Peter Corris: Lugarno

‘Yes? Who is it?’

‘Ms Larson?’

‘Who is it?’

‘My name’s Hardy. I’m a private detective working for Danni Price’s father.’

‘You’re joking. A private detective?’

“That’s right. I want to speak to her, please.’

‘What makes you think she’s here?’

‘Her car’s here.’

The intercom cut out and I swore and buzzed again.

“This is Danni Price. What d’you want?’

‘I want to stop having to press this buzzer. Then I want to come inside and talk to you fast.’

‘Why?’

‘Listen, I know about Jason and your stepmother. I know about your father’s mistress. He’s making a statement to the police right now. He wants to help you.’

‘I don’t need help.’

‘I wish I could say that. I think you do, Danni. You’re probably going to have to talk to the police, but it’d be better if you talked to me first.’

‘No. Go away.’

‘Okay, better get yourself ready to be charged with conspiracy to murder your stepmother.’ I left the entrance and walked back to the cars. The wind hadn’t let up and there was a bit of an edge to it that made the cuts on my head sting. I opened the car, dug an old poplin jacket out of the mess and put it on. The zipper was stuck but the extra layer was welcome.

Danni came out a few minutes later. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday — tank top, jeans and sneakers — and she shrugged into a denim jacket as she walked towards me. She was taller than I’d thought from seeing her mostly from a distance or sitting, and bore a strong resemblance to her father. She stopped a metre away and looked me over.

‘I saw you yesterday. At the pub.’

‘I followed you. Doing my job.’

‘Shit. Show me some ID.’

I did and she examined it closely before handing it back.

‘Can we go inside or sit in my car?’ I said, ‘It’s blowy out here.’

She shrugged and I opened the passenger door of the Falcon. She climbed in and I went around and got in behind the wheel.

‘Okay, Mr Fucking Detective, what’s this shit about me murdering Cunt-face?’

I told her that I had learned from her father that Jason had told him Danni had been supplying drugs to her stepmother and that the police were investigating drug dealing in the Georges River area. Now her stepmother was dead of a drug overdose, there were suspicious circumstances and the police were likely to question her closely.

She listened and unless she was a brilliant actress her growing expression of disbelief was entirely convincing.

‘Fuck me,’ she said. ‘Jason told Dad that and he believed him?’

‘So your father says.’

She shook her head and raked her fingers through her dark hair. “That’s crap. Jason must’ve been nuts to say a thing like that. I’ve never given cunt… Samantha any drugs. I would’ve had to breathe the same air as her to do that and I fucking wouldn’t.’

‘Why would Jason lie?’

‘Lots of reasons. You said you know some things about him and her. You work it out. This is such shit. Why’s Dad got you on the job?’

‘The original idea was to find out who was pushing drugs down your way including to your friend in the coma and use that as a lever to get you a break. Now he’s thinking to get you out of the country.’

She laughed and took a packet of cigarettes out of the pocket of the jacket. She put one in her mouth and leaned forward to use the lighter.

‘It doesn’t work.’

‘Shit. Have you got a light?’

‘No. I understand all about kids not liking replacement parents and if your… Samantha took Jason away from you I can see why you’d hate her. But your attitude seems a bit stronger than that. The woman’s dead and you celebrated the fact when your father told you. I saw it.’

She fumbled in the pockets of her jacket and came up with a lint-covered, scratched, disposable lighter. She wiped it on her sleeve and flicked it at least ten times until it worked and she got the cigarette alight. She wound the window down an inch or two and blew the smoke out. Manners. ‘I’ve got reasons, don’t you worry. You don’t know much at all. There’s no one in a coma.’

‘I know your father’s worried.’

‘Let him worry, the prick. Let little fucking A-cup Junie take care of him. They can do it at home now instead of in the office.’

I was getting out of my depth. She seemed to hate everybody, lucky there was no family dog. She smoked and stared through the windscreen at the trees being lashed violently around by the wind as if that was quite all right by her.

‘Look, Danni,’ I said. ‘Put your feelings about Samantha and Junie and your father aside. Two people are dead. Jason was murdered and Samantha might have been. Do you know anything…?’

‘What do you care? You’re just a fucking minder, aren’t you? A glorified bodyguard.’

I lost it a bit then. I grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards me. I poked at my ear a little too hard and felt the blood start to trickle. ‘See this? I got shot at last night at my house. And it has to be because of you and Jason and Sammy and your father and the whole fucking mess I’ve got involved in. This is personal for me now.’

The violence of my action and the blood had some effect on her. The hard shell fell away and she was a kid again and looking all the younger for smoking a cigaret te. She stared at me and her lower lip trembled.

‘You got shot?’

‘No, not really. The bullet missed. Glass cut me. But if you know anything about what’s been happening you should tell me now. Let me help.’

She recovered fast. ‘Yeah, so Dad can get me out of the country and fucking Interpol can come after me.’

‘I agree with you. That’s not a good idea. But there’s someone very dangerous out there. Do you know who pushes drugs in a big way in your part of the world?’

She shook her head.

‘Or why anyone’d want to kill Jason and Samantha?’

‘No. Except me.’

I reached in front of her to the glove box and got a tissue to blot up the blood. She took a last drag and dropped the cigarette out the window.

‘Well, we can rule you out for Samantha. I was watching you all morning.’

She nodded. ‘Will the cops search the house?’

‘I suspect so. Why?’

“They’ll find my stash.’

‘Of?’

‘Just dope. Look, I reckon Samantha’s been using drugs for years. All those models do to stay thin. She probably just got hold of a bad batch. Just dumb luck.’

‘What about Jason?’

She shrugged, took another cigarette and tried to light it but the lighter wouldn’t work. She shrugged. ‘I don’t know about Jase any more. I didn’t like some of the things he was getting into. Then, once he started fucking her I didn’t give a shit about him.’

Is that why you keep his picture there? I thought.

She fiddled with the cigarette and then crushed it in her hand. ‘Is that it, then?’

‘You should go home. See your father and talk to the police.’

‘Fuck you and him and them.’ She jerked open the door and ran for the house, moving like a sprinter. I couldn’t have caught her even if I’d had a reason to.

I considered going over to Hurstville and making a complete statement to the police and getting shot of the whole thing. Something held me back. Professional pride? I don’t think so. Possibly it was something about Danni, who seemed different from the image I’d had from talking to Price and Samantha about her. When I’d said she needed help I meant it, but what kind of help I wasn’t sure. Something. But it was probably mostly to do with someone having shot at me. Couldn’t have that. I had to know who and why and had to do something about it. Anyway, the police’d catch up with me sooner or later. Stankowski and Hammond didn’t look lazy or like quitters.