AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Everyone looks scared for the first time, and I can’t help wondering why it took so long.
“Conor is right,” says Rose, always in control of her emotions. “We will have to involve the police when we can. It’s only five hours until low tide now. We’ll leave together in the morning and call for help. In the meantime, maybe we could all just try to be kind to each other? We should go back to the lounge. Trixie is on her own in there,” she adds, taking charge like before. “After everything that has happened here tonight, I’d feel a lot better knowing that we were all safe and together in one room.”
My eldest sister often took charge of situations when we were children, and the fact that she is doing so now feels like a relief. I pretend not to notice, but I see her tap Conor on the arm as we are all leaving the music room, and feel a stab of inexplicable hurt when he hangs back. They don’t speak until they think the rest of us have returned to the lounge, but unknown to them, I’m waiting quietly out in the hall. I have to strain to listen, and cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself making a sound when I hear what they say.
“You are right, we do need to call the police,” Rose whispers.
“Why do you agree with me all of a sudden?” Conor asks.
“No animal I know shares the human capacity for self-harm, but this wasn’t suicide.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Sadly, I often see poisoned pets in my line of work. People can be monsters. It’s one of the many reasons why I prefer animals. Dad is the only person in the family who drinks whiskey. When I smelled his glass, it didn’t just smell of alcohol. My father was poisoned. It was murder, I’m sure of it.”
I don’t say a word, but I do wonder why Rose would choose to confide in Conor and not the rest of us. And why neither of them wanted to share that information with me. The shadow of a thoughtlingers in my mind, and I can’t seem to shake it. Not that I’ll ever say anything to either of them about it. I only self-destruct in private.
Back in the lounge, Trixie has fallen asleep on the large window seat in the far corner of the room. It’s one of my niece’s favorite spots in the house, and she can often be found curled up there with a blanket and a book. Poppins the dog is stretched out on the floor beside her, gently snoring. It breaks my heart that such a kind child could have been born into such a cruel family. I’m glad she’s sleeping now. Hopefully she’ll stay that way until we can all leave.
I think that Rose is looking at her too, but it turns out she was looking at the dog.
“Poppins is taking all of this very well, poor old girl,” she says, to nobody in particular.
On hearing her name, Poppins comes to sit next to Rose.
“That’s a good point. What will happen to the dog now that Nana is dead?” Lily asks.
“I’ll take her with me,” Rose replies without hesitation.
“You said that as if you’d already thought it through.”
We sit in silence for a while—I don’t think any of us know what to say. I look at each of their faces and see a mix of fear, shock, and sorrow on every one. Rose strokes the dog and stares at the flames in the fire, with an expression I’ve never seen her face wear. Conor stares at Rose. Despite throwing another log on the fire, Nancy can’t seem to stop shivering. Lily goes to sit next to her and they hold hands. They have one of those mother-daughter relationships where they squabble all the time but never stay cross with each other for long. It’s another thing that I’ve always been jealous of.
“Are you all right?” Nancy asks her favorite daughter.
Lily shakes her head. “No, of course not. It’s just so awful. I think I’m in shock, we all must be.”
“I meant you look pale. Are you feeling okay?”
“I can’t find my diabetic kit, but don’t worry. Missing one shot of insulin won’t kill me.”
Lily wasn’t diagnosed as diabetic until her early twenties. She injects twice a day now and makes sure that everyone knows it. I’ve spent a lot of time with diabetics at the care home where I volunteer, and I feel for them, I really do. It isn’t an easy disease to live with at any age. But Lily doesn’t take her condition as seriously as she should, and her sweet tooth and habit of overindulgence was demonstrated again at dinner. My sister rarely worries about the things that she should.
“Look how peaceful Trixie looks,” Lily says, staring at her daughter. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell her what has happened. First Nana, then Dad…”
“Maybe you don’t have to tell her? Let her sleep for now?” Nancy suggests.
Lily nods, and I watch her quietly place a blanket over Trixie with unusual care and compassion. For a moment, I feel guilty about the bad thoughts I so often have about my sister. Maybe sheiscapable of loving someone more than she loves herself. Lily gently kisses her daughter on the forehead and strokes her hair, in a rare display of maternal affection.
“What do we do with this?” asks Conor.
He’s holding the VHS tape from the kitchen with the words WATCH ME on the front. We all stare at it and him as though he’s holding a grenade and has suggested pulling out the pin.
“Throw it on the fire?” suggests Lily.
“Why would someone leave that there for us to find?” I ask.
“Whoput it there is the question we should all be asking,” says Conor. “And what if it explains what is happening here tonight?”
