Leopard Hunt - 13. Chapter 13

Mason zipped up his light jacket as he left the hotel lobby and stepped outside. “Is it always this cold in Melbourne?”

“Not usually in January.” Clarissa glanced up at the overcast sky. “But that’s Melbourne for you. Don’t rely on the weather being consistent, because you’ll always be disappointed.” She smiled. “At least it’s not raining like it was yesterday.”

“Yeah, but Saturday back in Sydney was nice and hot. Here…” Mason gave a mock shiver. It wasn’t as bad as he made out, but he had been expecting the temperature to be warmer during the Australian summer.

“Hey, Sydney’s not that warm today, either, so don’t pick on Melbourne!” Clarissa tilted her head towards the road that separated the hotel from the Carlton Football Club’s training complex. “Time to experience the joys of riding trams.”

Mason frowned as what he considered to be a light-rail vehicle travelled along the tracks that ran down the middle of the road. “Why are they an experience?”

Clarissa shrugged. “Because they don’t have them in Sydney?” She glanced in both directions before pointing to the left. “That tram stop looks closer.”

“If you say so.” Mason estimated it was less than 100 yards to the stop that Clarissa indicated, though it was probably about the same distance to the tram stop he could see in the opposite direction. “What time are we meeting up with everyone?”

“Deon told me that they need to be at the courthouse before three, so sometime around then.”

“You’re not seeing him before then?” Mason glanced at her as they strolled towards their destination and caught her momentary scowl.

“No. He’s gone to Hawthorn to train. He’s busy all morning.” Clarissa’s tone indicated she wasn’t happy about something.

“Why isn’t he training over there?” Mason asked as he waved a hand to the training complex on the other side of the road.

“Because Hawthorn offered to let him train at their facilities. He can’t just train with any club he wants, like Carlton. Remember, he plays for a rival club; it’s going to be weird for him using someone else’s gym—and just as weird for the other team.”

“You mean he’s training with a rival club…with their permission?”

Clarissa frowned and then chuckled. “When it’s said like that, yeah, it sounds a little weird.”

That triggered another chain of thought in Mason’s mind. “Do these clubs get lots of media attention?”

She frowned up at him. “Yeah, they do. Why?”

“How are people going to react when it’s reported that he’s training with Hawthorn? Will they think he’s changing teams?”

Clarissa slowed as she thought about what he said. “I’ve got no idea. I don’t think this has happened before. Trading players happens at the end of the season, not before the start. I don’t know what people will think if he’s seen.”

* * *

Kevin was passing through the lounge room of his host family’s Sydney home when he spotted the headline running along the bottom of the television screen. “What’s that about an AFL player?” he asked as he sat down next to his host mother.

“I don’t know. They said it’s coming up next,” Mrs. Wembley said.

The two waited through a set of advertisements before the morning show came back on air. Kevin was half-expecting them to go to another topic while continuing to tease the viewers with the headline being shown about an AFL player being involved in a child-sex-abuse trial. He was therefore surprised when they immediately switched to a reporter standing outside AFL House in Melbourne.

TV REPORTER: In breaking news, an AFL player will be testifying this week in the trial of Fredrick Rollingford at the County Court of Victoria. Rollingford has been charged with several counts of sexual assault involving children dating back over fifteen years during the time when he was a junior-football coach in the outer-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The police allege that at least eight boys were molested by Rollingford over a period of ten years. The AFL Commission and the AFL Players’ Association released a joint statement earlier today saying that a current AFL player is one of Rollingford’s alleged victims and asked for his privacy—and that of the other people involved—to be respected.

The morning show continued with details of the charges but offered no speculation as to which player or AFL team was involved. The co-hosts of the morning show offered their sympathy to the player in question and their support for the request for privacy.

“Do you know anything about this, Kevin?” Mrs. Wembley asked. “It’s not going to be someone from our club, is it?”

“I wouldn’t think so. I haven’t heard about any players not being at training this week…” Kevin’s voice faded. Deon had told him that GWS had given him permission to head back to Melbourne to deal with some personal business. Kevin hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now the matter had a completely different significance.

“Kevin? Are you okay?”

Kevin brought his attention back to his host mother. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking of the poor guy in the middle of this. He must be going through hell at the moment.”

“I know.” She sighed and shook her head. “I wonder who it is.”

“It’s really none of our business, and we shouldn’t speculate.” Kevin rose and smiled down at Mrs. Wembley. “I need to get ready and go. I’ll see you tonight after training.” He waved and left the room before she could respond. He didn’t want to discuss the subject with her any longer.

Instead, he pulled out his phone and sent Deon a quick text, saying he’d seen the news report about the trial. Kevin left it at that. If Deon wanted to say something, that would be up to Deon.

