Previously on Underbelly...
Jungle drums are beating, mate.
Ray Chuck's got a job on.
Is if you want our tick of approval, we get a big drink out of it.
Sorry, boys. I got nothing on.
Who was it? Who was it?
Ray Chuck.
Wayne tells me you're a kindy teacher. What brings you to Sydney?
I wanted a change.
Twenty 200g bags.
Wouldn't have thought that much would fit, eh, Tel?
Relax, you have nothing to feel guilty about.
It's not as if anyone's getting hurt.
# It's a jungle out there
# It's a jungle out there. #
Here is the news.
Thousands of hysterical teenagers
gathered at the city airport this morning to welcome...
And the man of the moment...
Thank you, boys. Righto. Let's see it.
The Kane brothers, Brian and Les...
..old-school crims trading on their hard-earned reputation
as the hardest men in the hardest city.
Heroin wasn't their natural territory
but times change.
And lately they'd moved into providing protection
for Aussie Bob's Melbourne dealers.
Hey, Wayne.
Scared the shit out of me.
Hurry up. I got a party to get to.
Yeah, alright.
Bob and Terry need to send more next time, huh?
Every hippie in Melbourne wants to get on smack.
It's 'cause you know we got the good stuff, eh?
See you next month, mate.
Give us your money or we'll blow your fucking head off.
Oi!
Marty's sourcing 30 kilos of Chinese white.
30?
That's immense.
Seven runs. 4k's a run.
It's hard, Terry, bringing that much in on your waist.
You don't feel safe.
Maybe we could find more couriers.
Maybe.
Impossible' the other night.
They had a briefcase with a false bottom in it.
Yeah, I suppose it sounds kind of silly.
No, it doesn't.
But not a briefcase.
A suitcase.
False-bottomed suitcase.
Hmm... Don't.
Yes?
Wayne.
Yeah, Wayne, mate.
What's up?
What?
How's your evening, Robert?
Hear the latest from Macquarie Street?
The premier wants to close all casinos in the State.
Apparently they're linked to organised crime.
Well, the Police Commissioner reckons there's no such thing
as organised crime in NSW, Robert.
He'd know, wouldn't he, hey?
Evening, Police Commissioner. Detectives.
Leave it with me.
Hey, Terry.
Tonight you're Simon Templar, James Bond, Scarlet Pimpernel...
Wayne's been ripped off. $200,000.
All last month's takings from the Vic dealers.
Fuck me.
Yes! Fuck you, Bob.
Fuck you very much.
Wholesale. Retail.
What happened to the fucking protection you organised
with your painter and docker mates?
You've no cause to shove your digit in my chest.
This needs to be sorted. Yeah, well, I'm on the next flight.
I've got problems of my own. Yeah, well, I'll talk to my boys.
Not good enough, Brian.
The two clams that relieved this young bloke of my cash
and a goodly chunk of his nose
weren't exactly in awe of your reputation, were they?
Watch your mouth, fatso. Watch your mouth.
Alphonse, shut up.
You get a look at 'em?
No, they wore helmets.
Anything else?
And they took off on a yellow motorbike.
We'll sort it out. It's sweet.
Glad to hear it.
I might have a shot at this two-up lark.
Alphonse, Bertie, take the gentlemen over.
What the fuck you let him talk to us like that for?
Kick your brain into gear, mate.
Who do you know owns a shiny silver pistol?
And who else do you know
rides a yellow Kawasaki?
Oh, fuck off.
Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
# A fighting fury
# We're from Tigerland
# In any weather you will see us with a grin
# Risking head and shin
# When we're behind, well, never mind
# We'll fight and fight and win For we're from Tigerland... #
Hey, Vinnie.
Laurie. Brian.
Les. Hey.
Been riding your Kwakka lately, Vinnie?
I take her out for a spin every now and then.
How about Brighton? You zip down there Sunday arvo?
Brighton on Sunday?
You know, I can't recall.
How about you, Loz?
You down that way on Sunday with your shiny little pistol?
Sunday arvo?
Oh, I remember now.
Went to mass, took the holy sacrament.
I'll make you holey, fuckwit.
I'll fuckin' make you... - Hey! Hey!
Les, that's blasphemy, mate.
$200 grand was taken from a friend of mine that day.
You boys have a good think about whether or not
you had anything to do with it or I'll come back.
See if I can jog your memories for ya.
