Page 77 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes
“Wow, that’s a huge pussy.” Ginger blinks. While Chan and the fireman continue to discuss something heatedly, I try to keep track of what they’re saying but my attention is brought back to Brandy holding onto my cat.
Jacob Marley, given that he really doesn’t like people much, seems content with Brandy’s hand wrapped around his middle, his legs dangling loosely as he gazes up at her with something akin to awe.
Bloody contradictory cat. Still, I can’t stop the rush of relief that he’s okay.
“Alright, alright. Are we just gonna stand around chatting all fuckin’ day? Some of us have a business to run,” a familiar and irritated cockney accent cuts in.
“Ari?” I blink as I catch sight of the short, stocky man.
“Me too!” Benny darts around him and throws his arms around me in the sweetest hug. “I’m glad you and Inspector Danny are okay.” He pulls back and pats me as if he’s checking for injuries. “We brought boxes! And my Dad’s van! It’s got a rainbow flag on it!”
By now completely confused, I turn back to Chan. She’s stopped arguing with the fireman, who now has a rather resigned look about him. “What’s going on?”
“We’re here to rescue you.” She grins. “I’ve spoken to the letting agent. The two-bed flat in Whitechapel you were supposed to view tomorrow? They said that, given the circumstances, they’ll give you a six-month temporary lease starting from today, and you can choose to extend it later if you want. He’s going to meet us at the new flat with the paperwork for you both to sign, and as long as you can pay two months’ rent up front and an extra month as deposit, you can have the keys today.”
“Oh wow.” I breathe heavily. A little overwhelmed, I feel Danny step in close and place his hand on my back as a form of comfort. Turning to look over my shoulder at him, I see him smile.
Chan continues on. “Fireman Sam here—”
“My name is Jake.” He rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t named after a fictional character on a children’s TV show.”
“Whatever.” Chan winks at him. “He says we can have one hour to clear out as much of your belongings as possible.”
“If I may actually have a word?” Fireman Jake says in exasperation. I feel a bit bad for him, even though it’s my half-destroyed home we are all standing in with the rain pouring down around us. Chan and the others can be a lot.
“Of course,” Chan says sweetly with a smirk dancing on her neon pink lips.
“Mr Everett, is it?” Jake says and I nod. “What’s left of the roof is temporarily stable but the flat, as you can see, is not inhabitable in its current condition. It’s likely the whole roof will have to come off and be replaced, but that’s down to the owner. In the meantime, we’ve had a local contractor in to place supports to stop any further collapse, but if this rain keeps up, it might not be enough.” He scratches his jaw. “Your downstairs neighbour has already been evacuated, says he’s off to stay with his sister until the repairs are done. You can have one hour to clear out as much of your belongings as possible, but you may have to abandon the furniture. Most of it is probably unusable anyway. I hope you’ve got insurance, but as the roof was down to your owner, you may be able to claim back damages from him since he neglected his responsibilities as a landlord.”
“Okay.” I blow out a breath, trying to assimilate everything he’s telling me. “Thank you so much.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Sam’s voice suddenly breaks in and I see him squeezing between Ruby and Ginger and looking around in interest, first at the drag queens and then the firefighters. “Did you throw a party and not invite me?” He grins. “I’m hurt.”
Danny rolls his eyes and can’t help the little huff of a laugh that rumbles up from his chest as he shakes his head.
“Bloody hell!” I hear Dusty’s voice and see her appear next to Chan. “Jesus Christ, boo, last time you and Danny got your freak on you broke the bed. How the fuck did you do that to the ceiling? I’m seriously impressed. Were you swinging from the chandelier?”
Sam starts laughing but I can’t say anything, not in front of all these people. Instead, my mouth curves at her new outfit. It’s always a delight to see what Dusty is going to turn up wearing at any given moment. Right now, she’s wearing black patent platforms with really high thin heels, black trousers, a white shirt with a black tie, and a black corset cinching her waist so tight I’d be worried if she actually required oxygen to breathe. In one hand she holds an umbrella, and the whole outfit makes her look like a slightly kinky version of Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain.
“Alright. That’s enough, everyone.” Chan claps her hands together to get everyone’s attention. Seeing Ruby sidle up to Sam and flutter her ridiculously long fake eyelashes at him while pressing against his side suggestively, Chan picks up the spray bottle that I use for my houseplants and gives a squirt of water in Ruby’s direction. “Down, girl. We don’t hump the sexy PI when there’s work to be done.”
“Spoilsport,” Ruby pouts, and Sam shoots her a cheeky wink.
“Okay, you heard the fire department, we have one hour. Grab a box and throw in everything you can that can be saved. There’re several plastic boxes in the hallway cupboard that have already been sorted out. They’re filled with paperwork and all Tris’s dad’s stuff, so be careful with them. Let’s get those down to Ari’s van first.”
“The sofa’s a lost cause,” Brandy says, still holding a purring Jacob Marley as she takes another drag of her vape. “When I pulled it out to rescue this handsome boy, I saw mold all along the back of it and the wall.”
“Really?” I frown. “No wonder the flat was starting to smell like a wet sock.”
“Darling, this hellhole is so bad, I’m surprised neither of you have died of consumption.” Brandy dramatically waves the hand holding her vape.
“Okay, less talking, more packing. The more we stand here chatting, the more Tris and Danny’s stuff is getting damaged from that giant-arse hole in the ceiling. Sam, you can help too. Grab a box or a bin bag and let’s see if we can liberate their clothes from the bedroom.” Chan claps her hands again. “Move it, people, the clock is ticking.”
“I’ll help you, handsome.” Ruby wraps her arm through Sam’s and tows him out of the kitchen.
“Ginger!” I call out to the youngest addition to The Rainbow Room, who is also Dusty’s former protégé. “How come you’re all in full drag at this time of the day?” I glance at the clock and see it’s coming up to eleven.
“We were rehearsing a new number,” she says. “But the second Chan knew you were in trouble, she dropped everything and hustled all of us out to come and help, including Ari.”