Chapter Thirty Five

 

 

Q. How did Danny die, Tammy?

A. I don’t know for sure, but I know Annie had a lot to do with it. I think she liked him, I think it was a hard thing for her to do because she did like him, but - what better way to get back at the Giblings?

Q. I think you do know how he died.

A. If you know, why ask me? Oh I see, you’re guessing. Well yes, I did have a lot to do with it, and yes I do know how he died.

Q. Can you tell me about it?

A. Why not? I have nothing left to lose, have I? Well, it was like this. Annie hung around the local burger bar, drinking coffee and stuff, until Danny came in. She knew he would, she knew his movements probably better than he did. I was around the corner, in our mini, waiting. We had both passed our tests, in case you were wondering! She enticed Danny out of the bar, not a difficult thing to do, he had been at the amusement arcade and was restless, all those flashing lights and things. He came round the corner, hand in hand with Annie, she looking up at him and muttering things about ‘sisterly love,’ and crap like that. Anyway, he got in the car, said “Hi,” to me, and Annie got in the back with him.

“Where to?” I asked, as if I didn’t know, because it was in my mind already, Annie had flashed it to me.

“The lake, kiddo,” just like that, and I drove away.

“Hey, where’re we going?” Danny asked, but amused, laughing as he said it. Annie patted his face, I saw that in the mirror.

“Don’t worry about it, big boy, we decided we weren’t going to take any notice of that sister/brother lark. I’ve been to see your mother today - did you know we’re not fully related, only half related?”

“Are we? That’s news to me.” And his eyes got all big and round.

“Some other poor bastard was our father,” Annie laughed, enjoying the thought processes that went on behind his eyes.

“Ha!” He snorted. “Never thought the old girl had it in her!” and he said it with some pride. I felt Annie’s blast of contempt as clear as if she had said it.

You know the lake? Pretty spot. Lovers go there a lot, we drove in, and were the only car, by luck. Annie got out, giving Danny a good view of her behind as she did it, and then he climbed out as well. I locked the car and wandered over to where they were sitting by the side of the water, throwing pebbles in, watching the ripples, saying nothing. I knew what I had to do, she’d telegraphed it to me in a split second, and I had no problem doing it, I despised Danny Gibling, the thought was in any way related to me made me feel sick to my stomach. I picked up a rock and hit him on the head with it, hard. He went down like a sack of cement dropped on a building site. Annie grabbed his arm, I grabbed the other one and we dropped him, face first, into the lake.

Then we got in the car and drove away.

Q. No sense of remorse?

A. What for, ridding the world of another Neanderthal man look alike, a sponger, a scrounger, a loser? of course not.

Q. No one saw you.

A. No one. That was a miracle in itself! Our tyres are common as mud, it hadn’t rained so there weren’t clear impressions anyway, and a number of other cars apparently went in there that evening, drove over what we’d left, no, no one saw us, no one suspected us.

Q. Was Annie satisfied with that?

A. No.

Q. So what happened next?

A. After she went to the funeral? Yes, before you ask, she the nerve to go to the funeral! Stood on the edge of the group of mourners wearing her delicate black, touching her eyes with her hanky, I saw her from the car, I could not go near them. Mrs Gibling was fair broke up, nearly fainting at the graveside. It should have been enough but it wasn’t. She left it for a week and then went to visit our mother, all black clothes and demure face. She told me later how it went, how our Mother thanked her for going to the funeral, how devastated she was, and who would do such a thing, if anyone had done it, the Police weren’t sure if he had fallen and banged his head then rolled in the lake, or whether someone had hit him in a fight and left him, they didn’t know. Then she stood up to leave, imagined a snake, sent Mrs G. into a state. Annie walked out, got half way down the road, turned round and saw nothing. I believe her too. If she had seen smoke she’d have called the Fire Brigade. She thinks - thought - Mrs G - or Mother if you like - dropped a cigarette which fell down the side of the armchair while she was rushing around screaming about the snake, and - well, it all caught fire, didn’t it?

Q. Would she have called the Fire Brigade, really?

A. Sure would. She’s a fine upstanding citizen, she was a fine upstanding citizen, pardon me, was my sister Anastasia. But it wasn’t smoke and flames when she left. That came later. We read that the Fire Brigade had pumped gallons of water into the house, first wash it had ever had, she said afterwards. Everything ruined. Mrs G - Mother got out but lost half her home.

Q. Insurance?

A. No. People like that don’t insure their homes!

Q. Was that the time she destroyed Alfred Wrayland?

A. If you’re asking questions like that, you know the answer. Yes, it was. She told the police in an anonymous letter to check-out the ‘Headmaster’ who punished people, especially under age children, in his home. They raided him, they do if they think there’s child abuse going on and found the latest batch of letters the magazine had forwarded, letters asking ‘her’ and ‘she’ to come and be punished by them. They found a dress in the cupboard - that was lucky, we didn’t know about his cross dressing! But it all came out at the trial. Funny how it all fitted together, as if Annie had planned it. His explanation that a couple of girls (he didn’t name us) had asked him to receive the letters was completely disregarded, after all, it was a pathetic story, wasn’t it? Why would two girls ask someone else to receive their letters? What nonsense! Or so the prosecution Counsel said and do you know, he’s right, it’s a pretty silly story, isn’t it? And the fact no parent gave their permission - not a single parent came forward to testify. Speaks for itself. I think that was a story, personally, I think he fantasized about children and was ashamed to admit it. Whatever, he got put away. That’ll teach him to believe innocent young girls!

Q. Then what happened?

A. Annie sent me out for another walk. Only this time it happened just as she had visualised.