condensed master

Will Bonner
"Will you be there?"
"Yes. Mainly to see that nothing gets fouled up in such a way that you could
be suspected."
"I'll be in your debt Will Brenner when this is over."
"You'll owe me nothing. If everything goes according to plan I'll see you once
more to tie up any loose ends, after that it will be prudent not to meet again."
Will left the yacht club with that empty feeling. There was nothing more could
be done until the night. The void would continue until that time. It was a relief not
having to work with anyone, left alone to ponder his thoughts between service
visits. The nature of his work had not changed, but the days leading up to the
arranged outing on Wednesday evening seemed endless. The more experience he
had gained with these events only seemed to intensify pressure, which was
unmercifully unforgiving.
Finally, Wednesday evening arrived. Will sat through a quiet meal with
Dorothy. It was already getting dark as he sat looking through the picture window
in the lounge-room, sipping his coffee. The lights were twinkling from houses down
in the valley below. The depression between the hills continued through to Port
Phillip Bay some miles to the south. During the evening, after a hot day, a cool
breeze originating from the large volume of water, would find it's way up to the
house on the side of the hill. A welcome relief.
It was not that form of relief he was seeking however. Reluctantly, he collected
his small tool bag which contained the instruments necessary to do the job, and
walked up the hill to meet Alec. Halfway up the incline he stopped and looked
back across the gardens and down to the roof of the house and pictured the family
inside. His reluctance to embark on this escapade welled up even more.
He could see Alec's car parked on the service road, but no Alec. He soon
appeared however from the General store on the corner with a double-header ice
cream which was already running down the cone, on to his hand. It was a stupid
thought taking into account the severity of the evening, but he was saying to
himself, "that ice cream will be in his lap before we have driven far." The average
person would have been exuding nervous tension but Alec's nonchalance was
really off-putting.
They pulled into the very spot where Will had parked on his previous visit.
Will looked through the trees towards the house. "Damn!"
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