Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

'The Proposition' - Page 99:
‘How far did you drive?’ ‘Past a service station, left on the highway. There are two services stations, one on either side of the road. An overhead bridge crosses the highway.
She started to come around so I turned off the highway onto a dirt track. Along the track I stopped when she screamed to stop the car to let her out. She looked over at me and I saw she was frightened. She could identify me. Her body shook and she wouldn’t stop screaming. It drove me crazy.’ Denis almost screamed the answer.
Bundy looked at Kate as if mental telepathy had passed between their minds. From where Denis described the dirt track – it was like the track where the skeleton was found.
‘Are you alright? Do you want a break or a glass of water?’ Bundy asked.
‘No – I want to get it out of my head.’ He replied.
‘What did you do then?’ Bundy said calmly.
‘She wouldn’t stop screaming, she tried to pull the door handle to get out but I locked the car. I stopped the car. I put more ether on the saturated clothe and this time smothered her face with it. She collapsed into the seat. I didn’t know what to do. It terrified me when she screamed. She wouldn’t stop.’ Denis admitted.
‘Denis, at this point I am obliged to inform you, you do not have to answer any further questions for if you do, they will be recorded and may be used in evidence. Do you understand you do not have to answer any further questions or say anything?’ Kate interrupted.
‘Yes – I understand, I want to get it off my chest, out of my mind. It’s been a nightmare. I still hear her screams in my head.’ Denis said, he blocked his ears with his hands and looked down...

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'The Proposition' - Page 100:
‘Okay, now you understand this official warning, Mr Quicksilver will continue to ask you questions.’ Kate said in a quiet voice.
‘Denis, after you put the cloth containing ether to her face what happened after this girl stopped screaming?’ Bundy asked.
‘She collapsed in the seat and I thought she’d gone to sleep again. I didn’t want things to be this way. I thought we could be friends. She wouldn’t wake up. I shook her and her body was lifeless. I panicked.’
‘Can you explain the dirt track you drove along after you left the highway?’ Bundy asked.
‘It was a forestry track, one used by the workers. Off the main highway but it goes for miles.’ He replied.
‘Did the girl wake again?’ Bundy asked. He was pleased Mark didn’t intervene and surprised to see he sat and listened to his son’s story without interruption.
‘No – I drove further along the track; I came across a sign – ‘don’t enter’. I drove around the sign and further along, it was a fair way – I don’t know how far and stopped the car. I looked at the girl and she looked like she was dead. She wasn’t breathing.’ Denis admitted.
‘How did you know she was dead?’ Bundy asked.
‘I felt for a pulse on her neck and couldn’t feel anything. Then her wrist and still couldn’t find any. I didn’t know what to do. I’d killed her.’ Denis put his hands to his face and cried.
‘Come on you sook – settle down.’ These were the first words spoken by his father.
‘Do you want a break, Denis?’ Bundy asked.
‘No – I want to get it out of my mind. This has been a nightmare. It’s in my head all the time – I still hear her screams. I didn’t know what to do. I got out of the car and walked around for awhile.’

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'The Proposition' - Page 101:

Bundy continued his questions eliciting information from Denis, particularly about the scene and what he did with the body.
‘What did you do with the girl’s body?’ Bundy asked.
‘I was frightened and didn’t know what to do. I decided to get hid of the body. I stripped her; dug a grave off the track and buried her. I’m sorry.’ He shook and cried into his hands.
‘It’s okay Denis only a couple of more questions and you can have a rest.’ Bundy said, ‘how did you dig the grave?’ He continued.
‘I always carried a shovel in the boot of the car. I used it.’
‘What did you do with the clothes?’
‘When I returned home, I burnt them in the incinerator out the back of where I lived.’
‘Can you tell me what date this happened?’
‘6th October 2006 – I’ll never forget this date. It’s fixed in my mind. It was a Friday because I didn’t have to go back to work until Monday.’
‘What about your car. Do you still have it?’
‘No – before I came in here, I sold it. I don’t know where it is now.’
‘Can you describe this girl?’
‘I thought she was about fourteen or fifteen. She looked that old. Long blonde hair, I remember her bright blue eyes.’
‘Do you remember what she was wearing?’
‘A pair of jeans, a light-coloured blouse, pink bra and pink panties, and a jacket.’
‘Was she wearing any shoes?’
‘Yeah - pair of sneakers and pink socks.’
‘Did you burn all of her clothes and the shoes?’
‘Yeah – I didn’t want anything left behind.’...

