The wine bar was busy with partying customers all talking at once. It was subtly lit with a wooden floor and a distinct Mediterranean feel, the walls adorned with now-defunct covers of long-playing records. There was plenty of low seating and high stools at the bar, all of which were taken.
The waitress emerging from behind the bar had to be Kirsten Edwards. Daniels was sure it was the same woman she’d seen at Jo’s bedside earlier in the evening, only now her hair was tied up and she was dressed in jeans, a silk shirt and high-heeled boots. Daniels wondered if Jo and this stunning woman were now, or had ever been, an item.
‘Ms Edwards?’ Daniels said.
The waitress nodded, scanned the bar and held up a finger. ‘One second . . .’ Her voice trailed off as she took in a female customer’s hand raised in the air. She had a word with the barman before approaching Daniels with her hand extended. ‘You must be Kate Daniels.’
‘Yes, I am.’ Daniels didn’t waste any time. ‘I take it you know why I’m here?
‘Jo explained everything. Can I get you a glass of wine, soft drink, coffee . . .?’
Daniels shook her head, wondering if ‘everything’ meant everything or whether it was just a figure of speech. She decided to chance her arm: ‘What is your relationship with Jo, exactly?’
Kirsten was a little taken aback. ‘Is that relevant?’
Daniels let it go. ‘Can you confirm you were together on Thursday night?’
‘We were out together, yes. Me, Jo, and four friends from university. She wasn’t keen to go at first. Reunions aren’t really her style. She and I get together now and then, but the others had drifted apart. You know how it is.’
Daniels knew exactly how it was. She hadn’t kept in touch with any of her school friends – could hardly remember any of their names – and social networking definitely wasn’t her style. Kirsten raised an arm, attracting the attention of a staff member, and pointed at some abandoned glasses with a disapproving look on her face. As the barmaid scurried off to collect them, Kirsten turned back.
‘Sorry, I have to keep on top of them or the place would be a tip,’ she said, a wry smile appearing on her face. ‘You’re wondering why a law graduate is waiting tables in a wine bar, right?’
Daniels had been wondering no such thing. She was too busy reflecting on Kirsten’s relationship with Jo. This wasn’t the woman who had come between them. But were they just good friends? Or had things moved beyond that?
She played along. ‘My apologies, I’m not usually that obvious.’
‘I own it and several others like it,’ Kirsten explained.
‘I’m impressed,’ Daniels lied. ‘What made Jo change her mind?’
Kirsten smiled, almost flirting. ‘I can be quite persuasive, Kate.’