‘If I said that, I was right, because that’s exactly what you are, a vulture,’ said Troy. He’d never been a defensive player. When attacked he attacked back, twice as hard. ‘You just stole a lot of money from me.’
‘I didn’t steal anything,’ said Savannah. ‘You gave me that money of your own free will.’
‘Under false pretences!’
‘What’d I do, Savannah?’ said Logan’s father. ‘What’s my role?’
‘Nothing,’ said Savannah. ‘You looked right through me. All you saw was Harry. I didn’t even exist to you because I didn’t play tennis.’
‘So this is about revenge, then?’ said Troy. ‘Because our father made your brother a tennis star? Because none of us would give you food? But why didn’t you just, I don’t know, ask?’
‘She did ask,’ said Amy from the doorway. ‘She came into the dining room and asked me to make her a sandwich.’
Then she did the strangest thing, the thing that only Amy would do, would even think to do.
She walked directly to Savannah and threw her arms around her.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry we were all so awful to you that day. I’m sorry we didn’t help that hungry little girl. We should have helped you.’
Savannah stood stiffly for a moment, her arms by her side, and then she rested her forehead against Amy’s chest, like a child being comforted by her mother.
‘It was a pretty bad day,’ she said, her voice muffled.
‘Oh my goodness, that is awful, that is really awful.’ Joy pressed her fingertips together in a steeple over her nose. Brooke turned away, her hand to her forehead. Troy looked at the ceiling and their father looked at the floor. A strange young man in a very white t-shirt cleared his throat by the door. He met Logan’s eye and held out his hand.
He said quietly, ‘Simon Barrington. Amy’s new boyfriend.’
‘He is not,’ said Amy over Savannah’s head, but Logan saw the ghost of a smile.
Their father stood, his arms hanging heavily by his sides. ‘I want her out of my home.’ He gestured with his chin at Savannah. ‘Now.’
‘Dad,’ said Amy. ‘We were awful to her.’
Savannah took a step away from Amy. ‘It’s fine.’
‘I really don’t care if we didn’t make you a frigging sandwich one very bad day in your very bad childhood,’ said Stan. He jabbed his finger in her face. ‘Lots of people have bad childhoods. They get on with it.’
‘Dad,’ said Amy. ‘Don’t talk like that! Stop it!’
Stan ignored her. ‘If you’re so jealous of your brother’s success, go scam him, go tell lies about him, go throw rocks through his window. We didn’t make any money out of him! Your family did nothing for us. Your father dumped us the moment Harry –’
‘But it wasn’t my father’s decision for Harry to leave Delaneys,’ interrupted Savannah. Logan caught sight of his mother’s face, haggard with fear.
His stomach lurched.
Savannah stood, as if beneath a spotlight, her heels together, her toes splayed.
All this time she’d had a grenade in her pocket. Finally she threw it.
‘That was your wife’s decision.’
chapter forty-five Now
‘Guess what I finally got us,’ said Christina. She slapped her phone triumphantly back down on her thigh.
She and Ethan were driving towards the bushland trail where the body had been found. A ten-minute drive at most from where Joy and Stan Delaney lived. All the pieces were falling and slotting into place.
‘What?’ asked Ethan.
‘The motive.’
chapter forty-six
Last October
Stan didn’t gasp or swear at Savannah’s revelation. He didn’t ask for clarification or proof, or call her a liar. He seemed to know instantly that this time Savannah was telling the truth. Perhaps he’d always suspected, although he had never once asked or accused Joy.
He said, ‘Excuse me,’ to Amy’s besotted young man, who had been hovering in the doorway of her old bedroom, watching these dramas unfold, and who obediently stepped aside to allow Stan to make his silent, stately departure.
They heard the front door shut.
It was strange how very familiar it felt to Joy after all these decades; the wheel of time spun smoothly back and her children were still her children, still looking to her to explain their father’s actions, to make them normal and acceptable. She could feel all those old phrases springing automatically to her lips. Don’t worry. He’ll be back. You know how he is. When your dad gets angry and upset he needs to get away and clear his head. It’s nothing to get upset about. Let’s go have ice-cream!