rescue.’
‘Not exactly,’ Billy said, offering up a hand.
Cal looked at him. ‘My hands are full making my sister’s stupid drinks. But hi.’
He put the drinks on the bar in front of them and waved away Martha’s attempt to pay. ‘I’ve got free drinks in the till like you wouldn’t believe.’
‘We saved the guy’s life,’ Martha said. ‘I think. He’s in a coma anyway.’
Cal checked the bar – no waiting punters. He leaned forward and placed his chin on his hand.
‘So, tell all, chicken.’
She did. The obit desk, the call, the shooting, the taxi, the hospital. In between she sooked her vodka through a straw and glanced at Billy. Felt like touching his damaged face. She’d read in one of those news reports that he’d had some kind of brain surgery, which explained the scarring at the back of his head. She wanted to feel what the skin was like, see if she could feel the tremor of damage underneath.
After delivering more long vodkas, Cal gave himself the night off since there were no punters to serve, and joined them at the drinking side of the bar. They moved on to Jägermeisters. Stupid, but Martha told herself she didn’t have to start till noon. How bad could the morning damage be? And she needed this, needed the release.
Martha turned to Cal. ‘I told Billy about Ian. We walked from the office down North Bridge.’
‘So you’ve seen the scene of the crime,’ Cal said.
‘Suicide’s not a crime.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Cal tilted his head. ‘I don’t know why you give a shit, sis. The prick left Mum as soon as he found out she was expecting us.’
‘She kicked him out,’ Martha said.
‘You guys are twins?’ Billy said. ‘I didn’t realise.’
Cal rolled his eyes and nudged Martha. ‘He’s about to say we don’t look alike.’
‘Everyone says that,’ Martha said.
Billy smiled. ‘Well, you don’t.’
Martha kept her eyes on Billy’s face as she downed her shot. She could get used to that smile.
17
‘I can’t believe they haven’t fixed the door yet,’ Martha said. ‘Don’t these people want to be secure in their homes?’
She pushed the door open and headed upstairs to Ian’s flat. Cal and Billy gave each other a look as they followed. The door to the flat was wedged closed, the lock still broken, but a small nudge opened it.
‘This feels wrong,’ Billy said. ‘Breaking and entering.’
‘We didn’t break in,’ Martha said. ‘Well, we did last time, not this time.’
She turned to Cal. ‘Billy is just a bit nervous about breaking the law. He’s “known to police”, as we journalists say.’
Cal put on a mock impressed face. ‘Really?’
Martha tapped her nose and spoke in a stage whisper. ‘It’s a secret.’
In the living room, Martha headed for the alcove shelf with the spirits on it. She examined the bottles. ‘He doesn’t like to talk about it. But I heard a rumour down at the office.’
‘V,’ Billy said.
Cal looked puzzled. ‘V?’
Martha held up a bottle of schnapps and squinted. ‘This crazy American woman, into wrestling. You’d love her, Cal, she’s nuts. It’s V for Virginia.’ She turned to the boys. ‘Yes, V mentioned something, then I did a little research of my own, so you might as well come clean.’
‘If you pour us some drinks I will,’ Billy said, slumping into a sofa.
Martha disappeared to get glasses from the kitchen, then re-emerged clinking three in her hand. Poured out hefty measures and handed them out.
‘I was involved in a hit and run,’ Billy said to Cal. ‘It was pretty complicated. I’d been drinking. The guy I hit was a criminal.’
‘A crime lord, in journalistic parlance,’ Martha said, waving her drink.
Cal’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh shit, you’re that guy from the news a couple of years ago.’
‘He’s that guy,’ Martha said, examining her dad’s shelves of albums.
Billy raised his schnapps and sipped.
‘Shouldn’t you be in prison?’ Cal said.
Martha pulled an album
‘Not exactly,’ Billy said, offering up a hand.
Cal looked at him. ‘My hands are full making my sister’s stupid drinks. But hi.’
He put the drinks on the bar in front of them and waved away Martha’s attempt to pay. ‘I’ve got free drinks in the till like you wouldn’t believe.’
‘We saved the guy’s life,’ Martha said. ‘I think. He’s in a coma anyway.’
Cal checked the bar – no waiting punters. He leaned forward and placed his chin on his hand.
‘So, tell all, chicken.’
She did. The obit desk, the call, the shooting, the taxi, the hospital. In between she sooked her vodka through a straw and glanced at Billy. Felt like touching his damaged face. She’d read in one of those news reports that he’d had some kind of brain surgery, which explained the scarring at the back of his head. She wanted to feel what the skin was like, see if she could feel the tremor of damage underneath.
After delivering more long vodkas, Cal gave himself the night off since there were no punters to serve, and joined them at the drinking side of the bar. They moved on to Jägermeisters. Stupid, but Martha told herself she didn’t have to start till noon. How bad could the morning damage be? And she needed this, needed the release.
Martha turned to Cal. ‘I told Billy about Ian. We walked from the office down North Bridge.’
‘So you’ve seen the scene of the crime,’ Cal said.
‘Suicide’s not a crime.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Cal tilted his head. ‘I don’t know why you give a shit, sis. The prick left Mum as soon as he found out she was expecting us.’
‘She kicked him out,’ Martha said.
‘You guys are twins?’ Billy said. ‘I didn’t realise.’
Cal rolled his eyes and nudged Martha. ‘He’s about to say we don’t look alike.’
‘Everyone says that,’ Martha said.
Billy smiled. ‘Well, you don’t.’
Martha kept her eyes on Billy’s face as she downed her shot. She could get used to that smile.
17
‘I can’t believe they haven’t fixed the door yet,’ Martha said. ‘Don’t these people want to be secure in their homes?’
She pushed the door open and headed upstairs to Ian’s flat. Cal and Billy gave each other a look as they followed. The door to the flat was wedged closed, the lock still broken, but a small nudge opened it.
‘This feels wrong,’ Billy said. ‘Breaking and entering.’
‘We didn’t break in,’ Martha said. ‘Well, we did last time, not this time.’
She turned to Cal. ‘Billy is just a bit nervous about breaking the law. He’s “known to police”, as we journalists say.’
Cal put on a mock impressed face. ‘Really?’
Martha tapped her nose and spoke in a stage whisper. ‘It’s a secret.’
In the living room, Martha headed for the alcove shelf with the spirits on it. She examined the bottles. ‘He doesn’t like to talk about it. But I heard a rumour down at the office.’
‘V,’ Billy said.
Cal looked puzzled. ‘V?’
Martha held up a bottle of schnapps and squinted. ‘This crazy American woman, into wrestling. You’d love her, Cal, she’s nuts. It’s V for Virginia.’ She turned to the boys. ‘Yes, V mentioned something, then I did a little research of my own, so you might as well come clean.’
‘If you pour us some drinks I will,’ Billy said, slumping into a sofa.
Martha disappeared to get glasses from the kitchen, then re-emerged clinking three in her hand. Poured out hefty measures and handed them out.
‘I was involved in a hit and run,’ Billy said to Cal. ‘It was pretty complicated. I’d been drinking. The guy I hit was a criminal.’
‘A crime lord, in journalistic parlance,’ Martha said, waving her drink.
Cal’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh shit, you’re that guy from the news a couple of years ago.’
‘He’s that guy,’ Martha said, examining her dad’s shelves of albums.
Billy raised his schnapps and sipped.
‘Shouldn’t you be in prison?’ Cal said.
Martha pulled an album
Similar Books
