Jill knocked on Fin’s front door. The door opened after the second knock. Fin had a cigarette in hand.
‘What are you doing here?’ Fin asked. Her voice was raised. She was wearing earphones.
‘I wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.’
Fin hesitated. ‘S’pose you better come in then.’
They moved inside and Jill noticed an overnight bag on the floor. ‘You going somewhere?’
Fin raised her head. ‘What did you say?’
Jill nodded at the bag.
‘Oh, I went to the Blue Mountains. I got back half an hour ago. I had to pack up the last of Gracie’s things.’ Fin leaned on the back of her sofa. ‘Robbie had done most of it over the past couple of weeks.’ She took a long drag of her cigarette. ‘I wanted to get it finished.’
Jill nodded, but wasn’t convinced. ‘Where did you stay?’ Jill pulled up a stool next to Fin, leaned over and pulled the earphones from Fin’s ears. ‘I asked where you’d stayed when you were up at the Mountains.’
‘The Katoomba Hotel.’
‘Is that where you were the whole of last night?’
‘Yeah.’ Fin narrowed her eyes. ‘Want me to show you the hotel receipt?’
‘Have you got one?’
While Fin searched her bag, Jill looked at the empty bottles of Johnny Walker by the kitchen sink.
Fin handed her the receipt.
Jill checked the date. ‘Mind if I keep this?’
‘Go, ahead, I don’t want it.’
Jill shoved the receipt into the pocket of her jeans.
Fin stubbed her cigarette and added it to the pile in the saucer. ‘So, why are you here, bothering me, again?’ Fin glared at Jill. ‘Sure doesn’t sound like you’re just making sure I’m okay.’
‘There’s been another death at Callan Park.’
Fin flinched. ‘Yeah, I know, I saw it on TV.’ Fin crossed her arms against her chest.
‘Bit of a coincidence, two deaths in Callan Park within a week of each other, don’t you think? Did Robbie know this Patrick Hill?’
‘Got no idea.’
‘What about you…did you know him?’
‘No, why should I?’ She shrugged. ‘What’s wrong with you anyway?’ Fin said. ‘You look like shit.’
Jill ignored Fin, resisted the comeback: Like you can talk. ‘What about Adam Lee, Benjamin Cheung, David Cheung? Ever heard those names?’
‘No.’
‘Stop playing games with me, Fin. You’re lying. You know very well Patrick Hill was your uncle. According to Mrs Hardcastle, Gracie’s next-door neighbour, he lived with you from the time your parents died until you were fourteen years old.’
Fin fidgeted. ‘Alright then, yeah, but he’s not my uncle, he’s my half-uncle.’
‘It’s highly likely Robbie’s and Patrick’s deaths are related. Same location, plus blood relatives. If you know anything, anything at all Fin, you need to tell me and tell me now. It could help us find out what really happened to Robbie.’
‘Sometimes, bad things happen for a reason.’ Fin lit another cigarette, took a drag and blew the smoke into the air. ‘Anyway, Robbie committed suicide, didn’t he?’ Fin looked at Jill. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘Like what?’ Jill asked.
‘Like I’m fuckin’ crazy or something.’ Fin stood up and grabbed onto the edge of the kitchen counter. ‘Think it’s time you left.’