still moved somewhere outside.

Matt caught his eye across the table and gave a small nod. No big speech. Just the acknowledgement that they were in this together.

Levi nodded back.

The truth had not made everything safe. But it had made him free of the particular lie he had been carrying, and for now that was the ground he had to stand on.

To be continued . . .