Free Heaven's Edge by Romesh Gunesekera Page A

say to him?
    â€˜They found her … place.’ I tried to form the words into small, hard pellets in my mouth. ‘She hasn’t been here then? She hasn’t told you?’
    His ebullient face lost its shape. Jaz closed his eyes for a second; he began to breathe faster. His girlish breasts swelled and subsided within the flaps of his shimmering waistcoat. Then he looked again at my face. ‘How did you get in here?’ His voice dropped.
    â€˜A mutual friend.’ Although there was no trace of suspicion in his question, I really could not be sure of him. I felt I couldn’t trust anyone.
    Jaz reached up to a shelf above and took down a pair of glasses. From behind he got a bottle of Pin and poured out two drinks. He slid one across. ‘I think I need a drink.’
    I picked up the glass warily. ‘You have plain water?’
    He rolled his eyes, but passed me a pitcher and another glass.
    I poured myself some water. ‘I’ve been in a compound. I thought she might have got in touch with you. She told me that you were the one who could get almost anything done here.’
    â€˜Such an exaggerator.’ Jaz shrank back, turning coy. ‘Ihaven’t seen her in ages. I just heard about you on the grapevine.’
    I checked to see if he’d said that because somebody was listening in. There was nobody near us.
    Jaz rested his face on his fingertips for a moment. Then he said quietly, ‘If she has been taken in, the information will be posted on the official database.’ A slight note of mischief pinked his voice again. ‘There is a terminal I think I can access. Come with me.’ Jaz strapped a pouch around him and slipped out from behind the bar. He snaked across the room to a young man standing with his face fixed on the emasculated dancers gathering back on stage. Jaz sidled up to him. ‘Hi, you are the Warden’s guest?’
    The young man looked startled.
    â€˜Where is she?’ he cooed.
    â€˜She’s just gone to the salon …’
    â€˜First time in the Carnival? Your aura, you see. I knew it. Is it art you have come for? Or a bit of our serendipity … ?’
    The young man shifted, embarrassed, and looked down at his feet.
    â€˜Oh, but I love the way you bite that zunge. Has anyone ever told you just how
sexy
that is?’
    I was getting a little irritated and cleared my throat, but Jaz ignored my interruption.
    â€˜Oh, what a darling little thing.’ He stroked the young man’s placid hand and then hooked an arm around his waist, ‘This is a wonderful spot for you. You’ll love it here.’ As he chatted Jaz fussed with his victim’s wrists, collar, strip-line lapel and the plastic toggle of his zipper, opening and closing it to the buzz of the resumed dance music as though massaging the linings of his suit. The young man struggled at first, but seemed unable to release himselfwithout slipping completely out of his jacket. I watched mortified as he finally succumbed.
    Jaz then steered the young man to a chair and kissed him firmly on the lips. ‘You’ll have a fine time here. The juicers are simply divine, especially that ravishing bleach boy.’ He tipped a spirit lamp into a ring of fire around the tightly crossed feet. ‘Ciao, for now. You’ll be really primed, darling, when the flames go down.’
    Jaz turned to me. ‘Let’s go. We have to be quick.’ He led the way, out through the back, into an unlit wasteway. ‘He is the Warden’s new boy.’
    â€˜Warden?’
    â€˜Although this is a leisure zone, there still has to be some authority: that’s the Warden. She runs all the pleasure parlours here for the District Commander and has a terminal in her hut.’ He showed me a silvery card, ‘And we needed this from that boy to get in.’
    â€˜How did you know he’d have one?’
    â€˜I too was one of her favourites.’ Jaz’s