TAKING IT FURTHER
The investigation takes on a whole new perspective when Kay and Nickie spot the police sergeant from Lorne in a café with two career criminals leading to them to wonder just what they have uncovered and how does this relate to the original crime?
Aussie Lingo 101.
Op Shop: Shortened version of Opportunity shop, the Australian equivalent of a British Charity shop or second hand store, sells mainly second hand clothes and old books/videos.
Pom/Pommie:
Slang for anyone of English descent. No one knows where the name came from but two theories are the acronym P.O.M.E (prisoner of mother England) that was stitched onto the back of convicts' shirts. A more likely theory is that it is short for pomegranate, referring to Englishmen turning the colour of a pomegranate under the Australian sun.
Pro:
Shortened version of prostitute, although it can also be short for professional as in "he's a good mechanic, a real pro." Context is everything in Australia.
Royal Commission: During the 80s and '90s, state police forces were rocked by a series of royal commissions set up to investigate police corruption. The commissions had sweeping powers to compel witnesses to talk or risk prison.
S.P Bookie:
Short for Starting Price bookmaker, an S.P Bookie worked out of a pub or club and was in contact with state licensed bookmakers at race tracks via phone. S.P Bookmaking was illegal because they didn't pay tax from what I can work out. Organised crime figures used them to launder cash from armed robberies and drug deals. With the full legalisation of betting and online betting consortiums the S.P Bookie has gone the way of the dodo.
Shacked Up:
To be living with your partner in a defacto arrangement.
St Kilda:
The old red light district of Melbourne although with the legalisation of prostitution red light districts are fast becoming gentrified.
TAB:
Acronym for Totaliser Accredited Betting, the government approved betting shops found throughout Australia up until state franchises were bought out, only Victoria retains the name TAB today. Fun fact: the TAB was also a favourite soft target for armed robbers for many years.
U.D.L:
Brand name for United Distillers Limited, but the acronym refers to its product, mixed drinks such as whiskey and cola and others in a can. Arguably it is more expensive to drink spirits this way but the UDL can is a popular Aussie product. You'll often hear "get me a UDL from the fridge," in Australian homes.
Kay's house in Brunswick East was located in a street off Lygon Street. The house was one of many thrown up in a hurry to accommodate the flood of immigrants coming into the country after World War II. Brunswick had a strong Mediterranean identity and it was normal to hear Italian and Greek spoken in the shops and pubs. The generational divide however was clearly evident in the accents. The younger generation spoke Australian English fluently while their parents spoke with a definite accent, Kay shared the house with a woman called Maria and her partner Anthony. Maria was heavily pregnant and confined to the couch watching a video when Kay walked in with Nickie, the two women greeted each other and then Kay introduced her as a 'friend.'
"I'd get up to say g'day," Maria managed a tired smile, "but as you can see," she patted her large belly, "Tony," her voice rose a couple of decibels, "get your puttana arse out here and say hello to Kay's friend."
The guy who came out looked younger than Maria. His long black hair was cut mullet style and his shirt was open to show chest hair, he gave Nickie the once over as he ran a hand through his hair and smiled.
"G'day," he greeted her, "so, you're Kay's friend."
"They're good people," Kay remarked later on as she flicked through her wardrobe, "he works at a restaurant in Carlton and she's a legal secretary. I went out with her sister for a couple of months but we broke up after Maria moved in," she took out a couple of dresses.
"So where's her sister now?"
"Templestowe," she shrugged, "she's shacked up with some woman from Carlton, Carla still drops by to see her sister but only when I'm on duty."
"Too much tension?"
"You could say that," she frowned, "I've been thinking seriously about moving somewhere else, I mean Maria insists it's okay because what happened between Carla and I is our business but it does put a strain on the living situation. I have to get out when she turns up because I'm the bitch."
"So, how come you broke up with her?"
"Ah, that is a silly story. She got jealous when I dropped into see an old girlfriend who'd been assaulted, I was just making sure she knew her rights and was going to turn up at court but Carla got insanely jealous and kept picking away at me and like a scab it started to bleed."
"Sounds like a bitch."
"Hah," she snorted, "I should pit you against her, fighting with Carla was like banging my head against a brick wall. She's very vocal."
"So am I," Nickie shot back, "but where would you move to?"
"Dunno," she shrugged, "I work in Collingwood and I like being close to the station, it saves on petrol, my parents are in Thomastown but I'm not moving back there. I spent my life wanting to get out of Thomastown, I like Brunswick because it's got that ethnic flavour. I'm just down the road from Carlton, I love eating out down there."
"I'll move out soon," Nickie sat on the bed and leaned back on her palms, "I want to do a social work course at TAFE."
"Why not just go to uni? You've got Melbourne uni just down the road."
"Accommodation," she replied, "it's bloody expensive even if got a job in a restaurant. Besides, I want to be close enough to grandpa, I'm all he's got now."
It was an all too familiar story for Kay. Every time she found the right woman, she wanted to live somewhere else and failing that there was always something that got in the way. It was as if the fates had conspired to keep her single. One woman she'd met last year had been perfect but she owned her own home out in Ringwood and wasn't going to move. Kay couldn't stomach the daily commute into Melbourne and so they'd agreed that it was best they part, but there was still a part of her that missed Shauna.
"So, what's the go now?" Nickie laid back on her bed, "we going back into the city?"
"If you want," Kay perched on the edge of the bed, "I'm at a loose end but we want to be out of the city before rush hour, I don't feel like getting caught up in that."
"What about Prahran?" Kay suggested, "we could check out the op shops."
"Now that's an idea," Nickie locked her hands behind her head, "I was gonna spend some of my money in Melbourne but everything's so fucking expensive."
"Okay," Kay laid down beside her and propped on her elbow, "the op shops it is then."
She put a hand on Nickie's belly and was rewarded with a cheeky grin.
"Don't you go further south or we'll never get there."
"Damn," Kay slid her hand down over her crotch, "and here was me thinking I could have a quickie."
"There's always time for that later," she pushed her hand away and sat up slowly, "but right now I'm so horny even the crack of dawn isn't safe."
Kay winced at that as she too sat up and not for the sexual innuendo. Prahran was uncomfortably close to Collingwood. There was always the danger she'd run into someone she might have arrested at some point in the past.
Nevertheless, it seemed as if her luck would hold as they wandered down Chapel Street, Nickie was clearly soaking up the eclectic mix of culture and alternative lifestyles. You could be whatever you wanted in Prahran, from upper middle class fashionista to down and out punk rocker with safety pins in every part of their body. Because it was a trendy area, the op shops here tended to be a bit more upmarket but Nickie still managed to score a few good bargains. One of those was a leather mini skirt with a press stud opening. She actually changed into it after paying for it at the counter and sauntered out into Chapel Street as if she was on a catwalk, much to Kay's amusement.
