RISK

by Sam Skyborne

  “That's different.”

  “Different how? He works with you.”

  “Exactly! He works for me.” Toni gesticulated with her fork to emphasise the point. “He's my assistant and knows his place.”

  Lizbeth laughed at Toni’s posturing. She had known Toni and Lawrence for three years and had seen them work together all that time. She knew they were an amazing team and that Toni had a lot of respect for him.

  “Why is Detective Bennett here?” Lizbeth continued, not wanting to lose the opportunity to find out more while Toni was in a sharing mood.

  “The case she mentioned went cold. Then using her ‘almighty detecting skills’ she found out about my case and got in touch.”

  “I detect a note of professional jealousy.” Lizbeth knew she was playing with fire.

  “Hardly!” Toni scoffed and then popped another ravioli into her mouth.

  “But, why come to you?”

  “You mean why would a ‘Detective’ fraternise with a lowly ‘PI’?”

  “No. I meant, if she thought the cases were related, why not go through official channels?”

  Toni took a swig of her beer and contemplated her answer. “I don't know,” she said. “Perhaps she also finds official channels overrated.” Toni shrugged and stabbed at another ravioli.

  “We know ‘rules suffocate your creative instincts’,” Lizbeth teased.

  Toni leant over and with her folk stabbed a chip on Lizbeth’s plate. “Rules are meant to be broken,” she said with a cheeky grin before so took a large bite of the chip.

  “Yes, yes, ‘and that’s what gives you your edge’,” Lizbeth quoted the line Toni had used so often when defending her dodgier investigative techniques.

  Lizbeth thought back to Maxine’s shameless appraisal of her. “You're right,” she said, “Detective Bennett doesn’t strike me as someone who plays by other people's rules either.”

  “She's too used to wielding her badge like it’s some sort of special weapon.”

  “You mean she likes to call the shots?” Lizbeth could not resist.

  “And some!” Toni missed the tease.

  “Again, it sounds like another wannabe-superhero I know,” Lizbeth said, waiting for Toni to catch up.

  This time Toni feigned a chest pain. “This superhero is wounded.” She dipped her fingers into her water glass and playfully flicked Lizbeth. “But, she can still fight back.”

  Lizbeth loved times like these with Toni—relaxed and playful.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Friday

  Toni checked her watch as she trotted towards the park. She knew she was late and tardiness was one of her pet-hates even though she seemed to be victim to it more often than she would have liked.

  As she rounded the corner she spotted little Three, her bleached white crop making her easily identifiable from a distance. She was sitting in their usual meeting place, on a green bench, which was slightly secluded and shielded from prying eyes by a clump of rhododendron bushes.

  As Toni approached, “You’re late!” Three said in a borderline petulant tone without looking up. Instead, she was studying, and only barely resisting to pick at, a new partly healed tattoo on her wrist.

  “Sorry! I know.” Toni knew better than to point out Three’s teenage behaviours.

  “What have you got for me?” Toni asked.

  “Copies.” Three looked up and Toni saw she had a lolly stuck in her mouth.

  “You really should consider giving that shit up,” Toni said. She did not approve of Three’s high-sugar diet.

  Three ignored the comment and handed her an envelope.

  Toni opened it. There were notes and some photocopies of photographs of a crime scene. It took Toni a few seconds to orientate herself around the black and white images before she recognised Erika Ransom-Evans’ lifeless body.

  “Is this all?” Toni checked inside the envelope once more.

  Three popped the lolly out of her mouth with a loud smack. “I’m not even going to answer that.”

  “Okay. I'm sorry. I'm just a little frustrated with this drip feed.”

  Three looked up frowning.

  “I know it’s not your fault,” Toni said quickly. The last thing she wanted was to offend Three. She was one of her best contacts, and her main information channel into the police. More than that they had become friends over the past couple of years.

  Toni scanned the notes and read the highlights quickly. Then it struck her. “What! The case is officially closed? You sure?”

