Now You See Me (4 page)

‘Sharon ...’ Noel sighed. ‘Look, you’re probably right. But I have to follow it up. It’s my job.’

‘How do you cope with it?’ Sharon mimicked her. ‘How come you’re not all cynical and burnt out like other journalists? How do you sleep at night?’ She smiled briefly, with no warmth, and walked out of the cafe.

*

‘I lost it a bit, today,’ Sharon said to Mick. They were in the bath together, late at night, the spa jets bubbling through the fragrant salts. ‘That Noel Baker, the journalist. I’d better ring her up and apologise. She’s not as full of bullshit as most of them, though she’s a bit gung ho. I actually quite like her.’

‘Do you? Actually?’ He leered at her through the steam, reaching for her breasts. ‘And how wa
s
m
y
day, darling? I thought you’d never ask.’

‘I know how your day was.’ She stopped herself from sliding under the water by grasping his leg. ‘Briefing a barrister to get some slime off on fraud charges. Filing bankruptcy for some other sleaze, helping him hide his Swiss bank accounts. Our whole relationship is a study in conflict of interest.’

‘Except where it counts.’ He probed between her legs with his big toe. She ran her hands up from his ankle to his thigh, lightly cupping his testicles as his erection grew.

‘I reckon I’m on a promise tonight, don’t you?’ he said.

‘Sure.’ She answered lightly, standing up and reaching for a towel. She climbed out of the giant bath and stood drying herself, watching him in the mirror as he wallowed in the foam. ‘Mick, this Gus Farrell. He is guilty, isn’t he?’

‘Who Gus Farrell? Oh, you have such a lovely bum. So firm, yet so plump. So ripe, so smooth, yet slightly furry ... Like pomegranates, etcetera.’

‘Get off. That was breasts, anyway.’ She flicked water at him. ‘You know quite well who he is. The Belinda Carey murder; the stepfather. You were in law school with him.’

‘Total nerd. Was then, always will be. Course he’s guilty, why do you ask? Even I couldn’t save him.’

‘Yes. I know. He’s guilty.’ She carefully shook out the towel and put it back on the rack. ‘See you in bed,’ she said.

Belinda’
s
stepdadd
y
use
d
th
e
broo
m
handl
e
i
n
he
r
vagin
a
whe
n
sh
e
wa
s
ver
y
smal
l.
Late
r
h
e
woul
d
hav
e
preferre
d
hi
s
ow
n
dic
k.
M
y
ow
n
fathe
r
wa
s
mor
e
inventiv
e;
anythin
g
smoot
h
an
d
sli
m
an
d
rounde
d.
Th
e
handle
s
o
f
kitche
n
utensil
s—
eg
g
slice
s
an
d
sou
p
dipper
s;
th
e
woode
n
grip
s
o
f
a
n
ol
d
skippin
g
rop
e;
th
e
plugge
d
an
d
oile
d
lon
g
neck
s
o
f
bee
r
bottle
s;
occasionall
y
th
e
middl
e
finger
s
o
f
hi
s
righ
t
han
d—
al
l
wen
t
u
p
m
y
ars
e
a
t
on
e
tim
e
o
r
anothe
r.
Everythin
g
grease
d
wit
h
butte
r
o
r
cookin
g
oi
l.
Nothin
g
pushe
d
i
n
to
o
fa
r.
Fa
r
enoug
h
t
o
hur
t,
bu
t
seldo
m
an
y
bloo
d
.

