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WITH EVERYTHING THAT happened that day, Cassandra needed a drink, and the Feral was the only place she wanted that drink. She knew enough of the right people to be acceptable in the Timber Getters but was yet to exercise that privilege.
“On your own again?” Claudette asked as she sidled up to the bar.
“Prefer it like that,” Cassandra said. “Pint of lager.”
Cassandra pulled some notes from her purse while Claudette went to draw the drink. They were on the bar when Claudette returned with the beer.
“Shitty business this morning, isn’t it?” Claudette placed the beer in front of Cassandra.
“You mean the dead girl?”
“Wouldn’t mean anything else. Heard it was Deborah Higgs.”
“Well you know more about it than I do.” Cassandra sipped her drink.
“I probably hear more than you do,” Claudette said. “Problem is, half of what I hear is bullshit.”
“So how do you know the name is right?”
“You get used to recognising bullshit.” Claudette smiled. “Here comes a man who should know more about it, but who won’t say shit about it.”
Joseph took a seat beside Cassandra. “Won’t say shit about what?” he asked.
“The dead girl,” Claudette said.
“Was there a dead girl?” Joseph tried to look confused. “How come I haven’t heard about it?”
“You!” Claudette snapped and turned to walk away.
“Aren’t you going to take my order?” Joseph asked.
“Pint of lager,” Claudette said as she walked off.
“And if I want something different?” Joseph called to her.
“Then you can order it when you’ve finished your lager!” Claudette called back as she started to draw the beer.
“You really ought to be more careful with barmaids,” Cassandra scolded. “There’s no telling what they’ll do to your beer if you’re not nice to them.”
“Like baristas?” Joseph asked.
Cassandra nodded. “Especially like baristas.”
Claudette returned with Joseph’s beer.
“That’s got a head,” Joseph complained.
“It’s less than a half inch,” Claudette said. “You’d be wise to be happy that I didn’t pee in it.”
Joseph took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m going to leave any comment about how the taste of the beer like, and what I’d have seen if you had peed in it, to your imagination.”
Cassandra laughed. “I don’t know what Marie sees in you,” she said.
“I’m going to leave that to your imagination too.” He took a sip of his beer.
Cassandra looked at Claudette.
Claudette shook her head. “If it wasn’t nearly funny I’d...” she rolled her eyes and went to another customer.
“Seen Marie?” Joseph asked once Claudette was gone.
“No,” Cassandra said. “I’d have thought she’d have been waiting for you here, but...”
“We had a little... discussion. I hoped to speak with her about it.”
“You had a fight?”
Joseph shook his head. “I don’t think so, but she—”
“You had a fight and you want to smooth it over.”
“Have you seen her?”
Cassandra shook her head. “We didn’t arrange to meet here. I just wanted a drink or two.”
“Why?”
“Someone’s dead.”
“At least you didn’t see her.” Joseph smiled as Claudette put his beer in front of him.
“You saw her?” Claudette asked.
Joseph shook his head. “I’m not here to talk about that.”
Claudette looked at him sadly. “I understand,” she whispered and walked off.
Cassandra sipped her beer silently.
Joseph did the same. “What do you know about that Monroe character?” he asked as he placed his glass on the bar.
“Nothing much,” Cassandra said. “He likes the steak sandwiches Melody makes. Why?”
“Last time he and his circus were here there were women murdered.” Joseph sipped his beer. “Five of them.”
Cassandra felt sick. “How long ago was that?” she asked.
“Nineteen years ago.”
“You think they had something to do with it?”
Joseph shook his head. “I’m getting records from Stoneville tomorrow. They got the bastard who killed those women. Hanged him on the gallows behind the courthouse.”
Cassandra nodded.
“Bradley Brown.” Joseph sipped his drink.
“What was that?”
“Name of the murderer. I read the account of the execution. They short-dropped him. Took a couple of hours. Nobody said nothing about it. The hangman would have known better, but Brown also killed a French.”
“One of the women was a French?” Cassandra asked softly.
“No. It was Rupert’s older brother, Enoch.”
Cassandra looked at her drink, wondering if she could finish it without being sick.
“What’s wrong?” Joseph asked.
“Just...” Cassandra shook her head. “What’ve you done to Marie to apologise about then?”
“Asked her to keep quiet about police business,” Joseph said. “If she’s going to be—she can’t go talking about things she shouldn’t.”
“If she’s going to be what?” Cassandra asked.
“Nothing,” Joseph said.
“Not nothing, tell me.”
Joseph shook his head.
“Gods below! You’re going to propose, aren’t you?”
“I didn’t say—”
“Then deny it.”
“I’m not... look, you can’t say anything about it to—”
“You got a ring already?”
Joseph nodded.
“When’re you going to ask her?”
“Saturday night. I thought we could go to the circus and—”
“That’s good. I won’t have to keep quiet about it long. Still, it’s a couple of days. And about the ring...”
“I already organised a day off on Tuesday to take her to Stoneville to get it replaced with one she’ll like better.”
“Tuesday?”
“She’s going to need Monday to organise the day off to—”
“That’s so—”
“What’re you looking excited about?” Claudette asked as she approached them.
“The circus,” Cassandra said quickly. “Joseph said there were... well. There’s a circus near.”
“Don’t get too excited about those circus fellas.” Claudette said. “I don’t reckon any of them are marrying material.”
“Who said anything about marrying?” Cassandra asked. “Like the boys around here say, you don’t need to buy the cow to get the milk.”
“Cassandra Porterfield!” Claudette snapped. “I had no idea... when’re you thinking of going?”
Cassandra looked at Joseph. “Saturday,” she said.
“Night?” Claudette asked.
“That’s the best time to go hunting.” Cassandra smiled.
“I reckon Graham should spare me for one night,” Claudette said. “He’s got two others who’re looking for the work. You want a hunting partner?”
“I thought you were with—”
“Don’t mention that name around here.” Claudette warned.
“I didn’t know... Yeah. I can do with a hunting partner. It’ll keep me away from Joseph and Marie and keep me focused on finding some fun.”
“I got some...” she looked at Joseph. “You still on duty?”
“Not on duty, ma’am. Not in here.”
“Well look away and close your ears.”
“I’ll just mosey on off to the toilet,” he said and wandered away.
“I got some contacts for some pills that’ll—”
“I don’t want—”
“I was going to say pills that’ll stop you getting pregnant,” Claudette said. “If you want something that’ll get the fella wanting you, I reckon I can—”
“Not pregnant is good,” Cassandra said. “That’s all I reckon we should use. Although I might come looking for something more if I meet a cute guy who won’t...”
“Cassandra Porterfield,” Claudette snapped again. “I’ll see if I can get a couple of them, just in case. Just don’t tell that copper friend of yours.”
“I think he’ll be too preoccupied to notice,” Cassandra said.
“Marie?”
“She’s likely to be in a mood.”
Claudette shook her head. “You’d think he’d know when by now.”
“He’s a man.”