‘That Tippet had something to do with their deaths?’

‘It’s just so hard to believe.’

I leaned forward. Met his eye. ‘You saw him lose his nut at the supermarket. He is not a nice man. Is it so hard to believe?’ I stopped there. What I didn’t say (but it was on my mind nonetheless) was that the cops ten years ago didn’t even bother looking for a policy—if it was just sitting in the roll-top desk, it remained undiscovered through want of even a cursory examination. Did they just take Tippet’s word for it?

Russell put his head in his hands and groaned, his voice muffled. ‘What am I going to tell Crystal?’

I put my hand on his arm. ‘I think you were always going to have to tell her the truth eventually.’

Russell lifted his head, looked at me. Spoke in a rush. ‘Would you talk to her?’

I was a little taken aback. I had no particular skill with kids … although I did like Crystal. I nodded slowly. ‘I’ll have to be really careful what I say. We don’t want Crystal confronting Richard Tippet and trying to headbutt him.’

By the looks of him, Russell had a similar thought. ‘Maybe just tell her how they were found.’

‘Okay.’ It was hard to predict how Crystal would react. She was tough, but under every tough exterior lay a vulnerable soul. The car accident story made the death of her parents an act of bad luck. Gunshot wounds inflicted in a farmhouse made it deliberate. Someone’s cold-blooded actions had forever deprived her of parents. Would knowing that make a difference? What would it cost Crystal to recalibrate the story in her mind?

I guess it was inevitable in this case that the truth would come out. What happened to her parents was her history too, her story. Our stories are the foundations upon which we build our lives. It would be better for her if she knew.

Crystal was working a half-day and finished at 2 pm. Russell and I talked it over. In the end, I offered to pick her up from work. That way, we could talk in the car on the way home. Long experience had taught me that some conversations were easier when the people talking were staring forward at the road and not at each other.

Pulling up in front of the chemist, I could see her at the counter laughing with a customer, not a care in the world. I was about to shatter that. As soon as she saw me walk through the door, she beamed and called out. I nodded to Norma and told Crystal I was going to drive her home.

‘How come?’ Crystal asked.

‘I was just passing.’

She shrugged and disappeared out the back to get her bag.

While we were alone, Norma looked at me with concern. ‘How are you feeling after …’