Page 13 of Plight
It was … a little, but I wanted to see where she lived.
“Okay. Do you have a pen?”
Again, like an idiot, I patted my chest for a pen and notepad. “No. I have a wheelbarrow and shovel, though.”
She laughed, which made me feel a little better. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t really need to write it down. It’s easy to remember, especially for you. Are you ready?”
“Yes, fire away.”
“23 Court Court, Essendon.”
“Court Court?”
“Yep.”
“Too easy.”
“I know.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Silence.
I waited for her to say something but it was clear she wasn’t going to after several seconds of nothing. “Right. See you soon.”
“Yes. Bye.”
Danielle hung up, and I grinned as I pocketed her phone. Right. Let’s see if this Chris really does exist.
Chris existed, because he wasthe six foot four, tower of lean muscle who answered her door.
“She’s just out back with Pugly,” he explained, after I clarified I was at the correct address and we introduced ourselves. And, yeah, I took note that he never mentioned being her boyfriend, instead saying, “I’m Chris. Come in.”
“Pugly?” I asked with a chuckle, as I followed him into a fairly new, two-storey townhouse.
“Yeah, Dani’s ugly as fuck pug dog.”
Another clue to strengthen my case against Chris being her boyfriend was the fact he referred to her as Dani. She’d always hated that abbreviation so I doubted she’d allow it as a term of endearment.
I smiled to myself. “Pug dog? Riiiight. So, do you live here, too?” I casually added, taking in the polished floorboards, freshly painted walls, and stunning framed scenic photographs lining the hallway we were walking along, one in particular catching my eye and halting my steps.
Chris smirked and double-backed. “Yeah, I do.”
“This is a great pic.”
“Sure is!”
“Is it the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge?”
“Yep. My cousin took it.” He gestured up and down the hallway with his hands. “She took all of these shots.”
“They’re pretty impressive.”
So impressive, that I was considering asking for her details so that I could buy a few for my office.
“They are, but that one’s my favourite because she’s scared as shit of heights.”
