In Sickness and In Health by Fiona Sussman

Author:Fiona Sussman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-16T17:26:55+00:00

CHAPTER 41

HILARY STARK

It was good to be out of CIB; there was less politics at Family Harm – fewer distractions and fewer toes to tread on. Hilary knew she had a lot to learn in terms of procedure in the new department, but she felt less out of her depth than she’d expected. Perhaps it was her own familiarity with the subject matter.

Strangely, though, it was not her new work that was preoccupying her when she headed home each night, but the Lamb case. It would not let go. That she’d been transferred in the middle of it hadn’t helped; she was not someone to leave a job incomplete, be it a pile of laundry or a murder investigation. The abruptness of the transfer had felt like one final flip-off by CIB.

Her car’s GPS was not much use when it came to finding Ramesh Bandara’s house. He lived in a brand-new subdivision in Albany, not yet visible on her system. Fortunately, Google Maps helped out.

His place looked bleak in the white-bright light of a streetlamp; the patch of ground out front not even seeded with grass.

She rang the doorbell.

There was a loud crash from inside. Glass or crockery breaking. A few moments later Bandara appeared at the door.

‘Hey! I wasn’t expecting you quite so early. Come in. I was just finishing… finished my dinner.’

She looked at her watch. It was 7 pm. Dinner with her nan was always done and dusted by 6.30.

Bandara was dressed in jeans and a ribbed navy jumper. She had never seen him in proper civvies before. It felt weird, like spotting a teacher at the supermarket and realising for the first time that they led a life outside the classroom, too.

‘Come in.’

Less than three strides from the front door and she found herself in a small galley kitchen. Fragments of china and what looked like cornflakes and milk were splattered across the black tile floor.

‘Your dinner?’

‘Afraid so,’ he said with an embarrassed grin. He flicked on the kettle. ‘Would you like a tea or coffee?’

‘Have you got any green tea?’

He didn’t, so she declined.

Stepping over the remnants of his meal, they moved into the living area – another compact space housing a television, a couch, and a dining-room table.

Despite the small size of the room, it still managed to look sparse and oddly disjointed. Around the table were four plastic chairs more suited to a hospital canteen. Up against one wall was an ornately upholstered wooden sofa, bookended by two inlaid side-tables. And in the corner was a giant white standard lamp that looked like it had been bought at a pop-art exhibition. It felt like a confusion of personalities. On the wall hung a large studio-style photograph of two honey-skinned little girls with huge brown eyes and wide Bandara smiles.

‘Got to be honest,’ Bandara said, sitting down at the table, ‘I was a bit surprised to get your call.’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t like leaving a job half done.’

His face loosened into a smile.

‘Shall we start with what we know,’ she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

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