The river rushing past was icy blue. The shade reflected the temperature. Lucy wasn't spending any time watching the water, which was throwing itself energetically upon boulders in its path. Instead, she walked with her head down, eyes glued on the gravel in front of her... waving a metal detector from side to side in a focused fashion.

All of a sudden it started beeping furiously. Stopping she stooped down to unearth the mother load... which turned out to be a lone aluminum can. She flung it over her shoulder into the large bamboo pack on her back and continued onwards.

"Lucy?"

She turned toward the voice, spotting Daniello in the distance. "Hello!" She waved her metal detector cheerfully.

"Lucy... Jesus Christ! What happened to your face?"

"I'm just trialing a cosmetic range for a pharmaceutical company. It looks like I've had a reaction." Her face had continued to swell out until her eyes were nothing but tiny green slits.

"God. It looks so painful."

"I've had better days."

"I searched through all the shops in the village looking for you. I figured you'd been working somewhere."

"I've moved on from sales. I'm now starting a career in recycling. I woke up early to try sifting for gold ... but it turns out this is much easier."

"Where did you find this thing?"

"A nice guy gave it to me... I think he felt sorry for my disfigurement. We are going fifty fifty in the profits I make."

"And how much money is that, do you think?" He pointed at her pack.

"Well, I've found a few weird things... who knows... a hundred dollars. But I'm hoping for the best."

He laughed. "You are such an optimist, Lucy Falkwell."

"Why would I be anything else?" She gazed at him in confusion.

"Well, other people..."

"Oh, right... you're talking about "normal people" again. You know what? Being normal doesn't sound very alluring."

"In the defense of us normal folk we don't risk our faces with cosmetic testing."

"No. You make the poor guinea pigs suffer instead." Her swollen face was twisted up in annoyance, before she continued. "If it weren't for all these women - with more money than sense - no one would buy anti wrinkle cream in the first place." Angrily, she began waving her metal detector in front of her again.

"I'm sorry," he took a deep breath. "I just worry about you."

She softened. "There is no need to worry. This is a good spot. It looks like there were plenty of camp fires here."

"Lucy, I've been trying to find you because-" his voice was drowned out by manic beeping.

"We've really hit the mother load this time." She threw the metal detector into Daniello's arms. Falling to her knees she began scratching wildly at the gravel below him.

"How do I turn this damn thing down?" Daniello called out over the racket.

"I don't know... aim it away from here!"

He moved away and abruptly the beeping subsided.

"Sorry, I still haven't got the knack of all those buttons. Sorry... what were you telling me?" She smiled politely as she deftly unearthed some previously enjoyed beer cans to throw into her bamboo basket.

"I've been trying to find you because I need to clear something up."

"Oh not him again!" Lucy interrupted.

"Who?"

She pointed at the man who'd just stepped out of the bushes with an astronomically big camera lens which he was aiming in their direction.

"How long has he been here?" Daniello asked.

"That guy? I think he's got a soft spot for me. He was taking my photo at the car wash earlier this morning."

"God!" He turned on his heel. "We will talk when you get home." By the way Daniello was striding purposefully toward the man in the bushes Lucy figured that Daniello still hadn't learnt his lesson after assaulting Krishna - and was about to pummel the poor man to mince meat.

She knew she should run after him and try to pacify him, but with her face as tight and painful as it was and her house bus nearly back on the road she couldn't stop. Instead she trekked on. She was multitasking at her best. Not only was she making money but she was tidying up the river bank for all those tourists to enjoy.

#

Lucy cycled along the main street of Arrowtown, balancing two pizza boxes in their warming bag in her front basket. As the sun set behind the picturesque mountain it cast long wintery shadows across the landscape. Up ahead she could see the letterbox for her intended delivery which was built into a large brick fence. Tucked discreetly underneath the number (almost apologetically) was a sign. Reading it Lucy flinched visibly. "Beware of Dog." Beside it was a picture of a Rottweiler - frothing at the mouth - and under the illustration the dog boasted, "I can make the gate in thirty seconds. Can you?"

