A Great Leap (First Draft) - Outer Realms Book 1

Chapter 12

The morning sun shone was shiny pale and harsh the following morning. Mikayla and Joel left the office almost as soon as they got into work and walked across the street to the Veterans' Access Network building. They were directed to a small office deep in the building. The office contained only a few arm chairs with faded upholstery and a bookshelf that contained more pamphlets than books. They waited only a minute before they were joined by a broad shouldered man in his thirties with a shaved head.

"Kevin Rocher," the man introduced himself, his voice deep and raspy, "Was told you guys wanted to talk about Nick Battaglia? I heard the sad the news so anything we can do to help here."

"Did you know Mr Battaglia well?" Joel asked.

"Worked together about two years," Kevin answered, his eyes dropping and clouding with sadness, "He was a good bloke. Didn't say much but good listener. Always checked in with people around the office and bought gifts for people. Never anything flash but pretty spot on. He really got to know people and it made every feel good about themselves. Bit gruff but a teddy bear on the inside, you know?"

"What was his role here?"

"Nick does informal intake. He did, anyway. Sometimes vets have trouble asking for help or they don't know what help to ask for. Sometimes they just want someone like them to tell them it's okay to need help. Nick didn't..." Kevin forced the word out, "... he didn't have any fancy title or education and he wasn't pushing a program or selling a service. Nick was one of us though so it felt like he was on our side. At the end of the day his job was just to listen to new clients and give them a bit kick in the pants in the right direction.

"He put together a weekly peer group as well. Vets anonymous, you could call it. All it was was vets sitting around, having a drink and a chat. I've had to run it the last month or so. Nick's idea; said he was leaving it in good hands." Kevin gave a bashful smile. "The work he did with me inspired me to start working here as well. He was a real mentor."

"An uncomfortable question," Joel said carefully, "But was there anyone Mr Battaglia worked with that might have reacted badly to his attempts to help? Someone who was struggling more than most?"

Kevin grimaced. "Happens sometimes. Re-entry can be tougher for some. Even with the people that push back the hardest, they usually come to their senses after a while and realise we're just trying to help. They don't always come back to apologise but they don't come back to cause trouble either. Those that don't disappear entirely. As far as I know, no one outright threatened Nick or anything like that though, if that's what you're asking about."

"Any records of Mr Battaglia's clients that you might be able to look at for us?

"Not really. Nicky mostly only had one interview with someone. Two or three at most. He didn't take any notes or anything either that I know of. Like I said, more than anything he just chatted with people. Listened, really. There's been a few times when he's said he's worried about someone in particular but he didn't write anything down."

Mikayla had been studying the office as she listened to Joel and Kevin talk. One of the books caught her eye. It was an old copy of Dracula tucked away in the corner of the top shelf almost hidden by a bible. The dust jacket was faded and frayed, and the spine was cracked from use. The few other books amongst the flyers were textbooks.

"Do you know anything about Mr Battaglia's work before come here?" Joel continued, "His work with contractors like PID?"

Kevin shook his head. "I knew he got pretty high up before retiring. Mostly talked about his grunt days though. That's what we all have in common. I know PID though. They supplied a physio. Got a pretty bad cut during a tour." He rolled up his sleeve to show scar that run the full length of his forearm. "Bit of bad luck and took a fall. PID guy dealt with my rehab when I got home. They had a councilor or shrink as well. He pointed me toward Nick, actually. I don't know any more than that."