ANNOUNCEMENT: The mobile phone you are calling
is switched off or not in a mobile service area.
Damn!
Sorry. You're right.
Talk to that builder? Mobile's still switched off.
I left a terse message with his wife.
That'll do a lot of good.
Do you want me to find him and bring him back handcuffed?
Might be the only way.
How the hell did Frank Marple land the job?
Greased palms in the Planning and Development Department. Who knows?
For a few renovations to a cop shop?
He may think it'll lead to bigger things.
Not when they see my report.
Brawl at Tony Dixon's place.
Getting nastier by the minute.
You don't suppose Fred and Dennis are back in town?
That thought did cross my mind.
PJ, Nick, Wayne, off you go.
Who are Fred and Dennis?
SHOUTING
SIREN BLARES
Come on, that's it.
Make sure that's on, Frank.
The boss has been trying to call you all day.
It's not turned off, is it, mate?
PJ: Visitors.
Alright, Eddie, you and Lewis take a pew here.
Nick, bring Fred and Dennis through to the interview room.
Frank, you and Lilly come with me.
Ladies before gentlemen. Pearls before swine, I'd say.
Didn't anyone ever tell you Abos it's rude to stare?
Anyone tell you it's rude to call us Abos?
Oi. Go on.
Adam.
Racial discrimination.
No, mate, it's protecting you from yourselves.
Keep an eye on them, will you?
LILLY: It's been six months.
You were to finish this job by September.
And you have the hide to ask for the stage three lock-up fee!
Lock-up doesn't mean the windows and doors have to be in.
Don't give me that, Frank.
I've had it with your excuses and whining for more money.
You're a rip-off.
I want her and her nephews charged.
I've got a good mind to charge the lot of you.
They started it.
I don't give... DOOR KNOCK
Boss, Tony Dixon's here. Right.
I don't care who started it.
You were in there, too.
You're all in it up to your necks.
Wayne, keep an eye on them.
Tony, thanks for coming.
Gidday, young Casey. How are you? Good, Sergeant Croydon.
You got my message, obviously.
I didn't know Fred and Dennis were back.
This morning, I gather.
Didn't take them long to start causing trouble.
You'll be charging them, I suppose.
I haven't decided yet.
I'd rather resolve it without charging anybody.
Without charging white blokes? Tony, you know me better than that.
It's a building dispute, mate. Civil matter really.
And, if I charge Frank you'll never get those renovations done.
And neither will I.
Sorry it came to this, Frank.
He should be apologising.
Thought we were just ignorant kooris, didn't you?
Could treat us like dirt.
Lilly, perhaps you should wait outside.
Mum, I'll take care of this.
You're an aggro bunch, you Abos.
We've got reason to be, Frank.
I've had about enough aggro on this job of yours.
You can find yourself another builder.
At this stage? That'll mean more delays.
That's your headache.
Could be a big headache for you, too.
What do you mean? Breach of contract.
Tony'd be well within his rights to contact the housing authorities.
DENNIS: Hey, copper. Where's the jillywah?
The what?
The dunny.
You'll have to wait, mate.
Can't. Six tinnies and a bumpy ride in the back of a divvy wagon.
It's urgent, man.
What's wrong, cop?
Blackfellas got bladders, too.
He wants to go to the toilet.
Yeah, that'd be right.
Get your feet off the table.
Come on, this way.
I met your cousin.
Me and Constable Doyle did a talk out at the school.
He's a good teacher.
Gets up a lot of people's noses, being koori.
That shouldn't matter.
You ARE new in town, aren't you?
So, Tony Dixon, he's a friend of yours?
Let's just say I'm sympathetic to the situation.
My experience with builders hasn't been too cheerful.
I was finishing the job last week, but with one thing and another...
I'll be around first thing
I'll be around first thing tomorrow.
Where does that leave Tony? What?
That's what you told him two minutes ago.
I'll organise something.
Yeah, well, you'd better.
And do me a favour.
In case I need to contact you, leave your mobile turned on.
There you go.
Now, what are we going to do about these cousins of yours?
Did you check them out?