Fuckin' Richmond supporters, mate.
Time was Vinnie and Laurie were your good mates.
Oh, yeah, mate. Well, times change.
Talking to us like that.
Should have flushed their heads down the dunny.
You don't have to prove you got the biggest every day of the week, mate.
People are getting hungry, love. Are the snags ready?
No, no. Nothing's ready.
Let you know when they're cooked, Jude.
They fuckin' did it, Brian. Stole Aussie Bob's dosh.
He and Laurie are gutless wonders, though.
World-class toadies.
Wouldn't have the balls to do a job on their own, let alone brains.
Something's shaking 'em up.
Yeah, I'll fuckin' shake 'em up.
Cruickshank. Sir.
I assume you've heard who's back in town.
Who would that be? Sir?
You do that again and I'll arrest you for littering.
What brings a good girl like you into this part of town,
Detective Constable Cruickshank?
Where should I be, Les?
Oh, at home, barefoot and pregnant. Cooking for your hubby.
Thanks for the advice.
Now I've got some for you.
You know Ray Chuck's back.
Ray Chuck?
He's in Melbourne?
Fancy me not hearing a whisper about that?
Me being your best ear to the ground.
I don't want any trouble. No fights, Les.
No shoot-outs at the O.K. Corral, no "Put up your dukes."
Chuck's back
and you and your brother are going to live and let live.
What reason would I possibly have for wishing harm upon Ray Chuck?
No trouble.
Yeah!
That's twice, boys.
Ray Chuck had been the brains
behind the Great Bookie Robbery,
the last of Australia's big-time armed hold-ups.
But he hadn't given the Kane brothers one cent of the takings,
which made it very hard for them to still go around town
claiming they could stand over anyone.
Welcome home, Ray.
You need to put your coin in, Les.
Wait your turn.
The only thing I'm waiting for, mate,
is a little bit of respect from you, actually.
You're going to be waiting a while.
You and your brother,
you been walking around here for years with your hands out,
letting blokes with balls do all the yakka, haven't ya?
Huh?
We got balls, mate. Only reason these bumboys are hanging around.
How are you, ladies?
Yeah?
You stick your head in our business again
and I'll kick it fuckin' off for ya, alright?
What, in your ballet slippers, Les?
Get him, Ray.
Gun! Gun, Ray.
Fuck!
I'm never gonna get the blood out of your clothes.
OK, just... Come here. Come here!
Yeah, just...
Put that ferret outside where it belongs too, will you?
Hey, hey - don't get pissy with her
just because you went off without thinking again.
At least I'm doing something.
What's that supposed to mean?
You know why Vinnie and Laurie thought
they could even pull that job off, mate?
Because you did nothing about Ray Chuck.
You let him get away with giving us the big fat fucking finger.
And everyone, everyone in town thinks you are weak as piss, right?
I know what I'm doing,
Lesley.
We're in this for the long haul.
It doesn't help business
with you going off like a firecracker all the time.
Reckon he's gonna come after me?
Nah.
He knew if he would, he'd be starting a war.
And he'd lose.
Righto. So what are we gonna do?
We eat our greens and we behave like civilised people.
Bung a kettle on, will you, Jude?
"Eat our greens."
The usual way business happened
between Australia's seven...
Count 'em - seven!
..police forces
was not at all -
professional jealousy, territorial disputes
and plain old mistrust.
Most coppers from one State barely spoke to those from another.
Thank you, darl.
The Commonwealth police -
to State coppers, they were sleepy fat cats
who wouldn't know a real crim if one walked past in a balaclava.
Still, they had their uses.
Thanks for coming in.
What can I do for you?
The word is you Commonwealth coppers
have got all the latest bells and whistles.
Flash cars, tracking devices.
Interesting tea. Earl Grey?
Lapsang Souchong.
Phone taps.
Ah. State secret. Can't confirm or deny.
Why? Heard of Ray Chuck Bennett?
Great Bookie Robbery.
I take a dim view of him pulling that job
and squirrelling $7 million plus out of the country.
The only way to get evidence is for him to incriminate himself.
The only way to do that is to have him boasting over his phone.
And you are the only one with access to phone taps.
Getting you a phone tap will take a bit of footwork.
String-pulling.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you, Inspector.
Top up?
Hey, Vinnie.
You got a sec? I got to get in with my shout.
Three pots, mate.
