Soon by Charlotte Grimshaw

him in the frank way she had before, down at the pool. But they found the full company assembled at the tables under the pohutukawa tree. Troy and Shane were tending to the snacks and drinks, Karen and Juliet had returned from a trip to town, Ed was holding a drink and a phone and was texting while he talked to the ladies, and David was standing off to the side conferring with the Cock. The Cock’s wife now appeared on the deck, in conversation with Trent.
    David and the Cock settled their private discussion and sat down.
    â€˜It’s a matter of managing the optics,’ the Cock said.
    â€˜Set up your working group,’ David said. ‘Get the people you want on it, maybe Dame Maud Spalding, then when they bring out their dire report, move in and fix up the disaster. But less radically than they recommend, right?’
    â€˜Dame Maud’s already on two working groups. She’s booked solid. Legal aid, welfare reform. Prisons.’
    â€˜Well, who else is as useful as her? You can find someone.’
    The Cock said, ‘We need to discuss the other thing. The emergency recovery legislation. The latitude that allows us. If we’re really bold.’
    David nodded. They started talking about the floods in Queensland.
    The Cock’s wife came across the lawn to kiss Roza. ‘I’ve been talking to your Trent. Where do you get such sexy help? Is there a Sexy Help Shop?’
    Simon thought of the thing he’d heard Claire say about men: sometimes it just takes one thing. They say one thing and you know you’d never go out with them.
    Karen said, ‘They’re pretty gorgeous, Roza’s polo-shirt brigade.’
    Ed Miles leaned over to her and whispered, ‘I don’t think they’re interested in women of your age.’
    Karen gave him a startled look and turned away.
    The Cock’s wife was celebrated for being the mother of twins, a patron of the arts and a beauty. The other big thing about Sharon Cahane was that she ‘didn’t take herself too seriously’. She sat down, accepted a drink from Troy, and beamed at the Cock, who looked back steadily.
    â€˜We got stuck in a traffic jam. What a fuss he made. He sat in the back making threats at the driver. I’ve never known anyone as impatient as my husband. He nearly blew a valve.’
    The Cock was expressionless. ‘I was perfectly calm,’ he said.
    â€˜There must have been an accident, but he’s saying he wants the roads cleared, he wants heads to roll.’
    â€˜I have no idea what my wife is talking about,’ said the Cock.
    â€˜Mate, you could have choppered up here,’ David said.
    â€˜What would have been the optics of that ?’ Roza said.
    The Cock smiled. ‘Indeed.’
    Sharon said, ‘Roza, Juliet, Karen, I’ve been meaning to say I want you to come to my book group. We’re going to have it at Trish’s as soon as she’s ready — something to cheer her up. Trish doesn’t actually read the books, she just likes a laugh. Poor Trish.’
    There was a respectful silence.
    Juliet said, ‘It was an amazing funeral.’
    â€˜Wasn’t it amazing?’
    â€˜And Trish is being amazingly brave.’
    â€˜She’s an amazing woman.’
    â€˜My wife spends her life in a state of astonishment,’ said the Cock. ‘If she’s not amazed, she’s stunned. If something isn’t unbelievable, it’s incredible. If my life were full of such extremes I might die of shock.’
    Sharon tapped her long nails on her glass.
    â€˜Listen to him.’
    â€˜He’s off.’
    â€˜ Anyway  . . .’
    The Cock turned to David. ‘On a lighter note, Vince Buckley wants us to talk about suicides.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜The Chief Coroner wants suicides to be publicised, and Buckley’s taken up the cry. More people kill themselves each year than die on the roads. He wants us to discuss