Sucked In Read Online Free

heart of my political fiefdom. A laminex-topped conference table occupied most of the room. The rest was taken up by an Uluru-sized photocopier-printer, a row of filing cabinets, a steel stationery cupboard and three colour-coded recycling bins. Office Beautiful.
    Our visitor was a slim, good-looking man in his late thirties with close-shaved olive skin and the liquid eyes of an Orthodox icon. He, too, had come straight from the cemetery. Come, I assumed, to ventilate the pressing topic of the moment, Charlie Talbot’s succession.
    â€˜ Yasou ,’ I said.
    Michelis Kyriakis had trodden the well-beaten path from immigrant childhood to university to local politics. He’d worked for Charlie Talbot for a while, keeping the home fires burning while Charlie was busy running the country. Now he was mayor of Broadmeadows, the primus inter pares of the coterie of Laborites who controlled the sprawling municipality at the centre of the seat of Coolaroo. Capable, energetic and well-motivated, he was going to waste in the small world of roads, rates and rubbish. This fact had not escaped his attention.
    â€˜Sorry if it looks pushy, mate, turning up like this straight after the funeral,’ he said. ‘But things are moving pretty fast.’
    I sat down, facing him across the table. ‘I’ve been a bit tied up, Mike, dealing with the undertakers and so forth, but I’ve heard murmurings about the FEA being convened ASAP.’
    A conclave of local branch members and delegates appointed by the central machine, the Federal Electorate Assembly would select Charlie’s successor.
    â€˜Saturday week,’ said Mike. ‘Ten days away. That must be a record.’
    Ayisha perched herself on the desktop, legs dangling. ‘The FEA’s just a formality, you know that,’ she said. ‘There’s a cross-factional agreement that the next federal vacancy in Victoria goes to the Left.’
    â€˜Yeah, but who in the Left?’ said Mike. ‘Charlie promised me that I’d get the seat when he retired. But now that he’s gone, I’ve been sidelined. I’m out of the loop and it’s obvious somebody else has been given the nod.’
    I shrugged and showed him my empty palms. ‘Your guess is as good as mine, Mike. Better, in fact. You are a member of the Left, after all.’ I turned to Ayisha and raised an eyebrow. ‘You heard anything?’
    â€˜Not a whisper,’ she said. ‘None of the usual suspects at state level have been mentioned, not that I’ve heard.’
    â€˜Maybe they’re airlifting somebody in from Canberra,’ I shrugged.
    Mike made an acid face. ‘Fucking typical,’ he said. ‘You put in the time, pay your dues, bust your gut, then some prick nobody knows gets handed a seat on a platter. Waltzes in, brushes you aside and you’re expected to grin and bear it.’
    â€˜Welcome to the Labor Party,’ I said. Or any party, for that matter. Mike knew the rules. You pays your money and you takes your chances.
    â€˜What would you say if I told you I’m thinking about throwing my hat into the ring?’ he said.
    I glanced sideways at Ayisha. She widened her eyes in mock horror. Mike had a lot of friends, us included, but he lacked clout in the places that counted.
    â€˜I’d say you’ll be pushing shit uphill,’ I said. ‘It’s obviously a done deal.’
    â€˜Even so,’ he said. ‘It’s a matter of principle.’
    Principle. The weeping scab of the Australian Labor Party.
    â€˜Climb aboard your saw-horse if you like, Mike. Point it at the windmill. Wave your lance around. But tell me, end of the day, what’ll you get for your trouble?’
    Mike straightened up and fixed me with the earnest expression he used for citizenship ceremonies. ‘I feel very strongly about this, Murray. And I’d like your support. You’ve got a lot of sway in this part of the