One Dead Seagull (10 page)

‘Are
you
okay?’
Den
asked
again
and
she
nodded.

I
suddenly realised
that
there
might
have
been
other
people
in
the
car
so
I
ran
back
out.
All
the
seats
were empty
and
an
airbag
lay
limp
like
a
used
condom
against the
steering
wheel.
There
was
another
limp
airbag
on
the
passenger
’
s
side
hanging
over
the
glove
box.
The
lady
’
s wallet
was
on
the
floor
and
I
reached
in
to
get
it.
Outside I heard
a
loud
electrical
crack
and
remembered
the potential
bomb
that
I
was
in.
I
hurried
back
inside
and gave
the
lady
her
wallet.

Th
e
ambulanc
e
arrive
d
i
n
al
l
it
s
flashing
,
wailin
g
glo
r
y
.
The
n
th
e
polic
e
cam
e
an
d
soo
n
afte
r
tha
t
a
lumberin
g
great fir
e
truc
k
tha
t
spraye
d
foa
m
ove
r
th
e
fue
l
an
d
th
e
ca
r
.
The ambulanc
e
me
n
wer
e
polit
e
an
d
gentle
.
Th
e
policemen
wer
e
gruf
f
an
d
tol
d
eve
r
yon
e
t
o
g
o
ou
t
th
e
back
,
shinin
g
the
wa
y
wit
h
brigh
t
torches
.
Carl
y
wa
s
sobbin
g
no
w
an
d
Rebecca
complaine
d
tha
t
i
t
wa
s
he
r
house
.
Th
e
policema
n
apologise
d
an
d
escorte
d
he
r
ou
t
th
e
bac
k
explainin
g
tha
t
i
t
was
stil
l
dangerou
s
t
o
b
e
i
n
th
e
fron
t
o
f
th
e
house.

‘Bloody
kids
eve
r
ywhere,’
one
of
the
cops
said
to
Steve. In
a
while,
a
fireman
came
out
through
the
side
gate
and told
the
cop
that
eve
r
ything
was
oka
y
.
He
reflected
like
a
traffic
sign
in
the
cop
’
s
torch
and
his
rubber
suit
squeaked
and
squawked as
he
walked.

‘Can
we
go?’
Steve
asked
the
cop.

‘
Y
es.
Let
me
write
down
your
names
and
addresses
and you
can
go.’

Mand
y
,
Che
r
yl
and
Steve
were
the
first
ones
to
leave. Steve
told the
cop
his
name
was David.
It was eleven o’clock
and
we
started
walking
back
to
the Humes’
house. Gracie
was
getting
ready
to
leave
as we
got
there.
She listened
without
making
a
sound
as
Ker
r
y
and
Den
took
turns
in
telling
her
what
had
happened.

‘Lucky
you
guys
were
there
to
sort
things
out,’
she
said. I
could
hear
her
talking
to
Bar
r
y
for
hours
after
that.

^•

I
couldn
’
t
get
to
sleep.
I
should
have
jumped
on
my
bike and
ridden
home
at
three
in
the
morning.
I
dozed
and woke
up
twenty
times
between
that
thought
and
daylight.
I wanted
my
own
bed
and
the
radio.
Eventually
daylight came
and
I
got
dressed
and
quietly
left
to
have
breakfast
and
some
decent
sleep
at
the
flat.

I
t
wa
s a
fogg
y
sprin
g
daw
n
an
d
th
e
magpie
s
were callin
g
quietl
y
a
s
I
pulle
d
up
.
Magpies
,
an
d
i
n
the
distanc
e
a
squawkin
g
seagull
.
Eve
n
th
e
bird
s
weren
’
t
properl
y
awake
.
Th
e
littl
e
alcov
e
a
t
th
e
fron
t
doo
r
stunk.
No
t
jus
t
tha
t
V
elo-cat-pis
s
smell
,
bu
t
somethin
g
burnt
an
d
horrible
.
I
n
th
e
wea
k
dayligh
t
I
coul
d
se
e
charring o
n
th
e
fibr
o
an
d
th
e
doo
r
lik
e
someon
e
ha
d
take
n
to the
m
wit
h
a
ga
s
torc
h
an
d
th
e
plasti
c
fly-wir
e
ha
d
been
melte
d
al
l
ove
r
th
e
stee
l
o
f
th
e
buste
d
securit
y
doo
r
that lean
t
agains
t
th
e
othe
r
wall
.
I
pushe
d
throug
h
th
e
door an
d
wen
t
t
o
Mum
’
s
room
.
Sh
e
sa
t
u
p
lik
e
a
rabbi
t
and aske
d
m
e
wha
t
th
e
matte
r
was.

