Rae picked up a pizza on the way and arrived home just after eight. There was no sign of Chris Guy, so she put her good dress away, poured herself a generous glass of wine, and ate the pizza while half-watching a British detective show. The television cops had one of those big boards with lots of photos and lines connecting the victims and suspects. Would Kilton and Isles have one of those? Whose pictures would be on it? Alison’s? Rae’s?
After another glass of wine, she turned the television off and went to bed. What had she found out at the gallery? Nothing. She should have talked to Bernard Whatsisname. Not that she’d had a chance. She’d have to do it some time when Alison wasn’t around.
At 11:08, she startled awake and listened as Chris Guy came in, talking quietly to Stoker. She counted his steps as he went up to his room.
She was holding someone’s hand. Henry’s at first, but then somehow Alison’s, then her phone was buzzing and vibrating on the bedside table. She grabbed it and sat up before she woke.
“Hey, Rae-by, how’s it going?”
“Steph?” Rae turned and checked the clock. 1:58.
“Of course Steph. How are you? Missing me?”
“Not just at the moment. I was fast asleep.”
“Oops, sorry, babe. What time is it there?”
“Two.”
“Oh. Sorry, sorry… I’m just going to bed.”
“Are you drunk, Steph?” Steph was the cheapest drunk.
“Maybe a little.”
“Okay, well it’s good to hear from you and everything but…”
“Need you to do something Rae-by.”
“What? Can it wait till morning?”
“No no no. Can’t wait, dear Rae-by-baby.” She giggled and might have hiccupped.
Jesus. The woman was off her face. “What is it?” Rae turned the light on and propped her pillow up behind her back. “Are you okay, honey?”
“Yes, yes, yes. All right. Very all right. Might be a bit in love, though.” More giggles.
Oh dear god. Stoker was watching Rae from beside the bed, his ears in full attention mode. Rae decided that tonight might not be the best time to tell Steph about him. “Are you alone, Steph?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“So who’s this person you might be in love with? You better tell.”
“He’s most handsome.”
“Of course he is. Come on, girl, don’t hold back, I need details.”
Steph laughed. “Not tonight, Rae-by. Listen, reason I called, need you to send me something. My uni transcript.”
“Your what? Why the hell do you need that?”
“Stupid accountancy registration… Company stuff, everything is so complicated over here.”
“Can’t it wait for the morning?”
“No no, very urgent. Have to put everything together for auditors coming Monday… Just take a pic on your phone. That will do.”
“All right.” She was wide awake now, anyway. And she would need Steph in a good mood when she got around to telling her about Stoker. “Where is it?”
“My office upstairs. In the pink filing cabinet, I think.”
“You have a pink filing cabinet?”
“Of course.”
Doesn’t everyone? “But you’re not sure it’s there?”
“Yes, yes Rae-by. Definitely in the pink filing cabinet.”
“Okay Steph, I’ll get it. I’m going to hang up now, and I’ll message a photo to you. All right?”
“Thank you, Rae-by-baby. You’re the bestest.”
Of course I am. “Get some sleep, Steph.”
Rae grabbed the house keys and went upstairs, tiptoeing past Chris Guy’s room. Stoker followed, looking concerned by these middle-of-the-night shenanigans. On the top landing, she flipped through her house keys till she found the pink anodised one for Steph’s office.
The room was built into the roof, with a sloped ceiling on the street side, and a window at the back overlooking the yard. The office consisted of a desk below the window, a bookshelf and, as promised, a pink filing cabinet.
The rest of the room was a catalogue of all Steph’s short-term enthusiasms. Stacked on shelves or leaning against the walls were skis, ski boots, a snowboard, an exercise bike, an actual bike, a rowing machine, a spear gun and a pair of enormous swim fins. On a clothes rack were ski suits, wet suits, a weight belt, and what looked like a unicorn onesie. Rae really hoped she wasn’t going to find any sex toys.
Stoker lay down with his head on his paws and watched while Rae sat down in the swivel chair and opened the bottom drawer. Steph’s files were neatly labelled and in alphabetical order, which was a relief. Rae had been worried they might be in Chinese. She found the laminated university transcript in the first place she looked. Under U, for University. Great minds.
She laid it out on the desk, and bent the desk lamp around till there were no reflections off the plastic coating. After she had taken more photos than she needed, she tapped out a message.
~ok here they are you can decide which one is best
~and tell me his name you know you want to
She had seen her friend in love before, and it had gotten messy. Steph was an all-or-nothing kind of girl. What would happen if she got married? Would she come back to Australia? Or maybe stay in China and sell the house? Rae had been living at Steph’s whims for most of a year now. Could be time to move on. Living there wasn’t going to be the same anyway, without Smokey. But before she could think about any of that, there was the inquest. Get that done, then make some plans.
“Come on, Stoker. Let’s get back to bed.” Before she turned the light out, she switched her phone off. She didn’t want Steph waking her up again to thank her.