I was probably more annoyed about my own failure than I was about his enjoyment of it.
He led the way. We left the car where it was and walked back down the laneway and onto the main drag. We trekked the short distance to Pirie Street and Ed pointed to a coffee shop. Its signage was pink and black, and very girly.
‘BTS?’ I asked.
‘Better than sex,’ he translated.
‘Huh.’ I cocked an eyebrow at him.
‘They do coffee and really good cupcakes … if you’re interested.’
I gave him a look. ‘I don’t think I’ll want to eat ever again. And since when did you eat cupcakes?’
‘You don’t know everything about me.’
‘Clearly not.’
We walked in and found a tiny table in the corner. The place was packed. I noticed there were a lot more women than men clustered around the tables, all with delicious-looking cupcakes and coffees in front of them.
‘You sure you don’t want one?’ he asked.
‘Just a coffee — but can we get a cupcake to takeaway?’
He ordered and we settled into a comfortable silence. The tension between us had evaporated, for the moment.
Ed studied my face when we were sitting. ‘Cass, they’ll find him. They’ll find Jenson.’
I nodded, but dark thoughts continued to creep into my mind. ‘I’ll have to ring Mum and Gran and tell them.’ I paused. ‘He wouldn’t come after us would he?’
‘I doubt he’d be so stupid but you need to be careful until they catch him. Lock the doors and don’t go places by yourself.’
I felt sick again but for completely different reasons.
We were halfway through our coffees when Ed’s phone rang.
‘Sorry, it’s Dave, I’d better answer.’
I watched his face as he took the call. He listened impassively, then his eyes widened with surprise.
‘Already?’ Ed said.
He nodded into the phone a few times. I could hear the reedy tones of Dave’s animated voice on the other end.
‘All right, I’m on my way.’
He ended the call and looked at me. ‘The dog found more remains.’
‘That was quick.’
‘He’d only been there for ten minutes before he got a hit.’
‘Wow. Is it more of the same body?’
‘Not unless the guy had two heads.’
With the roof of my mouth still smarting from downing a near-boiling cup of coffee, I trotted along two steps behind Ed as we headed back to our car. The routine was familiar, he always strode ahead when he was annoyed or stressed, but that didn’t make it any less annoying. Feeling like a serf following my master was guaranteed to put me back in a bad mood. The moment of harmony in the café had been so fleeting I wondered if I’d imagined it.
We climbed into the car and Ed zoomed off before I’d even had a chance to buckle my seatbelt, making my irritation climb another notch.
‘Sorry you had to rush. I’m just keen to get down to the site, and it’s a forty-five minute drive as it is. Bloody Crackers and his stupid ideas. If it weren’t for him I would’ve been down there already,’ Ed said.
I’d been staring out the window watching the city buildings zoom past and trying not to be annoyed, but the mention of Crackers and stupid ideas in the same sentence made my head snap around.
‘Using me is a stupid idea, is it?’
‘Oh come on! Don’t pick a fight again. Are you trying to tell me that touching decomposing remains was a good idea? Surely you realise now that the whole idea of you working this case is crazy.’
‘Would you be saying that if I’d had a more useful vision?’
‘But you didn’t.’
‘That’s not my fault.’
‘I never said it was, but I assumed that what you’ve just been through would be enough to convince you to tell Crackers to shove his job offer.’
‘I’m not convinced of anything.’
I watched him out of the corner of my eye. His neck was turning red.
‘I’ll drop you off on the way,’ he said.
‘It’s not on the way, it’s in the opposite direction. Will you go to Fairfield this afternoon after you’ve
He led the way. We left the car where it was and walked back down the laneway and onto the main drag. We trekked the short distance to Pirie Street and Ed pointed to a coffee shop. Its signage was pink and black, and very girly.
‘BTS?’ I asked.
‘Better than sex,’ he translated.
‘Huh.’ I cocked an eyebrow at him.
‘They do coffee and really good cupcakes … if you’re interested.’
I gave him a look. ‘I don’t think I’ll want to eat ever again. And since when did you eat cupcakes?’
‘You don’t know everything about me.’
‘Clearly not.’
We walked in and found a tiny table in the corner. The place was packed. I noticed there were a lot more women than men clustered around the tables, all with delicious-looking cupcakes and coffees in front of them.
‘You sure you don’t want one?’ he asked.
‘Just a coffee — but can we get a cupcake to takeaway?’
He ordered and we settled into a comfortable silence. The tension between us had evaporated, for the moment.
Ed studied my face when we were sitting. ‘Cass, they’ll find him. They’ll find Jenson.’
I nodded, but dark thoughts continued to creep into my mind. ‘I’ll have to ring Mum and Gran and tell them.’ I paused. ‘He wouldn’t come after us would he?’
‘I doubt he’d be so stupid but you need to be careful until they catch him. Lock the doors and don’t go places by yourself.’
I felt sick again but for completely different reasons.
We were halfway through our coffees when Ed’s phone rang.
‘Sorry, it’s Dave, I’d better answer.’
I watched his face as he took the call. He listened impassively, then his eyes widened with surprise.
‘Already?’ Ed said.
He nodded into the phone a few times. I could hear the reedy tones of Dave’s animated voice on the other end.
‘All right, I’m on my way.’
He ended the call and looked at me. ‘The dog found more remains.’
‘That was quick.’
‘He’d only been there for ten minutes before he got a hit.’
‘Wow. Is it more of the same body?’
‘Not unless the guy had two heads.’
With the roof of my mouth still smarting from downing a near-boiling cup of coffee, I trotted along two steps behind Ed as we headed back to our car. The routine was familiar, he always strode ahead when he was annoyed or stressed, but that didn’t make it any less annoying. Feeling like a serf following my master was guaranteed to put me back in a bad mood. The moment of harmony in the café had been so fleeting I wondered if I’d imagined it.
We climbed into the car and Ed zoomed off before I’d even had a chance to buckle my seatbelt, making my irritation climb another notch.
‘Sorry you had to rush. I’m just keen to get down to the site, and it’s a forty-five minute drive as it is. Bloody Crackers and his stupid ideas. If it weren’t for him I would’ve been down there already,’ Ed said.
I’d been staring out the window watching the city buildings zoom past and trying not to be annoyed, but the mention of Crackers and stupid ideas in the same sentence made my head snap around.
‘Using me is a stupid idea, is it?’
‘Oh come on! Don’t pick a fight again. Are you trying to tell me that touching decomposing remains was a good idea? Surely you realise now that the whole idea of you working this case is crazy.’
‘Would you be saying that if I’d had a more useful vision?’
‘But you didn’t.’
‘That’s not my fault.’
‘I never said it was, but I assumed that what you’ve just been through would be enough to convince you to tell Crackers to shove his job offer.’
‘I’m not convinced of anything.’
I watched him out of the corner of my eye. His neck was turning red.
‘I’ll drop you off on the way,’ he said.
‘It’s not on the way, it’s in the opposite direction. Will you go to Fairfield this afternoon after you’ve
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