a kid.’
‘So what, he’s dead.’
‘Just preserve the scene. Evidence, remember?’
Finetti stared at me a long moment. Even in the dim light I could see what he was thinking.
‘Sometimes things are just what they seem, McCauley. This is just a pissy overdose, that’s it. An accident. We had one last week, two the week before, this is no different. Junkies at large, mate.’
‘Yep, righto. Lift him and I’ll have a look.’
Without much effort, Finetti propped the boy up and I shone my torch on the ground beneath his body, but still no lid.
‘So where is it then?’ I said when Finetti put the boy down.
‘Shit, I don’t know. Could be under one of these bins, could’ve fallen into a crack or down a drain.’ He shone his torch on the boy’s face. ‘He could’ve swallowed it for all you know. Either way, who gives a shit?’
Maybe Finetti was right. The kid could have put the lid in his mouth while whacking up and accidentally swallowed it as the effects of the heroin took hold.
‘Look, man, no offence,’ Finetti continued. ‘Don’t make an issue out of this. I know you’re keen to get back in the groove, but you don’t need to prove anything to me. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Three little words,’ he said, holding up three fingers. ‘Nil suspicious circumstances. All you gotta do is write that on the inquest sheet and we’re done.’
I stared down at the dead kid and tried not to think about my old mate Jacko or the pain in my shoulder. Instead I got on with the task of photographing the body from several different angles.
‘I don’t know,’ I said after a while. ‘Maybe we need to get the techs down here. Work the scene properly. Then they can write it up as NSC.’
‘Get your hand off it, Rubes. What are they gonna do that we can’t – come in here and take some pictures? You’re already taking pictures.’ Finetti got down low next to the body, poked his tongue out and made a face to the camera. ‘Quick, get a photo of me and the dead kid, maybe we’ll hang it in the female locker room. Reckon Cassie and Kim’d like that?’
I rolled my eyes and told him to get up.
‘I just think he’s a bit young, that’s all. They’re normally older.’
‘Oh, turn it up. They’re all shitheads. Matter of fact, I’ll bet my next two rest days that this kid’s record is longer than my dick.’
‘That wouldn’t be hard.’
‘Gets pretty hard when your missus comes around, tell you that much.’
We both laughed.
‘So what’s it gonna be?’ Finetti prodded. ‘You write this up as NSC, we’ll get the undertakers down here and be home before eight. If you wanna muck about with the whole stage show, we’re looking at lunchtime. An hour’s unpaid overtime is better than five. Come on, man. I know you love your beauty sleep.’
Feeling suddenly deflated, I laced my hands behind my head and looked up at the sky. A haze of pink and purple spread from the east as dawn approached. On the other side of the fence I heard the first tram of the day rattle by.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘NSC it is. I’ll get Kim to finish up in here and call the body snatchers. Then we can all knock off.’
‘You’re the man, Rubes,’ said Finetti, a cheeky grin on his face. ‘What d’ya say about having brekkie at Greasy Joe’s? I’m so hungry I could eat a shit sandwich.’
‘Don’t start drooling, mate. We need to keep the body clean. And don’t go stealing anything out of the kid’s pockets either. I know what you’re like.’
Finetti’s rebuttal echoed through the loading bay as I headed back to the car park.
‘Let me guess,’ said Kim, who had cordoned off the entrance with crime scene tape. ‘Dispatch got it wrong? The guy didn’t OD. He drowned or got hit by a truck?’
‘Nope. Think he came out the back door of the restaurant looking for the toilet, slipped on the back step and landed on a syringe.’
‘For real?’ she said, stowing the roll of tape in a tackle box.
‘Nah, they got it right. Accidental overdose.’
‘Nil suspicious?’
‘Yeah, think so.’
‘Nice one, we can get home on time,’ she said, checking her watch.
I was silent, unsure.
‘What’s the matter? You all right?’ she said, looking up and reading my face.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’
‘You don’t look fine.’
‘He’s just a kid, that’s all. Probably from one of the hostels. What’s Vitazul’s