  Three sucked at her lolly loudly. “Don't look at me. I’m only the geek and in this case, I only copied and am passing on the info.” She studied the lolly, watching the sherbet ooze from its sides. “Aiden did say to tell you to tread lightly.”

  When they first met, it had taken Toni a while to get used to Three’s blunt, informal and sometimes quirky manner—not something that would normally be tolerated in the police force. But somehow, as an external IT consultant, Three could get away with it. Detective Sergeant Aiden Duncan seemed to turn a blind eye to any manner of misdemeanours in favour of having good consultants to work with, Toni thought, recalling her own little interlude with him.

  “Seems my client wasn’t entirely truthful. I'll have to have another word.” Toni slid the copies back into the envelope. “I know it's asking a lot but could you get me the full case files, like tomorrow?”

  Three resumed sucking on her lolly.

  “Three!” Toni was getting impatient with the delay tactics.

  “I'll ask the boss, but it'll take some time to get them.”

  Toni recognised the informant routine Three picked up from old episodes of detective dramas she so loved to watch.

  “Okay,” Toni rolled her eyes. “I could make it worth your while.”

  “How worth my while?” came the quick response.

  “How about a sparring session on Saturday, provided I have the files before then.”

  Three made an elaborate show of considering her next move. Then swiftly she got up and stuck out her hand. “Deal!” Instantly her face contorted into the sweetest, most mischievous smile. This was the real Three that Toni had grown to love like her own little sister.

  Toni had barely extended her own hand when Three, in a few expert moves twirled, tucked and flipped Toni onto her back on the grass. Looking down on Toni, Three smiled and popped her lolly back into her mouth. She then turned and started to leave, calling back over her shoulder. “See you Saturday.”

  “What? Wait. You mean Aiden has already agreed?” Toni called after her. She knew that Three would have had to get permission from Aiden first and then get all the files from the archives. That normally took some time.

  She saw Three shrug her shoulders.

  Toni smiled to herself. She realised she had been played and that Three must already be on it. She could not help feeling a little proud.

  On her way back from yoga, Lizbeth picked up a couple of DVDs she hoped Toni would like from probably the last DVD rental shop left on earth.

  She did not consider herself a Luddite but she did sometimes yearn for her younger years when things were a little less instant and more valued. She often argued with Toni who was adamantly in favour of instant gratification and wanted them to download ‘the latest’ and ‘greatest’ or ‘next big thing’ from this VOD platform or that App-Store. It was because of Toni she had finally replaced her trusty tube television with the thirty-seven inch flat screen that now hung on her wall. The clincher was on account of a very compelling space saving argument that Toni had presented. However, when Toni became adamant that no self-respecting consumer would own an HD TV without a decent Blu Ray player to take full advantage of the HD features, Lizbeth did point out that what she had gained in space on account of a slimmer TV she had now lost by adding yet another box to the setup. As a result, the debate about connecting her TV to the internet was still ongoing.

  When she got home she had a long soak in the bath. She had h
ardly slept at all the night before. She needed to make a decision. Meeting Maxine Bennett had unsettled her more than she would have liked. It had triggered something in her, something that she had hoped would never raise its cunning head again, something that had taken a good chunk of her paycheque and about nine months’ worth of therapy to bury in favour of peace, calm and an amicable friendship.

  Lizbeth stood in front of a glass fronted wooden cabinet in her lounge. She did not often feel nervous. But she noticed her hands were trembling a little as she reached up onto a shelf above her head to retrieve the small key. This was the key to unlock a drawer at the bottom which housed her private collection of DVDs.

  Lizbeth smiled to herself as she ran her fingers along the DVD spines. It felt like seeing old friends. Finally, she picked one out.

  She closed and locked the drawer and then replaced the key in its hiding place.

  She added the DVD to the collection from the store on her coffee table.

  The front door burst open and Toni rushed in carrying a large pizza box.

