Everyone knocked courteously on Lil’s door. It was something about the lady. The doorbell was ignored. Always.
This knock was insistent.
Kat opened it. She didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “You could’ve walked straight through and saved me the trouble,” she said to the bushranger on the far side.
“And you could grow up,” he retorted.
“Come in,” called Lil from the lounge room, and Kat stood aside. He walked in and behind him was Mabel. Mabel gave her just-because you-don’t-like-him-doesn’t-mean-you-should-be-rude look, but Kat just grinned.
Jackey-Jackey didn’t sit down, even when he was invited. “I have something of yours,” he said, “and I want to get this over with.”
Kat realised that he didn’t know how to be polite. Or he didn’t know how to treat Lil. He was so chummy with Mab