Edging off her bicycle she kicked up the stand and hoisted the pizza boxes from her carrier. She'd had a fear of dogs since she was attacked by an angry Jack Russell outside an Organic food store ten years ago. She still had the tiny scars in her ankle where the dog's rabid teeth had punctured her skin. But a Rottweiler? That was five times the size! There was no way she was going to walk through the gate and carelessly lob the pizza's at the home owners. Hell no!

So she stood there beside the bicycle - where it was safe - and started hopping. At her height she suspected that might get some attention.

Combined with the odd, "Hello?" and "Yoo hooo?" Her revoltingly colored "Pizza Girl," hat, perched at lofty heights on the top of her head, was more than a little eye-catching. She just hoped they weren't ordering the Pizzas to accompany a scary movie... otherwise if they came face to face with her slitted and swollen eyes she was sure she'd cause a heart attack.

"Hello? Hello?" She began hopping and shouting simultaneously.

The sliding door shot open and Lucy could hear a woman call, "You can bring them in."

"In? No thanks. I don't like dogs."

"Don't worry, it is just a Labrador and he will lick you to death. Besides, he's locked up out the back."

"If you could just come here and grab them."

With a frustrated sigh the woman left the warm innards of her house and made her way to the gate. Swinging it open she took the boxes off Lucy with a small whistle as she caught sight of Lucy's face. She was about to close the gate again when a black furry thing ran at Lucy's legs.

Lucy screamed and shot sky high. "Get it off me, get it off me."

"It's a cat," the woman said pragmatically.

"I know. I'm scared of cats!" Lucy lied.

When she got back to the depot she could see all of the other hideously hatted "Pizza Girls" hiding smirks behind their hands. Tittering infiltrated the building.

"Lucy?" Her brand new manager (to-be) whisked her to the side toward his office. "Look I don't think this job is for you."

"What? Why?"

"Firstly you said you had a vehicle... Which I thought was a car... not this bicycle which is barely holding together due to the rust. And secondly there are lots of cats out there... if you have a phobia of them then this really isn't the job for you."

"Did she call you?"

"No one called. But we have had a customer lay a complaint on our Facebook page."

#

Lucy was dragging an overflowing canvas bag behind her down the main street of Arrowtown. Her shoulders were hunched over and her collar pulled up to cover her ears. It was early evening and the gathering nightfall was beginning to wind itself around the village.

"What are you doing?" Daniello asked, his head poking out the door of a menswear shop. "Did you just finish your shift at Pizza Girl? Is that bag full of Pizzas?"

"I didn't last there longer than thirty minutes. Apparently having an intense phobia of being attacked by Rottweiler's isn't something they look for in a suitable employee."

"Oh." Daniello managed to look deflated. "So I take it you are onto plan... B or C... what plan are we up to now?"

"I'm not keeping track." Hauling the bag in front of her she opened it up and fished around inside. "On the way home I stopped at the dump, when I was there searching for the bicycle earlier I had an idea. Collecting heavy metals for scrap collections but not along the river... In the actual dump!"

"How did it work for you?"

"I think I might have a copper pipe in here!"

"Really?"

"Uh huh." She plopped the bag on the ground and began rummaging in it. "Here."

"That must be thirty bucks worth of piping."

"Only that much? Oh well. At least I have all of these other bits and pieces too. And besides – my face has given my finances a welcome boost."

"Yes. Your face," Daniello stated awkwardly. "Will they help you if the swelling doesn't go down?"

"The lady offered to drive me to a hospital if it got too bad."

"You are such an inspiration Lucy Falkwell. You are like a walking advertisement for never giving in. The cover girl for endeavoring to secure your dreams!"

"I try."

"Do you ever feel like quitting?"

"Never," Lucy lied. "So what are you doing in this shop at this time of the night?"

"I'm here for work."

"A crime?"

"None. Lucy I'm actually being styled by someone."

