Listen for the Lie(40)
“I’m telling it to Ben.” I take a sip of my wine.
Dad’s head pops up. His eyes spark with anger and questions.
“You’re telling it to Ben?” Mom says the words so slowly. Perhaps they’re even interpreted as calm by the rest of the table.
Maybe they are calm. I take a quick glance around and no one else seems nervous.
I shouldn’t be nervous. I’m a grown-ass woman free to give interviews to whichever smug podcaster I choose.
“I have an idea. Let’s kill—”
I clench my fingers into a fist and will the voice away. “Yeah. I’m doing an interview with Ben soon.”
“We already talked about a few things,” Ben adds.
“That’s an interesting decision, Lucy,” Dad says.
Ashley snort-laughs and then claps a hand over her mouth. Others giggle nervously as well.
“Everyone has extremely high expectations of Ben.” I’m trying to sound casual. “Just trying to help where I can.”
“I appreciate it.” Ben is also trying to sound casual. I’m better at it.
Dad opens his mouth like he has more to ask, then seems to think better of it.
“It seems like Lucy should tell her own story instead of me telling it for her, wouldn’t you say?” Ben asks.
“That’s true,” Ashley says with wide-eyed sincerity.
“What a load of shit.”
The voice in my head is so loud that I barely stop myself from jumping.
“Let’s kill her.”
I eye my knife, but I’m too buzzed to kill Ashley. For real or otherwise.
“Or him?”
I shift in my chair. The conversation has moved on without me, and Mom is staring at me.
“Right?” she says.
“What?”
“I have an idea!”
“The truth,” Mom says. “That’s all any of us have ever wanted. To just find out the truth.”
“Yes.” I nod. “The truth.”
I take a long sip of my wine, which I should not do, but I want to quiet the voice. It works.
“And the truth involves digging up people’s personal lives?” Keith’s face is even redder. Anger and alcohol coming together to make one very crimson man.
“Keith,” Janice says quietly, putting a hand on his arm.
He shakes her off. “I’m sorry, but why are we all acting like this man is welcome here? He—”
“You’re very welcome, Ben,” Grandma interrupts, patting his arm.
He looks at her in amusement.
“Mom!” Keith throws his hands up. “For god’s sake. He went on that podcast and he said that—”
“Keith,” Mom snaps.
“—Kathleen slept with a twenty-year-old in a car!”
“Wow,” Ashley says.
“Oh my god.” Brian actually puts down his phone.
“Dammit, Keith,” Dad says.
“What? It’s not even true!” Keith points a furious finger at Ben. “You just get on that little podcast of yours with your fake news, and you spout these accusations from ‘anonymous sources.’” He does finger quotes around anonymous sources.
“Maybe it’s time for the pie?” Mom asks.
Keith ignores her, his attention locked on Ben. “Who are these sources?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t reveal that.”
“Or presents?” Mom suggests.
“Of course you can’t! Because they don’t exist!”
“Or more wine?” Grandma suggests, holding up her glass. A waiter scurries over to refill it.
Betsy leans across the table. “Maybe I should go,” she whispers.
“Are you kidding? Things are just getting good!” Grandma exclaims gleefully.
Keith has both hands on the table, ready to fight. “And you implied that she and that boy—”
“Colin,” I supply.
“Wow,” Ashley says.
“—that Colin boy killed Savannah! We all know who did it—”
I raise my hand. Betsy’s mouth drops open.
Grandma pulls my hand down. “Not the right crowd for that kind of joke, hon.”
“No offense, Lucy,” Keith says.
“Really, Dad?” Brian asks.
“But we all know who did it, and you’re throwing around lies and telling people Kathleen killed her!”
“I’m just trying to get a handle on everyone’s alibis.” Ben seems remarkably unrattled.
In fact, his lips are twitching. The smug bastard might be enjoying this.
“That is not—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Mom yells. Everyone freezes. “Yes, I had sex with Colin in my car the night of the wedding! Are you happy, Ben? You got me! I slept with the twenty-year-old, and to be honest, I enjoyed it.”
“Wow.”
“So that’s where I was when Savvy was murdered,” Mom finishes calmly. She smooths a hand over her perfectly coiffed hair, and it barely moves. “He’s my alibi.”
Uncle Keith gapes at his sister like he just realized she knows how to have sex. Dad lets out a long-suffering sigh.
“Oh, give it a rest, Don,” Mom says. “Like you have any room to talk.”