  “Hot! Hot! Hot! Okay, I got Hawaiian with extra peppers and half chilli.” Toni dropped the pizza box on the coffee table and shrugged off her jacket.

  “Sounds good,” Lizbeth said. “I’ve got a Shiraz breathing and beers for you chilling in the fridge.”

  Toni grabbed a slice of pizza and took a large bite. “Uh, good! I'm famished!” she said with a mouth full. She dropped the slice back in the box and headed to a cabinet in Lizbeth’s open plan kitchen where she retrieved a couple of plates and napkins which she placed neatly on the coffee table. Then she picked up her half-eaten slice and continued to chomp through it, ignoring the plates and napkins completely, while flicking through the DVD collection.

  Lizbeth observed Toni while pouring herself a wine. She took a large gulp before topping up her glass. She opened a beer and brought them through to the lounge.

  “What's this? I've never heard of it,” Toni said, licking the tomato paste off her fingers while studying a DVD cover.

  “Oh, that.” Lizbeth tried to sound as casual as possible. “I thought it might be educational considering your recent spat with that detective—maybe help you get an insight into your case.”

  Toni flipped the DVD over to read the back cover.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” she said. “You know I'm not good at romances, and I certainly don't need an education in school girl crushes.”

  Lizbeth sat down on the couch and took a bracing sip of her wine. “So you're an expert then?”

  “No... but I know enough. We had one of those girls in my school.”

  “Which girls?”

  “Those. You know... A lesbian.”

  “Oh? And how did you know she was a lesbian? Did she come on to you?”

  That caught Toni’s attention. “No! There were rumours—”

  “Wow rumours! I think in adult land they call that hearsay.” Lizbeth had to try hard not to let her irritation shine through. “Let's be honest, Toni, you wouldn't know ‘a crush’ if it bit you on the backside.”

  Toni, still with the DVD in hand, came to sit on the couch next to Lizbeth.

  “Seriously? You want to watch this?” she asked.

  Lizbeth did not react.

  “Okay, let’s watch it,” Toni said, and handed Lizbeth the DVD, grabbed another slice of pizza and her beer and flopped back onto the couch.

  As calmly as possible, Lizbeth got up and loaded the DVD, dimmed the lights and took a seat next to Toni. In the dark she leant back, clutched her wine glass and prepared surreptitiously to watch Toni’s reactions.

  Toni fidgeted non-stop.

  Lizbeth could not take it any longer. She got up and switched off the DVD and headed to the kitchen to fill her glass.

  “Why did you turn it off?” Toni asked. “You could've just hit pause.”

  “Because you're clearly bored and not interested.”

  “Don't be silly. I was watching.”

  “You've hardly sat still for thirty seconds.”

  Toni hesitated for a moment and then changed track. “Okay, but why the big deal? Why do you want to watch this, anyway?”

  Lizbeth took a big sip of her wine.

  “Oh,” Toni said, “little ‘Miss Cum Laude’ had a school girl crush?” Toni patted the couch next to her. “Want to come tell me about it?”

  Lizbeth took a deep breath. She did not want Toni to make fun of her, but figured this was too important not to do. Maybe Toni will surprise her, she thought. She grabbed her glass and returned to the couch.

  “Okay,” Lizbeth said, “but only if you promise not to interrupt or say anything until you have heard me out.”

  Toni feigned innocence and mimed locking her lips and tossing away the key.

  Lizbeth sat down and braced herself, glancing at Toni from the corner of her eye. Then she began.

  “I was sixteen. Back then I thought I wanted to be a botanist. My biology teacher introduced me to a senior student who could tutor me in more advanced areas outside of the curriculum. We used to meet for a couple of hours after school in the biology lab to study organisms and do dissections… That day I was having difficulty with a particular incision... She…”

  Lizbeth sensed Toni stiffen on the couch next to her. She knew Toni was busting a gut not to interrupt, but she was going to finish her story. She closed her eyes and continued.

