All That Glitters

When we arrived at the mine site, I was relieved to see that the Wagga boys were in attendance. They had organised a mine rescue team to assist us in safety aspects so we could enter and leave the mineshaft safely. The rescue team had hired some equipment from a local mining hire company. There were ventilation fans, generators, wire rope ladders, a hoist, floodlights, etc. I was surprised that a local company would still have equipment for hire, because the last mining operations had closed down in about 1940. But as Sophie explained, there had been some exploration using more modern methods on and off since the 1990s, so I guess there must have been some call for equipment for hire. I introduced myself to Simon Boosalis, the senior constable from Wagga Wagga. Before I could introduce Sophie, Boosalis acknowledged her. ‘Sophie Laycock, haven’t seen you for a couple of years.’ ‘Hello, Simon,’ Sophie replied very coolly. ‘Oh, you already know each other?’ ‘Yes, Sophie was at Wagga for a short time,’ he answered with a half snigger. ‘What is the story here, sir?’ I explained to Boosalis about Ol’ Jim, who had offered me the chance to explore his mine. I told him that the bodies I had discovered when I was exploring were at the bottom of the second section of the main shaft. I had been climbing down a mine ladder that suddenly became very slippery, and I fell to the bottom of the first section and rolled into the second section, where I discovered the bodies. The fall had dislodged my headlamp, so I had to feel around in the dark to find the ladder. Although I was virtually on top of one body, I could not smell any decomposing matter, so I presumed it was a very recent arrival. I had recovered my headlamp, and I gave the bodies a closer look. When I did eventually find the bottom of the ladder, I climbed back out. I had noticed that the air in the mine was relatively fresh, but thought no more about it. There must have been ventilation somewhere, but at that stage, it seemed inconsequential. Boosalis listened intently to my summary of events. I continued, ‘I reported it to Tumut, who referred it to you guys, and you know the rest. What has happened from your side, Constable?’ ‘The sergeant and a couple of constables from our station responded yesterday, sir. I understand from their report that the constables went down into the main shaft using a wire rope ladder and a spotlight. They could see the first body you discovered, which they believed to be male, and the second body you reported, believed to be female. Further afield, they reported that they could see another body, which appeared to be somewhat decomposed and too far away for them to be more specific at that distance and under the lighting they had. They also saw some bones, presumed to be human, in another area. They assured our sergeant that they were very careful to only tread on the rope ladder so they wouldn’t disturb the scene.’ Boosalis walked with me over to the mine rescue team. ‘You’ve got a hot one there, Sergeant, if you don’t mind me saying so. Laycock is a real prick-teaser. Sorry for the language, sir. She was moved from Wagga because the commander thought she was too much of a distraction for the male staff. Or that’s the semi-official version we heard on the grapevine. We reckon he probably had the hots for her and she wouldn’t come across. So rather than risk harassment, he arranged for her to be transferred to Tumut.’ I listened with apparent interest, although I knew Sophie was certainly no prick-teaser, at least not as far as I was concerned. ‘Oh well, Constable, as long as she pulls her weight in the investigation, I don’t give a rat’s arse about her past. I am only concerned with her present performance.’ Which I find outstanding!