Page 128 of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

‘Ouch, tell me about it,’ he said, rubbing his arm. ‘What have you got in there, bricks?’

When Ravi stopped laughing at Pip’s squat and bug-faced car, he clicked his seat belt into place and Pip keyed the address into her phone. She started the car and told Ravi everything she’d learned since they last spoke. Everything except the dark figure in the forest and the note in her sleeping bag. This investigation meant everything to him, and yet, she knew he would tell her to stop if he thought she was putting herself in danger. She couldn’t put him in that position.

‘Andie sounds like a piece of work,’ he said when Pip was done. ‘And yet it was so easy for everyone to believe that Sal was the monster. Wow, that was deep.’ He turned to her. ‘You can quote me on that in your project if you want.’

‘Certainly, footnote and everything,’ she said.

‘Ravi Singh,’ he said, drawing his words with his fingers, ‘deep unfiltered thoughts, Pip’s bug-faced car, 2017.’

‘We had an hour-long EPQ session on footnotes today,’ Pip said, eyes back on the road. ‘As if they think I don’t already know. I came out of the womb knowing how to do academic references.’

‘Such an interesting superpower; you should call up Marvel.’

The mechanical and snobby voice on Pip’s phone interrupted, telling them that in 500 yards they would reach their destination.

‘Must be this one,’ Pip said. ‘Naomi told me it was the one with the bright blue door.’ She indicated and pulled up on to the kerb. ‘I rang Natalie twice yesterday. The first time she hung up after I said the words “school project”. The second time she wouldn’t pick up at all. Let’s hope she’ll actually open the door. You coming?’

‘I’m not sure,’ he said, pointing at his own face, ‘there’s that wholemurderer’s brotherthing. You might get more answers if I’m not there.’

‘Oh.’

‘How about I stand on the path there?’ He gestured to the slabs of concrete that divided the front garden up to the house, at the point where they turned sharply left to lead to the front door. ‘She won’t see me, but I’ll be right there, ready for action.’

They stepped out of the car and Ravi handed over her rucksack, making exaggerated grunting sounds as he lifted it.

She nodded at him when he was in position and then strolled up to the front door. She prodded the bell in two short bursts, fiddling nervously with the collar of her blazer as a dark, shadowy figure appeared in the frosted glass.

The door opened slowly and a face appeared in the crack. A young woman with white-blonde hair cropped closely to her head and eyeliner raccoon-dripped around her eyes. The face beneath it all looked eerily Andie-like: similar big blue eyes and plump pale lips.

‘Hi,’ Pip said, ‘are you Nat da Silva?’

‘Y-yes,’ she said hesitantly.

‘My name’s Pip,’ she swallowed. ‘I was the one who called you yesterday. I’m friends with Naomi Ward; you knew her at school, didn’t you?’

‘Yeah, Naomi was a friend. Why? Is she OK?’ Nat looked concerned.

‘Oh, she’s fine,’ Pip smiled. ‘She’s back home at the moment.’

‘I didn’t know.’ Nat opened the door a little wider. ‘Yeah, I should catch up with her sometime. So . . .’

‘Sorry,’ Pip said. She looked down at full-length Natalie, noticing the electronic tag buckled round her ankle. ‘So, as I said when I called, I’m doing a school project and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?’ She looked quickly back up into Nat’s face.

‘What about?’ Nat shifted the tagged foot back behind the door.

‘Um, it’s about Andie Bell.’

‘No thanks.’ Nat stood back and tried to shut the door but Pip stepped forward to block it with her foot.

‘Please. I know the awful things she did to you,’ she said. ‘I can understand why you wouldn’t want to but –’

‘That bitch ruined my life.’ Nat spat, ‘I’m not wasting one more breath on her. Move!’

That’s when they both heard the sound of a rubber sole skidding over concrete and a whispered, ‘Oh crap.’

Nat glanced up and her eyes widened. ‘You,’ she said quietly. ‘You’re Sal’s brother.’

It wasn’t a question.