cheerful and stylish white summer dress covered in yellow and
green flowers, its short sleeves showcasing her bulging biceps.
The two men gawped at
her, and I introduced them. She shook hands with them with her
solid grip, making them both wince in pain.
“ Nice
to meet you,” she said cordially. “Hope you’re enjoying your
stay.”
“ They’re heading back to the city right now,” I informed her,
hoping briefly that didn’t come off like a huge hint.
“ Not
much mail for you today,” she said, handing over a letter and a
small parcel. “Looks like another gift from the Sarge.”
“ That’s his handwriting,” I confirmed, taking it from
her.
“ Finn
sends you gifts?” asked Harley with interest.
“ One
or two,” I lied. He’d sent me one every week since he’d
left.
“ See,
I told you he misses you.”
I didn’t feel the need
to respond to that for a second time.
Trig sighed and looked
at his watch. “We have to get moving.” He slid the police house
keys across the counter. “It was an experience meeting you,
Tess.”
“ Not
a pleasure?”
“ No,
not particularly. Perhaps in different circumstances.”
“ I’m
not always as bad as this.”
“ Glad
to hear that, for Finn’s sake.”
“ It
was good of you to drive all the way here to see me,” I said,
trying mightily to remember my manners. Nana Fuller would not have
approved of my behaviour towards them so far.
Harley stuck out his
hand, and this time I didn’t let it hang, but shook it, following
up by also shaking Trig’s hand.
“ Drive safely,” I said.
As they left, Joanna
following them out the door, Baz arrived, and he spent a further
five minutes chatting to the two men before they finally set off on
the long drive back to the city.
Seeing that the letter
was from the Deputy Commissioner, I put it in Baz’s in-tray unread,
not being particularly interested in anything that man had to say.
Then I threw the gift from Maguire into the bottom drawer of my
desk to join all the others. A lot of them I hadn’t even bothered
to unwrap.
“ Nice
lads,” Baz said, throwing his newspaper on his desk and settling
his big frame into his chair. “A cup of tea would go down a treat,
Tezza.”
“ Yeah, yeah. You could make your own tea now and then. Or God
forbid, even make me a cup on occasion.”
He disregarded my
tartness with a laugh.
“ How
much longer do you think you’ll be here?” I asked, jiggling teabags
with vigour.
“ Until you’re suitably wrangled, I suppose. Or when the Deputy
Commissioner stops being pissed off at you.”
I handed him his tea
and took a sip of mine. “That will be never.”
“ But
most likely I’ll be off when Finn returns.”
“ You
seem so sure he’ll return. Have you heard how the internal
investigation is going?”
“ Ask
the Super.”
“ Nah.
I’m not really speaking to her at the moment.”
“ Come
on, Tezza. You’re going to have to let it go eventually. It’s not
Fiona’s fault you went batshit crazy and got yourself disciplined.
From what I’ve heard, she tried to get you to leave the room before
it escalated further.”
I didn’t respond,
though I silently acknowledged the truth of what he’d said.
Instead, I opened the cupboards in the kitchen, staring inside with
no joy.
“ Why
don’t you ever buy me Tim Tams? Maguire always made sure there were
plenty of packets.”
“ Because, love, if I buy them, I’ll eat them, and that’s not
something I really need,” he said, patting his generous stomach.
“And besides, I can’t afford to keep you in Tim Tams. I have an
ex-wife, a mortgage, and three kids at university to support. They
suck up every spare cent I have.”
“ I
can’t afford to buy them either,” I said morosely. The phone
ringing momentarily dragged me away from my sad Tim Tam-less
musings. “Mount Big Town police station.”
“ Officer Tess, it’s Valmae Kilroy here.”
“ Hi,
Valmae. How can I help you?”
“
green flowers, its short sleeves showcasing her bulging biceps.
The two men gawped at
her, and I introduced them. She shook hands with them with her
solid grip, making them both wince in pain.
“ Nice
to meet you,” she said cordially. “Hope you’re enjoying your
stay.”
“ They’re heading back to the city right now,” I informed her,
hoping briefly that didn’t come off like a huge hint.
“ Not
much mail for you today,” she said, handing over a letter and a
small parcel. “Looks like another gift from the Sarge.”
“ That’s his handwriting,” I confirmed, taking it from
her.
“ Finn
sends you gifts?” asked Harley with interest.
“ One
or two,” I lied. He’d sent me one every week since he’d
left.
“ See,
I told you he misses you.”
I didn’t feel the need
to respond to that for a second time.
Trig sighed and looked
at his watch. “We have to get moving.” He slid the police house
keys across the counter. “It was an experience meeting you,
Tess.”
“ Not
a pleasure?”
“ No,
not particularly. Perhaps in different circumstances.”
“ I’m
not always as bad as this.”
“ Glad
to hear that, for Finn’s sake.”
“ It
was good of you to drive all the way here to see me,” I said,
trying mightily to remember my manners. Nana Fuller would not have
approved of my behaviour towards them so far.
Harley stuck out his
hand, and this time I didn’t let it hang, but shook it, following
up by also shaking Trig’s hand.
“ Drive safely,” I said.
As they left, Joanna
following them out the door, Baz arrived, and he spent a further
five minutes chatting to the two men before they finally set off on
the long drive back to the city.
Seeing that the letter
was from the Deputy Commissioner, I put it in Baz’s in-tray unread,
not being particularly interested in anything that man had to say.
Then I threw the gift from Maguire into the bottom drawer of my
desk to join all the others. A lot of them I hadn’t even bothered
to unwrap.
“ Nice
lads,” Baz said, throwing his newspaper on his desk and settling
his big frame into his chair. “A cup of tea would go down a treat,
Tezza.”
“ Yeah, yeah. You could make your own tea now and then. Or God
forbid, even make me a cup on occasion.”
He disregarded my
tartness with a laugh.
“ How
much longer do you think you’ll be here?” I asked, jiggling teabags
with vigour.
“ Until you’re suitably wrangled, I suppose. Or when the Deputy
Commissioner stops being pissed off at you.”
I handed him his tea
and took a sip of mine. “That will be never.”
“ But
most likely I’ll be off when Finn returns.”
“ You
seem so sure he’ll return. Have you heard how the internal
investigation is going?”
“ Ask
the Super.”
“ Nah.
I’m not really speaking to her at the moment.”
“ Come
on, Tezza. You’re going to have to let it go eventually. It’s not
Fiona’s fault you went batshit crazy and got yourself disciplined.
From what I’ve heard, she tried to get you to leave the room before
it escalated further.”
I didn’t respond,
though I silently acknowledged the truth of what he’d said.
Instead, I opened the cupboards in the kitchen, staring inside with
no joy.
“ Why
don’t you ever buy me Tim Tams? Maguire always made sure there were
plenty of packets.”
“ Because, love, if I buy them, I’ll eat them, and that’s not
something I really need,” he said, patting his generous stomach.
“And besides, I can’t afford to keep you in Tim Tams. I have an
ex-wife, a mortgage, and three kids at university to support. They
suck up every spare cent I have.”
“ I
can’t afford to buy them either,” I said morosely. The phone
ringing momentarily dragged me away from my sad Tim Tam-less
musings. “Mount Big Town police station.”
“ Officer Tess, it’s Valmae Kilroy here.”
“ Hi,
Valmae. How can I help you?”
“
Similar Books