* * *

In Melbourne, Ben glanced around the locker room at the assembled players. More than half the team was present, and everyone knew the only reason the others weren’t there was because of work or personal commitments.

Julie Crowman, the Leopards head coach, whistled loudly to silence the crowd. “Okay, everyone, thanks for coming in. We all know that we’re here to support Dave, but I want to reiterate that no one—I repeat, no one—is to talk about the trial to anyone who isn’t a Leopard or a former Leopard. The AFL is doing their best to keep Dave’s name out of the press, and I don’t want any of you guys to leak the news.” She scowled. “This isn’t something to play games with or joke about. This is serious. Dave’s overcome some major challenges to get to where he is now; we don’t want to add any new ones by saying something we shouldn’t.”

Roger McDowell, the team captain, frowned. “Isn’t the fact that we’re all going to be there going to give away the fact that it’s one of the Leopards who is now in the AFL?”

“It may, but we have to take that risk.” Julie nodded towards Charlie. “Dave’s told us he wants us around, and that’s what we’ll do.” She gave her players a hard stare before shrugging. “And being there isn’t conclusive proof of anything, anyway. We know there are other victims of that bastard, and it could be one of you guys that we’re there for.”

Roger nodded slowly. “If we need to, we could say that I’m there to testify.” He screwed up his face. “After all, Rollingford was one of my coaches when I was a junior footballer. It could’ve been me…”

Julie silenced the buzz of discussion that arose from Roger’s offer. “Enough! As I said before, don’t say anything. If we have to say something in the future, we can think about using some misdirection, as Roger suggested, but no one is to do that without both my and Roger’s explicit permission. Understood?” When she received vague murmurs of agreement, she scowled and repeated in a firmer tone. “Understood?”

This time the response was more emphatic.

Ben stayed quiet through the rest of the meeting, as it dealt mainly with the logistics of getting everyone into the city. Most were taking the train, but a few were driving. Ben was one of the train travellers. His initial thought had been to use that time to ring Mitchell and have the conversation he didn’t want to have, but as he glanced around the locker room, he realised there would be too many other people in the train carriage for him to hold what should be a private conversation.

He would have to find another time and place before he could speak to Mitchell.

* * *

“Thanks, Deon.” Dave’s voice was barely audible as the two wandered towards the change room.

“No problem.” Deon smiled but knew better than to touch Dave to emphasise his support. “You’ve got a good gym setup here, but ours in Sydney is better.” He made that comment more from the viewpoint of club loyalty than facts. Deon knew it would be difficult to point to anything that was better at one versus the other.

Dave’s lips twitched but didn’t quite make it into a smile. “You can tell yourself that, but don’t expect me to believe it.”

The two had just finished a two-hour session in the Hawthorn Football Club’s gym. A number of the other Hawthorn players had been present—as were the ubiquitous trainers—but apart from a few nods of acknowledgement, the two had been largely left alone. Deon quickly realised that the players and trainers knew why he was there, but they weren’t going to say anything.

During the training session, Deon and Dave had avoided talking about the upcoming events of the afternoon but instead kept their conversations to matters of football and exercise programs. Deon needed to keep his program going—he was surprised when he arrived to find that the trainers had a copy of his personalised program from GWS—and the mundane task of training seemed beneficial to Dave.

To help Deon blend in, he had been given a Hawthorn training top to wear. Deon had been initially reluctant to wear it, but he had been convinced by one of the Hawthorn officials that if he didn’t, he would attract the attention of anyone passing the gym. Wearing his own club’s training top would be worse, but even in casual gym clothes, he would stand out. Wearing the same training top as Dave wore meant he had a chance of avoiding notice from anyone who wasn’t already informed about his presence.

Just before they entered the change room, Dave stopped. “Charlie will be here soon, and then the three of us will go out for lunch. After that…” He grimaced.

Deon didn’t need him to continue. After lunch would mean heading for the courthouse for the trial.

Dave turned and started to move away. “I’ll meet you out front in twenty minutes,” he called back over his shoulder.

“See you soon!” Deon sighed as he headed in to get changed and have a shower. It was apparent that Dave was still not mentally strong enough to use the communal showers. Deon took out his frustration at the situation by slapping the door of the locker he had been given before sitting down to get undressed.

He had only managed to take off his shirt when he was interrupted by his phone. He contemplated ignoring it until after his shower, but he decided he had better see if it was something to do with that afternoon’s trial. After reaching into his bag, he tensed at the name being displayed.

“Alastair!” Deon mentally crossed his fingers that the call from his agent was a social call.

“What the fuck is going on? Social media is blowing up with the news that you’ve been seen training with the Hawks.”

Deon winced. Alastair McCrae was usually calm and level-headed. The person swearing on the other end of the phone call was an Alastair he hadn’t encountered before. “I thought it was being kept quiet. How did the news leak?”

