Teeth of the Wolf

Teeth of the Wolf ebook-9-3

Mum gives a series of hiccuppy little nods. “Yes, yes, I know that. It’s just so hard to hear.” Tucking the tissue into her sleeve, she breathes deeply. Then, shrugging off Penny’s ministrations, she stands up and smooths out the seams of her brocade skirt. Not that she needs to: there isn’t a wrinkle in sight.

“Where’s Matiu? Didn’t he come with you?”

Penny has to hand it to Mum, she’s one tough cookie. “He arrived just before me. Came up the stairs. I expect he went straight in.”

“Hmm. I must have missed him while I was at the nurses’ station.” Mum starts for the room, her heels decisive, but Penny clutches at her arm. “Maybe we should let them have a moment alone?” She drops her voice, making it as soft as she can, knowing the words will hurt her mother. “If anyone can persuade Whaea Mārama not to give up hope, it’ll be Matiu.”

For a second, Mum’s face crumples, but just as quickly she shores it up again. “Yes, yes, you’re right. They’re very close.”

As close as a mother and her son.

The elevator doors ping and Dad rushes in. “Kiri,” he says. “We came as soon as we could.”

We?

“It’s fine, dear. Mārama’s fine. No need for all this fuss. Turns out it was just a little panic attack. Matiu’s in seeing her now.”

The elevator doors open again and Penny’s heart sinks as Craig Tong sweeps onto the third floor. With his slicked-back hair and too-perfect suit, Craig is as smooth as a caramel latte and just as sickly. Penny can almost hear the hospital’s membrane filters cranking up to cope with his cologne. She closes her eyes and breathes through her mouth.

“Craig brought me,” Dad announces as if it weren’t already obvious. Penny opens her eyes. “Decent of him to let me off at the lobby, while he found a park. Honestly, you’d think there was an apocalypse: the car park was completely full. It was an a-park-alypse!”

“Hello, Pandora,” Craig says, striding over and taking her hand. His fingers are clammy.

“Um…hello, Craig,” Penny says. “It’s kind of you to come.” Penny’s cell rings. She almost jumps in delight. She’s never been so pleased to get a call. She plasters a look of regret on her face. “Excuse me one moment. I’d better get this.” Resisting the urge to wipe her hands on her jeans, Penny steps to the window. She checks the number. Unlisted.

“Ms Pandora. I think you need to get yourself out here.”

“Detective Tanner? Yes, I’m nearly done here. I’ll head back to Little Shoal as soon as I can.”

“Not to Little Shoal. To Karaka Bay. I’ll have comms forward you the address.”

“Another case?”

“Actually, I’ve got an inkling it might be the same. That tattoo you showed me on the bridge—our latest Jane Doe is sporting the same insignia, or at least it looks that way. Inside left wrist, same as this morning’s stiff. You want the job?”

Penny’s thoughts race ahead. It’s dreadful—this crime wave—people dying left, right and centre. On a personal level, Penny would prefer it if everyone lived happily ever after—of course, she would—but from a purely professional standpoint, Tanner’s offer couldn’t have come at a better time. Two bodies. Two sets of analyses. Double the paycheque. An opportunity to extricate herself from the debacle that is Craig Tong. A chance to stick it to Noah Cordell.

Another chance to get yourself killed.

“What’s that, Yee?”

“Yes, yes, of course, I’d be happy to accept a second contract…an expanded contract.”

“Well, don’t let’s get ahead of ourselves here. Cordell wants the work and he’s already on site. I can hold it for you, but only if you can get your arse out here, pronto. I’ll give you 20 minutes.” He rings off.

Mum is holding court at the yellow bench. Coming away from the window, Penny catches her last comment: “Now Craig, you mustn’t worry that my sister’s mental illness is hereditary—it’s not. I want to make that quite clear. Penny’s genes are perfectly sound.”

What?

“I’m not a brood mare,” Penny hisses under her breath. Even Craig has the grace to look away.

