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“I’m not moving. This is my home.”
“Oh, Drum. This is serious. This group wants a meeting with the mayor and the mayor is a nervous man. He doesn’t want any fuss.”
“I understand.”
“You say that, but I don’t think you do. There is no downside for the mayor in siding with the action group. He can have you removed and board up the cave.”
“He will do what he must. I can’t change that.”
He felt Foley drop her head to the back of the couch. She was distressed and he’d done that to her. He would keep doing that to her, because he didn’t know how to stop. “When do they meet with the mayor?”
“I’m not sure, but the local paper knows about this. They’ll run a story as early as tomorrow. People might come looking for you. People like whoever trashed your stuff. It’s not safe, Drum.”
“I’ll be fine.”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “You are an exasperating man.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. You’re not.” She laughed, a brittle sound. “You’re sorry you yelled at me. You’re sorry you scared me stupid, but you’re not sorry you’re being a shit. If you’re staying then we have to make a new deal. You’ll move out in four days time for the two weeks of the Sculptures by the Coast event. Between now and then we’ll check in with each other every day.”
He stood up and stepped away from the couch. “I don’t want this new deal.” This new deal was a disaster if it meant he had to keep seeing her.
“Well, I already broke the old one. I know you don’t want me here. I understand that, but I can’t let you be here and not know you’re safe. You can choose how we do this. We can meet somewhere, or I can give you a loaner phone and you can call me.”
“I don’t want a phone.”
She nodded. “Why don’t you choose somewhere for us to meet? It need only be for a minute. I only need to see that you’re okay. We don’t need to speak.”
He didn’t want any deals. He didn’t care about petitions and if they boarded the cave up he’d have firewood, or maybe even half a wall; that would be useful. He watched the rain drift on the horizon, coming closer.
Last night he’d tried to make sure not too many people saw him and Foley together. She shouldn’t be seen with him. There we
re hundreds of places he could meet her, but unless the weather co-operated or they met in the dead of night, people would see. He didn’t want to meet her and he didn’t want to stop.
“In the park, at the bent tree,” he said. “We can meet there.”
11: Dishonest
Hugh put his hand to the top of his head and blew out a breath. He reminded Foley of a steaming kettle, all handle, spout and lid. Gabriella reminded her of a slow loris, terminally cute, but deadly.
Nat’s paper with the story about Drum, the resident action group and their two thousand signature strong petition was front page of The Courier, and front and centre on Hugh’s desk. The slow loris stood on Hugh’s right, blinking her big brown eyes.
Foley stood by the bookshelf with the perspex dust collector in her hands. For the second day in a row she was under attack and perspex made a better weapon than Chinese food.
“Run this past me again, Gab,” said Hugh. He was being reasonable; being cautious with the slow loris. They were one of the world’s most poisonous animals, secreting toxins and sending their victims into anaphylactic shock with their bite.
Foley wanted to shoot, tag and bag Gabriella, turn her into a hideous taxidermy model and throw darts at her.
“Like I said, I felt we needed a backup plan in case Foley failed,” said the slow loris, turning her toxin into poison.
Foley moved the perspex from hand to hand. It had sharp corners. “I wasn’t going to fail. I haven’t failed. We have a deal.”
Hugh took his hand off his head. “Foley, you’re not helping. Let Gab finish.”
“There’s no way this can be traced to us. I am one hundred percent confident of that,” she said.
Foley jumped in. “The fact that you’re—”