"Styled?" Lucy laughed despite herself. "What for?"

"That is the thing. I need to talk to you. Obviously this isn't a good place but maybe tonight?"

"I can't tonight," Lucy apologized. "I'm going to be working."

"Oh. Right. Where?"

"Not sure yet. I'm sorry Daniello but right now I'm just trying to get the money to get out of here. Apparently having a face like soccer ball in combination with these dreadlocks, around here, warrants people pulling their kids out of your path. I've got to get away. It is a beautiful place but I think I need to go recuperate at some sunny beach somewhere. Hey, maybe we can go out for a celebratory drink before I leave?"

Lucy was rudely interrupted by a woman rushing past her. "I'm really sorry if I'm bothering you but if you would –."

Daniello started talking loudly over her, "Of course of course. Here pass me that paper." He snatched the sheet from her grip and clicked furiously at a man standing in the shop behind him. The man stepped forward to guide the woman away. Lucy noticed that the woman was trying to tell Daniello something but he started talking loudly over her, "If you see anything else then let me know!"

Then the poor woman was frog marched off by Daniello's grim friend. "Have a lovely evening." He called after her departing back, then turning back to Lucy he muttered, "Work!" while rolling his eyes.

"What happened to her? And why is that man treating her so rudely?" Lucy had already begun to draw her own conclusions. This crime had to be pretty heinous for Daniello to be acting so strangely. He was obviously trying to keep the details close to his chest until they found the guy. Perhaps the felon had dragged his victim's entrails out and used them to write depraved poetry on the ground. Upon reading it people were too terrified to sleep and were plagued by tremors.

It was either that or the fact that Daniello didn't care enough about people and the hurt they were going through after losing someone. She really had to believe it was the former. Not because it would change her mind about him but because she didn't want to believe that she'd had butterflies battering around her stomach for a socio-path.

If she were a detective she would stop what she was doing to calm them. Lucy couldn't bear to see people in distress. People like this woman, being herded out onto the busy pavement, the distress in her face palpable. Lucy could tell the poor dear wanted to get her hands on Detective Daniello like he was her only salvation.

"You must be pretty good at your job," Lucy admitted. She hadn't been so impressed with his detective work, herself. He seemed almost incapable of following a car without drawing attention to them. But if people like this woman believed in him then he ought to be good. "Who was she?"

"She was a witness here this afternoon. I've paid the staff here if they could help to keep work from interrupting my conversation with people like you."

"You know that I don't mind if you want to talk to that poor woman about her problems. I don't have to listen. I'd rather you caught the criminal than turned away witnesses. That woman looked almost heartbroken to be dragged from you, she probably thinks her loved ones death will never be avenged. All I have to worry about is getting my swollen pinata face outta here."

Daniello looked torn. "Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"I have a favour to ask."

"Right." She bustled with importance.

"I need a stake out buddy. But you can't go running off. You have to stay near me at all times. It is dangerous stuff and I don't want to lose my job."

"Really? What for?"

"The drug bust turned out to be unsuccessful. We need to catch this creep that is running around raping and murdering all of these local women."

"Well I called the police earlier today. I found the guy. Some old codger. It turned out he was the father in law of one of the officers. He didn't take me seriously at all. It looks like one of your work mates is covering up for their wife's dad."

"Really? You rang in? And what did the police say?"

"Apart from telling me that his father in law was a keen hunter, he gave me a fine. When you say 'raping and murdering all these local women' how many do you mean?"

"Well, that was an over exaggeration-"

"How many? Twenty? Thirty?"

"Four or five."

"Four or five? You can't even keep count! It is someone's life that is at stake here Daniello!"

"Ok, six! I just didn't want to worry you."

"Six women? Will I meet you at the same time?"

"Same place, same time. And then maybe I can tell you what I need to while we work."

"Of course. So we are chasing this Peter Giovanni guy?"

"Sure are. I just hope I haven't made a mistake." Daniello gave her a pained smile. "You can't go running off."

"Don't you know me by now?"