“Some visitor spotted you in the gym and took a photo. It was posted online within seconds.” Alastair continued in a slightly less aggressive tone. “And why were you wearing a Hawthorn top? Your club is going to go absolutely nuts! What the fuck are you doing in Melbourne, anyway? You should be in Sydney getting ready for the pre-season.”

“The club gave me the week off, and they know I’m training at Hawthorn. I’ve got their permission.” He didn’t respond to the issue of wearing Hawthorn’s brown-and-gold colours. He wasn’t sure how he could explain that without going into things he didn’t want to discuss.

There was silence for a moment. “What’s going on, Deon? I can’t do my job if you don’t keep me informed about things like this.”

Deon was relieved that Alastair sounded a lot calmer. “The Hawks management spoke to the Giants management and asked if I could come down here to Melbourne for the week. It was all agreed at the top level but kept quiet.”

“Why was it kept quiet?”

Deon grimaced. “I can’t say. Sorry, Alastair. It’s a private matter.”

There was a loud sigh, and Deon had the impression Alastair was ready to pull his hair out in frustration. “Deon, this affects not only your football but also your public image. I need to know what’s going on. I’m in Melbourne this week, so can you join me for lunch today? My shout, and I’ll make sure it’s a place where we can hold a confidential conversation.”

“Can I get back to you on that? I’m supposed to be meeting a couple of other people for lunch, and I may not be able to get out of it.”

“How long are you going to be in Melbourne and training with the Hawks?”

“Possibly all week, though I’m hoping I can fly back earlier.”

“Okay, let me know if you can make lunch today. Otherwise, we need to find a time to meet up—and the earlier the better.”

“I’ll do that, Alastair.” Deon made a quick decision. He had planned to surprise Clarissa with a dinner for two, but that may have to wait. “If I can’t do lunch, would you be able to meet me tonight?”

“That’ll be fine. Call me once you know when you’re free.”

After hanging up, Deon noticed that he had eight missed calls—three of them from Alastair, four from teammates, and one unknown number—and twenty-two text messages. He glanced through the messages and decided the only one he needed to respond to immediately was the text from one of his co-captains. He sent back a reply, directing Phil to speak to the person who had authorised his trip, and then put his phone away.

Most of the messages had been along the same lines as Alastair’s opening comment. Deon knew he would have to explain things to his teammates, but he was hoping that he wouldn’t have to get into details. There was one text message, though, that puzzled him: why had Kevin mentioned the trial and then said nothing else?

* * *

“Kev, wait up!”

Kevin stopped and glanced over his shoulder. One of his teammates was jogging up to him. “G’day, Nick. Is something wrong?”

“Not really, but you’re mates with Deon Bradshaw. Do you know why he’s in Melbourne, training with the Hawks?”

Kevin blinked. “He’s doing what?”

“It’s everywhere: Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat… The Internet’s having a meltdown. Deon’s been spotted working out in Hawthorn’s gym. Here, have a look.”

Kevin took Nick’s phone and stared at the image of Deon doing squats while a Hawthorn trainer supervised. “Why is he there?”

Nick snorted. “I was hoping you’d know. It’s the current big mystery. Well, apart from who’ll be testifying at that trial…” Nick frowned. “You don’t suppose the two are linked, do you?”

Kevin held up both hands. “Don’t ask me! I don’t know anything about it.”

“Well, if you find out anything, can you let me know?”

“Sure.” Kevin pasted on a grin to hide his unease. “But don’t expect much. It’s probably all perfectly simple and uninteresting.”

“Yeah, right.” Nick rolled his eyes. “A GWS player goes to Melbourne to train with Hawthorn. All simple and uninteresting. Happens every day.”

A few minutes later, after Nick had left, Kevin pulled out his own phone and stared at it. There was something going on, and he suspected Nick was right: it was all connected to the trial. He wanted to ask Deon directly, but if his suspicions were correct, Deon wouldn’t want to be bothered.

Kevin started to put his phone away without making a call when he changed his mind. He quickly selected a different name from his contact list, glanced around to make sure there was no one nearby, and then made a call.

“Clarissa, do you know what’s going on with Deon at the moment?”

* * *

Alastair shook hands with Dave and Charlie before taking a seat. “Thanks for inviting me.” He glanced to his side. “Deon said you guys would explain things. He’s not telling me anything, and at the moment, his football career looks like it’s going to end up in the sewer. I need to know if we’re going to have any chance of saving it.”

Deon winced. “The club knows what’s going on. It’s not going to affect things there.”

“Wrong!” Alastair glared at him. “While the club may be fine, I know for a fact that your teammates aren’t. You’re not my only client with GWS, and the other guys are ready to have you hung, drawn and quartered. And that’s mild compared to what the GWS supporters will want to do to you. We need to get this under control—and fast.”

