Thicker Than Water. Lindy Cameron

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СКАЧАТЬ knew Brigie's excursions to Mangle's gym would prove useful sooner or later," Kit commented to Del as they all got out.

      "Please don't encourage her," Del begged, grabbing hold of Brigit's arm so they could flank Kit, but let her lead them through the throng.

      "Yo Kit!" It was Rabbit MacArthur, taking time out from stirring the Straight Virgin Christians, or whoever the protesters were, to draw everyone's attention to their arrival.

      "Hey Rabbit, keep up the good fight," Kit called back, as she forged on towards the beleaguered-looking Cathy Martin. Kit nodded hello but waited while the Senior D had finished giving mob-control instructions to a uniformed officer.

      "Good morning O'Malley," Cathy sighed, with a smile.

      "Bet you didn't think you'd have a carnival to contend with," Kit said.

      Cathy pulled a 'seen it all' face. "Murder, especially strange ones, always draws the nutty elements out for a perv." She lifted her chin towards the well-dressed, middle-aged couple standing on the sidelines, holding a sign with a crude sketch of an angel - or a pyramid wearing a frisbee - that promised: 'God loves even the fallen - repent and know'.

      "Know what?" Kit asked.

      "Beats me," Cathy replied. "But the reporters nearly had your mate for breakfast."

      "Is Queenie Riley still here?"

      "No," Cathy smiled. "She and her thugglies left five minutes ago. She wanted to see where Gerry had been found."

      "What did you do?"

      "I showed her," Cathy shrugged. "It's not like there was anything there for her to see. I drew the line at letting her talk to Ms Nichols, who said she wouldn't unless you were with her, which is probably not a bad idea. No doubt Queenie will try again."

      "Can we go in?"

      Cathy glanced at Del and Brigit who were loitering innocently behind Kit.

      "Del Fielding, Brigit Wells," Kit pointed. As they stepped forward, unnecessarily, to shake the detective's hand, Kit finished the intro, "Detective Senior Constable Cathy Martin. We're Angie's the next best thing to family, if that makes a difference."

      Cathy smiled an okay. "I've already told Ms Nichols she can have her bar back, but can't open again until tomorrow. So, if you could ask her not to let anyone else in until then," she glanced at Rabbit and her mates, "I'd be grateful. Oh, and before you go, O'Malley, can I ask you a favour?"

      "You can ask," Kit agreed.

      "Karen Farrell didn't go from here to work yesterday; and I can't find her. Could you?"

      "That's odd," Kit frowned. "I'll see what I can find out."

      Kit had only taken three steps when she had to restrain Del from dragging her woman away by the scruff of her neck, after Brigie had quietly asked: "So Detective, are you a friend of Dorothy's?"

      "Dorothy who?" Cathy Martin asked.

      "Is there more than one?" Brigie queried, suggestively surprised.

      "My mother's a Dorothy," Cathy said. "So is my landlady and my brother's cat."

      "Brigit," Del snapped.

      As Brigie turned on her heel to obey, Cathy winked at Kit which meant no more than that she'd understood Brigie's impertinent question. Kit raised an eyebrow, rounded up her 'reinforcements' and headed in to rescue Angie from a no-longer situation.

      "It's about bloody time," she nonetheless exclaimed. "My yard is overrun with lunatics and perverts." Angie pushed a pile of pictures out of the way, then set out four cups on the bar.

      "What happened to the gangsters?" Brigit asked. "I was hoping to meet the Queen Bee."

      "See what I mean?" Angie pointed at Brigie. "Lunatics and perverts."

      "Yeah, but we are the only ones that are allowed in," Kit said, as Angie half filled the cups with espresso. "Where are Julia and Gwen?"

      "Who wants cappuccino?" Angie asked, poised to pour the hot milk and ladle the froth. "Everyone? Good. Julia took Gwen home because she had to prepare a moon phase."

      "Didn't know Gwen was that powerful," Kit noted.

      "What? Oh. No, I meant..." she held up her hands. "I gather that we, as in the Earth, is/are in a perfect possie for an auspicious moon thing. Gwen's coven are chanting about it."

      "Oh please!" Del moaned.

      "Each to their own Del," Angie insisted.

      "Naturally," Del rolled her eyes. "But, given the circumstances," she stressed, "I do hope you didn't let any of those journos near your resident wicca expert. Your business partner being a witch is bound to send the lesbian vampire rumours into overdrive."

      Kit laughed in agreement. "Yeah, I can just see the Hellmouth references in the headlines tomorrow. It's bad enough the reporters are out there interviewing Ms McDerm-"

      Angie was shaking her head. "They're not."

      "Yeah, they are. We saw them."

      "Katy, they're not," Angie insisted. "Carrie is doing the interviews. She's a journalist."

      "You mean she was here spying on us?" Brigit said, with fist-on-the-bar indignation.

      "No, I don't think so," Angie said. She slapped a copy of the North Star, the local rag that covered Melbourne's northern suburbs, down on the bar. "I think she was here because she was here; but she got herself one hell of a story by being here."

      "Yeah, but is she queer?" Brigie smirked.

      "Darling?"

      "Yes, Del? Oh, okay I'll shut up."

       Blood-drained Man in Lesbian Disco

       by Carrie McDermid

      "That's a screamer with a byline, if ever I've seen one," Del noted. "Read it please, Kit."

      Kit took a breath. "Okay. Alleged Melbourne crime lord Gerald 'Gerry' Anders was yesterday found murdered in a lesbian nightclub in North Fitzroy. Crime lord?" she laughed. "That's a gross exaggeration of..."

      "O'Malley," Del interrupted. "Can you do it without the commentary? We can all get outraged afterwards."

      "Yeah, okay. The deceased's blood-drained body was found in a metal tray-like box in the disco of The Terpsichore - a St Georges Road bistro and dance club run by women for lesbians. Aagghh! Sorry.

      "The dead man was found by the owner of the venue, Ms Angela Nichols at 12.45 on Thursday afternoon. On discovering the body, which was suspended on a tray over the metal box which contained his blood, Ms Nichols called the North Fitzroy police.

       "According to local CIB Detective Ray Conway, the deceased - who was later identified as 47-year-old alleged career-criminal Gerry Anders - had bled to death.

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