‘News crew, I’m afraid. I’ve seen the footage. You were incredible, I’m … well, we’re all in awe. You don’t have anything to worry about. Despite what Johns said, no one’s going to have you up for what you did. It’s obvious you had no choice. We’re just all glad we weren’t in your place.’

Tiredness was taking over and my body was losing the battle against gravity. I slumped further against the wall. Maybe it would be a good idea to go home, try and forget it all for a few hours. There would be the unavoidable internal investigation, and I didn’t expect DI Johns would let my outburst slide. And then there was finding where this all fit in the context of the murder investigation. I couldn’t let this distract me from the fact that a young woman was dead. And now there were more deaths to add to the tally, even if by an indirect cause.

‘Do you think they’d miss me for a few hours?’

‘Of course, but we’ll cope without you.’ He was being facetious and I gave him a thump on the leg for his trouble. It did draw a smile from me, which quickly lapsed back into a frown as another thought came to mind.

‘Oh, crap. My car’s down at the Oval.’ Returning to the scene and seeing the carnage at the circus was the last thing I felt like right now. Too raw, too much. ‘Can you give me a lift home?’

‘No prob.’

34

It took a moment to register the knock at the door over the melodic strains soothing my mind via my phone. I didn’t normally like to use earplugs unless running, but this morning the need for all-encompassing sound to drown out the memories overrode any concerns about hearing preservation. I couldn’t find anything obnoxious and thrashy enough, so instead had opted for mellow and chill. It had backfired a bit because now all I felt was numb. I pulled the plugs out and went to the lounge window to peek and see who it was. The front door was made of glass, so if you could see them, they could see you, but spying from the side of the bay window gave a view of the visitor and therefore the option of hiding. When I saw who it was, I skipped that option, pulled my clothes into some semblance of order and headed around to greet him.

‘Paul. Hi. What are you doing here?’ I asked as I tucked a wayward lock of hair behind my ear. ‘How did you know where I live?’

Paul Frost stood dominating the doorway, hands in pockets, a quizzical look flickering across his face. ‘I’m a detective, Sam. It would be a bit pathetic if I couldn’t find out your address.’

Valid point. He hadn’t answered the first question though.