Sharp Edge by Marianne Delacourt

Author:Marianne Delacourt [Delacourt, Marianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-922101-53-2
Publisher: Twelfth Planet Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

14

I woke up with a dry mouth and a headache. Rolling over, I saw Cass was still asleep on the fold out bed. She tended to work her way onto the top of her blankets and she liked to crook her knees up until she was curled in a ball.

I slipped my feet onto the cold lino and tested my ankle. It seemed less painful, so I tiptoed across to check on her. Her face was slack with sleep, her bottom lip jutting forward slightly. More tiptoeing took me over to my phone on the arm of the couch. It was 6.30am. Joanna would be up and I needed to have a conversation with her when Cass wasn’t around, so I headed to the main house after swinging by the loo.

The pool cover was peeled back, suggesting that someone had been up doing laps already. I yawned at the thought. Swimming wasn’t my favourite pastime. A splash in the warm salty sea was fine, but laps in a cold pool before breakfast—ungodly.

Joanna was sipping tea at the counter, reading a cookbook. I paused for a moment in the doorway. How should I start this conversation? She looked so sweet sitting there in her pale pink silky PJs, her aura slowly gently burbling around her. But the woman was made of kryptonite.

I took a deep breath and stepped into her den.

‘Morning Mum,’ I said and eased past her towards the coffee pot.

‘Moring darling, you’re up early.’ She took a moment or two before glancing up from her recipe.

I poured the coffee into one of her everyday Doulton china mugs and took a sip. ‘Nice flavour.’

‘From a little boutique roaster in Brisbane. Arabica, they’re called. Quite divine.’

‘Hmmmm…’ I said sipping again.

She closed the book and sat up straight. ‘What is it?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’re standing in my kitchen at 6.30am complimenting me on the coffee. Something’s on your mind.’

I nodded. Might as well get to it. ‘Yes actually ... you see, Liv’s done something.’

‘What do you mean? Is she alright? I spoke to her last night, and she said she’d be out in a day or so. Tara, what are you keeping from me?’

‘Mum, calm down. Liv’s fine as far as I know. But she asked me to call past the hospital yesterday. She told me that she’s bought me premises for my business.’

‘Your business?’ she said suspiciously.

‘My investigative agency.’

‘Oh, that’s what you call it?’

I let that go. ‘Yes. She’s purchased the old Gar Lok restaurant, near Wal’s flat. It needs to be re-outfitted a bit but there are two bedrooms upstairs.’

She was still for a moment, a guarded expression on her face. ‘When will you be moving out?’

‘Soon,’ I said. ‘The next few days.’

‘Very well.’

‘But…’

‘Yes.’

‘There’s the issue of Cass.’

‘A Chinese restaurant is no place for a sixteen-year-old girl,’ said Joanna.

‘I agree,’ I said. ‘So… I was wondering if she could stay here in the flat.’

Joanna blinked a few times then cleared her throat. ‘Why do you think that would be acceptable?’

‘You said yourself, the Gar Lok wouldn’t be right.

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