Come on, mate.
You and I both know
you and Laurie ripped of the 200 grand.
We either sort this out nicely or it gets ugly.
So, uh, let's just have a chat.
Let me buy you a beer.
I don't drink with old men.
Oh! Old man? Huh?
On your feet, ya pup. I'll turn YOU into an old man. Huh?
Huh? Hey? Come on. Huh?
You mongrel dog.
Aargh! You fucking dirty bastard!
Aarrrgggh...
Fuck!
Hey, he got his ear.
He bit off Kane's ear.
Gonna fucking kill you, Mikkelsen.
How you gonna hear where he is?
Eh?
You should clean yourself up.
Shut your mouth, Chuck, or I'll blow your head off too.
I'm wettin' my strides.
I'm gonna blow your head off, then your wife's,
then your fucking kids'.
You're a dead man, Kane.
You and your thickhead brother.
You're fucking dead.
Yeah?
OK, get started on that, matey.
Can I have a pony, Daddy?
Well, if you're a VERY good girl, maybe when you're older.
Oh, thanks, darling.
Oh, looks great.
Why always at teatime?
Hello?
Yeah, hi, Brian.
Yeah, sure.
Sounds a bit funny. Yeah.
Ahem!
Yep.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on.
Vinnie done what?!
Fucking bastard.
Oh, mate, I'll go round to Ray Chuck's right now,
kick his fucking head in.
Hey...
Oh, look, I'll find out where he lives, won't I?
Nah. Nah, mate. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brian! Listen to me.
Mate, he's gonna pay for this.
Yeah.
Ray Chuck reckons he's gonna kill me and Brian.
Of all the criticisms you could level at Les Kane,
being paranoid wasn't one of them.
While Brian had always kept his address secret,
and Ray Chuck had done the same since coming back from Manila,
everyone knew where Les and Judi lived.
Hey, hey, hey. Come here. Come on.
Hey. It's OK. Hey, hey.
I love you guys, I love you two.
Jeez, I love you two.
Justin, I love you, mate.
OK!
How deep is this? Eight, nine inches?
10, maybe.
Come on, Alli. A quick game's a good game.
Maria! Bring us the tape measure.
Marty's bought an industrial press in Bangkok.
Isabel.
Presses the powder into blocks.
So the volume is... 10,080.
If the false bottom's a quarter of the way up,
how many blocks can fit per suitcase?
Eight or nine. Depending on how they're wrapped.
'Sculpt'.
Oh!
10 k's per suitcase.
We're gonna triple the value of each run.
Triple our profits.
Might get my guy to make a sample.
Where'd you find a guy who can modify a suitcase?
Brian Alexander.
Pisshead knows everyone from garbos to the premier.
Maybe they shouldn't be black.
Why not? Lots of people have black ones.
Yeah, but you want it to be plain, Alli,
so it doesn't attract attention.
Yeah, but you don't want
some businessman from Perth walking off with YOUR case
thinking it's his.
You are so clever.
Terry.
I could fucking do you right here over this table.
Mmm! So. Tartan. Good.
No mistaking a good Campbell green.
Uh, Lennie? This is Ray I was telling you about.
He's from Melbourne, but don't hold that against him.
Ray, Lennie McPherson.
Bob says you wanna do a bit of business.
I heard you might have some hardware available.
What sort of hardware are we talking?
Couple of machine guns, modified for silencers.
Look, I think I'll let you two blokes wag your chins in private.
Custom-made shooters are gonna set you back a bit, cobber.
I hope the job's gonna be worth the outlay.
It is.
Question is...
..which one first?
Brian or Les?
No contest. Brian.
He threatened your kid, Ray. Messed up Vinnie's eyes.
Yeah, but Les is crazy.
Brian's a clown, but he's not crazy.
Which is why we should knock him.
We take Les out, Brian is a sitting duck.
Whichever one we do, we've gotta find them before they find us.
What do you reckon, Ray?
Watch out there, little mate.
After the ear-biting, Les moved to the outer suburbs.
He was a needle in a haystack.
Brian, meanwhile,
had trusted lieutenants, like the young Alphonse Gangitano,
looking for Ray Chuck.
..reckons he lives in Yarra Valley.
Other one said he lives in Sorrento.
Big old spooky mansion.
Chuck follows Richmond. For Christ's sake.
My superiors were a bit surprised when I explained
you wanted a phone tap.
