Macker Maroney was not at his usual post, sucking on cigarettes and hassling innocent patrons, when the two women pulled up in front of the Goddess Café. However, Govinda was back at the front door and appeared to be closing up. There were two young children at her heels this time, and neither looked anything like the one Roxy had seen just days earlier. One was definitely a girl, in hot pink leggings and a rumpled white dress, sitting on the ground, playing with a Bratz doll. She had to be about five or six. Beside her was a smaller child, short black hair; muddy face; eyes wide and brown. That child was of indiscriminate gender but probably around the age of four.
“He’s probably trying to persuade some poor Swedish backpacker to get her kit off for him,” Govinda said when they asked after the photographer. She sighed. “I don’t mean to speak ill, but he’s got some serious karma coming his way, that dude.”
“Does he live around here?” Gilda asked as Govinda slammed the front door shut and began to secure the padlock.
“Mama, I want lollie. Maaaama!” screeched the smallest, dark-haired child, and Govinda sighed. She looked weary today, less bubbly than before. Perhaps Jed’s death was taking a toll on all of them.
“Oh Destiny, I just locked up.”
“Mama!!”
She sighed again, undid the padlock and pulled the girl up onto her hip before walking back inside the shop. The two women followed her in and watched as she reached for a bag of mixed lollies; opened them and handed them to Destiny.
“Heavenly Rose, you want some, too?” she called out and when the older child did not answer, she grabbed an extra bag anyway.
“I think he has digs at the old M.O. on Cooleys Shoot,” Govinda told them as she made her way back outside.
“M.O?”
“Multiple Occupancy. It’s a big property a whole bunch of folk share, a few kilometres back towards the highway. Big stone statue of Buddha out the front, you can’t miss it. Here, Heavenly.” She dumped the lollies in her daughter’s lap and proceeded to lock up again, the other child still clinging to her hip, a red snake dangling from her lips.
“What do you know about Sunny Forrest’s death?” Gilda asked and Govinda turned around with a look of surprise.
“Sunny?”
“Yes.”
“You a copper?”
“Yes, a detective from Sydney.”
“Oh, right.” She said nothing more as she placed Destiny back on the ground next to her sister then stepped around them to check the windows, giving the shutters a good rattle to ensure they were locked in place. “Sunny Forrest,” she said, turning back, her eyes a little watery. “The silly little kitten.” She sniffed, rubbed a hand across her nose, causing her bangles to sing and dance. “Um, I don’t know much, why, what do you want to know?”
“We just want to know the local goss,” Gilda said.
A tiny frown formed between her eyes. “Sorry, not really into gossip.”
Roxy tried not to scoff. “Oh, come on, Govinda, you must have heard something. You told me the other day that everyone knows everyone’s business around here.”
Govinda hesitated again before finally saying, “Well, I know it hurt poor Sambo pretty badly. I mean, I feel dreadful for him, I really do. Just because his sister plays with fire, doesn’t mean he should get burnt.”
“Fire? What do you mean by that?” asked Gilda.
Govinda shook her dreadlocks from side to side. “I’m just saying karma can be a pretty nasty bitch when she sets her mind to it, doesn’t matter who you are, how sweet.” She jangled her way back to the front of the shop and scooped both children up, one on each hip.
“Are you saying you think Sunny was killed because she had an affair with Jed Moody?”
Govinda looked horrified at the suggestion. “What are you on?! I never said such a crazy ass thing. Nah, everyone knows the poor petal drowned. It was an accident!”
“But you did know about Sunny’s affair with Jed?”
“Only after Sam came back and was all hysterical about it, ranting to anyone who’d listen that Jed had been messing with his sister and must have killed her and blahde blahde blah. Just wouldn’t let it go, and now the entire village knows what went on.” She smiled sadly. “Foolish man.”
“That must have been hard for Annika to hear.”
Govinda shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Oh? Who else has Jed been playing up with?”
She shook her head firmly again and gave Gilda a sly smile. “Like I said, I’m no gossip. I hear stuff, can’t help it at this place, it’s like a magnet for gossips.” She crinkled her nose up. “But I never pass it on. That’s not my energy, man. Not what I’m into.”
“Bad karma?” Gilda suggested, smirking.
Before Govinda could reply, the youngest child began yanking at her mum’s top screaming, “Mama, milkie! Milkie!”
Govinda sighed heavily and began to undo the top buttons of her blouse. That wiped the smirk off Gilda’s face.
“Right, well, we might leave you to it then,” she announced, quickly turning away.
Roxy suppressed a giggle as she followed the detective back to the car. “Got a problem with breastfeeding in public?”
“No, I do not. It’s breastfeeding in front of me that freaks me out. And isn’t that kid, like, four?”
They both turned to glance back at Govinda who was now walking towards the back of the shop and along a pathway that led to a weatherboard house half hidden in the shadows of large gums. Roxy had not noticed it before. The youngest child was still at her breast, the other clinging onto the other hip, her Bratz doll in hand, as though she were incapable of walking.
“How does she manage that?” Gilda said, both appalled and in awe, and Roxy laughed.
“I’m telling you the woman is the Queen of Multi-tasking.” As she opened the car door, Roxy felt her stomach growl. “Pity she closed the shop so early today. I’m starving. Shall we go get some dinner somewhere? I doubt Bindi has anything to offer.”
Gilda nodded, pulling out her mobile phone. “Let’s head back to Tweed and see if we can’t talk a certain blue-eyed copper into joining us.”
**********
From a distance, a man was watching. He’d been watching them closely for some time, and he didn’t like what he was seeing. Not one bit.
What were those two snoops up to? He wondered.
What did they hope to find?
And how could he stop them without it turning violent this time?