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Back The Ringmaster Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. The Ringmaster
  3. Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. Epilogue
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Copyright

‘No, I don’t think she avoided it, although she did mention some of the things they were doing could be commercially sensitive. She’d never repeat anything said in confidence, she was careful like that…’ He trailed off like he was thinking about other things.

‘And her work?’ Reihana prompted. ‘Was she coping with everything?’

James snapped his head up again and nodded repeatedly. ‘She was really bright, right at the top of her class. Study was never a problem. It all came easy for her. She had a pretty big workload, but it never fazed her. She was happy to put in the long hours. We never talked that much about our studies,’ he said again. ‘It’s just we talked about other stuff.’

‘What kind of other stuff?’

‘You know, friends, family, what was happening around the place. The usual things.’

‘So you had no reason to think she was concerned about her safety?’

The shoulder quaking and thick voice started up again. ‘No, she was just her usual happy self.’

The interview ended shortly after and offered nothing in the way of helpful information other than eliminating one person from the list of likelies. The impression that young man gave was he wouldn’t hurt a fly and was far too well-mannered. I clicked on the next file, one of Rose-Marie’s flatmates. It might give a better picture of the young woman to hear from those who had to live with her day in and day out. So far, she’d been described as an angelic, intelligent young woman who held very old-fashioned views on loyalty, love and propriety. She sounded too good to be true. Perhaps they might offer a different perspective. Nothing like the grind of daily life to show what someone was really made of.

10

Rosie Bateman for Pope. That is the poster her flatmates had apparently stuck on her bedroom door for a good-natured joke. They’d even Photoshopped her picture and added a papal mitre and staff. According to the flatmate interviews, her worst vice was gingernut finger biscuits or pineapple lumps – it was too close to call. Her strongest beverage was Red Bull and her worst habit was leaving strands of hair in the shower, clogging the drain. The last claim was made by a flatmate with waist-length black hair, so was most likely unreliable. Her taste in music, always at a considerate volume, was retro – Steely Dan, Cat Stevens. She was rostered to cook on Tuesday nights and always cooked spaghetti bolognese. She saw her boyfriend occasionally; he never stayed the night and she always came home to sleep. The overall consensus was she was a good girl, a statement that was becoming a familiar mantra when talking about Rose-Marie. She was a fun, intelligent young woman, dedicated to her studies and very involved in her church.