Yeah, we did. They're not wanted for anything.
They must be.
Double-checked. No warrants.
There's not even an unpaid parking fine between the pair of them.
So, I'm stuck with them.
You could chuck them out yourself.
They're family.
Casey's been lonely since his mum died and he likes Fred and Dennis.
He must be the only one. Oh, they're okay.
They're good blokes - somewhere underneath.
You said they weren't going to be charged.
They haven't been. We're letting them sleep it off.
You let the Marples go.
The Marples weren't drunk.
Tom's locked them up before - they lived to tell the tale.
That's some sort of guarantee, is it?
Haven't you done enough stirring for one day?
Lads, I'll have your belts, too, thank you.
What? We got you worried?
I'll tell you, you guys are a riot.
Your hat, too, thanks.
I'll see if I can get you some coffee.
Get us some smokes.
Sorry, this is a non-smoking area.
Hey, copper.
(aggressive) Go, on. I'll have you.
Come on!
Go on, I dare you!
White bastard!
The guy spat on me.
What was I meant to do - turn the other cheek?
That's exactly what you were to do.
Why? Because he's black?
No, that's not the issue.
He was drunk and not responsible.
Is everything alright?
Everything's fine.
But it won't be, champ, if you pull a stunt like that again.
MAGGIE: Come on, let's get lunch.
So, if you'd like to come down...
We've got a gold watch...
Excuse me. Yeah?
Did I see you take something without paying for it?
Me? No way! Open your bag.
What? You heard me.
What's going on?
Shoplifting. She won't open her bag.
Maybe she'd like to come to the station.
You're making a big mistake.
Told you.
My shout, mate. Just to show there are no hard feelings.
No, thanks, Frank.
Thanks, Tony.
So, what do you want?
It's about the next stage payment.
The one the family got so riled up about.
Yeah, what about it?
The thing is, I underquoted on the job.
I'll wear it, but I need upfront cash.
Otherwise I can't guarantee there won't be delays.
No more money until I see some results.
If you muck me around, I'll take Sergeant Croydon's advice.
I'll complain officially to housing authorities.
So, no more standover tactics, no more delays.
Or suffer the consequences.
Okay, you two.
Frank, buy you a drink?
Bloody Abos.
Thought the cops had you two under lock and key.
Only till we sobered up.
That won't be for long.
Two beers, thanks.
Any trouble from you and you're straight out.
No trouble from us.
There'd better not be.
Mags, I still reckon she pinched something.
Here we go again.
Adam, give it a rest.
The way she was acting, she was guilty of something.
I reckon she stashed it.
PHONE RINGS Adam, I don't believe in magic.
Mt Thomas police.
Yes, Chris.
Okay, we're on our way. Bye.
ANGRY VOICES
SIREN BLARES
Wayne!
Mt Thomas 302, brawl in progress. Imperial Hotel.
Will require urgent assistance.
Break it up!
Get an ambulance!
He's lucky it wasn't his jugular. He's in surgery now.
Which means we can't talk to him yet.
Weren't Fred and Dennis involved? Where are they?
They bailed out when we arrived.
Well, that's in character - indictable assault isn't.
Well, everyone's saying the same thing - it was Tony.
Where's he? He's in there.
I'd appreciate it if you'd get him out of there.
The lynch mob's getting worked up.
I'll circulate a description of Dennis and Fred back at the station.
Cooper, you come with me.
The rest of you, assist PJ with these interviews.
Aren't you going to charge me?
Depends on what you've got to say.
The rules change when something like this happens, don't they?
I am a fine upstanding member of the community.
But you scratch the surface and I'm still the dirty savage.
We all know a savage wouldn't think twice about slitting a man's throat.
I can sit here agreeing with you on the lousy deal whites give you,
but I'm more interested in who stuck cut glass into Frank Marple's neck.
Thanks, mate.
We'll get back to you.
Name, sir? Taylor, Jim Taylor.
Mr Taylor, have you got an address?
RMB 201 Old Widgeree Road.
Rightio.
Did you see anything concerning the attack on Frank Marple tonight?