Dave dropped his head. “This is all my fault.”

Deon and Charlie were simultaneous with their protestations. “No way!” “It’s not your fault!”

Alastair held up a hand. “Guys, settle down. Can someone—one person, please—tell me what’s going on?”

Deon and Charlie both looked at Dave. Dave flinched. “Charlie, can you tell him? Please? I’m going to have to go through it all this afternoon, but I don’t want to do it now.”

“Okay, Dave.” Charlie glanced around the small restaurant where they’ve come for lunch and lowered his voice. “You know about the trial this afternoon, don’t you? It’s been on all the media.”

“You mean…?” Alastair nodded towards Dave while keeping his focus on Charlie.

“Yes. Dave’s testifying. Deon’s come down from Sydney to support him. Hawthorn asked the Giants if they’d release him for the week, and they agreed.”

“Okay, I understand now.” Alastair pursed his lips as he thought. “It’s still a shitty situation but not as bad as it initially looked.” He frowned at Dave. “Who’s your management agent?”

Dave shrugged. “I don’t have one. I wasn’t planning on signing with anyone until after the trial.” He grimaced. “I don’t want to make big decisions until that’s finished.”

“Alright, that’s one less person to get involved.” Alastair stared at the three football players for a moment. “Where to from here? As I said at the start, the GWS supporters and Deon’s teammates are ready to crucify him.” He glared at Deon. “Whatever made you think that wearing a Hawthorn training top would be a good idea? The rest we can spin as you supporting Dave, but that one is going to be tough to explain.”

“You need to keep Dave’s name out of it.” Deon narrowed his eyes. “I’ll live with whatever else happens, but there’s to be no mention of Dave. That’s not negotiable.”

Alastair held up both hands. “Hey, take it easy. That’s fine, and I agree. But we also need to keep you safe, too.”

Deon gave him a half smile. “Phil and Callen,” he said, referring to his two co-captains, “have told me they’re going to try to placate my teammates. I’m going to cop it from the guys when I get back, but that’s okay. I’ll deal with that when I return.”

Deon had been relieved when Phil had called him back after speaking to management. Deon was concerned that his co-captains now knew about Dave, but both had said they’d keep Dave’s name out of any conversation.

“That’s a start, but the supporter base isn’t going to be as easy to handle.” Alastair pulled out his phone. “I’m going to cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day while we work out what to do.” He gave Dave a soft smile. “With your permission, I’ll see what I can do for you, too. To do that, I’ll need to speak to some people at Hawthorn, but a coordinated approach is going to work best for everyone.” He frowned and cocked his head. “Who else is involved in this? What about Ty, Jim, and Paul?”

Charlie was the one who responded. “Most of the Leopards—past and present—will be at the courthouse. The brat’s been organising the AFL contingent, so we’re going to have representatives from four AFL teams there: Jim and Ty from Carlton, Deon from GWS, Dave from Hawthorn, and Peter and Paul from the Bulldogs. That will hopefully help dilute any speculation as to who is testifying.”

“Peter?” Alastair asked.

“Our former head coach. He took up an assistant-coaching position with the Bulldogs last year.”

Alastair sighed. “Jim’s going to be recognised as soon as he shows up, and Deon’s already hitting the social-media trending topics. Even though it’s going to be a massive headache for those two, I think I can safely say that Dave’s not going to be in the spotlight, at least initially. But now, I need to worry about Jim, too. Who knows what people will make of him being at the trial?”

Further discussion was interrupted by Deon’s phone going off. When he saw who it was from, he winced. “Sorry, guys, but I have to take this.” Deon knew he couldn’t afford to antagonise his girlfriend. “Hi, Clarissa.”

“After finding out last night that other people knew about what was going on but you didn’t tell me, I wasn’t going to speak to you before the trial, but something’s cropped up. Kevin’s just called me. It seems like other people are making the same connection that I made when I first found out: you being in Melbourne and the trial. He told me that one of his teammates asked why you were training with Hawthorn and did it have anything to do with the trial. Kevin wanted to make sure you knew, but he didn’t want to bother you, just in case.” Clarissa’s initially hard tone had disappeared by the time she finished speaking. Deon had the impression she was worried for him.

“What did you tell him?”

“That it was all true.” Clarissa dropped the sarcastic tone. “Nothing, of course. I told him I needed to speak to you.” There was a short pause. “I understand now why you couldn’t say anything. Kevin deserves to know, but I couldn’t be the one to tell him. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting.”

“Thanks, but you don’t need to apologise. I’d probably have done the same in your shoes. I’m with Dave, Charlie, and Alastair at the moment. I’ll just let them know what you told me.” After quickly filling in the others, Deon returned his attention to his phone. “Where are you? We’ve just sat down for lunch. If you happen to be near Hawthorn, you can join us for lunch.”

