Cavities on a Stick

Even I can hide a Murder

"Did you know the bulls in bullfighting are injured before hand?" Ann asked as she drank grape juice in a wine glass. Or maybe it was wine and I was underestimating her.
"What?"
"To make them more aggressive."
"Ann, I'm probably having the worst day of my life." I said. "Did you have to tell me that?"

"You took way too long getting the bag." She said. "What happened?"
"Nothing, I was just walking too slow."
"While our lives were at stake?"
I nodded.

Outside, Mrs. Aina had hired cleaners to erase the graffiti. The police cars had left, so had the news vans. A dead silence shadowed the area with the occasional noise of dogs barking. I wished one of them caught Spaaz and ate it. Since dad and Ann failed yet again.
Do dogs eat cats or just kill them? Either way, I'd it gets rid of Spaaz, I'm good.

"Would you ever be friends with someone who hates your mom?" I asked.
"I hate my mom."
"I mean hate, hate."
"No, I guess." She shrugged. "Why, do you hate my mom?"
I shook my head.

"Do you hate your mom?" She asked sitting up.
"Why would I?"
"Well you're talking about someone." She said throwing me a disapproving glance. "Or is it Angelina Frost?"

"Why would you think that?"
"Why not?" Ann asked. "2 days ago I saw her snapping the necks of two squirrels."
"Oh please, you and dad were shooting a cat, today." I said.
"We were hunting a rapist." She corrected then added. "Who's mom do you hate, Taylor's?"

I tried putting my feelings into words. "He hates Mrs. Frost."

"Look, I hate Elordi and talk shit about him all the time, that doesn't necessarily make me a bad person." Ann downed her glass of whatever. "So them hating each other doesn't make them bad people either."
"I guess." I shrugged.

"Like Garson." She said. "It takes a big heart to love your stepdaughter. So I should be grateful but I can't help hating him for choosing Elordi as my guardian. And why do I have to live with Elordi?"

"Garson is a doctor, Elordi is... a thug." I said for lack of a better word. "He can protect you, your father said he wants custody."
"Who even is my father?" She asked dramatically, but her voice lowered as she continued. "I sometimes think about him."

"I know as much as you do." I said. "His name's Steve."
"I wish mom would at least tell me why she left him." Ann took a deep breath. "Give me a reason to hate him. Ella, finding a reason to hate someone is easy." She continued. "So Mrs. Frost must've done something to be hated by Taylor."
"Like killing squirrels?"
"Maybe, or like Elordi..."
"Why are you beating about Elordi today?" I asked. "Did he stop by?"

Ann shifted in her seat. "Yeah, he stopped by and I tell you a fatter pig never walked the face of earth, El! He ate an entire plate of biscuits, 4 scones and God knows how many chicken wings."

"Ann."
"And then he had a minor heart attack."
"What?!" I jumped up from the bed.
"Sit down, he's not dead."
"Why is everyone so unaffected by deaths?" I shrieked.
"Because he's not dead!" Ann yelled. "Could he not have fallen ill in New York? Why here?"

"Do you want him dead?" I questioned. "My God, Ann why do you hate him so much?"
"What's not to hate?" She shrugged. "Either have a heart attack or don't and now Liam wants me to go visit him at the hospital."
"Like you should!"
"Why was he in town?" Ann asked. "I think he's also obsessing over the murder, God take me please."

"Ann we go to the hospital after dinner." Dad said for the tenth time since we sat down at the dining table.
"He's unconscious, I don't want to see him like that." Ann said, not even bothering to act sad.
"Don't see him." He replied. "Be there for your family."
Ann muttered something under her breath, stuffing another whole leaf of cabbage in her mouth.

"How is he?" I asked.
"He's half my age and twice my size." Dad said. "What do you expect?"
"For the love of God!" Ann said, despite her mouthful of leaves. "He's not half your age!"
"He's 20 years younger than me Ann."
"And yet you all believe he's the perfect candidate for guardianship." Ann protested. "A person on a deathbed should not be qualified, uncle..."

The front door swung open and a series of heavy footsteps followed, gaining our attention. A moment later Victor appeared in the dining room, drenched in sweat, holding his basket ball.
"I just realised something!" He said at once. "Even I can hide a murder!"
Dad patiently sipped from his glass and eyed him. The only person calm at the intrusion. "Victor have you taken the eye threat too seriously?" He asked, smiling politely. "For the record, I didn't mean it."

"No, Dr. Watson!" He said dropping the basket ball. "What was the body doing at our door 5 in the morning?"
Dad remained confused, Mom coughed and Ann and her overly active brain apparently understood something for she whistled.
I raised my hand. "Dead people can't move."

"The streets were empty, there were no cameras watching, no sunlight." Victor explained without catching his breath. "I think it was left there, on purpose."

Dad's brows relaxed in realisation. Mine were still knitted.
"Victor this isn't the 8th century where you throw a body in front of a fortress to announce war." Mom said.
It finally made sense.

Then it happened to fast. One second mom's mouth opened to say something but before she had a chance, da swung his arms with full force. The crockery went flying off the table and smashed against the right wall, covering the wall in chilli with rice and cutlets stuck to it.

"We should frame that." Ann whispered.
I ignored her. "Dad!" I shouted but he was already standing up. Throwing his napkin on the seat.

I grabbed Victor by the arm. "Are you nuts, why would you tell him your conspiracy theories, what are you gonna do, hunt down the killer?"
"If it comes down to it, yes." Victor replied. "It's my job."
"Call the police." I hissed.
"If there is even one percent chance I'm right, we have to take it as an absolute certainty." Victor hissed back. "We're not going to sit around when someone threatens to kill you."

"Or maybe me." Ann murmured eating a dumpling.
Dad stopped by the door and turned to face us.

"No, no," Victor tsked. "No one knows you're here."
"Half of Manhattan knows this is my escape in summers." Ann said, not realising how interested dad was in the idea, for she stuffed yet another cabbage leaf in her mouth.

"Victor call Elordi." Dad barked.
"He's at the hospital..." Ann said while chewing.
"Call..." he shook his head. "Ann's..."
"Garson."
"Yes, call Garson." Dad took a breath.
"I don't think it's safe to go to the hospital anymore." Ann quickly meeked in.
"Yeah, yeah." Dad nodded dryly pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Call Elordi." I heard Ann mimic under her breath. "Like he's a detective inspector."
"How do manage to turn the tables every time?" I whispered back.
"I was just name dropping." She said.

CX.

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