  “She came up behind me, took my hand and guided it, while steadying me with her body.” Lizbeth could remember that day like it was yesterday. The feelings still as real and tangible as if it was happening to her right then. “The feeling...Her soft breath tickled my ear as she explained the technique...It was exquisite... I've never wanted anything more.”

  Lizbeth opened her eyes. There was a long pause.

  “What happened?” Toni’s voice was hoarse.

  “Sadly nothing.” Lizbeth replied as matter of factly as she could, trying to keep the regret from her voice.

  “I'm sorry! I didn't know. You never said!” Toni said softly.

  Suddenly Lizbeth felt exposed and vulnerable under Toni’s gaze. “It may come as a surprise but you don't know everything about me,” Lizbeth said with a defensive dose of flippant humour.

  It worked. Whatever guard had come down between them in those few minutes snapped right back in place, with Toni back on the offensive, protecting her mate’s honour. “You were just a girl, vulnerable. She took advantage of you... How old was she?”

  “It’s not about age.” Lizbeth shook her head realising Toni was not getting the point. “She was not even a year older than me, in her final year.”

  Toni hardly missed a beat. “School-girl crushes aren't real. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Lizbeth shook her head but in that instant she could not find the courage to argue further. She had hoped Toni would ask her more about it, encouraging a conversation, but in a typical Toni way, since it was something she clearly did not want to deal with, she shut it down. Maybe that was okay?

  “Anyway,” Lizbeth said after a long silence, “let's watch something else before it gets too late.”

  The next film, to Lizbeth’s relief, went down much better.

  Normally, after a DVD night, Toni would have stayed over in the guest bedroom but she needed to be up very early to meet Three the next day.

  “Are you sure I can’t help clear up at least?” Toni asked.

  “No. It’s fine. I’ll take care of it.” The events of earlier had emotionally exhausted Lizbeth and she was relieved to have some time alone. Not that she did not love having Toni around, but on this occasion she just needed some space.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Lizbeth nodded and saw Toni out.

  She closed the front-door and leant back against it for a few seconds. Well, that went well! Not! She thought.

  Finally, she pushed herself away from the door and went back into the lounge to assess the carnage. She started to cl
ean up but noticed the discarded DVD on the coffee table. She picked it up and loaded it into the DVD player. The player remembered where they had stopped viewing and automatically continued to play. Lizbeth knew which scene was coming next and that, at the time, with Toni fidgeting and clearly very uncomfortable was just a bit too much to endure.

  Now she settled down on the couch and continued to watch. It was one of her favourite parts. The agonising buildup of the seduction followed by the ferocious consummation by the two women, never failed to inspire her imagination and fuel her own fantasies.

  She lay back and slipped her hand into her panties, gently starting to caress herself. Her eyes closed at the sweet sensations and her mind flooded with evocative and arousing images.

  “Oh,” she moaned. “Oh… T—” Her eyes snapped open. Shit! Had she just…? She sat up and dropped her head in her hands. “Fuck!”

  Irritated she turned off the DVD and threw the remote on the couch. She got up, turned off the light and went to bed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Saturday

  Toni was up early the next morning. She wanted to get a workout in before her arranged sparring session with Three.

  It was early Saturday and the gym was empty. This was Toni’s favourite time at the gym. It meant that all the machines and weights were pretty much free and she could also enjoy the silence without risking unwanted interruption from her ex-colleagues. That was the only downside of going to that gym. It was a small, functional gym with an emphasis on combat training—perfect for police training.

  After a forty-five minute run on the treadmill and a good strength workout, she headed to the sparring area. That is when she saw Three arrive, wearing sweatpants and a vest top exposing her pale but lean torso. She looked more like a teenage boy than a young woman.

  “Morning,” Toni said.

  “Hey!” Three greeted her.

  “You ready to have your arse kicked?” Toni asked as she tossed Three a body-armour vest and headgear.