Page 20 of The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair

Honestly, this isn’t the kind of fame I would ever want. But then again, I didn’t spend my life murdering people either so I don’t really know what’s going on inside her head. I’m sure Ruth will figure it out eventually.

It was early evening and Ruth was home, picking at her girl dinner of crackers and grapes while she stared at Jenn’s Instagram, salivating over the sight of her pomegranate stew and almond rice. They were the same age, but Jenn had been a real adult, a ‘freezing her eggs for future babies, going to the farmer’s market, writing a schedule’ person, whereas the only thing Ruth ever froze was burritos.

After dinner, Ruth popped down to the apartment mailboxes. Some part of her was hoping she might find a letter for Jenn that would give her an excuse to contact her, even though she knew that was pathetic.

Instead, she found a manila envelope with her name on it. Ruth frowned and began tearing it open as she walked up the steps to the apartment. The letter read:

Dear Ruth Robinson,

I have become aware of a new project you’ve undertaken, a true crime podcast about a local crime story, and have shared this information with the rest of the family and our lawyers. I would urge you to think carefully about continuing such a harmful podcast that paints our community in a bad light. Palm Haven is a warm, friendly place and we want investors and tourists to focus on its positive aspects.

I would also warn you that this podcast should contain no reference to the Montgomery family, the Sunshine Development Group or any of its trustees. Any comments that bring us into disrepute will be treated as slander and pursued at the highest legal level. Please remember that as a tenant of a Sunshine Development Group property, you should also refrain from any activities that damage our business interests.

Best,

Lucy Montgomery

Ruth wadded up the letter and threw it in the trash in a fit of anger. Lucy Montgomery was chief realtor for the Sunshine buildings and personally handled the luxury sales for the company. Ruth always had the sense that she had a lot of influence in the family as well as the company (although at forty-seven, Lucy wasn’t exactly a girlboss). When Ruth had spent time with the Montgomerys, she had noticed that everyone kowtowed to Lucy, even her aunts and uncles. Only her father seemed capable of keeping Lucy in line, as if he’d developed an immunity to her power games. And now Lucy had set her sights on Ruth and her exciting new podcast.

Lucy had gotten everything in life. It was time Ruth claimed her share.

Chapter Eleven

RUTH (Voiceover):Lisa Diaz runs an Etsy shop dedicated to female serial killer merchandise.

RUTH:So, Lisa, I see you’re wearing a Daphne T-shirt today. For the listeners, there’s a sketch of Daphne smiling with ‘Homewrecker’ written under it.

LISA:Yeah, you like it?

RUTH:It’s. . . interesting. Have you had a lot of sales in your Etsy shop?

LISA:Sure, Daphne merch is way outselling Aileen Wuornos products, my usual top earner. Gotta love those Florida gals!

RUTH:What’s been your biggest seller?

LISA:Probably the Daphne wine glasses. It’s a range of big wine glasses with slogans and pictures of her. There seems to be a huge overlap between people who love true crime and people who love wine. I’ve never quite figured out why. . . But we also have these great aprons that say: ‘Daphne’s Killer Cooking!’

RUTH:How do you respond to critics who might say you’re glorifying these murderers?

LISA:Well, go home and look at the ‘serial killer merch’ section of Etsy. This is big business. People want to buy these things and who are we to tell them it’s wrong? It’s not illegal and it’s not hurting anybody.

RUTH:Why do you think the public is so fascinated with Daphne?

LISA:I think everyone’s wondering the same thing. Why would a woman who’d gotten away with murder for decades call up one day and confess? She could have taken it to her grave, which, let’s be honest, isn’t far away! Has she told you why yet?

RUTH:She says she wanted to make something happen, that she was bored. And that she wanted everyone to know that she’d got away with murder so many times.

LISA:That’s all she said? I don’t know, I bet there’s more to the story. But whatever the reason, Daphne St Clair is good for business! And to top it off, she was a hottie when she was younger, so the merch is a bit more photogenic. Nobodyreallywants a T-shirt with Nannie Doss or Rose West on it. I learned that the hard way after losing big on a line of Rose West crop tops.

RUTH:Is it mostly women buying your merch?

LISA:I think so. Maybe, in a funny way, they find it empowering. We focus so much on female victims that it’s refreshing to hear a story of a female serial killer. And maybe this is a way for women to say: don’t assume you can take advantage of me. If you look at the Etsy shops that sell male-serial-killer-themed stuff, they’re far more popular. I’m just saying, before you buy a Ted Bundy T-shirt or a John Wayne Gacy poster, think about a Myra Hindley sweatshirt or a Belle Gunness coaster. I’ll send you a Daphne wine glass. You’ll love it.

RUTH:Might be an interesting choice for a party but I could pass it on to Daphne. She’d love a big wine glass with her face on it.

LISA:Bit of a narcissist?

RUTH:You said it, not me.

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