Well, I know who did it.
You saw the assault, did you? No, but it was the Abo.
Right, which one?
Eh?
Well, sir, there were three Aboriginal men involved.
But they all look the same, darkies, don't they?
Yeah, rightio.
Thanks very much for your help, Mr Taylor.
Going to be a long night.
Yeah.
I thought better of Tony Dixon.
Taught my Jason at school.
He always seemed so quiet and polite.
Then again, his family's not much chop.
Let's get back to what happened tonight, Mrs Bloye.
I told you what happened.
You say Dennis and Fred left the hotel.
They were followed out by Frank and Lewis Marple and a few mates.
Is that right? Yes.
You heard yelling and then Tony Dixon ran out with Eddie Johnson.
That's right.
And you rushed out, too?
I wasn't the only one.
You couldn't turn sideways.
There were so many people out there, pushing and shoving for elbow space.
Who was involved?
There was Frank and Lewis and a few of his mates.
And the blackfellas, of course.
Oh, how many blackfellas, Mrs Bloye?
All three of them.
You're sure Tony wasn't just trying to break it up?
Look, he was in it.
I'd have known whether I'd gone outside or not.
How, Mrs Bloye? ESP?
He had it in for Frank.
They were standing at the bar arguing.
The look on Tony's face - he was ready to do Frank a mischief.
And you saw Tony doing Frank a mischief, did you? With this?
Well, no. It was dark.
And I told you...
There was a lot of pushing and shoving...okay.
Thanks, Mrs Bloye. That's all.
Were Fred and Dennis drinking? Of course.
Were they drunk? They were well on their way.
Where were they going? To catch a train.
I took your advice. I told them I wanted them to leave.
I gave them the money - enough for two one-way tickets to Melbourne.
Right, so Frank and his company followed them outside?
I heard the racket, so I rushed out.
Lewis was holding Dennis down.
Frank was about to grind his boot into the side of his face.
I didn't even see Fred.
Eddie came out with me to try and break it up, but I just saw red.
I just got stuck in.
Looks like he managed to land a few himself.
Yeah, he got pretty serious.
Well, that was about when someone grabbed me from behind.
Lewis, I think.
Then they all got stuck into me.
I fell.
A few seconds later, Frank was next to me, bleeding like a stuck pig.
So, you didn't see who did it?
No.
It could have been Fred or Dennis? No.
Why did they run away?
What's the word on Frank?
He's recovering from surgery.
He's stable, just sleeping off the anaesthetic.
Constable Doyle will type up your statement.
Bring Eddie through, eh?
What's Tony's story? He said he didn't do it.
I was afraid so. It's his word against theirs.
His word against all the witnesses so far.
Will this take long? I've got a five a.m. start.
A couple of minutes.
No-one actually saw Tony go for Frank with the glass.
But that's what they want to believe.
A bad case of when in doubt, blame the black man.
(groans)
How long have you sub-contracted to Frank, Eddie?
Since I qualified as an electrician.
You two go back a long way.
We've been best mates all our lives.
Is that how you got mixed up in tonight's showdown?
I was trying to keep out of it. Fair enough.
How did you get the black eye?
Would you believe - Frank.
Jobbed me with his elbow when I tried to pull him off an Abo bloke.
So, you didn't approve of the fight?
I told Frank he was asking for trouble.
Why is that?
I don't want to come across as an Abo basher.
Live and let live, that's my motto.
But they'd still settle differences with spears if it wasn't for us.
And Frank's behaviour was extremely civilised?
They stuck a broken glass into his neck.
Who, Eddie?
I told you, either Fred or Dennis.
And you're sure of this?
It was definitely one of them.
Definitely Tony Dixon.
Are you sure it was Tony? Yes.
You didn't mistake him for one of his cousins?
How could I do that?
There was a lot of pushing and shoving.
You saw a hand reaching for glass.
I saw a hand, sure, and it was attached to Tony Dixon.
Eddie's hazy, but he thinks it was Fred or Dennis.
It's starting to look that way.
Mmm, not according to Lewis.
