dissolved into air. I can hear her panting beside me as we walk down the steps and then down the steep concrete path to the car. The possum scrambles up a tree trunk as we pass.
I open the front door of the Subaru and Jess bounds in and dives to the floor on the passenger side. She knows where she belongs and she always obeys the rules. Tonight, she’s as uptight as I am. She’s panting so hard, I’m not sure which is louder—Jess or the old car engine.
‘Hey, girl.’ I slide my hand past the gear stick and ruffle her head. By the glow of the streetlight I see her yellow eyes staring at me. ‘We’re off to a party.’
The car rolls quickly down the driveway and I brake and put it into gear before we reach the bottom of the hill. We turn left onto the road towards the highway, passing shadowy houses brooding in the bush. The road descends to the water’s edge, curving narrow and close to the shore. As I take one of the corners too fast, Jess sits up, whines and rests her chin on the front seat. Then she turns a tight circle and curls up on the floor again.
What was it Jacinta said about driving carefully?
But I can’t concentrate. If Mum dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.
As usual, the street outside Mum’s house in Battery Point is choked with cars. When they built the houses here, they didn’t know this area was destined to become expensive real estate. It takes time to find a parking space. Then Jess and I walk back along the footpath, dodging vehicles with their wheels on the pavement. Jess decides to relieve herself on a small square of grass and I wait while she hunches in embarrassment and then tries not to notice me swiping up her droppings in a plastic bag. I tuck the bag in Mum’s rubbish bin before approaching the front door.
I’m late and they’re all in the kitchen waiting for me. I hear the drone of their voices when I open the door and step into the hall. Jess’s toenails click on the wooden floor. We’re almost through the sliding doors before I realise I haven’t taken a breath.
‘Here he is.’ Jacinta rises to take my arm and guide me to a seat.
Jan and Gary are already at the table frowning into cups of tea. Gary has left his wife, Judy, at home, and perhaps that’s a good thing tonight. Alex is at the sink setting out extra mugs. No doubt he’s here to provide moral support for Jacinta. And she’s going to need it, judging by the way Jan glares at me as I drag out my chair. She glances down at Jess with distaste.
‘Couldn’t you leave the dog at home?’
Jan doesn’t understand dogs. She doesn’t understand people either, even though she thinks she’s an expert. I sit down and Jess curls under my feet.
‘The dog’s all right,’ Gary grunts. He’s spread on his chair like a Buddha. Over the past years his body has ballooned— too much time spent pressing buttons on his computer and remote controls instead of exercise. He nods his chins at me. ‘How’s things?’
I shrug. ‘Not sure.’
‘Bit of a shock, isn’t it?’ His laugh is short and strained. ‘Trust the old lady to hit us with something like this.’
‘She really didn’t want to upset everyone,’ Jacinta says quietly.
We all sit awkwardly, trying not to meet each other’s eyes. Jan’s shoulders are rigid: she’s fit to burst. The rest of us breathe carefully into the silence, preparing for what’s to come. Nobody seems to know what to say, but Gary’s the first to find his tongue.
‘You’ve had one heck of a day then, Jacinta, haven’t you?’ Ever the pacifist.
Jacinta nods. ‘It hasn’t been the easiest day.’
‘Jacinta had no idea . . .’ Jan leaps in quickly and then turns on Jacinta, ‘although it amazes me you didn’t ask her about the suitcase before you left Hobart.’ I’m sure Jan has been berating Jacinta since she first heard the news, and now she’s going to rehash it for my benefit.
Gary sets down his cup and leans back in his chair, hands folded behind his thick neck. ‘How did she get you to take her to the cabin?’
‘She was cold and she said she’d arranged with the owners to have a cup of tea there. It was out of the wind . . .’
‘I suppose you carried the case