Free Covet by Tara Moss Page A

You never manage to look bad. A little sleep is probably all you need.’ She took a sip of her cappuccino, leaving a large purple lip print on the cup.
    Mak let her eyes follow some of the passers-by on the street, wondering what they wanted to be. Superstars? Olympians? Billionaire businessmen? Surely none of them aspired to be an occasionally successful model with a stalled thesis and a serious psycho-magnet affliction.
    ‘Still modelling?’
    ‘I’m afraid so. At eighteen it was amusing. At twenty-seven it’s more like the joke is on me. I can’t resist the pay. Every time I try to get out of the game, it sucks me back in. I guess that’s a blessing considering my thesis is all but dead in the water. Gotta make a living somehow, and I won’t be starting a practice for a couple of years at least.’ She wondered how much longer her modelling clients would be interested. She had already outlived the average model lifespan by a few years. ‘I’ve been offered the Ely Garner show next week in Hong Kong, which is exciting, but I don’t think I’ll do it. I’m not sure I’ll be feeling up to it after all this, and besides, the defence team might still have me on the witness stand…asking me what kind of underwear I had on and if I asked for it.’
    ‘Ely Garner? That would be huge.’ Loulou uncharacteristically paused for a moment. ‘Am I allowed to ask what happened with the other thing?’
    Was she talking about the relationship with Andy? ‘Um…I think you know most of it, don’t you?’ Mak replied cautiously.
    Should I call Andy today? It might be good to just talk a bit. Would that be the right thing to do?
    ‘At UBC, I mean,’ Loulou said.
    Ah, the University of British Columbia…that little debacle. Loulou had alluded to something in their email correspondence, and Mak wondered how much she knew of it. ‘Nope. That’s a no-fly zone. Please don’t be offended.’ Mak had firmly put her latest dramas out of her head. There was no need to revisit those experiences now, when she had such pressing matters to deal with. It would be all too easy to let her horrors intermingle, distorting and growing on one another. That could be dangerous. But still, when lightning strikes the same spot often enough, it is natural to wonder why.
    ‘I thought so,’ Loulou said, successfully pulling Makedde back from the slippery slope of her own thoughts. The colourful young woman brought a painted fingertip to her lip, thoughtful. ‘It’s only okay if I get to call you Buffy. Deal?’
    ‘Buffy? The vampire slayer?’
    ‘Buffy the serial killer slayer.’
    ‘Sure,’ Mak agreed, dully.
    ‘How’s the love life? Are you still seeing that hot detective?’
    ‘Any other subject will do, I think.’ Mak chuckled awkwardly to loosen the lump in her throat. So many no-fly zones for one human being. ‘The short answer is no. It’s complicated.’
    ‘Tell me about it! It’s always bloody complicated. I was seeing this guy for like, three days last week, I thought I was on to something, and he stays over on Friday night and snap. ’ She clicked her fingers together. ‘No sooner are we alone together than he’s asking if he can wear my undies. I mean, why do I attract these freaks?’
    Mak smiled. ‘I’ve got a psychological test for you. Wanna hear it?’
    ‘Yeah, okay.’
    ‘This is a real psychological test,’ Mak continued. ‘I want you to listen carefully. While at the funeral of her mother, a girl met a guy she didn’t know. She thought he was really amazing, her dream man. She felt that she was falling in love with him from that very moment. But unfortunately she didn’t ask for his number and she could not find him.’
    ‘Oh no. I hate when that happens.’
    ‘Pay attention, Loulou. This is where it gets interesting. A few days later, the girl killed her own sister.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘So the question is, what was her motive? Think about this carefully before answering.’
    ‘Do I get to phone a