It's like you said, when you need a scapegoat, blame the black man.
Lewis might believe he saw Tony go for Frank.
Look what we've got.
On one side, 3 racists, and on the other, 3 blacks with motives.
The two troublemakers shot through, the third is a respected teacher.
He has never been in any trouble, let alone violent.
He says he didn't do it.
I'll see if I can trip up Eddie or Lewis in their next interviews.
Do me a favour?
What? Go over Chris' statement.
I think she's holding out on us.
Why?
Beats me.
I've already told Wayne and PJ everything I know.
PJ doesn't think so.
Chris, a man has been seriously injured.
Another man is wearing the blame.
A man that you and I think highly of.
Yeah, and that's my big problem.
He says he didn't do it.
Despite what the bigots believe, there is nothing to prove he did.
Except motive.
Are you saying that Tony had one?
From what I overheard when he was talking to Frank - yeah, I am.
Well, when it comes to that, I had motive, too.
Did you see who attacked Frank?
No.
Chris, if you did see anything, you have to tell us.
I didn't see who attacked Frank.
NOISE OF RAZOR
Boss, the hospital rang.
You can go and see Frank when you want to.
Good-o.
So, what now?
You go home for some sleep.
No, I mean, what will you do?
Visit Frank, see what he's got to say.
I already know what he'll have to say.
By rights, we should have charged him.
I would like a lot more to go on.
It was my idea to meet Dixon for a drink.
Thought we might iron some things out.
What went wrong? What did he tell you?
That you wanted more money.
It was a fair enough request.
Not the way Tony tells it.
Covering his hide.
I could see it was a waste of time trying to reason with him.
That would have been the end of it
if it hadn't been for those bludgers Fred and Dennis carrying on.
It's just my idea of evening the score.
You'd hardly call it even, would you?
You, Lewis, two mates, against two.
It was clean enough until Dixon stuck his oar in.
What happened then?
He did this.
Are you sure it was Tony?
Don't take my word for it.
There must have been a dozen witnesses who saw it.
Well, as a matter of fact, only two people actually saw the assault.
Your boy Lewis and Eddie Johnson.
How many witnesses do you need?
Well, you'd hardly call them independent.
Does that count in court? It counts with us.
Eddie, alright, so he's not independent.
But he was against Lewis and me going those Abos.
Surely he told you that?
Oh, yeah, he told us.
There you go, then.
He saw who attacked me.
That's what he says.
Dixon, right?
Wrong, Frank.
Gidday, Eddie. Tom.
How's Frank? He's bearing up.
What's up? He said he had a five a.m. start.
Some urgent job in the sticks.
About four and a half hours late, so far.
Up all night partying, were you?
Yeah, not my sort of party, though.
Have you seen her before?
Every day, just about.
Reckon she's nicking stuff? Ah-huh.
But she's cunning.
I've even set traps.
The stuff goes missing but it's never on her when I pull her up.
Did you see that? Sure did.
Hey.
Your bag.
Not again.
Come on.
You ought to be more careful who you hang around with, matey.
I told you, I didn't pinch it, I bought it.
Where? At the chemist on Edwards Street.
Got a receipt? It was in the bag with the polish.
No bag, no receipt.
I chucked it.
I wasn't sure I liked the shade.
I went into the other shop to check their range.
Constable Cooper says he saw you putting this in your bag.
He did. I had it out to compare the colours.
That's a lot of bull... Constable, a word.
Keep an eye on her.
Door.
I know that girl.
Kelly Andrews.
Ned Kelly, more like it.
She might be telling the truth.
She's a little klepto.
Ask anyone at the shopping centre.
The problem is proving it.
Have you contacted her parents? Out of town, apparently.
They're good people.
But she's a thief. I saw her.
Alright, Adam, deal with it.
But before you go off half cocked,
check out her story with the chemist in Edwards Street.
Righto, boss.
Eddie Johnson's here.
He wants to change his statement.
That's not what you said last night.
I was confused.
A good night's sleep, everything seems clearer.
It was Dixon, alright.
Look, maybe I don't want to make waves for Dixon.
