CHAPTER 16
A GOOD NIGHT of sleep always worked miracles, and while I felt groggy from the temazepam I’d pinched from the bottle in Mother’s bathroom, I also felt vaguely human for the first time in days.
And I knew what I needed to do. If Ben lied to me that night, he did so with such conviction I’d believed every word, no hesitation. And it stood to reason he might have lied about more than his relationship with my sister. That meant I needed to speak with my mother.
I found her in the garden room, drinking a glass of orange juice. She looked at me through dead eyes.
“May I join you?” I asked.
She shrugged, and I took that as a yes, leaning forward to pour a glass of juice for myself. Anything to delay the conversation.
“People keep talking about Beau,” I said.
“I wish I’d never la