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'The Proposition' - Page 102:
‘Have you still got the shovel you used to dig the grave?’
‘No. I don’t know where it is. Once I knew I was going to prison I got rid of everything.’
‘Thank you, Denis. We’ll leave you and try and find who this girl is. At least we have a location and date of disappearance. Thank you for your honesty.’ Bundy concluded.
Kate and Bundy left the prison after speaking with Colin Hunt, ‘thanks mate for contacting us. We’ve got his story, now we’ve got to find who this child is.’ Bundy shook Colin’s hand.
‘I’m pleased to be of help. Let me know when you want to speak to him again.’ Colin farewelled Bundy and Kate.
On their return to the office Bundy was quiet. Kate drove.
‘What’ll we do now?’ Kate asked.
‘Hopefully, Larry will have the names of the missing persons and if one of them has blonde hair and disappeared from Kippa-Ring six years ago; we’ll have a name and victim.’ Bundy explained. ‘Otherwise we’re still up that proverbial creek without a paddle.’
‘Then we’ll wait until we see Larry.’ Kate finished.
‘Kate – it’s getting late, this interview took a lot out of me, emotionally. Would you mind if we get back to this tomorrow? I’ve got to drive home; I’m a bit bushed, actually.’ Bundy said.
‘Okay – what about you stay at my place tonight?’ Kate said looking across at him with a smile.
He didn’t know what to say. His thoughts of driving the hour and a half, ‘you don’t mind - I didn’t bring a change of clothes.’
‘Don’t worry about the clothes, I’ll wash and iron the ones you’re wearing, so you can wear them tomorrow’...

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'The Proposition' - Page 103:
‘What am I going to wear in the meantime – walk around naked?’
‘I’ve got an ozi cosy you can wear.’
‘What’s an ozi cosy?’
‘You know – a wrap around to keep you warm. They’re like an oversize blanket. It won’t take long to wash your clothes and dry them.’ Kate explained.
‘Okay, what about I buy some dinner before we go to your place.’
‘I’ll have pizza; we can have it while your clothes are being washed.’
Kate found a pizza shop. They entered and Bundy asked Kate which type she liked, ‘supreme, what about you – what will you have?’ Kate answered.
‘I think I’ll have half seafood and half pineapple.’ Bundy replied. He ordered. Living in the bush he didn’t have pizza.
Kate lived in a unit block a couple of kilometres from the centre of the city. When they entered the unit, Bundy let out a gasp of surprise to see the unit overlook the Brisbane River in all its splendour and glory mirrored by the backdrop of city buildings and lights.
‘Have a look on the balcony while I put the kettle on and make you a hot chocolate.’ Kate said.
Bundy opened the sliding door, felt a cool breeze from the river and smelt CO2 from the motor vehicles driving along the freeway. Lights flashed across the city, noisy vehicles, filled his ears. He stood looking ahead and though he could never again live in the city.
‘Okay – off with everything, put this on. You can use the spare bedroom.’ Kate handed Bundy a blue coloured blanket. He entered the bedroom, closed the door, and striped his clothing including his underwear.
Wrapped in the ozi cosy around his naked body – it felt strange to be in his partner’s apartment walking around practically naked. Kate took Bundy’s clothes and left the kitchen...

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'The Proposition' - Page 104:

‘You’ve got skid marks on your undies.’ She called out, ‘I’ll bleach them.’
‘Sorry – it comes with the territory of being over sixty – loose wind.’ Bundy called back. ‘I feel like the sheik from scrubby creek – you know the song Chad Morgan sang?’
‘Too early for me, I’ve never heard of him or the song. Is it uncomfortable?’
‘No – I’m right. Kate, I appreciate you doing this.’
Her thoughts went over the day’s activities. Bundy had done more in one day than she’d done in eight years of investigating the disappearance of Peter Clayton, she thought. Should she be more compliant with him and listen to what he has to say? No wonder the Commissioner wanted him to help.
If only the skeleton was Peter Clayton instead of a mystery child. The investigation would be over. Her thoughts went to Quincy Simpson’s theory. She’d need to think about this theory more before she made up her mind to go ahead with what to do next in Peter Clayton’s investigation...

[patritter]

The Proposition' - Page 105: Chapter 13

Early the next morning Bundy and Kate drove to the office and immediately contacted Larry, ‘how did you go yesterday?’ Larry asked.
‘What about we fill you in at your office, we’ll be right there.’ Kate informed Larry with a confident smile in her voice. Larry was keen to know about the interview and particularly if Denis confessed to the killing.
Kate outlined the interview between Bundy and Denis explaining how Denis drugged the girl and drove her to the forestry north of Brisbane. She explained how Denis suffocated the girl with a cloth soaked with ether. After being told of the description and location of the missing girl, Larry looked through the missing person files of all girls missing during 2006. There was one girl reported missing from Kippa Ring area. She had blonde hair and blue eyes.
Kate looked at Bundy, ‘you beauty, we’ve got him.’
‘Hang on a moment Kate, we’ve got to have the photograph identified and hopefully the parents will have something from the child to match DNA.’ Bundy explained.
‘Okay – I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Larry, we’ll interview the parents. Can we have a photograph of the missing person?’ Kate asked.
‘I’ll arrange it. Wouldn’t it be better to put a number of similar photographs together including this one and show it to Denis to make certain the missing girl is the one?’ He asked.
‘You’re right Larry – we should put together a gallery of photographs including the missing girl of similar hair colouring and age; and have Denis see if he can identify the girl before we do anything else.’ Bundy shared with the other two...