Free Six by Karen Tayleur Page B

reading those stupid romance stories where men are the strong and silent types and women are weak and need to be rescued. In an effort to broaden her literary horizons, I gave her
Wuthering Heights
. It was the worst thing I could have done. She then became obsessed with
Wuthering Heights
and was constantly on the lookout for her perfect passionate Heathcliff.
    I guess Nico could sometimes be a little bit brooding, but he didn’t seem particularly moody or particularly passionate, except about sport. Even when he was playing footy, it was like part of him held back a little — just in case. Yet there was something about him, a darkness I sometimes saw, that made me think he was living life on the edge.
    ‘Do you think, if I ever died, that I could come back and haunt Nico? Like Cathy did with Heathcliff?’ Poppy asked.
    It was their six-week anniversary and the three of us were celebrating at the extended outdoor eating area at Silver Valley Mall. The Grill was an upmarket burger place with long wooden benches and a chalkboard wall which patrons were invited to write on. I was uncomfortable being there, but Poppy had insisted I come and I couldn’t find an excuse to say no.
    ‘Why would you want to come back and haunt Nico?’ I asked.
    ‘Because I love him so much I don’t know how I could live without him,’ said Poppy.
    ‘Well, technically you’d already be dead,’ I said with a laugh.
    ‘You know what I mean,’ said Poppy crossly.
    She rearranged the salt and pepper shakers on the table.
    ‘Does Nico do drugs?’ I asked suddenly.
    ‘What are you talking about?’ she asked.
    I knew it was bad form. I knew this was supposed to be a night of celebration, which is why I was surprised when I was invited along. But Nico was as jumpy as a skinned cat, and he’d been to the mens’ room twice already.
    ‘Do you want me to go?’ I asked. ‘I think I should go.’
    ‘No.’ Poppy held my arm. ‘Just… why would you ask me that question? Nico is an athlete—’
    ‘Maybe he’s taking steroids—’
    ‘Sarah!’
    ‘I’m sorry.’ I sipped my mineral water. ‘He seems a little…agitated.’
    ‘Look, Dr Lum, Nico is not taking drugs. He does not use steroids. He does do protein drinks, but I think they’re legal—’
    ‘I’m sorry, Poppy…’
    She drummed the tabletop with her fingers then seemed to make up her mind about something. ‘I promised… you can’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you now,’ she said finally.
    I crossed my heart, which was pumping a little harder than before, and we made a pinky promise pact.
    ‘Nico’s worried about… you know… that day. In The Woods. They had something about it on TV last night.’
    I sipped my drink slowly. ‘Well, the body was found, so…?’
    ‘And that’s the point,’ said Poppy. ‘Nico’s shirt. What if the police found it? What if they trace it back to Nico?’
    ‘Could you ask your Mum? If they’ve found the shirt, that is.’
    ‘You know she won’t discuss her work with me,’ said Poppy.
    ‘Well, if they do trace the shirt back to Nico, we’ll just tell them the truth,’ I said. ‘We found her. We called the police. End of story.’
    ‘I’m pretty sure we could be charged for obstructing justice or something,’ said Poppy.
    ‘It’s not as if we could help the police any further,’ I reasoned. ‘We found her. That was it. It’s not as if Nico’s done anything wrong.’
    I’d been feeling more uneasy about the whole incident as time passed. I’d picked up the phone a couple of times to ring the police and tell them the whole story. I’d even walked to the police station once, intent on going in and purging the story from my conscience, but then I just kept walking right past it. ‘Oh, yes, hi, I’m Sarah Lum, Councillor Lum’s daughter, and I’d like to tell you how I didn’t report a crime.’ I just didn’t see how that would work without it rebounding on Dad. And Poppy.
    ‘But what if the police