The Savages

by Matt Whyman

  ‘Oh,’ was all she had to say, and looked at the floor tiles between them. ‘It isn’t as bad as it looks.’ She paused there to adjust the neck of her top. ‘Well, not that bad,’ she added, and braved facing her mother and father.

  A moment passed before Angelica regained the ability to close her mouth. Titus, however, appeared to see beyond Sasha’s late return and dishevelled state.

  ‘Hello, honey,’ he said, and stepped forward to hug her more tightly than ever before. In his embrace, Sasha looked in shock at her mother, who shared the same expression. ‘Everyone is home. Nothing horrible can happen now. We Savages are safe here. Always have been, always will.’ After a moment’s silence, Titus pulled back to look his speechless, puzzled daughter in the eyes. ‘Hey,’ he said, sounding uncomfortably bright, before smoothing her hair with his hand, ‘it was kind of Jack to make sure you got back in one piece. You really should’ve invited him in to say hello.’

  ‘I’m still not sure that’s such a good idea just yet.’

  ‘What? Are we embarrassing parents?’ Titus touched his fingers to his chest and flashed a grin at Angelica. ‘I insist, Sasha. Bring him round so we can meet him. I promise we won’t bite.’

  SECOND COURSE

  12

  Ivan Savage had one big regret about the death of the model. Brooding in his bedroom several days later, he wished that he had rigged up a video camera alongside the iron that killed her. Yes, it had hit the wrong target, and he never meant to kill anyone, but surely his father would calm down if he saw what an effective job his son had made of the execution?

  ‘Upstairs is out of bounds,’ he grumbled to himself, while combing his hair in the mirror. ‘If you come upstairs, you don’t go down again.’

  What really hurt, though, the thing that really cut and stung, was his father’s reaction. Even before he spelled out his disappointment in the boy, Ivan had seen it in his eyes. There was no hint of pride at a clean and imaginative kill. It was all ‘you foolish this’ and ‘stupid that’. He had never felt so small and insignificant in his life. Nor as misunderstood. Yes, his father had cooled down on his return from the drop off, but it was hard for the boy to simply brush off that kind of criticism.

  All Ivan ever wanted was some recognition for his efforts. And yet where had his pranks got him? Psychiatric assessment with some picture cards of kids crying. Nobody laughed at his efforts. Not once had he been clapped on the back or talked about admiringly, and now this. A clean kill and yet all he’d earned for it was criticism.

  There was only one person he blamed for the situation. Sasha’s boyfriend, Jack. Why? Because if he hadn’t cooked for Sasha that evening, and lured her from home, then she would’ve been on the receiving end of the iron, not Lulabelle. Of course, Ivan would’ve found himself in even more trouble had he slaughtered his sister, which came as some comfort. Nevertheless, he held the vegetarian accountable for the fact that he felt so worthless just then. It also left him all the more determined to prove himself to his dad.

  The first thing to enter Ivan’s head left him staring at his reflection in the mirror. After a moment, he blinked and dismissed the idea out of hand. Depriving Sasha of a boyfriend wasn’t exactly going to help him regain some standing in the family. Jack’s fate lay in her hands, not his, he decided, before leaving all such thoughts behind to answer the front door.

  Before the bell summoned Sasha from her room, she had been lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Only one thing occupied her thoughts: just where things were heading with Jack.

  In her mind, she had put together a list of all his good points and his bad points. On the upside, he was smoulderingly handsome and passionate about food. He drove his own car, made her packed lunches and had set a challenge which Sasha found herself determined to take on. She wasn’t really doing it for him though, as she had come to realise. Instead, the prospect of turning her back on meat for a month felt like a chance for her to strike out as a Savage in her own right. She was close to her family, and had her parents to thank for that. Even so, going vegetarian felt like a shot at independence that she couldn’t refuse.

  Then Sasha had begun to compile Jack’s bad points. It wasn’t a big list, just a problem.

  ‘What am I dating here?’ she’d asked herself at one point. ‘And why is he dating me?’

