Judgement Day by Mali Waugh

Author:Mali Waugh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2023-02-02T05:01:29+00:00

Chapter 17

The wake was held at an Italian wine bar opposite the Northcote Town Hall, at the top of Ruckers Hill. It was a dark, cool space with jazz playing through the speakers and waiters in white shirts and black aprons. Jillian and McClintock positioned themselves in a corner close to the entrance, where they could watch who came and went without drawing attention to themselves. They had not spoken since leaving the funeral parlour, and Jillian was too irritated to tell him what she’d overheard.

Although really, what did I overhear? But they were definitely covering something up, right?

Grant Phillips arrived with Harriet and another much younger woman, with whom he was talking intently. She had bright red hair, wore a dress that billowed in an unflattering way at her ankles and spoke in an authoritative bellow that suggested self-importance. Harriet did not involve herself in the conversation but instead focused all her attention on her left hand, where a scar ran the distance from thumb to wrist bone.

Self-harming?

Two polished-looking men in their mid-thirties moved around Jillian to approach the bar. ‘Jules tried to visit him the other day,’ the taller of the two told his friend. ‘She knows O’Neil well, he was her mentor when she started out. Anyway, his house had been busted open by the cops. I didn’t even realise they were a couple. Can’t see he’s got anything to do with it, though. He’s a softie.’

‘You’ve gotta be kidding,’ the other man said with a visible shudder. ‘I wanted to cross-examine his client once, and outside court he got in my face and started tearing strips off me. Bloody awful. Obviously . . .’

There we go again with men and ‘obvious’.

‘Apparently Helen’s freaking out about the Sharma trial,’ the first man said, nodding a greeting to the woman talking with Grant Phillips. ‘She’s worried they might have to start again.’ Then he added more lightly, ‘Seriously, mate, just ask him out already.’

The other man looked over at them incredulously. ‘You reckon she’s keen on Phillips?’

Virginia Maiden walked past arm in arm with her husband, ignoring the detectives.

‘Judge,’ the first man said. ‘Good to see you.’

‘Martin, how are you?’ Her face softened slightly. ‘And Dean. It’s almost like a little Brown’s List Reunion, isn’t it?’

Tim Buxton walked up and gave McClintock a familiar slap on the back, as though they were old friends. ‘You good, mate?’ he asked. ‘Any updates for us?’ He acknowledged Jillian with a nod, and not for the first time she wondered if her only means of gaining traction with the men in this world were extreme obsequiousness or explicit hostility.

What would you rather be, a doormat or a bitch?

Grant Phillips’ smiling face was the tonic to this moment of bitterness. He had appeared from across the room, bringing the red-haired woman and Harriet with him. ‘Lovely service, I thought,’ he said, looking down at her.

‘Helen McPherson,’ said the woman, offering her hand. ‘G’day Timmy,’ she said to Buxton who had remained next to McClintock.

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