He's not a bad bloke.
But I'm not real proud about the way Frank and Lewis have treated him.
Pointing the finger at Fred and Dennis seemed the easiest way out.
What made you change your mind?
Lying's something I find very hard to live with.
Should be home by now.
Maybe he's at a staff meeting.
Well, look on the bright side, boss.
Lilly's not home, either.
I don't know.
There's something just not right about all this.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
I'd feel a lot happier if it was Fred or Dennis we were charging.
No, I mean, it's all too pat.
It just doesn't add up.
Maybe we're too close.
SOUND OF CAR
What are they whispering about?
Oh, they're mates.
Mates like to have secrets.
You can't keep her here forever.
What about school?
She's already missed classes.
The Edwards Street chemist didn't see her, but his assistant might of.
He'll get her to call when she gets back from the dentist.
Until then, I won't let her leave.
BELL RINGS
I want to see my son.
Sorry, he's being interviewed, Mrs Dixon.
Well, I'll wait.
PHONE RINGS
Mt Thomas police. Constable Doyle speaking.
I'm sorry, he's busy at the moment.
Can I take a message?
Forensic just called about the glass we had tested.
No discernible prints.
Should you be telling this to your prime suspect?
No discernible prints means the prints were smudged.
It doesn't let you off the hook.
I'm not changing my statement, so where does that leave the police?
You'll be charged.
It'll be up to a court to make a decision.
But there's something you need to discuss with a barrister, Tony.
A false plea could go very heavily against you.
Meaning I should plead guilty whether I am or not?
Because that's what the jury's going to believe anyway.
A wonderful system, your white justice.
Oh, give me a break, Tony.
What are you charging me with? Indictable assault.
Count your blessings, mate.
If the glass had severed a major artery,
you'd be up for manslaughter.
And that's supposed to make me feel better, is it?
Yeah, well, thanks for calling back.
Well, can I go now? Yeah, go on, get out of here.
The girl in the chemist verified her story.
Excuse me. Can I have my nail polish back?
So, are you coming down to the shops for some more fun, or what?
Yeah, go ahead.
School kids and blacks, eh?
The ones who can't fight back.
Well?
He's been charged.
That won't be necessary.
I won't let you bludgers throw him into the can.
I released him on condition
he stays away from the witnesses or the victim.
That's mighty big of you.
What if he goes on walkabout, eh?
Lilly, can you spare five minutes, please?
You're not going to close my mouth, Tom Croydon.
If you want trouble, you've got it.
I'm going to the media.
Are you accusing me of racism?
You think you're above that, don't you?
Lilly, you know me.
Yes, I thought I did.
Then you know I don't play favourites.
You break the law, you pay the penalty.
And who invented the law?
It wasn't a koori, that's for sure.
Anyway, Tony didn't do it.
If you want to help Tony, tell me where to find Fred and Dennis.
They didn't do it! I'm not saying they did.
But they might be able to tell us something to help Tony.
So, if you know where they are...
I couldn't tell you.
I hope that's the truth, Lilly.
If you're right and Tony gets punished for something he didn't do,
then you'll be as responsible as anybody else.
Look at this junk, will you?
Should have known Frank Marple would stall us as long as possible.
He went to a lot of trouble - nearly getting himself killed in a brawl.
Boss, it was a joke.
I was thinking about Tony.
Frank using all this as a way to get him off his back.
You mean, blame Tony even if it was Fred or Dennis?
Or someone else with a motive.
Yeah, but who?
I don't know.
Yeah, but why would Frank, Lewis and Eddie all lie?
That's what we need to find out.
Visitor, boss.
I heard you charged Tony.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, well, I've remembered something from last night.
Go on.
Well, just before Frank went down
I heard someone say, "You had it coming to you, Tubbsy".
While I didn't see who said it, it sounded like Tony's voice.
Chris, you've only just remembered this?
It didn't seem important.
Maybe I should have said something,
but I didn't want to be responsible for Tony going to jail.
But since you've already charged him,
you must have something else to go on.
Tubbsy? Do I know anyone by the name of Tubbsy?
