her voice. Becky narrowed her eyes. ‘Without doing a day’s work in their lives, those girls became famous. They were frozen in beauty and time forever and here we are talking about them over a hundred years later. Jealous?’
Rusty put the camcorder down and smiled hesitantly at Adele. ‘That’s very clever, Ade.’
‘Jealous?Me?’ sneered Becky. ‘You mental bitch.’
‘When I go that’s what I want,’ said Fern. ‘People everywhere talking about me, missing me. It’ll be so sad. Like
Romeo + Juliet
.’
‘Kylie’s the jealous one,’ continued Becky. ‘He’d have loved going to a girls’ school, wouldn’t you, sweetie?’ She directed her laughter towards Fern, who cackled her approval.
‘All those gorgeous dresses to wear,’ Fern answered.
Kyle managed a good-humoured middle finger.
‘Never mind, Geek, I can guess what happened,’ replied Becky, sitting back down. ‘I’ll bet those blokes raped and murdered them. Only sensible solution. Men are only interested in one thing. Isn’t that right, Kyle?’
Kyle squirmed under her accusing gaze but this time didn’t react. The limelight shifted quicker that way.
‘No answer from Faggot.’ Becky downed her drink and stood to leave. Fern followed suit. ‘Well, I’ll see you all at Sad Bastard Central tomorrow night. And you better not tell any cool people I’m coming to your party, Kylie.’
‘I don’t know any,’ quipped Kyle.
Becky glared at him but decided not to challenge. She stalked away as if on a catwalk, Fern trailing in her wake.
Rusty stood to film them as they walked away. ‘Poor Becky.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Kyle.
Rusty stared at the table. ‘To be so ugly inside.’
Adele gazed at him, a thin smile forming around her mouth. ‘Maybe it’s a cry for help, Rusty.’
Rusty turned the camera on Adele but lowered it when she became uneasy. He looked into her dark eyes briefly.
‘Do they really not know what happened to those girls on the Hanging Rock?’ asked Kyle.
‘No,though there are lots of theories,’ said Rusty, finishing his drink. ‘The favourite is that they were buried under a rock fall somewhere near the summit. Me? I prefer not to know. That way they
do
live forever.’
‘Live forever.’ Adele nodded at him. ‘Like angels.’
‘Or gods,’ chipped in Kyle.
‘And poor Sara who flew to her death from the roof of the school – did she really kill herself? For real, I mean.’
‘Sara?’
‘The orphan – the girl who wasn’t allowed to go on the picnic because her school fees hadn’t been paid. She lost her best friend on Hanging Rock and later jumped off the roof of the school.’
Rusty shook his head. ‘I don’t really know. Most people concentrate on the girls who disappeared.’ He looked at her, pleased, and then a moment later said, ‘She had to content herself with being mortal.’
Adele nodded at him, her dark sad eyes mesmerising. ‘And alone.’
At that moment Rifkind entered the refectory and glanced across at Adele. She darted a quick peek in his direction then looked away.
‘You okay?’ asked Kyle.
She raised her dark eyes to him and smiled. ‘I will be.’
Six
B ROOK DID A FEW HOURS’ paperwork then set off home in the late afternoon as there was little more to be achieved after details of the incident had been entered on the PNC. It was a fine warm day though he was so tired he hardly noticed. The post mortem on the unknown corpse would take place in the morning, and without a cause of death and an ID, there was nothing left to do except pointless theorising.
Dr Higginbottom had already emailed a copy of his preliminary report. He couldn’t speculate on COD but his initial inspection had shown that several, if not all, of the deceased’s organs had been removed, so the corpse had clearly undergone a rudimentary post mortem.
One possibility mentioned by the doctor was that the body might have already been somewhere in the mortuary system but had
Rusty put the camcorder down and smiled hesitantly at Adele. ‘That’s very clever, Ade.’
‘Jealous?Me?’ sneered Becky. ‘You mental bitch.’
‘When I go that’s what I want,’ said Fern. ‘People everywhere talking about me, missing me. It’ll be so sad. Like
Romeo + Juliet
.’
‘Kylie’s the jealous one,’ continued Becky. ‘He’d have loved going to a girls’ school, wouldn’t you, sweetie?’ She directed her laughter towards Fern, who cackled her approval.
‘All those gorgeous dresses to wear,’ Fern answered.
Kyle managed a good-humoured middle finger.
‘Never mind, Geek, I can guess what happened,’ replied Becky, sitting back down. ‘I’ll bet those blokes raped and murdered them. Only sensible solution. Men are only interested in one thing. Isn’t that right, Kyle?’
Kyle squirmed under her accusing gaze but this time didn’t react. The limelight shifted quicker that way.
‘No answer from Faggot.’ Becky downed her drink and stood to leave. Fern followed suit. ‘Well, I’ll see you all at Sad Bastard Central tomorrow night. And you better not tell any cool people I’m coming to your party, Kylie.’
‘I don’t know any,’ quipped Kyle.
Becky glared at him but decided not to challenge. She stalked away as if on a catwalk, Fern trailing in her wake.
Rusty stood to film them as they walked away. ‘Poor Becky.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Kyle.
Rusty stared at the table. ‘To be so ugly inside.’
Adele gazed at him, a thin smile forming around her mouth. ‘Maybe it’s a cry for help, Rusty.’
Rusty turned the camera on Adele but lowered it when she became uneasy. He looked into her dark eyes briefly.
‘Do they really not know what happened to those girls on the Hanging Rock?’ asked Kyle.
‘No,though there are lots of theories,’ said Rusty, finishing his drink. ‘The favourite is that they were buried under a rock fall somewhere near the summit. Me? I prefer not to know. That way they
do
live forever.’
‘Live forever.’ Adele nodded at him. ‘Like angels.’
‘Or gods,’ chipped in Kyle.
‘And poor Sara who flew to her death from the roof of the school – did she really kill herself? For real, I mean.’
‘Sara?’
‘The orphan – the girl who wasn’t allowed to go on the picnic because her school fees hadn’t been paid. She lost her best friend on Hanging Rock and later jumped off the roof of the school.’
Rusty shook his head. ‘I don’t really know. Most people concentrate on the girls who disappeared.’ He looked at her, pleased, and then a moment later said, ‘She had to content herself with being mortal.’
Adele nodded at him, her dark sad eyes mesmerising. ‘And alone.’
At that moment Rifkind entered the refectory and glanced across at Adele. She darted a quick peek in his direction then looked away.
‘You okay?’ asked Kyle.
She raised her dark eyes to him and smiled. ‘I will be.’
Six
B ROOK DID A FEW HOURS’ paperwork then set off home in the late afternoon as there was little more to be achieved after details of the incident had been entered on the PNC. It was a fine warm day though he was so tired he hardly noticed. The post mortem on the unknown corpse would take place in the morning, and without a cause of death and an ID, there was nothing left to do except pointless theorising.
Dr Higginbottom had already emailed a copy of his preliminary report. He couldn’t speculate on COD but his initial inspection had shown that several, if not all, of the deceased’s organs had been removed, so the corpse had clearly undergone a rudimentary post mortem.
One possibility mentioned by the doctor was that the body might have already been somewhere in the mortuary system but had
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