Clarissa snorted. “We’re in the city. Mason wanted to go to the most expensive place to eat in the area, so I took him to McDonalds. We’re just finishing.”

Deon could hear Mason in the background calling out that Clarissa had good taste in restaurants. His amusement at the comment was short-lived. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you as soon as we finish here. I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and three—Alastair’s concerned that we’ve got a potential disaster on our hands—but I’ll keep you informed.”

After exchanging a couple more pleasantries, Deon sighed and hung up.

“You’re right about this being a potential disaster,” Alastair said, “but I think I know how to turn it around. I’ll need both GWS and Hawthorn to play ball, though. The question is: will they?”

“The Hawks said they’ll do whatever it takes to help me,” Dave said.

“And my club’s been willing to help, too.” Deon gnawed at his lower lip. “What did you have in mind?”

Alastair made a face. “I need GWS to make a public statement—and soon—thanking Hawthorn for allowing you to use their facilities while you’re in Melbourne for personal reasons. They could use Twitter for that announcement. That should settle things down with your teammates and will help with a lot of the supporters. It’ll also show everyone that you’re not doing this behind your club’s back. I’ll also need Hawthorn to reply with an apology for making you wear one of their training tops, but they were trying to protect your privacy. That’ll hopefully give everyone a reason for that act of idiocy that doesn’t reflect too badly on you.”

Charlie frowned. “What if people ask questions about the personal reasons Deon’s in Melbourne for?”

“That’s the bit I’m still working on.” Alastair sighed. “Unfortunately, no matter what we say, people will connect it to the trial. Based on what Clarissa passed on, some people are already doing so.”

Deon made a snap decision. “Then don’t say anything. Let them speculate, and if that means the attention’s on me, so be it. That will help Dave, and I can’t see how it’ll hurt.”

“Believe me, Deon, it’ll hurt. I don’t know how, but these things always come back and bite you.” Alastair shook his head. “I’d advise against it, but I don’t have any other ideas at the moment. If you’re happy to stay quiet on the reasons you’re here, that’s what we’ll do.”

* * *

Roger McDowell put his phone away, put his fingers to his mouth, and then gave a short, sharp whistle to attract the attention of his teammates. “Listen up!” He caught Todd’s eye and tilted his head towards the other passengers on the train. After a moment of confusion, Todd nodded, smiled, and moved to block anyone from approaching the assembled players. The Leopards were occupying one end of a carriage, which Roger hoped would limit any chance of being overheard.

“Guys, when we get there, I want everyone to make an effort to greet Deon and show him our support.”

“Deon?” Oliver frowned, then glanced around before continuing in a lowered voice. “Not Dave?”

“Well, both, but make Deon’s obvious. His name is already being put forward as the AFL player who’s testifying, so we’re all going to play along. Deon’s volunteered. No one says anything to confirm or deny it, but we want any onlookers to think we’re there for Deon.”

“Why would anyone think it’s Deon?”

“Because he’s flown down from Sydney to attend the hearing.” Roger grimaced. “And he’s been spotted training with the Hawks, so he was already making news. People have started putting his presence in Melbourne together with this morning’s announcement, so we’re going to use that to misdirect everyone’s attention.”

“GWS has just sent out a tweet,” Ben said, looking up from his phone. “They’re thanking the Hawks for letting Deon train at their facilities while he’s in Melbourne for ‘personal reasons’.”

Roger nodded. “The Hawks should be replying soon. At least that’s what I was told. Deon’s going to take the spotlight for Dave. We’re going to do anything and everything we can to make sure he doesn’t get burnt by doing so. Agreed?”

The affirmation from the gathered players was immediate and loud.

* * *

“Fuck!” Mason glared indiscriminately at the oblivious shoppers in the Melbourne Central shopping mall. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Clarissa raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t react. “What’s got you so upset?”

“I’m useless. I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to think of something to help, but I can’t.” Mason scowled. “What’s the point in having money if I can’t use it?”

“Mason…”

Mason ignored her warning growl. “No, Clarissa. I know you don’t want me spending money, but that’s on frivolous things. What’s happening today is important. I don’t want to stand by and do nothing.” He sighed, looked down at her, and made a face. “Please? Tell me what I can do to help.”

Clarissa stared back for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay.” She glanced around and then pointed. “Let’s grab some coffees, sit down and work out our options.”

Once they were settled, Clarissa started. “Firstly, I don’t think there’s anything you can buy or hire that will make a difference. So, let’s take that off the table.” She gave him a sardonic stare. “If there had been something, you’d have already done it. Right?”

Mason didn’t want to agree, but he knew she had a point. “I was hoping you’d come up with an idea. The amount doesn’t matter, as long as it’s not excessive.”

