Chapter 57
Susan
Wednesday
I’m sitting on my bedroom floor, Peronique receipt in my hand, when my phone beeps with a notification.
I ignore it. Six more beeps follow. It’s Leesa, messaging in our sister group, asking “what the hell is going on?” It takes me a moment to read back, to piece it together, but it’s about something Celeste has just sent in the Oakpark group. Leesa sends a screenshot:
Just a note to any parents considering the Whiterock Hockey camp run by Greta O’Donnell.
My daughter was in the camp, but we’ve had to take her out due to a serious and possibly life-threatening incident.
Details are not yet clear but, at best, there is negligence at play and, at worst, the incident may have been deliberate.
I don’t want to name names, but I’d be very wary of anything being run by Greta O’Donnell.
I type a reply to our group:
“Don’t want to name names”…Jesus, she’s some wagon. What is she on about?
Leesa replies:
I have no idea. @Greta, what’s happening? Can we help?
Blue ticks tell me Greta has read my message, but from Greta herself, there’s nothing. We usually stick to texting, but this is too important. I hit the call button and Greta answers with a heavy sigh.
“What’s happened?”
She tells me the whole story. Or not the whole story, because there’s something missing.
“OK, Celeste is a lunatic, we all know it wasn’t you, but how did you know to check the lunchbox?”
Silence.
“Greta?”
This really isn’t like her.
“I mean, it wasn’t you, was it?”
More silence.
“Greta, what’s going on? I know you wouldn’t do something like this.”
“I’d better go.”
“Hang on.” I look down at the receipt on the carpet in front of me. Jesus, I’m being haunted by nut allergies. “Have you seen Jon in the last few days?”
A beat. “No. Why?”
“Not at all?”
“Not since your house on Saturday.”
This is a lie. My sister is lying to me, and I don’t know why. And I can’t say it to her. I should. I should just ask her. We’re close. We always have been. But I can’t make myself say it.
Instead, I say goodbye, and sit on my bedroom floor staring at the receipt.