Yo
u
use
d
t
o
as
k
m
e
whe
n
thi
s
starte
d,
whe
n
wa
s
m
y
firs
t
memor
y,
an
d
I
coul
d
neve
r
answe
r.
I
t
ha
d
alway
s
bee
n
th
e
cas
e.I
couldn’
t
remembe
r
a
tim
e
whe
n
i
t
ha
d
no
t
bee
n
par
t
o
f
m
y
lif
e.I
d
o
remembe
r
th
e
firs
t
tim
e
h
e
pu
t
hi
s
coc
k
i
n.I
mus
t
hav
e
bee
n
abou
t
si
x.
Ti
e
sa
t
m
e
o
n
hi
s
kne
e—
a
n
unlikel
y
even
t,I
shoul
d
hav
e
bee
n
warne
d—
an
d
pu
t
hi
s
finger
s
insid
e
m
y
underpant
s,
pullin
g
the
m
dow
n,
roughly tuggin
g
a
t
m
e
whil
e
h
e
inche
d
himsel
f
u
p
m
y
bu
m.
I
t
mus
t
no
t
hav
e
bee
n
ver
y
satisfyin
g
fo
r
hi
m,
tha
t
firs
t
tim
e—
th
e
pai
n
wa
s
sudde
n
whe
n
h
e
mad
e
hi
s
firs
t
rea
l
thrus
t
an
d
I
crie
d
ou
t
to
o
soo
n
an
d
leap
t
awa
y.
No
t
ou
t
o
f
hi
s
reac
h,
neve
r
ou
t
o
f
hi
s
reac
h,
bu
t
h
e
ha
d
t
o
conten
t
himsel
f
wit
h
a
beatin
g
the
n.
Al
l
tha
t
tim
e
preparin
g
m
e,
preparin
g
th
e
plac
e
fo
r
hi
m,
h
e
mus
t
hav
e
bee
n
furiou
s
t
o
fin
d
I
wasn’
t
quit
e
read
y
afte
r
al
l
.

I
suppos
e
th
e
nex
t
tim
e
wa
s
easie
r.I
don’
t
remembe
r
tha
t,
jus
t
th
e
endles
s
successio
n
o
f
time
s
.

‘Come and sit on my knee,
’
he’
d
sa
y
. ‘Come and sit on your father’s knee, now.
’
I
t
wa
s
hi
s
favourit
e
wa
y
o
f
doin
g
i
t,
thoug
h
tha
t
didn’
t
sto
p
hi
m
comin
g
int
o
m
y
be
d
a
t
nigh
t
an
d
enterin
g
m
e
lyin
g
dow
n,
i
f
ther
e
hadn’
t
bee
n
a
n
opportunit
y
earlie
r.
I
t
neve
r
occurre
d
t
o
m
e
t
o
cr
y
ou
t
fo
r
m
y
mothe
r.
Neve
r
onc
e.I
accepte
d
unquestioningl
y
tha
t
thi
s
wa
s
wha
t
daddie
s
di
d,
an
d
therefor
e
tha
t
mummie
s
mus
t
kno
w
abou
t
i
t
an
d
approv
e.
Ye
t
I
mus
t
hav
e
sai
d
somethin
g
t
o
he
r,
som
e
tim
e.
I
t
wa
s
onl
y
afte
r
I
starte
d
goin
g
t
o
schoo
l
tha
t
h
e
threatene
d
m
e
an
d
reveale
d
tha
t
wha
t
h
e
di
d
wa
s
a
n
importan
t
secre
t,
neve
r
t
o
b
e
share
d
wit
h
anyon
e.I
woul
d
b
e
dea
d
i
f
I
tol
d,
h
e
sai
d,
an
d
I
believe
d
hi
m—
ho
w
wouldn’
t
I?I
kne
w
wha
t
h
e
wa
s
alread
y
capabl
e
o
f.
An
d
wha
t
m
y
mothe
r
kne
w,I
hav
e
neve
r
full
y
understoo
d.
Sh
e
wa
s
certainl
y
complie
d
i
n
m
y
othe
r
punishment
s—
th
e
night
s
i
n
th
e
dar
k
outsid
e
she
d,
th
e
ho
t
morning
s
tethere
d
b
y
a
rop
e
t
o
th
e
tankstan
d,
wit
h
onl
y
a
bow
l
o
f
wate
r
t
o
shar
e
wit
h
th
e
surl
y
do
g
an
d
th
e
shad
e
unde
r
th
e
tank
s
must
y
an
d
spide
r-
infeste
d.
The
y
tol
d
m
e
the
y
wer
e
venomou
s,
those spider
s,
an
d
perhap
s
the
y
wer
e.
An
d
tha
t
ther
e
wer
e
snake
s
beneat
h
th
e
tangle
d
honeysuckl
e
root
s
an
d
i
f
I
mad
e
to
o
man
y
sudde
n
movement
s
the
y
woul
d
slithe
r
ou
t
an
d
bit
e
m
e
.