She rolled her eyes. “You and I have very different ideas on what’s excessive.” She took a sip of her latte. “You don’t know Dave, so there’s not much you can do there, either, but you know Deon. Deon’s already at the centre of a shit storm, so even if the major media companies play ball, social media is going to be full of him going into the courthouse. As you know, Deon is going to try to keep the focus off Dave, so we need to protect him and Dave.”

Mason thought for a moment. “When the trial starts, is it going to be open or closed to the public?”

“My understanding is that it’ll be closed, at least for Dave’s testimony.” Clarissa cocked her head. “Why?”

“Because if Deon isn’t allowed in, that’ll blow up any pretence of him being the one testifying.”

“Wouldn’t they have already thought of that?”

“Not necessarily, since I believe the idea of Deon taking centre stage was only decided today. They may not have thought of all the consequences.”

She pulled out her phone and started to send a text. “I’ll ask Deon.”

After a couple of text messages back and forth, her phone rang. “G’day, Charlie. Deon says you’ve got some answers for me.” She listened for a while, and then nodded. “Okay, thanks. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that they’ll do that.”

After putting her phone away, Clarissa smiled at Mason. “Charlie wanted to know how you figured there’d be an issue.”

Mason snorted. “The ‘rents are both lawyers, remember? I may not be interested in becoming a lawyer myself, but I’ve picked up some stuff along the way.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did he have an answer for you?”

She nodded. “Dave’s allowed to take in someone for support when he testifies. That’s going to be Charlie, but he’s going to ask his lawyer if Deon can also go in with him. That way, anyone watching won’t know which one of them it is.”

“I haven’t met Charlie, have I?”

“I doubt it.” She frowned. “Deon said something once about Dave injuring Charlie at training, and they’ve been best mates ever since. That was before I met them or Stacey, Charlie’s girlfriend.” Clarissa peered past him and smiled as she stood and waved. “Speaking of girlfriends…”

Mason twisted in his chair and then rose to greet the vaguely familiar-looking young woman approaching. It took him a few seconds to remember her from the housewarming party. “Karen!”

“That’s me. It’s nice to see you again, Mason.”

“Same here. Since you’re here, though, there’s something I need to try.” Mason took a deep breath. “Gudday, Karen!”

Clarissa laughed. “Closer, Mason, but not quite there. The G needs to be shorter.” She smiled at Karen. “We’re trying to teach him how to say ‘G’day’.”

Karen chuckled as the three of them sat back down. “I thought that wasn’t too bad, myself.” The smile faded. “Ty sent me a text saying Deon’s going to be on the hot seat today. Do you know why?”

Mason listened as Clarissa explained the latest news. Once Karen was brought up to date, he leant forward. “So, what can we do to help?”

Clarissa sighed before giving Mason a wry smile. “Karen, Mason has a tendency to try to solve problems with money, but he’s stuck on how that’s going to help here. I’ve told him money isn’t going to make a difference.”

“Hey! I don’t solve problems with money. I just don’t have a problem with spending the ‘rents money to help my friends.”

“Regardless, money isn’t going to help us at the moment.” Clarissa fixed him with a steely gaze. “Just be a friend. Most people today—apart from his Leopard teammates—will be looking for something from Deon. He could do with being around another person who doesn’t have an agenda.”

Mason’s brow wrinkled. “Would hiring a bodyguard help?”

“Mason!”

Karen chuckled. “Mason, you haven’t seen the size of some of the guys who play for the Leopards. Deon’s not going to need a bodyguard to keep people away.” She smiled. “As Clarissa said, just be a friend.”

Mason wasn’t sure he could add anything there, but he stayed quiet. He didn’t see any other option.

* * *

By the time Mason, Clarissa, and Karen arrived at County Court of Victoria, there was already a throng of people present. There were also reporters and television crews nearby, though none of them appeared to be actively filming or questioning people.

After Karen—assisted by Neil who had flown in that morning—had introduced Mason to the assembled Leopards, Mason sidled over to the one Leopard player he knew: Ben. “Is this the entire team?”

Ben flicked Mason a tentative smile before looking away. “Most of them. A few couldn’t get time off work.”

“Work? But you’re all football players.”

“Yeah, but only part-time. We all have jobs, too. It’s only at the AFL level that the players are full-time.”

“Like Deon.” Mason looked around. “He’s not here yet?”

“No, and given the number of other people hanging around, he’s going to be swamped when he arrives. I keep hearing his name being mentioned.”

Mason lowered his voice and put his mouth near Ben’s ear. “What about Dave’s name?”

Ben shook his head. “Nothing.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.” Ben glanced over at the idle television cameras. “I hope it lasts.”

Mason grimaced but didn’t say anything. He’d been told that the media wouldn’t report the name of the AFL player testifying, but after years of being the son of a politician, he didn’t trust journalists.

“I heard you’re going nightclubbing on Thursday night.” Ben flicked Mason another tentative smile. “I hope you have fun.”