‘What
happened
to
the
door?’

‘Oh,
we
had
a
visitor
during
the
night.
Some
idiots
lit
a
whole
pile
of
paper
and
.
.
.
stuff
on
the porch.
Scared
the life
out
of
me.
I
put
it
out
with
water
from
the
kettle
and called the
police.
They
were
here
for
about
half
an
hour and
helped
me
calm
down
and
clean
up.’

Her hair looked
funn
y
,
like
her
head
had
exploded during
the
night.
She
said
that
in
the
middle
of
the
pile
of
paper
was
a
turd.
Someone
had
crapped
in
it
and
set
it alight.
That
was
sick.

Dennis
was
a
hero
at
school.
The
sto
r
y
I
heard
was
that
he
had
rescued
a
woman
out
of
the
wreck
of
her
ca
r
.
Saved her
life.
Gave
her
mouth-to-mouth
and
kept
her
going until
the
ambulance
arrived.
It
was
a
bit
of
a
laugh
reall
y
. The
Friday
after
the
accident,
the
woman
arrived
at school.
Her
name
was
Katrina
and
the
police had
told
her to
ask
for
Dennis
at
the
school.
He’d
had
lunch
with
her and
the
teachers
in
the
staff
room.
Afte
r
wards
he
said
it was
a
real
wank
but
I
think
he
enjoyed
it.
He
told
me
that he
thought
Katrina was
gorgeous.
I
had
never
seen
him
so
animated
about
a
woman.
Eve
r
.
She’d
said
her
husband
had
just
told
her
that
he
was
having
an
affair
and
their
marriage
was
ove
r
.

‘It
was
like
a
bloody
soap opera.
And
she
was
telling
me like
I
cared.’

I
think
he
did.
I
would
have
given
her
mouth-to-mouth.

Griz
roughed
him up
again
that
afternoon.
Den
was hur
r
ying
to
the
bus
from
his
locker
and Griz
pushed
him into
the
corner
so
he
dropped
his
bag.
I
shouted
at
Griz
to
leave
him
alone.
Griz
told
me
to
shut
my
hole.

‘
T
wo
hundred
bucks.
Where
is
it?’

‘I
don
’
t
have two
hundred
dollars,’
he
said,
which
was
a lie.
Den
is
loaded.

‘That
’
s
not
my
problem.
T
omorro
w
.’

Den
shrugged
and
picked
up
his
bag.
There
was
half
a
smile
on
his
face.
‘All
right.
Here.
T
omorro
w
.’

Gri
z
seeme
d
satisfie
d
unti
l
Pi
c
whispere
d
tha
t
tomorrow
was
Saturda
y
.

‘
W
e
won
’
t
be
here.
Make
it
Monda
y
,’
Griz
said.

Den
shrugged
again
and
said
that
Monday
would
be
oka
y
.

With that
Griz
bent
down
and
punched
him in the thigh
and
bolted
out
the
sliding
doors
to
the
bike
shed. Den
limped
out
to
the
bus.

W
e
didn
’
t
see
each
other
until
T
uesda
y
.
Den
and
Ker
r
y
had
one
of
their
‘mental
health
days’
when
their
family goes
camping
or
driving
for
the
weekend
and
they
all
take
the
Monday
off.
They
have
done
it
about
three
or
four times
a
year
since
Den
was
in
kindergarten.
Mum
doesn
’
t let
me
take
days
off.
I
go
to
school
unless,
like
my
last
day off
in
grade
five,
I’m
coughing
up
blood.