standing in front of her, hands on hips. The black rucksack on her back made her look like a snake-necked tortoise.
‘Yeah? You and half Australia.’ Larceny drew hard on her cigarette and deliberately blew smoke up into the angry face looming down at her.
‘You were s’posed to divide the shoplifting money. Cathy and I waited but you never showed.’
‘Yeah? Well, I didn’t get any money. Sammy Soul pulled a scam.’
‘That’s what you say.’
‘Look, I don’t need any grief. I killed him, he’s dead. There’s no money, okay?’
Jane’s mouth fell open.
‘You killed him? When?’
‘When I did the runner. Last week, day before yesterday, I dunno, I can’t remember. A lot’s happened in the last few days.’
‘He was alive and well yesterday,’ said Jane. ‘I know, because I hocked a gold bracelet. The rat only gave me fifty bucks and it was worth at least two hundred.’
Larceny blinked. ‘Alive? Sammy Soul? He’s not — I didn’t kill him?’
‘Yeah. Pity you didn’t, but.’
Jane squatted beside her, her thin sly face eager and curious.
‘What happened?’
‘He was cheating on me so I walloped him withthe bag of stuff. I thought I’d killed him.’
‘Nah.’Jane grimaced. ‘You didn’t even do any major damage, though come to think of it he did have a bandaid on his forehead.’
‘Yeah. Right.’
So the little slime was alive and well. And she’d been thinking she was a killer. All that agonising for nothing. Okay, so she hadn’t been exactly agonising, but it was nice to know she wasn’t a murderer after all, she wasn’t Victoria’s Most Wanted. She wasn’t anyone’s most wanted.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked Jane.
‘Left. Done a runner.’
‘What about Cathy?’
‘That stupid slag? She’s gone to bits since Emma OD’ed and it sank in. Can’t get any sense outa her.’
‘Wait. Wait. Emma OD’ed? When? Where?’
‘In the mall a few days ago. Accidental, like. Goony and Avil.’
‘Accidental?’
Larceny recalled Emma’s tired, pinched face, the look of the lost: unwanted, unloved and tormented. She shook her head.
‘That kid knew exactly what she was doing,’ she said softly. ‘Exactly!’
She felt the anger starting to boil. The grey mist gathered before her eyes and the voices began their screeching chant. Kill. Kill.
‘Kill who?’ she said aloud, holding her screaming head. ‘I can’t kill the whole friggin’ government!’
‘What?’
She was aware of Jane peering at her. ‘What are you mumbling about, Larce?’
‘Never mind!’
Larceny shook her head, trying to clear away the mists of anger. All that crap in the paper she’d just read back at Lynx’s house. Half the suicides they’d put down as “accidentals” to make their stats look good. Now, Frantik was a genuine OD. She smiled grimly. They’d probably put him down on their computers as an attempted suicide. Jesus, would they ever get it right?
‘Where’re you sleepin’, then? Got a spare bed?’ asked Jane, with that foxy look on her face again. She was street smart, a real survivor, but definitely not to be trusted at all.
‘Plenty of spare beds,’ said Larceny laconically.
‘Great. Where?’
‘Here.’
‘Here?’
‘Roof over my head. Food on tap. What more could I want?’
‘You live here ?’
‘And other places,’ said Larceny shortly, thinking of the filthy one-room flat and Lynx’s Toorak mansion.
‘I’m gonna find Paul. He said to meet him here, cause this is where he hangs. Have you seen him?’
‘Nup. Don’t want to, either. He’s bad news.’
‘He’s got some good deals going on,’ said Jane.
‘Yeah? In his head!’
Jane pulled off the rucksack and squatted beside Larceny. ‘He’s into some network. Moving stuff, ya know?’
‘I thought after his last time in court he was going straight? That’s what he told me, although I didn’t trust him. He’s always too smooth. I thought his mum turned up and was going
‘Yeah? You and half Australia.’ Larceny drew hard on her cigarette and deliberately blew smoke up into the angry face looming down at her.
‘You were s’posed to divide the shoplifting money. Cathy and I waited but you never showed.’
‘Yeah? Well, I didn’t get any money. Sammy Soul pulled a scam.’
‘That’s what you say.’
‘Look, I don’t need any grief. I killed him, he’s dead. There’s no money, okay?’
Jane’s mouth fell open.
‘You killed him? When?’
‘When I did the runner. Last week, day before yesterday, I dunno, I can’t remember. A lot’s happened in the last few days.’
‘He was alive and well yesterday,’ said Jane. ‘I know, because I hocked a gold bracelet. The rat only gave me fifty bucks and it was worth at least two hundred.’
Larceny blinked. ‘Alive? Sammy Soul? He’s not — I didn’t kill him?’
‘Yeah. Pity you didn’t, but.’
Jane squatted beside her, her thin sly face eager and curious.
‘What happened?’
‘He was cheating on me so I walloped him withthe bag of stuff. I thought I’d killed him.’
‘Nah.’Jane grimaced. ‘You didn’t even do any major damage, though come to think of it he did have a bandaid on his forehead.’
‘Yeah. Right.’
So the little slime was alive and well. And she’d been thinking she was a killer. All that agonising for nothing. Okay, so she hadn’t been exactly agonising, but it was nice to know she wasn’t a murderer after all, she wasn’t Victoria’s Most Wanted. She wasn’t anyone’s most wanted.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked Jane.
‘Left. Done a runner.’
‘What about Cathy?’
‘That stupid slag? She’s gone to bits since Emma OD’ed and it sank in. Can’t get any sense outa her.’
‘Wait. Wait. Emma OD’ed? When? Where?’
‘In the mall a few days ago. Accidental, like. Goony and Avil.’
‘Accidental?’
Larceny recalled Emma’s tired, pinched face, the look of the lost: unwanted, unloved and tormented. She shook her head.
‘That kid knew exactly what she was doing,’ she said softly. ‘Exactly!’
She felt the anger starting to boil. The grey mist gathered before her eyes and the voices began their screeching chant. Kill. Kill.
‘Kill who?’ she said aloud, holding her screaming head. ‘I can’t kill the whole friggin’ government!’
‘What?’
She was aware of Jane peering at her. ‘What are you mumbling about, Larce?’
‘Never mind!’
Larceny shook her head, trying to clear away the mists of anger. All that crap in the paper she’d just read back at Lynx’s house. Half the suicides they’d put down as “accidentals” to make their stats look good. Now, Frantik was a genuine OD. She smiled grimly. They’d probably put him down on their computers as an attempted suicide. Jesus, would they ever get it right?
‘Where’re you sleepin’, then? Got a spare bed?’ asked Jane, with that foxy look on her face again. She was street smart, a real survivor, but definitely not to be trusted at all.
‘Plenty of spare beds,’ said Larceny laconically.
‘Great. Where?’
‘Here.’
‘Here?’
‘Roof over my head. Food on tap. What more could I want?’
‘You live here ?’
‘And other places,’ said Larceny shortly, thinking of the filthy one-room flat and Lynx’s Toorak mansion.
‘I’m gonna find Paul. He said to meet him here, cause this is where he hangs. Have you seen him?’
‘Nup. Don’t want to, either. He’s bad news.’
‘He’s got some good deals going on,’ said Jane.
‘Yeah? In his head!’
Jane pulled off the rucksack and squatted beside Larceny. ‘He’s into some network. Moving stuff, ya know?’
‘I thought after his last time in court he was going straight? That’s what he told me, although I didn’t trust him. He’s always too smooth. I thought his mum turned up and was going
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