Not Fair Dinkum

by Atonia

John was making his rounds when he got a call from Port Auckland, one of the workmen had been down around the docks and spotted a body in a boat.

John got out of his vehicle and walked out to the end of the dock, the boat had been drifting loose the man said and they caught it and brought it in. John stepped down to have a look, he recognized the man.

“Anybody touched anything?” he asked.

“No sir not a thing only grabbed the boat.”

John started to turn the man over and he grunted, “Damn Dinkum what the hell are you doing?”

“Ah ya,” he groaned and tried to sit up, what the…”

“Come on out of there, whose boat is this?”

“Well…I don’t know, I just set down for a minute, next thing I know here you are,” he looked up grinning at John.

He helped the old man up onto the dock and secured the boat, the owner would have to be found. Dinkum was the town drunk, he’d passed out in all manner of places but never in a boat.

“I’m going to have to take you in Dinkum,” he said

Dinkum smiled knowing a cot and a meal were coming his way.

Once back at the station John sat him down, “I’m going to have to hold you for this Dink; looks like you stole a boat.”

“I, I, I never did. I wouldn’a stole nothin’ like that, damn Constable if I was gonna steal a boat I do a better job than that, it’s a wonder I didn’t sink and drown.”

John asked him some more questions and locked him up. He stopped by the diner to see Maeve.

“Hello Maeve, Dink’s in the can think you could take him a meal over?”

“Sure thing Constable, where’d you find him this time?”

“Afloat in somebody’s boat over at Port Auckland, says he don’t know where the boat came from.”

“Poor old sot, yeah I’ll do him up a plate. How about you need a cuppa?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a cup of that stuff you call coffee.”

“She was in here this morning, took a roll and a cuppa with her.”

“Who?”

Maeve gave him a sly look and winked, “Keisha Mallory.”

“And?” John raised his brows

“And nothing…she sure was all smiles said she was running a bit late. I think she must have had a late night.”

John stirred his coffee adding another sugar and didn’t look up.

Maeve cackled and began dishing up a plate for Dinkum.