Didn't you have a nickname for Frank Marple?
I had plenty of names for him, but they were stronger than Tubbsy.
Okay. Thanks, Tony.
What, that's it? That's all you wanted?
Yeah, that's it.
Are you going to come out here every time you get a new clue?
Wasn't charging me good enough for you?
You have to question me in front of my family.
In front of my son.
Why don't you just leave me alone?
I say he's innocent.
When me and Maggie did that school talk,
you could tell the kids looked up to him.
He's copping it on all sides.
Mad relatives, a builder who hates him, and now we're after him.
Cooper... I mean, look at it.
The way we hassle them, no wonder they give up.
Tony didn't give up.
He was on his way to training.
Keeping up white appearances, and for what?
Look at how we treat him.
We treat him no differently to any other person in his position.
Seeing you're not busy, make me a coffee.
What's the matter with him?
I think it's the Aboriginal thing.
He's trying a bit too hard to be ideologically sound.
I've got someone to see you.
Tony doesn't know, so don't go thinking he lied to you, Tom.
He thought they'd left town.
But they had nowhere to go.
Folks back home don't want them, so they hung around.
They'd come to the house while he was out.
It's a fine way to treat your kin, I know.
Have they told you why they ran away from the hotel last night?
They didn't do it.
Look, they saw the cop car, so they ran, just like they always do.
I told them that Tony was copping the blame.
But they don't owe him any favours.
Nor me, not after this.
So, you didn't see who attacked Frank?
No.
But you knew he'd been seriously hurt?
Yeah.
So you ran.
I knew what would happen if I hung around.
Once I saw the coppers, I was out of there.
Where was Fred?
Right behind me.
Where was Tony? Dunno.
But I tell you where he would have been if he had any sense.
Running right alongside me
Running right alongside me and Dennis.
Was Tony anywhere near Frank when he was attacked?
Well, yeah, he was near him.
Standing right over him.
But he didn't do it.
What makes you so sure?
Tony's done real well for himself.
A nice white job, married a nice white woman.
Living in a nice white town.
Why would he risk losing all that?
Now, you blokes know you'll have to appear in court over this letter?
Relax, boys.
In the witness box, not the dock.
That'll make a nice change.
Have you got an address?
Put, care of Tony's place.
Does Tony know you're already planning your next visit?
I reckon he'd be glad to have us around.
Yeah, ain't going to have many white friends left after this.
See you later.
MAGGIE: See you.
Don't tell me they gave themselves up.
Yep.
Oh, the boss wants to see you. Oh, yeah.
See you later. Hooroo.
Maybe there's hope for the buggers yet, eh?
Oh, waste of time and energy.
They weren't much value? Well, not for Tony.
Which won't go down too well with Lilly,
considering I encouraged her to dob them in for that very reason.
I'll give her a call, I suppose.
You wanted to see me? Hmm?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
How did you get on with "Tubbsy"?
Well, Frank swears it's not him.
I'll check it out with Eddie and Lewis.
You'll probably find them down the pub.
I might come along for the ride.
Aren't you going to call Lilly? It was engaged.
I'll ring when I get back.
There you go.
Thanks. Not a problem.
There's Eddie over there.
On your own today, Eddie?
I left Lewis with the boys on the job.
With Frank out of action, they're pushing to make schedule.
How is Frank? Have you seen him? I saw him this morning.
Playing the invalid to the hilt, the cunning bludger.
Likes attention from a good looking nurse, does old Tubbsy.
Something I can help you with?
Quite a lot, as a matter of fact.
In a way, it's a relief.
I've never been much good at mind games.
That's always been Frank's department.
Should have run a mile when he pulled this trick out of the hat.
So, what was the threat?
That he'd dob you in?
Yeah. I was waiting for it.
He saw me come at him.
I couldn't believe me ears when he pointed the finger at Dixon.
He must have been working it through.
Even then, by next morning he had it down pat.
Even lined up Lewis to say all the right things to you blokes.
He must have had a hell of a gripe against Tony.
There was a lot riding on it.