Not used to coppers wanting to arrest crims?
Not used to a civil request from a State copper.
It'll take a while to survey Chuck's house,
get the technician down, put the tap in place.
I'm grateful for your help.
Wonder if you could do me a bit of a favour, actually.
Little while back, a young NSW DSC named Warwick Mobbs
cooperated in compiling a report
on the illegal activities of a certain colourful racing identity.
George Freeman.
I encouraged Mobbs to take the report to his Commissioner
in the belief Merv Wood was clean.
Ah.
Mobbs now finds himself patrolling the dusty streets of Wagga Wagga.
He's a good copper and I want him working for me.
He also worked the Donald Mackay murder
and I don't need to tell you
what a combination of conspiracy and balls-up that investigation was.
But Mobbs is pretty sure one of the Griffith cannabis growers
had a big hand in organising the hit.
Robert Trimbole. Hmm. Yes.
Well, Mobbs said you'd called the investigation,
you'd heard rumours in Melbourne prior to the Mackay murder
that an Italian was looking for an Anglo hit man for an Anglo hit.
That was a rumour from my detective's informant, yes.
Reliable bloke, your detective?
That's Daddy, that's me and that's you, Mummy.
Visitor, Cruickshank?
I'm sorry, sir, my husband was supposed to pick her up
but he's been caught up in investigation in Geelong.
Hmm. This is Inspector Priest, Commonwealth Police.
He has a request.
Sweetheart, why don't you go to the tearoom and get yourself a biscuit?
What can I do for you, sir?
Some time back you received information
an Italian was looking for a hit man.
Had to be white for a white hit. Mm-hm.
I have a few questions for your fizz, if you could give me his name.
I'd prefer not to reveal my informant, sir.
I wouldn't be putting any pressure on him,
just showing him a photograph.
I'd be very happy to ask him any questions that you have
and relay his response to Inspector Messina
or to you directly, whichever you prefer.
Sir.
Change that song before I rip the bloody radio out.
I said change the song, not turn it off.
I'll turn you off in a minute. Don't start.
Oh, look, God, Les, you've been like a bear with a sore head lately
and at dinner tonight,
ordering that waitress around like you're Lord Muck.
Hey, hey, hey, that's enough!
Now, wear this, alright? Why? Clam's gonna be dead.
I wanna wear it anyway.
You right?
Hey, Simon. Hi, mate. Hey, what are you doing out here?
Come on.
Come on, you go get yourselves ready for bed, I'll be in in a second!
Come on, mate. I think you've had enough.
Hey, 10 minutes.
Shit. What's that?
Oh, I stripped that bed this morning.
Les!
Les! Les!
Les!
My son. Where's my baby?
Daddy.
Where's my baby? Where is he? Where's my baby?
Bring me my baby! Please!
Please! Where's Daddy?
Stay here.
Hey. Hey, mate. Are you alright?
Are you alright, honey?
Hey, hey. You just stay here with your sister, OK?
Oh, Les. Oh.
Oh!
Oh, God.
Oh. GET OFF ME!
Mummy!
Mummy. Are you alright? Look at Mummy.
It's alright. It's alright. You're here with Mummy.
Brian.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Are you sure it was them?
Ray and Vinnie didn't even wear masks.
Only Laurie. Maybe he couldn't face me.
You need to leave, Brian.
'Cause Ray, he's gonna come after you next.
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm gonna get 'em.
Now, mate, we can do this all day.
I dunno, Brian. I swear.
Now, where is he? I dunno.
I swear.
Aarggh, aarggh, aarggh!
Want me to clean your teeth for you, cobber?
Huh? No?
Three, two, one...
He's gone, done a runner. Queensland.
Perth. Somewhere.
Trying to track down Les Kane.
He's not here.
Any idea where I might find him?
I haven't seen him since pay day.
Doesn't grow on trees, Bertie. You've gotta give me something first
Now, what's the deal with Les?
Sir.
A couple of things you should know about.
There's rumours of a feud among the painters and dockers.
Ray Chuck and the Kanes flexing their muscles again.
Think they run this city.
I think it's serious this time.
Why?
That information for Inspector Priest.
I'm having trouble finding my fizz.
Mmm.
My fizz is Les Kane, sir.
No-one's seen him for over a week.
Detective Inspector Messina, Senior Detective Cruickshank, Mrs Kane.
