Sharp Turn - Marianne Delacourt [44]
I collected my hot chocolates from Craigo and paid him. ‘Who’s the new guy?’
‘Cute, huh?’ said Craigo. ‘Just in town for a week on work. You should see him in kickboxing class. Un-be-liev-able. And h-o-t.’ He waved his fingers as if they were on fire and blew on them.
I headed out to Mona, balancing the drinks and feeling my ego soothed a little. Ed wasn’t the only one who could pull the opposite sex.
I scoffed down Cass’s eggs, bacon and toast in record time. ‘D’lish. What’s the sauce?’
She grinned. ‘Hollandaise. Joanna makes it.’
‘Really?’
Joanna makes it. Why was the vampire lady chumming up to Cass?
‘What are you going to do about the threats?’ she asked.
I shrugged. ‘Bolo doesn’t want the police involved.’
‘Sounds dodgy.’ Her tone suggested she was a connoisseur of such things.
‘Not necessarily,’ I said, thinking about my own reluctance to get the police involved in my problems. ‘Sometimes it just gets too messy.’
She shook her head. ‘Dodgy.’
I swallowed my annoyance at being contradicted. ‘Whatever. Let’s go.’
After swapping Mona for the van at Jim’s place, we headed for the track.
‘So how was dinner last night?’ I asked.
‘Great. Actually, your mum and dad are pretty cool.’
‘You are kidding?’ I teased.
‘No.’ She scowled at me and stared moodily out the window.
‘How are my parents possibly cool?’ I asked, when it became obvious she was sulking.
‘Well, they eat their meals together. And they talk to each other without shouting. Your dad washes up for your mum. Just cool stuff. Okay?’
I suddenly felt bad for not appreciating all the blessings in my life; and for wanting to have my flat-stroke-garage back to myself.
‘I guess that is pretty cool,’ I admitted. Then I tackled the so-far unspoken thing. ‘Look, it’s been great having you help me out, but the job will only last a few more days. Bolo wants a result before the race. So we should talk about what you’re going to do next, where you can live, you know, long term.’
‘I’m not going home.’
I thought of the ring of bruises around her neck.
‘Fair enough.’
‘You want me out.’ It was a statement.
‘No, Cass. But it’s a small flat and I’m busy doing stuff. I don’t want you being lonely and not having things of your own to do.’
She stayed silent.
‘I’m asking around for a job for you,’ I added.
‘Can’t I just work for you? Like Wal does.’
It took me two sets of traffic lights to think of a reply. ‘Err . . . well . . . that’s sweet of you . . . but . . . thing is, a lot of the time I don’t make enough to be able to pay you. I can barely pay Wal. And here’s the thing . . .’
She tilted her face towards me, listening intently.
I didn’t know how to say this delicately, so I opted for my usual direct approach. ‘To be any kind of investigator you need to be able to read.’
A few more traffic lights passed.
It was another bright-sunshine-with-cool-wind kind of day; the type that makes you feel you can move mountains. There was energy in the air.
Since working with Hoshi and learning more about my gift/curse, I’d realised my sensitivity to the weather. When the pressure dropped, I felt like a slug on Valium. On days like this I usually felt charged, but today too many things were weighing on me.
I’d turned right off the coast road towards Wanneroo before Cass spoke again.
‘So . . . you sayin’ if I could read better, you’d let me work for you?’
Damn!
‘Well . . . yeah . . . I guess so . . . but I’d also have to be making enough to pay you, you know, long term, which I’m not at the moment.’
She nodded absently, as if the idea of payment was of little or no consequence. I didn’t push it any further and we moved on to talking about Bolo and the death threat.
She looked at the picture on my phone and pulled a face. ‘Looks like it came off a porn site,’ she said with authority.
I didn’t ask her how she’d know.
Chapter 14
AFTER A WAVE TO Jase on the way through the gates, I parked the van in the allotted place and hooked up to the power.
‘You alright to set up while I do a circuit?’ I asked Cass.
She nodded and climbed into the back of the van.