it was too late by then and also because he felt that the approach was ultimately self-defeating by nature; moreover, he felt satisfied that his method hadn't actually added to the devaluing of money in such a way, and resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't do anything to stop such things, anyway, and that there were many more things looming on the horizon that were of a much greater concern for everyone. He consequently felt the impetus to act fast and with purpose…
• • •
Five weeks after the kidnappings
A couple of hours into a flight direct to Bangkok, sitting in a window seat, Ikaros looks down at the red dirt of the expansive outback.
"Would you like a drink, sir?" asks a mild-mannered and soft-voiced flight attendant.
Ikaros looks quickly away from the window and up at her. "Ah, no … thank you."
She nods and continues to the next row.
Ikaros resumes staring out the window and thinking about the recent events, not only how well the children took to the ensuing media attention, or how their father skilfully incorporated the kidnapping into the promotion of the paper, but also how easy it was to deal with the money and get the police off his trail, not that they were really on it in the first place, it seems: the severely understaffed and underfunded police force, obviously unable to cope with the extent of the endemically severe crime rate across the nation, was forced to limit itself to dealing continuously with readily solvable crimes, and keeping the peace in public places and the suburbs, which meant that very few criminals of significant worth were actually brought to justice and only those crimes of such a heinous and high-profile nature were followed up on, often in a perfunctory manner that saw the case closed as early as possible. Consequently, considering the relatively innocuous crime that was committed by Ikaros in the context of the times he found himself in, the lack of trauma that the children suffered, which was supported by their psychological assessment, and also the conclusion drawn by the criminal profilers that the perpetrator was a one-time opportunist, not to mention the lack of evidence or any trace of the money, all led the investigation team to de-prioritise the crime despite the best efforts of Big F to maintain interest in it for as long as it was profitable for him; throughout, his newspaper continued to report on and keep up to date with some of the highlights from the endlessly emerging onslaught of crime that was plaguing Australian society and the world at large.
Ikaros reflects for a moment on the disturbingly polished and evidently rehearsed performances of the two children in the news reports and particularly in the extended interview on a local current affairs programme; they played their roles as traumatised victims just about seamlessly, although Ikaros, if no one else, could spot the disingenuousness in their eyes and manner, which, curiously, he wished were absent, preferring a naïve vulnerability than a worldly cynicism in such young people.
Feeling ready to put everything behind him, he shakes these thoughts off with relative ease, closes his eyes, and breathes comfortably. In doing so, he reflects momentarily on how composed and enlivened he is about this new and unexpected turn that his life has taken, which only a short time ago wasn't a possibility he was even close to considering; now, though, he has created space for something more meaningful and substantial to take the place of the pathetic reality and possible futures of his former life, which he's particularly grateful to be abruptly leaving behind and progressively distancing himself from.
• • •
The condition that Australia found itself in at this stage was ominous of what was to come and far from its apparent high points, now long in the past and only thought of reminiscently, oftentimes erroneously at that.
The series of mounting oil crises that occurred
• • •
Five weeks after the kidnappings
A couple of hours into a flight direct to Bangkok, sitting in a window seat, Ikaros looks down at the red dirt of the expansive outback.
"Would you like a drink, sir?" asks a mild-mannered and soft-voiced flight attendant.
Ikaros looks quickly away from the window and up at her. "Ah, no … thank you."
She nods and continues to the next row.
Ikaros resumes staring out the window and thinking about the recent events, not only how well the children took to the ensuing media attention, or how their father skilfully incorporated the kidnapping into the promotion of the paper, but also how easy it was to deal with the money and get the police off his trail, not that they were really on it in the first place, it seems: the severely understaffed and underfunded police force, obviously unable to cope with the extent of the endemically severe crime rate across the nation, was forced to limit itself to dealing continuously with readily solvable crimes, and keeping the peace in public places and the suburbs, which meant that very few criminals of significant worth were actually brought to justice and only those crimes of such a heinous and high-profile nature were followed up on, often in a perfunctory manner that saw the case closed as early as possible. Consequently, considering the relatively innocuous crime that was committed by Ikaros in the context of the times he found himself in, the lack of trauma that the children suffered, which was supported by their psychological assessment, and also the conclusion drawn by the criminal profilers that the perpetrator was a one-time opportunist, not to mention the lack of evidence or any trace of the money, all led the investigation team to de-prioritise the crime despite the best efforts of Big F to maintain interest in it for as long as it was profitable for him; throughout, his newspaper continued to report on and keep up to date with some of the highlights from the endlessly emerging onslaught of crime that was plaguing Australian society and the world at large.
Ikaros reflects for a moment on the disturbingly polished and evidently rehearsed performances of the two children in the news reports and particularly in the extended interview on a local current affairs programme; they played their roles as traumatised victims just about seamlessly, although Ikaros, if no one else, could spot the disingenuousness in their eyes and manner, which, curiously, he wished were absent, preferring a naïve vulnerability than a worldly cynicism in such young people.
Feeling ready to put everything behind him, he shakes these thoughts off with relative ease, closes his eyes, and breathes comfortably. In doing so, he reflects momentarily on how composed and enlivened he is about this new and unexpected turn that his life has taken, which only a short time ago wasn't a possibility he was even close to considering; now, though, he has created space for something more meaningful and substantial to take the place of the pathetic reality and possible futures of his former life, which he's particularly grateful to be abruptly leaving behind and progressively distancing himself from.
• • •
The condition that Australia found itself in at this stage was ominous of what was to come and far from its apparent high points, now long in the past and only thought of reminiscently, oftentimes erroneously at that.
The series of mounting oil crises that occurred
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