Jill Jackson - 04 - Watch the World Burn Read Online Free PDF Page A

here.’
    ‘Pass,’ she said. ‘You smell like garlic.’

5
    Friday, 26 November, 11.10 am
    Troy awoke smiling, to the sound of a motorboat. Sitting on his chest. He opened his eyes and the cat smiled back. Crescents of gold glowed; the cat’s eyes squeezed mostly shut by his smile. The cat sighed deeply and Troy matched it.
    Then last night returned. The woman’s face on fire. Did she make it through the night? Troy manoeuvred his wrist between the cat’s face and his own, checked his watch. Eleven! He shouldn’t have gone back to bed after waking the first time this morning; now he’d overslept, and that never happened. Ordinarily, he’d be up with the nightmares and to help Lucy and Christopher get ready for school. They’d be long gone by now.
    But someone was in the kitchen.
    ‘Hey, sleepyhead,’ said Lucy from the sink. No school uniform.
    ‘What day is it?’ he said.
    ‘I’m not going to school today.’
    ‘Who are you, and what have you done with Lucy?’ he said.
    ‘Very funny. You said something happened last night and you’d tell me at breakfast.’
    ‘I didn’t say anything happened.’
    ‘I could tell. What happened?’
    Lucy had always been this way. Since he’d won them back from foster care, he’d tried to protect his brother and sister from his struggles to keep them together, from his worries about money, from the drunken midnight calls from their mother every couple of months. But Lucy always sensed when he was upset. When she was five she used to shadow him when she saw he was stressed; he’d turn around and almost fall over her. Golden-haired and fine-featured – it was usually only other Kooris who recognised her Aboriginal heritage. She had their father’s bronzed skin, but their white mother’s aqua eyes. As she grew older, whenever Lucy saw Troy upset she’d try to do more around the house, try to calm Christopher when he was having an outburst. But for the last couple of years – well, since the shooting – she’d always wanted ‘to talk’. And there was no point trying to bluff his way through. Troy knew she’d keep nagging until he told her what was going on, how he felt. She shouldn’t have to worry about his problems, but he had to admit he didn’t know how he could have made it through without her.
    ‘There was an accident,’ he said.
    ‘You want toast?’ she asked.
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘Did someone get hurt?’
    ‘A customer,’ he said. ‘She was burned.’
    ‘Shit. Is she all right?’
    ‘I don’t know. I think so. I’m going to go see her in the hospital today.’
    ‘Coffee?’ she asked.
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘I’m coming with you,’ she said.
    ‘Where? To the hospital? You don’t need to do that, Lucy.’
    ‘I want to. You always have to handle everything on your own.’
    ‘Don’t you have to study? You’ve got exams coming up.’
    ‘I’ll bring my notes,’ she said. ‘Besides, we both know I’m gonna blitz them.’
    Troy took the plate of toast from his sister. ‘So modest,’ he said. ‘Well, if you want to come, Luce, that’d be great. I’m not really looking forward to seeing this guy again.’
    ‘What guy?’
    ‘The lady’s son. He was so ... grateful to me. It made me really uncomfortable. The whole thing kinda reminded me of Jonno.’
    Lucy took a sip of her coffee, watching him over the rim. When he didn’t speak for a moment, she asked, ‘Why was he grateful to you?’
    ‘I should phone him,’ Troy said, ‘before we go over there. Make sure we can visit.’ Make sure she’s still alive. ‘Chuck my wallet over, would ya, sis?’
    Troy found Caine’s card and made his way to the phone. He rubbed at his right hand while he waited for the call to connect. His missing fingers burned.
    ‘Ah, Mr Caine, this is Troy Berrigan. From last night. I’m calling to ask how you and your mother are.’
    ‘Please, call me David, Troy. And thanks for ringing. Mum’s hanging in there. She’s still in ICU. They’ve got her in