LITMIR.BIZ

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up to no good,' she declared. `Why were you skulking around the dormitories in the middle of the night?'

      `I was coming to check on you.'

      `I'm not a baby any more.' There was that indignant tone again.

      `I never said you were. But I wanted to make sure you got home safely.'

      `What do you mean?' She sounded suspicious.

      `I saw you at the Paradise Nightclub.'

      `Oh pur-leese!' she laughed. It was too high pitched to be reassuring. `As if I would break curfew and go out on the razz.'

      Hell, she was my daughter. It was more than possible. And not only could I smell apples, but I could detect hair gel and the flowery perfume Chastity uses on special occasions.

      `You were there,' I said flatly, brooking no argument.

      `Mum!' she protested.

      `I don't want you setting foot in that hell-hole again.'

      `I wasn't there.'

      `Chastity, don't lie to me. I know it was you. Don't you realise women are being abducted from that club? Do not go there again. I forbid it.'

      The girls were all wide-eyed, silent. You could've heard a flea sneeze.

      `I didn't want to scare you,' I said. `But I do want you to be safe. I'll talk to Sister Immaculata in the morning.'

      Again, static silence. I had the feeling secret messages were being conveyed but I wasn't in a fit state to intercept and interpret them. I just wanted to go home, put an ice pack on my bump and sleep. I tried to sit up which caused everything to whiz around faster than the final spin cycle of my washing machine.

      Fox and Chastity both shot forward and tried to support me with their arms around my shoulders. Chastity knocked his hand away and gave him a ferocious glare. Fox backed off all of six inches, glaring back. There was a certain similarity about their bulldog expressions and intensity that would have been funny in other circumstances.

      Foxy helped me to my feet. I swayed and he put his arm around my waist. I swayed a little more, just to indulge myself, and he tightened his arm in a very satisfactory manner. Chastity was staring at us, still resembling an outraged baby owl.

      `Go to bed,' I said to her. `We'll discuss this in the morning.'

      `Are you going to be okay with him?' she asked disparagingly. `Or shall I come home in case there are… complications?'

      `I'm a big girl. I can handle myself,' I said, stung.

      `I meant concussion.'

      Oh. `I knew that.'

      This won a reluctant smile from her. `Oh Mum, you're terrible.'

      `Don't worry, I'll take care of her,' said Fox. `She'll come to no harm with me.'

      Shame.

      Then I encountered his bland stare and glimmer of a grin. More shameful than shame. And I grinned back.

      `Make sure she doesn't,' said Chastity, intercepting his look. `Or I'll be hitting you with my hockey stick next time!'

      It was time to go before the two babes got into fisticuffs over me. I kissed Chastity goodnight and allowed Fox to lead me back to the car. In a few minutes we were parked outside my place.

      `Do you want me to come in?' asked Fox. He stared straight out in front. There was no real telling if he wanted to come in or not. I fought down a silent sigh.

      `No.' I said it with reluctance. I was feeling sooky and my resistance to a foxy Fox would be too low. I didn't want to take the risk that lust would impair my judgement. `I'll be fine.'

      He then swivelled in his seat and faced me.

      `I don't mind,' he said. `I'll gladly… tuck you in bed.'

      Which made me feel much happier. But I declined all the same.

      The next morning I slept through my alarm. It didn't matter. I was on late shift as it was my turn to watch the Paradise Nightclub. Apart from that, the day stretched out before me. The only date I had was with Sister Immaculata and, as she didn't know I was coming, I could see her whenever I wanted.

      My head was tender, but I could live with it. So what to do first? I could wash the clothes, do some housework or, if really keen, tackle the garden. And of course, there was always the renovating.

      I lived in the leafy suburb of Subiaco. My house was an old weatherboard with pressed tin ceilings, fancy mouldings and a pitted history of white ants. The stumps were sinking, causing the house to slump in a similar manner to my backside and boobs. Both the house and I could do with a complete overhaul. The house was probably easier to fix; at least that didn't require bucket-loads of self-discipline, and I could employ others to do the dirty work.

      It was the first home I'd ever bought and I was still trying to get a hang of actually owning a place. There were responsibilities, right? Can't just blast the landlord and complain of dripping taps, blocked drains and rusting gutters and get them fixed for you. Oh no. It's down to moi and I didn't have the foggiest.

      I'd bought the house privately a couple of months ago. A work colleague's elderly mum had died and the family wanted a quick sale. The old girl had lived in the house since the war and it had the relics to prove it. The toilet was at the far end of a spartan garden. There was a separate laundry with a concrete trough. And the kitchen was an enclosed back veranda without insulation or hot running water. The shower was the only exception. It had an electric unit for instant hot water, but the water pressure was lousy and I'd promised myself a new system as soon as I had some spare cash. Unfortunately, that didn't look like any time soon.

      Okay, so the house was basic, but so were my needs. Most times, I only needed a place to sleep. Food was often eaten on the run and my work took up the majority of my waking moments.

      Chastity was itching to decorate her room. She had the colours already picked out. They were all shades of pink with metallic silver for a bit of relief. I was hoping she'd change her mind before the summer holidays when she intended to attack it with a paintbrush. But I might have been wishing on a star. There were only a couple of weeks until holiday crunch time.

      But today I didn't fancy doing anything too domestic - did I ever? I took a trip down to the bottom of the garden for a pee and then went back to bed and slept until lunchtime. By then it was too hot to remain in bed. The sheets were no longer inviting but sticky winding cloths that stifled.

      I put on a load of washing, fixed myself a piece of toast and read the paper. When the washing was done, I slung it on the old Hills Hoist. I winced as the clothes caught on the rusty line. Not for the first time I vowed that the ancient contraption had to go. It left horrible orange marks on all my clothes, which looked hideous. It went on the ever-increasing to-do list. I then got dressed in my usual jeans, t-shirt and jacket, and headed off for Saint Immaculata's.

      Oh joy. The Iron Nun was waiting for me.

      `I've been expecting you all morning,' she said.

      `Really?'

      I was impressed. Chastity must have come clean about the previous night's escapade.

      `I don't want my daughter frequenting nightclubs,' I said, going straight into attack mode. `She's too young and too vulnerable.'

      Except when armed with a hockey stick.

      `It's all under control,' said Sister Immaculata. `Don't worry yourself. Concentrate on real crime and leave Chastity's discipline to me.'

      Sounded good in theory but I had the feeling I was being conned.

      `You do understand why I'm so anxious? Those young women I told you about, the former Immaculata girls who've been abducted, they were taken from the Paradise Nightclub. I don't want Chastity or her friends going there in case they get hurt.'

      `Don't fret so much, Eve.'

      `You're being totally irresponsible

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