  When Jack first sprung into her life, it had been a surprise to Sasha and also a relief. Unlike Faria and Maisy, she’d never been able to say that she had a boyfriend. OK, so Faria had come home smitten from a summer holiday the year before, and then tortured herself for two months over Skype with flaky Fernando from Barcelona. Maisy had gone out with some lad who was genuine about her. The trouble with poor Daniel ‘Daisy’ Duke was his age. He was only a year younger than Maisy, but that was the equivalent of about a decade in school terms. Three weeks on, despite valiantly ignoring all the cougar comments, and the rhymes about ‘Maisy ’n’ Daisy’, poor Daniel’s fate was sealed when he showed up for a trip to the cinema in shorts, socks and Crocs. Still, at least both girls could claim some experience with relationships. So, when the hottest boy from the sixth form turned his attention to Sasha, and showed no sign of stuttering and blushing when he spoke, she really did feel as if her time had come.

  In the beginning, Jack had been all over her. It had been flattering and a thrill, but as the weeks passed she wondered if he was as passionate about her as a person. Take the supper he had cooked. She couldn’t fault the effort he had made. She’d even had a good time afterwards, just making out on the sofa with a movie on pay per view. What troubled her was the fact that he hadn’t shown nearly the same interest in her mind. Everything they covered seemed to return to the same subject, which was Jack. He had talked in great detail about ethical eating, but didn’t once invite Sasha to contribute her own opinions. Of course, she had no intention of sharing how her family justified their chosen path through this topic. The point was he never asked.

  Reflecting on this now, Sasha found herself coming to the realisation that Jack’s personality didn’t quite live up to his good looks. In some ways, she reminded him of a fast food burger. He looked delicious, but the content just failed to match the promise. Still, thought Sasha to herself, she was prepared to give Jack a chance. It wasn’t as if she had much experience in these matters, after all. In a way, she decided, it was a shame she couldn’t be more shallow. That’s what Faria and Maisy would advise her. For despite the lack of substance, there was no denying that the boy was a babe.

  The weirdest thing about that evening had been the way her dad reacted. Having got home late, looking like she’d dragged herself backwards through the hedge to get there, Sasha found him with his arms wide open. He hadn’t pressed her for an explanation, and there was no mention of being grounded. If anything, he had seemed overjoyed at the simple fact that she was safely back at home, and equally keen to meet Jack.

  ‘I’m missing something,’ she decided, and sat up to place her head in her hands. ‘Something bad.’

  Sasha sat quite still for a moment, reflecting on things at home and in her love life, and that was when the doorbell sounded.

  Angelica Savage was in the garden at that moment. Katya was sitting on a rug on the lawn. She played happily with daisies while her mother worked her way around the roses, deadheading every bloom that showed the first sign of decay. As a result, the garden looked like a patch of paradise. A world away from the reality surrounding them.

  ‘Who is that?’ she asked, on hearing the doorbell, and made sure to place the secateurs out of reach from her youngest daughter.

  It was only as she made her way back into the house that she heard Ivan and then Sasha descending the stairs, bickering as they went.

  ‘It won’t be for you,’ said Sasha, who was keen to get there first. ‘Nobody has called to see you since the community midwife after you were born.’

  ‘Then let’s hope it’s for you,’ Ivan replied, several steps ahead of her. ‘It might even be
Jack!’

  Through the front door’s frosted glass pane, Angelica recognised the visitors immediately. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop Ivan and caution him to be careful before he opened up. She stopped, midway along the hall, and quickly checked her composure.

  ‘Hello, kids,’ said one of the two police officers. ‘I’m sure you know why we’re here.’

  Angelica watched Sasha turn and look at her. She responded by not blinking, silently imploring her daughter to just stay calm while she handled this. Aware that the officers were awaiting an answer, she then pressed her lips together and nodded.

  ‘The agency called me with the sad news,’ said Angelica. ‘That poor soul. Had any of us known there was a woman in despair downstairs during the shoot, we would’ve done everything to talk her out of the fate she chose for herself.’

