Partners and Crime by Rochelle Jackson

Author:Rochelle Jackson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRU000000, book
ISBN: 9781742696294
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
Published: 2012-02-19T16:00:00+00:00

FRANCES STRATFORD

CARER OF BILLY

‘THE TEXAN’ LONGLEY

‘Better the Devil You Know’

It was 2 am. Frances Stratford was suddenly awoken by the phone. It was her partner, Billy ‘the Texan’ Longley.

The convicted murderer and former Painters and Dockers Union ‘gunny’ was beside himself: ‘You’ve got to come and help me, right now!’ Frances hurriedly got dressed and drove to Billy’s little, single-fronted house, only to find the big man cowering in the kitchen. ‘There’s a spider— I know it’s there! Find it and kill it! Now!’ he yelled. It was the funniest thing Frances had ever seen, but she suppressed her laughter. She grabbed the flyspray, spraying it around the room. ‘He’s gone! It’s dead, all right?’ Billy angrily described how he’d felt ‘a spider brush past him’ when he got up to go to the toilet. She spied a decorative tassel hanging off the doorknob—so much for the spider! Frances knew that if Billy had had a shotgun with him, he would’ve shot up the house; such was his hatred of arachnids. The Texan also loathed dog poo. He always refused to walk on grass, in case he stepped in any.

Nearly two decades ago, in the early 1990s, Frances was Billy’s next door neighbour. After meeting him over the back fence, they became friends and later, she became his constant companion and carer. The 63-year-old former medical laboratory scientist does most of Bill’s housework, cooks his meals and works as his media liaison and personal nurse.

‘Come on Fran—I want a cup of tea! Come on!’ Billy demanded from his bedroom. Frances walked out of his bedroom carrying a large plastic bottle of urine. ‘Yeah, yeah—all right,’ she murmured. ‘You’ll get one—when I get a minute.’ The Texan was 85 years of age at the time of my visit and not a patient man. ‘I could die of thirst! Oh well, I’ll just go into an old man’s home,’ he snorted.

I’ve known Billy and Frances for almost 10 years, since writing the Texan’s biography in 2003. Over the years, when I’ve arrived at Billy’s home, I’ve sometimes found the two of them bickering. I used to panic, thinking I’d walked into a big domestic blue, but I realised over time that this was the norm and how they’ve coped with living together. It’s not so much of an argument, more a wrestle for control. Billy’s very dependent on Frances and he resents it—this is a man who very much ‘rowed his own boat’ and he dislikes anyone trying to control him. But his body and eyesight are failing and he needs assistance. Frances understands him only too well, but every now and again, she loses patience.

‘Billy’s a cranky old bastard, if you really want to know!’ she said with a chuckle, when I asked her to describe him. Frances is only about five feet, one inch, and she recently lost 15 kilograms. She has short, straight, dark hair, strongly defined facial features and usually never wears any makeup or jewellery. But during the AFL season, her nails are painted red and black, the Essendon football club colours.

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