Page 53 of Darling Girls

‘They’re gorgeous,’ he said. ‘My Australian shepherd is out the back. Maybe I could take these guys out to have a play with him? It’d be good for him to have some company.’

The bartender grinned at her, revealing a slight gap between his front teeth. Norah was so busy ogling him, she failed to register his question.

‘So? Can I take them outside to play?’ he repeated.

‘Oh,’ Norah said. ‘Sure. Thanks. Okay. I love your moustache.’

She felt . . . flustered. Norah couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt flustered.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ Alicia asked.

‘Shut up,’ Norah replied.

‘Shh,’ Jessica hissed, as the last girl began to speak.

‘I’m Bianca,’ she said. ‘I got a list of all my foster-care placements recently – all sixteen of them – and Wild Meadows was one of them. I don’t remember it, though. I also had a call from the cops yesterday.’

Bianca. With the eye injury, courtesy of her stepfather.

Bianca didn’t ask if they remembered her. Norah was glad. She gulped her lemonade.

‘So,’ Zara said, when the introductions were complete, ‘any idea who the bones belong to?’

‘I spoke to the cops this morning,’ Rhiannon said, ‘and they were still waiting for forensics to give them more info about the body. Apparently when the bones are old it can take a while.’

‘Do you think one of the foster kids did it?’ Bianca asked.

‘There wasn’t anyone else,’ Norah said. ‘Just us – and the babies.’

‘Well, did you guys kill anyone?’ Zara asked, looking from Jessica to Norah to Alicia.

Everyone laughed. Except Zara, who was looking at them expectantly, waiting for an answer.

‘I’ll get another round,’ Norah said.

She put her hand out for Jessica’s credit card. It was getting late. Their dinner plates had been finished and collected.

Zara was like a TV-show detective looking desperately for answers in the plainly obvious. Rhiannon and Bianca were less intense, but still curious. Unfortunately, there was no information to share. Nothing to know.

The only thing Norah was curious about was the bartender.

‘This round’s on me,’ Alicia said, intercepting Jessica’s card and placing her own card in Norah’s hand. She leaned closer to Norah. ‘The bartender keeps looking at you.’

‘Shutup.’

‘He looks familiar,’ Alicia said. ‘I think we went to school with him? Avish or –’

‘Ishir!’ Norah cried, slapping the table so hard that Jessica’s drink tipped over.

‘Norah!’ she cried. ‘For God’s sake!’

But Norah was already beelining for the bar. ‘Ishir!’

Ishir, who’d been bent over looking for something in the fridge, stood up straight on hearing his name. A tea towel was slung over his shoulder.

‘I know you,’ Norah said triumphantly.

It took a minute, but recognition finally dawned in Ishir’s eyes. ‘Oh yeah . . . I know you too.’ He grinned. ‘Nerida, right?’