  She saw Sasha glance at her brother now, seeking some explanation still, while Ivan just stared at his shoes.

  ‘May we come in?’ asked the other officer, a policewoman who was notably taller than her male colleague.

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Angelica gestured for her children to stand aside, her heart rate starting to stir. ‘Would you like some tea? Coffee? Juice … water?

  The male officer responded by pulling out a notebook from his pocket.

  ‘When was the last time you saw Lulabelle Hart?’ he asked, and clicked the top of his ballpoint pen. ‘It’s important that we piece together her final hours before the suicide.’

  Angelica noted how Sasha closed her eyes in resignation at this. Her daughter needed no further explanation. That much was clear to her. Fortunately, both officers were waiting for Angelica to answer and didn’t catch the look on Sasha’s face. Even to an outsider, it betrayed the fact that she knew full well that her family would be involved.

  ‘I’m afraid we didn’t see Ms Hart at all,’ Angelica told the officers. ‘During a shoot we take ourselves upstairs and that’s where we stay, don’t we, kids?’

  Both Sasha and Ivan nodded dutifully when the officer turned briefly in their direction.

  ‘This is just routine,’ said the female officer, as if mindful that their presence in this matter might upset the two minors. ‘For the report.’

  ‘Did you hear anything untoward downstairs?’ asked her colleague, addressing Sasha and Ivan this time.

  ‘Nothing.’ Ivan didn’t even blink.

  ‘It was just another shoot,’ echoed Sasha after a moment and then caught her mother’s eye. ‘We never laid eyes on her.’

  The male officer closed his notebook, having written down what looked like their home address, and nothing more.

  ‘Well, we’re grateful for your time,’ he said, before drawing Angelica’s attention. ‘You understand we have to go through the motions,’ he said to her quietly. ‘Even with a clear-cut suicide.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Angelica, well aware that Sasha had just heard every word. ‘If there’s anything more we can do, you only have to ask.’

  Sasha held the door open for the officers, smiling sweetly. It was only once they’d left the house that she turned and ushered her mother and brother into the kitchen.

  ‘Was it Beachy Head?’ she asked, straining not to shout in case the police were still outside. ‘That’s where Dad goes if the kill isn’t fit for the table.’

  ‘Honey,’ said Angelica, but Sasha hadn’t finished.

  ‘I can’t believe you’d pick off someone working on a shoot downstairs. That takes fast food to a whole new level! When have we ever taken such a risk?’

  ‘It wasn’t like that,’ Angelica tried to reason. ‘Lulabelle was an accident.’

  ‘Is this why Dad was in such a strange mood when I came home? I fully expected to be grounded for being late. Instead, he hugs me like I’ve been missing for months.’

  ‘It’s just made him aware how precious his family is to him.’ Angelica gripped her daughter by the shoulders in a bid to calm her down. ‘This wasn’t about a feast. It was just a prank that went wrong.’

  ‘A prank.’ Without hesitating, Sasha swung around to face Ivan. ‘So, you killed her.’

  ‘Not on purpose,’ he said, shrugging at the same time. ‘It was meant for you.’

  ‘Oh, great!’ Sasha rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Angelica. ‘You know, since meeting Jack I’ve begun to feel like a normal, average teenager. It’s a first for me and I like it. Now, Jack certainly isn’t perfect, but he does manage to resist an urge to murder for the lols!’

  ‘Now that’s enough!’ Angelica pulled back and glared at her daughter. ‘As a family, we stick together. What happened was unfortunate, but your father has dealt with it. As a result of his efforts, there’s no evidence in this house that could link us to the death of Lulabelle Hart. So relax, Sasha. As far as you and Ivan are concerned, you can continue with your lives as normal.’

  ‘But, Mum,’ said Sasha. ‘We eat people. That’s not normal.’

  ‘Tastes good, though,’ Ivan pointed out, only to shrink from his mother’s attention.

  Angelica let a moment pass before beginning again.

  ‘One single aspect of our lives is … different, and that difference is down to your dad. He’s just trying to give you the best start in life, as it was for him as a boy. Everything else marks us out as a typical family, and if we’re going to get through this without attracting attention then it’s vital that we all carry on just being ourselves.’

