John-Paul’s head jerked up. “She couldn’t have. There’s nothing. There is no evidence.”
“I’m just telling you what she said.”
“Well then,” said John-Paul. He swayed a little as if he was having a dizzy spell and briefly closed his eyes. He opened them again. “Maybe the decision will be made for us. For me.”
Cecilia thought back to exactly what Rachel had said. Something like “I’ve found something that proves who killed Janie.”
“This evidence she’s found,” said Cecilia suddenly. “It might actually implicate someone else.”
“In that case, I’d have to turn myself in,” said John-Paul flatly. “Obviously I would.”
“Obviously,” repeated Cecilia.
“It just seems unlikely,” said John-Paul. He sounded exhausted. “Doesn’t it? After all these years.”
“It does,” agreed Cecilia. She watched as he lifted his head and turned toward the back of the house to look at the girls. In the silence, the sound of the pool filter became loud. It didn’t sound like a choking baby. It sounded like the wheezing breaths of something monstrous, like an ogre from a child’s nightmare, creeping around their house.
“I’ll look at that filter tomorrow,” said John-Paul, his eyes fixed on his daughters.
Cecilia said nothing. She sat and breathed in time with the ogre.
FORTY-FOUR
This is sort of the ultimate second date,” said Tess.
She and Connor were sitting on a low brick wall overlooking Dee Why Beach, drinking hot chocolate in takeaway cups. The bike was parked behind them, the chrome gleaming in the moonlight. The night was cold, but Tess was warm in the big leather jacket Connor had lent her. It smelled of aftershave. “Yeah, it normally works like a charm,” said Connor.
“Except you already scored with me on the first date,” said Tess. “So you know, you don’t need to waste all your seductive charms.”
She sounded odd, as if she were trying out someone else’s personality: one of those sassy, feisty girls. Actually it was like she was trying to be Felicity and not doing a very good job of it. The magical, heightened sensations she’d felt on the bike seemed to have dissipated, and now she felt awkward. It was too much. The moonlight, the bike, the leather jacket and the hot chocolate. It was horribly romantic. She’d never been fond of classic romantic moments. They made her snicker.
Connor turned to look at her with a deadly serious expression. “So you’re saying the other night was a first date.” He had gray, serious eyes. Unlike Will, Connor didn’t laugh a lot. It made his occasional deep chuckles all the more precious. See, quality, not quantity, Will.
“Oh, well,” said Tess. Did he think they were dating? “I don’t know. I mean—”
Connor put his hand on her arm. “I was joking. Relax. I told you. I’m just happy to spend time with you.”
Tess drank some of the hot chocolate and changed the subject. “What did you do this afternoon? After school?”
Connor squinted, as if considering his answer, and then shrugged. “I went for a run, had a coffee with Ben and his girlfriend, and ah, well, I saw my shrink. Thursday evenings I see her. At six p.m. There’s an Indian restaurant next door. I always have a curry afterward. Therapy and an excellent lamb curry. I don’t know why I keep telling you about my therapy.”
“Did you tell your therapist about me?” said Tess.
“Of course not.” He smiled.