Going All The Way

Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Billy lives on Surrey Street, two blocks back from the bustling café strip of Victoria Street. Travis parks his car out the front. Opens the front door to Billy’s place. He is close. Katya will be here soon. She will lead him to Perry. He shakes his head, and a foul smell hits him as he walks down the hallway to the kitchen. There is water seeping out from under the fridge. He tries to turn on the lights. The power is off. He walks back down the hallway to the fuse box. Everything is switched on. What the hell? He hears it start to rain heavily and shivers. His mobile rings.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m outside.’

‘Right.’

He opens the door, and Katya is there. Damp, short blond hair, wet round face, nose from a Picasso painting, her beauty preserved rather than destroyed by the drugs. But for how long? He pulls her in out of the rain. It is thumping down.

‘It only started raining a few seconds ago, and I’m soaked.’

‘Come. Come. There should be clothes in the bedroom.’

He takes her hand and leads her down the hallway. She is wearing a short denim skirt, black leggings. A black camisole over a purple bra. Her hair is multi-coloured with a fringe above her blue eyes. Travis has stared into them often, laughing with her many times as she told him stories about all the mad stuff she got up to.

He might be in love with her.

She finds a blue flannelette shirt and a pair of track pants in the closet, strips off unashamedly. Travis looking, turning away, and then looking back as she puts them on.

‘The power has been cut off.’

‘Whose place is this?’

‘Billy, a friend of Ahn. I told you about Ahn. He’s missing. We have to talk now. I need to know where Perry is.’

‘s**t. f**k. I’m sorry about Ann, I didn’t know… how could I know?’

Tears run down her cheeks.

Travis wonders whether she might be the consummate actor. She lives her whole life conning people. But this kind of evil?

‘Perry. Where is he, she? Whatever the fuck.’

‘I don’t know,’ she says, sniffling now, more tears, ‘he moves from one place to another every few days. I went back to the Hotel where he was in Surry Hills, but he’d checked out. That’s when I rang you.’

‘Where does she… oh f**k. What is she? He? What do I call her?’

‘He. He only dresses as a female.’

‘You sound…’

She starts crying again, says, ‘Ann was a baby. Only a kid.’

‘Why’d you want the free room, Katya? I need to know.’

‘You can’t possibly think… I. No, you don’t think that. Don’t you dare.’

‘Not you, Perry. Again. How can I find him?’

‘I fucken told you. He moves all over the place. More than ever now with Airbnb. He’s either broke or loaded. No in-between.’

‘Did he ask you to get the room for free? Did he know the guy with Ann?’

‘Don’t ask me again, Travis. I can feel the accusation in your voice. Please stop it. You’re scaring me.’

‘OK, OK. I have some weed. Want to get stoned?’

‘Oh yes, please.’

Travis rolls the joint. He’ll have to go through the whole place looking for clues to see where Billy is. Not tonight though. He’s done. A big smoke with Katya, then sleep.’