I shrugged. ‘Not really. Romantic maybe.’

That brought him jolting back down to earth. He cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, well, what happens now?’.

I thought; I bank your cheque and make the rent on my office and pay the rego, but I said, ‘I’ll talk to Jason and see if I can find out what you want to know. How hostile is he likely to be?’

I got another smile, smaller this time. ‘How subtle can you be?’

‘Fairly.’

‘Do you know anything about golf?’

‘About as much as I know about skiing.’

Again, Price was in his territory, fencing. ‘Do I detect a note of class consciousness?’

‘Yes,’ I said.

Price actually laughed. ‘Your reputation for directness seems to be well deserved. Jason’ll be all right. If he’s not at home he’ll be at the Milperra Golf Club where he’s got some sort of apprenticeship. He’s really concerned about Danni. I doubt if he’ll give you names but he could steer you in the right direction. I assume you’ve got useful contacts.’

‘Such as?’

‘Well, the police.’

I nodded. I was working on that. After Frank Parker retired and I served a short sentence for obstructing the course of justice, my effective police contacts faded away. I’d recently struck up an acquaintance at the gym with a detective in the forensic branch and was trying to cultivate him. Time would tell. I detached the carbon copy of the contract and handed it to Price who folded it neatly and put it in the inside pocket of his suit coat. The brief flashes of animation he’d shown were fading away now and he’d reassumed the haunted, stressed look that aged him. I could tell that he wanted to leave but couldn’t bring himself to break the connection without some form of hope.

I helped him. ‘Lugarno’s a long way from Cabramatta and the Cross,’ I said. ‘Do you think Danielle gets her supplies locally?’