Needing 13 - Johnny Kavanagh

THE LOST ART OF MURDER

JOHNNY

"Tara had a will?" Joey blurted, the words spilling out, voicing the question heavy in all our minds, but none of us dared to ask it until now. His face was tight with confusion, raw with disbelief.

I glanced over at my da. His eyes were fixed on Ava and Alistair, narrowed like he was grappling with something impossible, some truth that refused to sink in. Maybe he just couldn't bring himself to accept it—accept that she was gone. None of us could.

"A will's not quite the same as a Letter of Final Wishes," Alistair murmured, raking a hand through his hair as if it would clear his head. "A Letter of Final Wishes isn't legally binding, but it's where you put down what you'd like to happen after you're gone—funeral arrangements, personal belongings, things of that nature. It's... personal."

Joey went pale, looking as if he'd been slapped. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," he spluttered, his face drained of all color. "I think I'm gonna be sick. Or faint. Maybe both." His knees buckled, and Mam was at his side in a heartbeat, catching him before he crumpled to the floor. She guided him to the couch, holding him steady as he collapsed into the cushions.

"It's alright, Joey, love," she murmured, sitting beside him and wrapping him up in a fierce hug. "You're alright. Just breathe."

But I couldn't breathe. My throat was tight, my voice shaking as I managed to get out, "We haven't even buried her yet." The words felt torn from me, rough and jagged, like they hurt to speak. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

Ava's gaze snapped to me, sharp and unyielding, her voice as cold as a winter wind. "Tara's death affects us too, Johnny. Don't think for a second that you're the only one devastated. Thousands are mourning her loss. If you don't believe me, turn on the bleeding telly."

Dad didn't wait for another word. He snatched up the remote and flipped to the news.

"Riots have broken out across Ireland, especially in Ballylaggin, following the tragic news of a fire at 95 Elk's Terrace earlier today. The victims have been confirmed as Teddy Lynch, his wife Marie Lynch, and their eldest daughter, Tara Lynch."

My whole body went rigid as Tara's picture filled the screen. She was smiling in it, genuinely smiling, her green eyes bright with mischief, lips curved in that half-smirk that was so unmistakably her. She looked so alive, so damn beautiful. It was like a knife to the heart.

"A-ra," Sean whimpered, pointing a chubby finger at the TV. His eyes were wide, bewildered, as he looked to Joey, who had his head on Mam's shoulder, his own eyes hollow and vacant with grief. "O-ee...A-ra there."

"We know, Seany-boo," Shannon whispered, pulling him close, her voice soft and soothing. She stroked his hair as if she could somehow shield him from what had happened. "We know, love."

The newscaster continued, "According to a police statement, the rest of the Lynch children managed to escape before the fire, thanks to someone close to the family, though authorities are keeping their identity under wraps." The scene shifted to footage of charred ruins and firefighters hosing down the ashes. "The police and fire brigade have taken a particular interest in a black widow symbol spray-painted near Teddy Lynch's body. This symbol has been appearing all over Ballylaggin—on the doors of government officials, guards, bankers, politicians, businessmen, lawyers—with the word 'RAPIST' scrawled beside it."

Images of graffitied buildings and doorways flashed across the screen, each one marked with that black widow symbol. It was relentless, like a war cry painted on every wall in the town. Jesus Christ, it was like the bloody Nazis marking doors during the Holocaust.

"People are wondering who the Black Widow is," Alistair muttered, cutting the telly off. "Whether it's a movement or some kind of gang. But it's neither. It's a network." His gaze swept over each of us. "And Tara was the ringleader, if you like. She saved a lot of people when she was in that fucking place." He looked pointedly at Da. "You know better than anyone just how many kids Tara saved. You're the one who gave them new identities, a new chance. A happy life."