The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan (top 5 books to read .txt) 📕

‘And the Oscar goes to…’ she said.

Tim straightened up. ‘Careful, Philly. That kind of childish behaviour undermines your I’m-the-adult-in-charge image.’

‘Shut up, Tim. Dad’s lying up there seriously wounded,’ she slapped back.

‘What’s with all white, anyway?’ He swept his arm over her white pants suit. ‘Somebody will be taking you for a nurse.’

‘Doctor,’ she set him right.

Last time we were sitting around like this was after Mum died. Now, it felt—not good—but something, that all that was behind me. A flash of the Timeline and Map of Mum all squashed up and sticking out of the top of the rubbish bin in my room came to me. I shuddered about how close I’d been to the edge.

Dad’s right arm was bandaged up along with the top part of his chest. The grey of the floor matched the grey of the walls, the grey blinds, the steel beds and the metal machinery. Only Shelley’s roses made a difference up there on the shelf above the bed where Dad could see them if he could get his eyes open. Yellow for peace. I didn’t know about peace. But surrender I could come at.

‘If the horn had gone in a couple more inches to the left…’ said Tessa.

‘Lucky bastard,’ said Tim.

‘We’re coming apart,’ said Tessa, eyes darting from one to the other of us.

‘How’d ya reckon?’ said Tim.

‘Aunty Peg dies, Ahmed leaves Philly, Max attacks Dad,’ she said.

‘You get off your tits and drive into a ditch in the middle of the night,’ he said.

She screwed up her face. ‘Not to forget, thanks Tim.’

They all looked at me.

‘Me?’ I said. ‘In the pink.’

Tessa rolled her eyes. ‘That’d be right. You just got the ball rolling.’

I lifted my eyebrows, but left it at that. I was glad I’d met Tim and Philly first, glad I’d admitted being with Dad when she wasn’t there.

‘Bloody drama queen,’ said Tim. ‘You’re fine. Dad’ll be fine. Ahmed hasn’t actually left, and by JJ’s own account she’s in the pink.’ He winked at me. ‘I’ll grant you Aunty Peg, though. She’s still dead.’

‘Dad’s not fine,’ said Tessa. ‘Look at him.’ He was drugged up and out of it, his face grey and mouth open. ‘What the hell was he doing out there at that time of night? He’s not a bloody idiot.’

Nobody said a word. I kept my eyes on my shoes. Counting. One, two—

Philly reached for Dad’s right hand. I stopped counting. I caught Tim’s eye. He gave one short shake of his head, just out of Tessa’s range. I agreed entirely. I would not say one word about anything. Tessa’s head swivelled to me, anyway.

‘It’s all your fault,’ she said.

Tim jumped in. ‘Steady on, Tess.’

‘The only thing saving you, JJ, is no smoking gun,’ said Tessa.

I volunteered to stay longer so it was me there when Jack opened an eye.

‘Hello, love,’ he said, his voice all croaked up.

‘Feeling better?’ I put the straw to his mouth. He sipped and wiped his mouth with the back of his good hand.

‘Fair to middling.’

I helped him up on his pillows. He closed his eyes and rested his head with the effort for a moment.

‘Brought you some chocolates for when you’re up to it.’

He nodded; a pale wisp of a smile was all he could manage.

‘Dad.’ I covered his gnarled hand with mine. ‘I should have stopped you. It was dark, raining, we’d just had that fight. I should have told you I understood.’

He waved my words away. ‘I was the bloody idiot.’ He sipped from the straw for a while, then looked up. ‘Told the others?’

I stared at him a moment, trying to figure out what he was asking.

‘About me and Peg.’

‘Hasn’t been time.’

‘You keep your mouth shut.’

Words stuttered on my tongue, but none of them made it into the world.

‘My business.’

‘So that’s why you didn’t mention me being there to Tim,’ I said.

He stared out the window just like at home. But red roofs patched across to the horizon here, not burned yellow paddocks.

‘They need to know as much as me, Dad.’

‘You can tell them when I’m dead.’

‘That could be years.’

‘Not a chance with you around.’

I winced. He was nothing but right.

Tim rang to say he was on his way up again, so I pulled the blankets up to Dad’s chin and said goodbye. I was pretty sure there was relief in his eyes. Didn’t blame him.

At the lift doors, Tim came out with a cup of coffee.

‘JJ.’

‘Tim.’ I mimicked his business-associate tone. ‘Back so soon.’

‘Had a few things to pick up in the city before I headed home. I won’t get back for a day or two, so thought it was worth dropping in again.’

‘I went to that address,’ I said.

He stilled. Waiting.

I shook my head. ‘Knew nothing. Just another dead end.’

‘Shit.’

I was sorry for him.

‘And Nancy?’

I punched him. ‘You sicced her on me.’

‘It’s just…’ He screwed up his face in between apology and acknowledgement. ‘You’re better at that shit than me.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘You’re just daddy’s little boy and no rockee the boat for you.’

He saluted me with his coffee cup. ‘So?’ he asked, taking a sip. ‘What next?’

‘Ummm.’

‘What?’ he barked.

I blew air out between my lips. I didn’t know what was the right thing any more. I was between the principle of telling the truth and the effect that truth would have—on Dad from me telling, and on Tim from him knowing. For all Tim had been pushing for me to follow the clues, he was hoping like hell the trail wouldn’t lead to anything bad about Dad.

‘She said.’ I went slowly, almost as if I wasn’t sure what would come out of my own mouth. ‘That Dad and Peg.’ I screwed up my face. ‘You know. Had relations,’ I ended limply.

He reared back. ‘Why would she say a thing like that?’

‘Dad admitted it. Just now.’ I pointed up. ‘Up there.’

‘That bastard.’ He punched the elevator button to go up.

I pulled at his sleeve.

He looked down at