Is your husband in? Uh, no.
Where is he? He's out.
Mrs Kane, we've heard rumours about Les. Rumours he's in trouble.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Mrs Kane, this...
..war, feud, whatever you want to call it,
between your husband, his brother and Ray Chuck's crew...
Les is just out.
I'll let him know that you called.
Mrs Kane.
Is there anything we can do for you?
No, I'm fine. Thank you.
Not fine.
I can't find 'em.
They've gone to smoke, all three.
I need your help, Jude.
I need you to go to the jacks.
The cops were here earlier, looking for Les.
What'd you tell them?
Well, it's not going to bring him back, or make us safer.
If the pricks are in jail, they won't be able to hide.
Yeah, I don't care about them, Brian.
He hasn't spoken yet.
Not since...
And Martine keeps asking where her daddy's gone.
If I go to the cops, then this just keeps on going.
It keeps it in front of their faces, and they are what I care about.
And when I came home, the car was gone.
That's your husband's purple Futura?
Yes.
Les still not back?
I just thought that I should let you know about the car.
Judi,
let us help you.
I know this is hard.
But you have to tell us what's happened to Les,
what you know.
Yeah, I told you. He's gonna be home soon.
It could help you.
Help your children.
I can look after my children.
If you do change your mind.
Hello.
Judi did eventually make a statement.
Called Messina at 10:30 at night the next Sunday.
And when he heard what happened,
even that cool cucumber of a copper was shocked.
I've never forgotten that day.
When Mum came home she kept cuddling me and telling me she loved me.
She even let me sleep in bed with her and Dad.
I guess she never forgot it either.
My informant has been murdered.
At least, we believe so.
Sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry too.
Good luck with your investigation. Thank you for your help.
You won't be needing that phone tap now, will you?
Not if Ray Chuck's vanished again.
Now I want him for murder as well as robbery.
You sound like a real copper.
Good luck.
Inspector.
You still have authority for a phone tap?
Any chance you could put one on Chuck's mother's place?
We tend to take a dim view
of listening in to the phone calls of private citizens,
unless there's very, very strong evidence
it'll result in the arrest of a felon.
Ray Chuck's a family man.
He'll call his mum.
Vinnie was eventually tracked down in Western Australia.
He was working as a rigger under an assumed name
but he enrolled his kids under their real names at the local school.
Genius.
Laurie had been hiding in an outer suburb of Melbourne
but Mum eventually tracked him down too.
Drop it! Drop the gun! Drop it.
Drop it, Laurie. Drop the gun, Laurie.
Drop it now.
Victorian Major Crime.
Oh, thank Christ it's you guys.
He was just so glad they'd got to him before Brian Kane did.
And David Priest's phone tap came up trumps for Messina.
For Dave and Joe, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Merry Christmas, sexy.
Hey.
Mmm... mmm. Look what I got.
Take a look at this.
The bottom lifts out.
Is that...?
Icing sugar. Testing it for the weight.
Nine kilos fits easy.
This baby is gonna make me a fortune.
A fortune?
Then maybe soon we'll have enough money...
Enough for what?
Fiji?
When's enough enough?
Um...
I can't stay long. Oh, but it's Christmas.
Exactly. Duty calls.
You want the good news or the bad news?
Your money's history.
I tried.
I'm just hoping a few months working gratis will square the ledger.
Six months.
Six months?
Yeah. I lost a lot of hard-earned cash, Brian.
Six months and then it's back to business as usual.
Fair enough.
I take it that wasn't the good news.
Those pricks who ripped you off...
They won't give you any more trouble.
They're out of the picture. They're gonna disappear.
No. No need for details, mate. I'll leave it in your capable hands.
Oh, um...
My commiserations over your brother.
You heard what happened?
Oh, well, not really.
Ray Chuck fuckin' machine-gunned him.
That fuckin' coward got machine guns with silencers from somewhere
and killed Les in his own home, with the kids right there.
My little brother.
It's outrageous. God, what's the world coming to?
Oh, well.
Merry Christmas.
Yeah.
Merry Christmas.
Despite the Premier insisting
I close all these illegal casinos immediately,
it came to my attention that these premises employ over 300 staff.
Now, I'm as opposed to gambling as the next man
but to put off 300 hard-working New South Welshmen
just before Christmas...
Well, an old copper can be a bit flexible during the festive season.