“Now Pandora, Craig’s practically family,” Mum replies. Penny cringes. Could her voice be any louder? “Well, he will be family just as soon as you two kids stop making woo eyes at each other and get down to business, isn’t that right, Hing?”

“Muuum!”

Mum smiles at Craig as if Penny is a wayward child too cute to reprimand. “Penny, really. There’s no point denying it. We all saw how you looked at Craig when he stepped out of the elevator just now. Your face lit up. You were like a peach blossom opening in the springtime, wasn’t she Craig?”

Penny’s mouth fills with a rush of saliva, a wave of reverse peristalsis building in her proximal small intestine. Penny recognises the precursors to vomition. She hides her gag behind her hand. A mistake. As far as Mum’s concerned, that Chinese gesture of politeness is a declaration of her love. Craig grins.

Oh no, he thinks I love him too!

Mum barrels on. It’s like watching a train wreck, one carriage at a time. Penny looks to Dad, imploring him for help, but he seems oblivious, or worse, complicit.

Where the hell is Matiu when I need him?

“Don’t think you can keep secrets from your parents, Pandora,” Mum admonishes, taking Penny’s chin between her finger and thumb and giving it an affectionate shake. “And come to think of it, we shouldn’t be keeping secrets from Craig either. Not when the darling man has gone out of his way to come here and offer you his emotional support.”

More saliva floods in. Penny’s chemoreceptor trigger zone is on overload.

By the time Penny has got her extramedullary brain centres under control, Mum has turned to Craig and, holding his lapels in her hands, she says: “My sister suffered post-traumatic stress as the result of an event that occurred in her youth, Craig. She was in love, you see, and the boy threw her over. Left her expecting a baby boy. Love, when it’s denied, can be a terrible thing.”

Her knack for performance is sublime because right at that moment, the baby boy steps out of Whaea Mārama’s room.

“Matiu!” Mum calls.

Matiu’s head snaps up. Penny catches his smirk. She can only imagine what they must look like: Mum sweeping down the corridor, leading her entourage of faithful subjects like the legendary East Coast chieftainess, Hinematioro. All that’s missing is the famous litter. Although, to be fair, if someone were to agree to carry her on a litter, Mum would probably be all for it.

Matiu darts in and gives her a perfunctory peck on the cheek. “Hey Mum, nice to see you.” He keeps moving. “I’d stay, but I’ve got an appointment, gotta fly. Hey Dad, Craig. Good to see you, man.”

“You’re leaving? But you’re supposed to be driving me today. I have a case, remember?”

Matiu shrugs. “Sorry, sis. Maybe later.”

“But—”

“You’ll drive your sister,” Dad interjects. “You don’t have any pickups: I called the depot earlier and had Carlie reschedule your work for the afternoon.”

Putting his hands on his hips, Matiu blows out slowly. “Well, of course, I could, but then I’d have to miss my probation meeting.”

Penny sighs. Well, that’s it then, isn’t it? Nothing beats the probation officer argument.

“You know, wherever you need to go, Pandora,” Mum says breezily, “I’m sure Craig can drop you off?”

Penny groans silently. Mum just can’t pass up an opportunity to throw her at Craig. She looks to Matiu for salvation. Only her brother—that sly piece of work—is already disappearing down the stairwell. How dare he abandon her like this? Just wait until she gets hold of him; she’ll skewer him with the pointy end of a fruit kebab.

The elevator pings again.

“About time he turned up,” says Mum, waving at the stocky man who is making his way to the nurses’ station.

“Who’s that, Mum?”

“Dr Banerjee. He’s Mārama’s GP. I expected him over an hour ago.”

At the counter, the doctor clears his throat. The nurse’s smile drops. The unicorn horn swings in Penny’s direction.

Whoops!

“On second thoughts, I will take you up on your kind offer, Craig. If you don’t mind.” Grasping him by the elbow, Penny hurries him to the stairs.