“I hope so, too.” Mason grinned. “It’ll be the first time I’ve visited a nightclub legally.” He paused. “You could come too, if you want, but I’ve been told it’s a gay nightclub.”

“Yeah, I know. Ross has already asked me to go.” Ben glanced around nervously before lowering his voice. “I’ve been there a couple of times already. That’s where I met Mitchell.”

Mason held in a grimace. “Boyfriend?”

“Sort of.” Ben made a face. “I’m not really sure what we are at the moment. It’s only been a few weeks.”

Mason forced a smile onto his face. “Well, I hope it works out for you two.” While he found the Australian football player sexy, Mason wasn’t going to mess up Ben’s relationship for a short-term fling. It would be up to Ben to make the first move.

* * *

“He’s here!”

The words swept through the crowd as Deon was the first to exit the car. Several bystanders had their phones out, recording what was going on, while the Leopards tried to use their bulk and numbers to keep people away.

Mason joined in next to Ben. He wasn’t the tallest or broadest one, but he helped. As Karen had indicated, there were enough Leopards with bulk and muscle to provide a human barricade for Deon as he made his way into the crowd.

While Deon’s former teammates made a point of greeting him, often with a hug or a soft jab to the arm, Mason watched the crowd. He was surprised to see the journalists and television crews take note of Deon’s arrival, but neither group otherwise reacted. In particular, the television crews watched without getting their cameras ready. Those weren’t the actions of any of the journalists Mason had observed when on the campaign trail with his mother.

A nudge brought his attention to the person standing next to him. “Go say hello to Deon,” Clarissa said. “Then, I’ll introduce you to Charlie.” She looked past him and grimaced. “I’ll let Charlie decide whether you should say hi to Dave. He’s not looking too good.”

Mason eyed the two guys who were standing off to the side with Neil. Given what he knew, it didn’t take much effort to work out which was which. As Clarissa had said, Dave appeared pale, and most of Charlie’s attention was on his friend. A steady stream of Leopards moved over to say something to the two, but there were none of the physical signs of support that they had been giving Deon.

“Shit!” Mason glanced down to see Clarissa scowling at her phone.

“What’s wrong?”

“Another complication. Deon’s dad just texted me, asking me why Deon is here at the County Court. He must be watching a live stream from someone present.”

Mason sighed. Things were getting complicated.

* * *

Deon checked the time on his phone, ignoring the multitude of text messages and missed calls being reported since he’d set it to silent mode. They were at the courthouse by three, as they had been told, but it was already well after four. “What’s going on in there?”

Dave didn’t react. It was as if he didn’t hear what Deon had said.

Charlie shrugged. “Who knows? They did say that there was a possibility we may not be called in today, but we had to be here just in case.”

Deon’s response was interrupted as one of the doors opened, and the solicitor helping the prosecution slipped out. “Sorry, but we’re not going to get to your testimony today. You’ll need to be back here a bit after nine tomorrow.”

“Is there any way we can use a different exit?” Charlie asked. “There’s still a crowd out front, and I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to go out that way.”

“Sure. Give me a few minutes and I’ll get it organised. Is your car parked next door?”

“I believe so. I’ll have to check with the driver.”

“Okay, we can slip you out the back, and you can enter the carpark from the side rather than the main road.”

While the solicitor moved away, Charlie pulled out his phone and rang the driver the Hawthorn Football Club had assigned to them, organising where to meet the car.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll text Roger and the others to let them know what’s going on,” Deon said.

Charlie glanced at Dave and then nodded.

It was another twenty minutes before they were able to slip out unnoticed. Once in the car, Charlie directed the driver to Princes Hill.

“Princes Hill?” Dave asked, speaking his first words since they’d left the courthouse.

“The brat’s putting us up for a couple of hours while things die down. He said he’ll take us home after dinner.”

Deon flinched. His plans on taking Clarissa out for a surprise dinner were no longer viable. If he went out in public, he was likely to be swamped.

* * *

“It’s good to see you again, Neil, even if it’s in such tragic circumstances.” Mrs. Bellweather held open the front door to allow Neil to enter. “Liam told us you were coming down for a day or two, but he didn’t tell us why, so it was a shock when I saw a picture of you at the courthouse this afternoon.”

Neil gave Liam’s mother a weak smile. “Sorry, but we’ve been trying to keep things quiet. We knew it was going to be a big deal, but we’ve been trying to not spread the news more than necessary.”

“But Liam could’ve told us when he asked if you could stay here for one or two nights.”

Neil flinched. “Liam doesn’t know the details. I haven’t told him.”

Mrs. Bellweather frowned. “I thought you two told each other everything?”

“We do, but this wasn’t about me. He knows that I had a good reason to fly back here, but he knew I couldn’t say why. He understands.”

