Abacus

it’s good to get a result, eh?”
    “Yeah , it is. Oh, and that reminds me, the other day I forgot to thank you for the opportunity to run the job. I think it ended up pretty well, all in all.”
    “Y ou were outstanding, mate. I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who could have run it better.”
    “Thanks for that, boss,” Jesse replied graciously.
    “Do you need Michael anymore, or has he been released ba ck to region?”
    “He finished up all his a nalyst stuff today. He did well, he is a keeper,” Jesse said, rolling up a chart.
    “I was most im pressed with him,” Randall said. “I don’t think he would be much good out in the field, though, you know, he’s got shoulders like a brown snake, so he’s not really your enforcer type, is he?” Jesse laughed at his observations. “But as far as analytical work goes, there is none better.”
    “Agreed, agreed,” Jesse said.
    “Anyway, I am having a bit of an early mark today, I’m beat,” he said, carefully pushing a chair in. “So I will see you tomorrow, all going well?”
    “Ok ay, see you then.”

    CHAPTER 23 - HOBBS

    Jesse watched his weary boss walk to the Fishbowl collect his belongings and leave. Once he was out of sight, he walked over to Hobbs’ desk. “Is the boss all right?”
    “Don’t know . Why?”
    He looked down the hall just to make sure. “He is going home early. He just seems a bit down, not really like him. Do you know why?”
    Hobbs glanced over his shoulder,
    “H e just got a text from the nurse from overseas and she won’t talk to him.” Jesse crossed his arms. “I don’t think he is in love or anything. He might just be a bit embarrassed about his relationship with her.”
    Hobbs laughed out loud. “Embarrassed? How do you embarrass him? He is totally unflappable, nothing gets to him.”
    Jesse agreed. “ Yeah, you’re right, nothing really worries him, but on that note, did he tell you about the murder victim’s ball bag?”
    “What ball bag? ”
    “Don’t worry , mate, he’ll tell you when he is good and ready. Put it this way, if it happened to one of us, we wouldn’t be back at work for quite some time, if ever.”
    Hobbs squinted as he tried to piece together what Jesse had just told him. He wasn’t sure where the ball bag fitted in, but with Randall anything was a possible.
    He knew that Jesse’s worry was no grounds for concern. Randall was the toughest and most resilient person he had ever met. And he was much more than a good boss. Hobbs had discovered that their partnership was no accident. Randall was his chosen mentor.
    Hobbs’ father, himself a retired detective, died unexpectedly six months after Hobbs had started at the detectives’ office. Even though his father had moved thousands of kilometres interstate, Hobbs had been very close to him, so his passing hit him very hard. His death even made him question his faith in God. The sombre funeral service left him a total mess. He recalled walking from the service with head bowed as he descended the stairs. He felt a firm grip on his shoulder. It was Randall.
    “Where are you off to , mate?”
    “Don’t know.”
    “In that case, it’s time for a beer. We have a bit to talk about. Your dad would want it that way.” Hobbs thought about the statement. Why would my dead father care either way about us having a beer together?
    * * *
    Sitting at the bar, Randall handed him a frosty beer. “There is something I’ve got to tell you and now is probably as good a time as any.”
    “What’s that? ” Hobbs asked without expression.
    “Your dad was my partner. We worked together for seven years.”
    “What… you never told me. He, he… never said anything.”
    Randall took a sip and nodded. “I know. I know. It was his idea . He wanted you to find your own way in the job. He didn’t want you to think he was meddling in your career. He wanted you to be your own person. But he wanted me to show you the ropes.”
    Hobbs sat quietly and thought about his father. A tear ran dow n his cheek and his chin creased as he fought back the urge to break down. Randall patted him on the shoulder. “He loved you, mate. He always talked about you at work when you were a boy. He was a great workmate and I really miss the good times I had with him.”
    Hobbs nodded.
    “I look at you in the office and sometimes I have to do a double take. You have the same mannerisms as him. The way you walk. The way you talk. I’m just so proud that a