Dixon said he was going to go to the housing authorities.
Frank would be gone if that happened.
He's not the most honest builder in the business.
Getting done would be bad enough, but getting done by an Abo...
And an assault charge would discredit Tony?
Plus give him something else to worry about.
Yeah, that was the idea.
Frank must think a lot of you, Eddie.
Forgiving you for trying to slit his throat.
Why did you do it?
He owed me money.
A lot of money.
Sub-contractor's fees? From way back.
He said the recession was biting.
He threw me a bit of cash when I got a bit loud.
But that was it.
A couple of days before the fight,
I found out he was upping my quotes on his jobs.
He was putting the surplus cash in his pocket.
I had a go at him, threatened to walk out.
He just laughed at me.
He said no-one else would employ me at my age.
Said the only reason he did was because we were old mates.
Some mate!
What happened at the hotel?
I was stewing on it, for days.
I never realised how much I hated Frank till that fight started.
I was barracking for the Abos.
It was an impulse thing.
Someone dropped a glass, it broke.
I picked up one of the pieces, saw me chance.
Didn't stop to think twice.
"You had it coming, Tubbsy."
I used to call him that when we were at school.
Yeah, he was a tub of lard even then.
It's funny.
He always says, I never learn to keep me big mouth shut.
You're in disguise today.
Not yours. Theirs.
What have we done? Just open your bags.
I told you to be careful with who you hang around with, didn't I?
Oh, yes, very nice.
(wolf whistles)
I can see you're feeling better, Frank.
Fit as a mallee bull and twice as dangerous.
I'm going home tomorrow, so I'll come over and finish your job.
That's a promise.
You might change your mind when we tell you why we're here.
I should get going, Dad.
No, no, stay.
This concerns you, too.
Is there a problem, Sergeant?
No, not really.
We've just had Eddie telling us a few stories.
We'd just like to assist you in making changes to your statement.
Their parents are on the way. Good-o.
So, while this one was giving everyone something to worry about,
the other two were helping themselves.
That's the one.
Me and my brother used to do the same thing.
He'd create a diversion while I stole the cookies.
While Mum was scratching her head, we'd be scoffing them.
Takes one to know one.
Good work.
Sorry about the mess.
We've been having a few problems with our builders.
So, Tony's in the clear, is he?
We haven't got it in writing yet.
But I doubt Frank or his son will refuse to change their statements.
Want to sit in? No, I'll give Tony and Lill a ring.
Struth, I never rang her about Fred and Dennis.
What's going on?
What are you doing with these kids?
It was a scam, boss.
They were all in it together.
Casey...
Not shoplifting?
I'm afraid so, boss.
Adam caught them red-handed.
We'll get this up here and come back to cut some noggins.
Your friend Kelly's in trouble.
But I've had a word with Constable Cooper.
As this is your first and last offence,
we'll let you off with a caution.
How many times have I told you to keep away from that Kelly?
She's nothing but trouble.
And shoplifting, of all things.
You know better, mate.
But they're the only ones who hang around with me.
You've got other friends.
Like who?
Look, that's over and done with now.
Go and keep an eye on your uncles.
Make sure they're not getting stuck into the booze on the sly, eh?
Smart idea, getting Fred and Dennis to do the work.
Yeah, Mum's doing.
Keeps them out of trouble and gives her an excuse to have them around.
I doubt that Frank will be back to finish the job.
Join the club.
Are you still planning to lodge a complaint?
Yeah, sure am.
Could be years before they process it, though.
But I'm sure we'll get some sort of compensation out of Frank.
What about your job? I've put in a full report.
It's up to Planning and Development to decide what they want to do.
I'm not a bad carpenter myself.
I thought about taking it up as a trade.
I could give you a hand in my spare time.
A bit of PR work for the police, eh?
Smooth over any ill-feelings.
Listen, what Cooper does in his spare time is his own business.
I appreciate the offer.
I'm not trying to patronise you.
Would you have offered if I was white?
Yes.
SUBTITLERS: Kathy Cannon, Carol Foat, Kerrie McKay, Tricia Moreno