  ‘With the exception of Ivan,’ Sasha pointed out. ‘He’s out of control, Mum.’

  ‘Well, yes, your brother really ought to call a halt to the body count,’ agreed Angelica, ‘and then we all just need to move on. In fact, now would be a great time for your father to meet Jack.’

  ‘Please don’t bring him into this,’ said Sasha. ‘It won’t end well.’

  ‘It’s perfect,’ she insisted. ‘An everyday kind of event that happens in households with nothing to hide.’

  ‘Mum.’

  ‘You know he genuinely wants to meet this boy now,’ Angelica continued. ‘Inviting Jack just shows your father is keen to bring him into the fold.’

  ‘Better in than out, eh?’ said Ivan, who seemed very pleased not to be the centre of his mother’s attention now.

  Sasha’s eyes opened wide before she blinked.

  ‘But he’s vegetarian,’ she said, and seemed prepared to spell it out for her if necessary.

  ‘We all have our faults,’ said Angelica, who had anticipated her eldest leaping to the wrong conclusion, ‘which is one more reason why your dad is keen to find out what you see in him.’

  13

  As a private investigator, Vernon English mostly picked up a newspaper to hide behind. Reading them didn’t interest him much. He liked the TV at the end of a long day, and maybe some talk radio on long stake-outs in the van. On this occasion, sitting at the window of a café that smelled of bacon and bleach, he found himself paying more attention to a small article on the page he’d opened at random than to the figure in the steak house across the street.

  ‘Lulabelle Hart,’ he said to himself, on reading of her demise, and then set the paper down for a clear view of the man he was here to observe. ‘I wonder what tipped her over the edge?’

  Vernon was well aware that the model’s last assignment had been at the Savage house. He had retrieved a copy of the call sheet from the bin outside. According to the report in the paper, her behaviour that day had been described by some crew members as ‘tense’ and then ‘erratic’. Sadly, nobody present on the shoot had realised quite what turmoil the poor soul was in. According to the police and a source from the coroner’s office, this was just a tragic event. Ms Hart’s death was not being treated as suspicious.

  Having read the article twice, Vernon tightened his gaze on the diner opposite. Titus Savage was just finishing a business lunch. His companion, the mole from the company Titus planned to take over, was doing a lot of talking. This came as no surprise to Vernon, given that Titus had earl
ier handed him a small fold of cash under the table. The private investigator had been quick to snap a picture, but there was something more going on with Titus Savage, and he was determined to find out what. Take his disappearance on the drive out following the shoot. Vernon still bitterly regretted pulling in for a bite to eat, but just where had Titus been heading? There was no sign of his 4x4 in the airport car park, and Vernon didn’t need to look at a map to know that a turn off before the motorway would’ve taken him towards the coast. Was Lulabelle’s death connected to the Savage family in some way? Now he could take what he knew to the police, or he could find out for himself. The private investigator washed down the last of his coffee, including the dregs, before tearing the article from the newspaper. This was a case he could handle on his own, he decided. Because if he could prove there was a link then not only would it kill the takeover bid, but Vernon English would secure his reputation at last and the offers of work would come flooding in.

  Watching Titus ask for the bill, he found himself looking at this case in a different light. Through Vernon’s eyes, the man had just become his meal ticket to success.

  That lunch break, Sasha joined her friends on the skate park ramp. It was the first time that they’d had a chance to talk since her date with Jack. Naturally, everyone wanted to know details.

  ‘Did you sleep with him?’ asked Faria, who was tapping away on her BlackBerry at the same time.

  ‘Obviously that would be a no,’ said Sasha, who had just been leaning back on her elbows, enjoying the midday sun on her face. She sat up and rested her arms on the safety rail. ‘I’m not saying never. If things work out then maybe.’

  ‘But he tried, right?’

  ‘He isn’t like that.’ Sasha examined her nails, in case the others caught her eye and saw right through her. ‘Not really.’