“But if he doesn’t know, then who is the ‘we’ you’ve been talking about?”

“The Leopards.” Neil ran a nervous hand through his hair. “We know that what’s going on is causing pain to everyone Rollingford abused, but we don’t need to make that pain more public than it needs to be. That’s why we’re trying to keep things low-key.”

She contemplated him for a few seconds and then smiled. “I’m guessing you don’t want to say anything more, so come in and make yourself at home. Noel’s in his bedroom on his computer, and Bruce should be home from work soon. Dinner will be in an hour or so, if you want to freshen up.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Bellweather.” Neil picked up his backpack and looked around, uncertain as to where he should go.

She chuckled. “You’re staying in Liam’s old room. I think you know the way there.”

Neil blushed at the playful tone. Liam’s bedroom was familiar territory.

Once in private, he called Liam to let him know where he was and fill him in on his day. They were both hoping he would be able to fly back to Sydney at the end of the next day, but that would depend on how the trial progressed.

* * *

Clarissa smiled across the table. “This is really nice. I didn’t expect to be going out, especially with everything that’s been going on today.”

Deon chuckled. “I didn’t expect to be going out, either, but the brat overheard me mentioning that I wanted to take you somewhere nice, and before I knew it, he was on the phone organising this.”

They were interrupted by one of the staff members. “Welcome to Ignition Bar and Grill. I’ll be your waiter tonight, and don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re not bothered.” He winked.

“Paul?” Clarissa stared up at the tall Western Bulldogs football player. “What are you doing here?”

Paul Crowman grinned. “I used to work here before I got drafted. The brat got hold of me a couple of hours ago, and I called in some favours. Carol, the owner, said I could work tonight as a one-off special just for you guys. Everyone knows to keep their distance and to keep the other guests away, too. I’ll be the only one annoying you, so relax and enjoy your night.”

Clarissa narrowed her eyes at Deon. “Did you know about this?”

Deon shrugged. “The brat said he’d make sure we’d have a quiet night out. He didn’t tell me how he’d do it, though when he told me where to go, I had my suspicions. I didn’t expect Paul to be working, though.”

Paul clicked his fingers. “Oh, and while I remember, I’ve been told the Hawthorn Football Club is picking up the tab, so spend up big.” Paul grinned down at them. “So, what would you like to drink while you review the menu?”

After placing their drink orders, Deon and Clarissa spent a few minutes deciding on their meals. When Paul returned, they gave him the rest of their order and then settled back into their chairs.

“What did you think about the news reports?” Clarissa asked.

“It was good that no names were mentioned, but I had the impression the reporters’ comments were scripted. The way each station avoided any details was just too obvious.”

“I noticed that, too. How long do you think the TV stations will do what they’re told? I could tell that at least one of the reporters really wanted to name names, but they’d been told they weren’t allowed to.”

“Who knows?” Deon sighed. “I think that will last until a name is confirmed officially. There’s a lot of speculation at various fan sites, but so far, no one has confirmed anything.”

Clarissa snorted. “Most of the sites I saw have you as the one testifying. No one is going to confirm that at all.”

“Yeah, but I saw a couple of posts saying they thought it was Dave.” Deon grimaced. “As long as only a few are saying it, we need to continue the way we’re going.”

“What did you tell your teammates?” Clarissa smiled. “Enough of them tried to contact you that you had to have said something.”

“I told them that I didn’t want to talk about it and asked if they could give me some privacy until I returned.” Deon gave her a wry half-smile. “What else could I say? I need to come up with something for when I go back, but I can’t give them the truth.”

“Lying will make things worse when the truth comes out.” Clarissa dropped her gaze. “And it will come out, eventually. There are too many people who know.” She looked up, a worried expression on her face. “In fact, I wouldn’t put it past the defence lawyer to leak Dave’s name deliberately. He’ll probably want to stress Dave out since you’ve said Dave’s mental-health condition is well-known.”

“Well-known within the AFL. I don’t know if anyone outside of the football community would know that much.” Deon pulled out his phone. “But I’ll send a text to Charlie, just in case. He’ll know what to do.”

“And what about you? Alastair’s told you to turn down all media interview requests and to keep as low a profile as you can until the football season starts, but what will you do if people ask you about what happened?”

“I’ll tell them what I told my teammates: I don’t want to talk about it.” He sighed. “What else can I do? As you said, lying will just make things worse.”

* * *

That night, Australian time, a new article appeared on a UK tabloid website:

Aussie Footballer in Sex Trial

Australian Rules football player Deon Bradshaw has been identified as one of the victims of accused child rapist Fredrick Rollingford. Newly recruited into the Australian Football League by the Greater Western Sydney Football Club, Bradshaw, 19, will be testifying this week about the abuse he received as a junior football player. More to come…