Page 23 of Blackout

He was dressed in all black with the Black’s Bar and Grill logo on the shirt, and the name tag confirmed the man was who he said he was.

‘Harley,’ I told Andy. ‘You can call me Harley, please.’

‘Harley, right, well, I’m head of security here at Black’s Bar and Grill and Mr Black…’ Okay, now wasn’t the time to be surprised about the connection between the man and the bar. Zach had after all told me he was a businessman.

‘You mean Zach?’

Andy gave me a quizzical look at the question I asked. Andy wasn’t to know how complicated things were between Zach and me.

‘Yes, Mr Black…’ Andy repeated, which confirmed the suspicion I’d had all along.

‘Oh my God!’ I exclaimed then shut my mouth. No one wanted to stare at a goldfish with an opened mouth. I took a deep breath and a moment to process. Did all of Black’s Bar and Grill belong to Zach? Or did he co-own the business? Either way, Zach had done alright for himself.

‘Mr Black,’ the man in front of me had said three times now, ‘would like me to give you the grand tour of his business as he is otherwise occupied.’

‘Wow,’ I told myself. I was a little astounded. Zach was more than the bartender he portrayed to be behind the bar the night I’d passed out. But I wasn’t really surprised because we didn’t know each other and we both had secrets. I nodded my head in response to Andy, and the grand tour was underway.

The entry to Black’s Bar and Grill had a long concierge desk to direct customers to their destinations. Everyone who came here had to walk through the same doors I just did, the same doors I’d walked through two nights ago.

‘Ms James.’

I gave Andy a hard stare and a quick shake of my head.

‘Sorry, Harley, this building has three levels and is split into six rooms. And if you will follow me?’

I followed Andy through automatic doors to the rooftop beer garden called The Graphite Bar.

‘The beer garden, I believe you are familiar with,’ Andy said to me.

I nodded. This was where I’d drunk myself under the table, or bar, which would be more appropriate. The Graphite Bar had a hut that served alcohol, a stage big enough for acoustic music and plenty of seats for a relaxed crowd.

‘I also believe you are familiar with The Diamond Hotel.’ Andy walked to the far end of the beer garden that overlooked the hotel. I followed and peered over the edge at the fifteen-room hotel. The hotel met the bar at a right angle; both overlooked lush green grass and the river.

Opposite The Graphite Bar, on the other side of the concierge desk, Andy directed me towards what sounded like a lot of loud noises. But as we moved closer, I could see the roadies about to set up the band for their gig this afternoon.

‘This is The Carbon Bar, and all our headliners from the Melbourne play here,’ Andy informed me. ‘Occasionally, Zach hosts one of his events in there too.’

I peeked in through the double glass doors that others would rush through later today to see the band from the Melbourne. The stage, big enough to hold a full band, was set to the left-hand side of the rooftop opposite a long, slim bar. I kept my eyes peeled for Zach, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Andy led me down a set of stairs behind the concierge desk to Pepper Grill.

‘This is the restaurant, Harley,’ Andy pointed out to me.

Even though I could see the sign overhead that told me where we were, and the restaurant-style tables and chairs through the clear glass windows, I didn’t think Andy would lead me inside, but he did.

I followed him, through the empty restaurant to the kitchen.

‘This,’ Andy extended his arm out and waved it around for effect, ‘is Pepper’s state-of- the-art kitchen.’

I was impressed by the clean lines and stainless steel. There was a comfortableness that I could cook in if ever I was able to let loose in here. The workers carried on with their shift, oblivious that Andy and I were even there.

We left the kitchen and restaurant and walked across the hall to the Midnight Wine Bar. As we walked through the doors to the bar, I noticed that there was a relaxed feel here. Comfortable seats and low lighting gave off a romantic atmosphere. I almost stopped Andy to ask if we could put our feet up and enjoy a glass of wine, but something told me he wanted this tour over with. And to add to my disappointment, there was no one behind the bar to serve me my wine.

There was one more level to see and two more rooms left. We moved down the stairs to the bottom level of Zach’s business. Walking straight past a hallway on our right that seemed private, my curiosity piqued when Andy didn’t mention it. As we walked past on our way to the nightclub, I wondered if that was where Zach’s office was. Something I told myself I would explore later.

Onyx Nightclub was in front of me and the Charcoal Lounge behind me. Andy moved towards the nightclub entrance, and I followed. The nightclub was one big empty room with a DJ booth at the far end and a stage big enough for acoustic sessions beside it. There were three pool tables opposite the stage with bars on the other two sides, and in the middle was one large dance floor. Intrigued by the unknown, I wondered how often the nightclub was open.

The Charcoal Lounge was the last room to view, and it wasn’t open to the public. It was a function room for hire, and beyond the glass bi-fold doors was a deck that overlooked the Murray River, with a private bar that led out to a large green grass paddock for outside entertainment.