Page 60 of The Dysfunctional Family's Guide to Murder
“I don’t think that’s necessary, mate. What would you even tell them?”
“The truth. They should know that you’ve been lying to us all and that Gertie found out about it.”
“That’s only relevant if you think Bec killed Gertie.”
“Maybe she did!”
“You can’t honestly think that.”
“You’re using the wordhonestly? To me? Right now?”
“I get that you’re angry.” Bec’s voice has gone a bit conciliatory, which I could tell her is the wrong way to handle Dad. It didn’t work when I spilled Coke on his laptop, and it’s not going to work now. Dad catches my eye and I see the moment when he remembers I’m hearing every word of this, which is probably enough trauma to keep any future therapist in vacation homes. Plural.
“I’m not angry. I’mfurious,” Dad says. “And, Ruth, I know this all came to light because of you, but I really think you should get upstairs right now.”
I look to the court of appeal.
“I suppose she has already heard everything,” Aunty Vinka says, but reluctantly. Somehow she and Dad have reversedroles since that first family meeting when we talked about GG’s death and she was the one who wanted to send me away. How can that have been only days ago?
“She hasn’t heard me bloody murder Bec.”
“Try not to say that in front of the police,” Aunty Vinka suggests.
Until now I’ve stayed quiet in the hope of being overlooked. But if Dad is going to kick me out anyway, there’s very little downside to saying my bit.
“I heard you in GG’s room, remember?” I say this to Bec, because I can’t look at Shippy now and maybe I’ll never have to again.
“The night she died, you mean?” Bec says. “Yeah, I spoke to GG that night—I already told the police that.”
That wasn’t what I meant, but now I’m briefly distracted as I try to figure out where that piece of the jigsaw goes. Could Bec have been the person I heard in GG’s room while I was going to the bathroom? Definitely. It doesn’t mean she didn’t kill her, though. And if that was her talking to GG, then where wasDad?
“Not then,” I say. “I heard you and Shippy talking in GG’s room this morning.” I keep my eyes on Bec, ignoring Dylan and Dad, both of whom have gone as tense as an antelope on the Serengeti that’s just spotted the tuft of a lion’s tail. “You said Shippy had made you do something to GG and you felt bad about it.” I’m not sure I’ve got the words quite right, but it’s close enough. You could flick back a few pages and see for yourself, but, trust me, the case doesn’t turn on the exactwords I heard or didn’t hear. It’s going to turn on…no, no, just kidding, you’ll find out soon enough.
“It sounded like you had done something. To GG.” I drop my eyes at the last bit because accusing someone of murder is harder than you’d think, and I’ve always liked Bec. That feeling clearly isn’t mutual right now, because Bec gives me a look that somehow conveys deep personal betrayal. Unlike Shippy, she still doesn’t give offcapable of murdervibes. But how many serial killers would last long enough to keep upping the body count if they walked around looking extremely guilty every day of their lives? Jack the Ripper would probably just have been known as Jack the Guy Who Killed That One Sex Worker Before He Got Caught.
“What else did they say?” Dad asks.
“They were looking for the letter and Bec said something about GG being a poor old lady, or maybe it was a nice old lady.”
“It’s not like that,” Bec says. “I was talking aboutthis—the DNA stuff. I felt like Shippy had pushed me into it.”
“That’snice,” Shippy says, shaking his head so a couple of his curls fall into his face and stick to his forehead. I don’t understand how someone who goes in the ocean every other day can still have dirty hair. Shampoo scientists should be studying this guy.
“Isaid it as a joke. It was you who said we should do it forreal.”
“Come off it, Bec.”
“Guys, save the domestic for when you’re in a police cell,” Dad says.
“We did not bloody murder anyone!” Bec nearly shouts. She stands up, seems to realize there’s nowhere to go, and sits down again, which is embarrassing for her. “Yes, I did a pretty bad thing and, yes, I lied to you all, but I would never hurt anyone and I can’t believe you can imagine I would ever have hurt Gertie.”
There’s a silence that’s probably supposed to make us all feel ashamed, but I just use the opportunity to work through some questions in my head.
“When did GG find out the truth?” I ask.
Bec looks like she’s going to tell me to get stuffed, but maybe she remembers she’s trying to win us over here. It’s like when a substitute teacher at school has to deal with a heckler for the first time and they’re clearlyso madbut they have to laugh it off or risk losing the class.
“Gertie said that she got the results a few weeks ago, but she only told me about it on this trip. Shippy and Dylan and I drove down with Vinka and Nick, and that first day Gertie asked to talk to me. She said she knew I wasn’t, uh, related and that she’d had a DNA test done.”
