"Yeah. I think you made Mrs. Lisborne's week by giving her that peck on the cheek. It was all she could talk about for the next half hour."
He chuckled softly. "And next week, she'll bring in more of her friends to show off her pet chef."
I grinned, even though she probably would do just that. The old dear had a crush a mile high on our brown wolf—and if she'd been any younger, she would have made a serious play for him. "I've got to go to my meeting. If I'm not back—or don't ring—by three, come looking for me."
The laughter faded from his expression. "Where is the meeting happening?"
"Sandpiper's Inn, Charles Street, Seddon. I was warned to come alone, so don't even think of following me. We need answers, Tao, and this may be the best way of getting them."
"If it is your father who left the message, and not the idiots who have been hassling you …"
I didn't answer that, simply because there was no answer. The reality was, it could be a trap. There was no saying that the notes and the Dušan had come from the same person, even if the packaging was similar.
"Did you manage to find out who delivered the packages?"
He screwed up his nose. "Yes and no. The same man delivered the parcel and the letter, but we checked the name listed on his ID tag with the company, and they've never heard of him. Stane's using his image to run a license check through the Vic Roads computers and see if he can grab a match. But again, it could take a while."
I sighed. "No surprise there. It seems to be the pattern with this case."
"Yeah." He hesitated. "Ilianna said to be careful. She reckons the shit surrounding us is on the rise, and it'll splatter all over you if you're not extra cautious."
I laughed softly. She did have a wonderful way with words. "Did she manage to get hold of her mom?"
"Dinner is arranged for tomorrow night. Carwyn is on the menu." He grinned. "She's forwarded a copy of the writing in the Dušan's book, and has asked her mom if it's possible to translate it."
I hoped it could be, because I really needed to know what it said. Not that I didn't trust Azriel; it was just that I had a suspicion he wasn't telling me everything. About the book, about the Dušan, and about this whole situation.
I glanced at the clock and sighed again. "I'd better go, or else I'll be late." I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "See you at three."