Page 218 of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

‘I’m sorry.’

A twelve-heartbeat silence fell between them, Pip’s eyes on the floor.

‘Fine,’ he said coldly. ‘I don’t know why you’re doing this but fine. I’ll go to the police with Sal’s alibi photo on my own. Send me the file.’

‘I can’t,’ Pip said. ‘My laptop got stolen.’

Ravi shot a look at the surface of her desk. He charged over to it, spreading her stack of papers and exam notes, eyes desperate and searching.

‘Where’s the printout of the photo?’ he said, turning to her, notes clutched in his hand.

And now for the lie that would break him.

‘I destroyed it. It’s gone,’ she said.

The look in his eyes set her on fire and she withered away.

‘Why would you do that? Why are you doing this?’ The papers dropped from his hands, gliding like severed wings to the floor. They scattered around Pip’s feet.

‘Because I don’t want to be a part of this any more. I never should have started it.’

‘This isn’t fair!’ Tendons stuck out like vines up his neck. ‘My brother was innocent, and you just got rid of the one small bit of evidence we had. If you stand back now, Pip, you’re just as bad as everyone else in Kilton. Everyone who painted the wordscumon our house, who smashed our windows. Everyone who tormented me at school. Everyone who looks at me that way they look at me. No, you’ll be worse; at least they think he’s guilty.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly.

‘No, I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice breaking. He ran his sleeve over his face to catch the angry tears and reached for the door. ‘I’m sorry for thinking you were someone you’re clearly not. You are just a kid. A cruel one, like Andie Bell.’

He left the room, hands to his eyes as he turned to the stairs.

Pip watched him walk away for the last time.

When she heard the front door open and close she clenched her hand into a fist and punched her desk. The pen pot juddered and fell, scattering pens across the surface.

She screamed herself empty into her cupped hands, holding on to the scream, trapping it with her fingers.

Ravi hated her, but he would be safe now.

Thirty-Seven

The next day, Pip was in the living room with Josh, teaching him how to play chess. They were finishing their first practice match and, despite her best efforts to let him win, Josh was down to just his king and two pawns. Or prawns, as he called them.

Someone knocked on the front door and the absence of Barney was an immediate punch to the gut. No skittering claws on the polished wood racing to stand and greet.

Her mum pattered down the hall and opened the door.

Leanne’s voice floated into the living room. ‘Oh, hello, Ravi.’

Pip’s stomach leaped into her throat.

Confused, she put her knight back down and wandered out of the room, her unease ramping into panic. Why would he come back after yesterday? How could he bear to look at her ever again? Unless he was desperate enough to come and ambush her parents, tell them everything they knew and try to force Pip to go to the police. She wouldn’t; who else would die if she did?

When the front door came into view she saw Ravi unzipping a large sports rucksack and dipping his hands inside.

‘My mum sends her condolences,’ he said, pulling out two large Tupperware boxes. ‘She made you a chicken curry, you know, in case you didn’t feel like cooking.’

‘Oh,’ Leanne said, taking the boxes from Ravi’s offered hands. ‘That’s very thoughtful. Thank you. Come in, come in. You must give me her number so I can thank her.’

‘Ravi?’ Pip said.