The Killer's Cousin - by Nancy Werlin

The Killer's Cousin - by Nancy Werlin

David Yaffe killed his girlfriend, Emily. At the trial the judge and jury believed him (or at least David's lawyer) when he said it was an accident. So David was acquitted and life goes on, right?
Well, imagine you'd done what David had. That your girlfriend or boyfriend (like Emily) was a popular person; liked. And that everybody at [Name of the school at which you're booktalking] believed that the only reason you were acquitted was your Dad's high-priced lawyer. Imagine going back to [Name of the school].
So David's family sends him out of state to his aunt and uncle to finish his senior year at a school where nobody knows him or what he's done. But going to live with his aunt and uncle is like getting out of the frying pan and into the fire. These aren't the most stable nuts on the family tree. David's aunt and uncle haven't spoken to each other in over a year, since their eldest girl, Kathy, committed suicide.
I mean that literally. The only way they communicate is through their 10-year-old daughter, Lily. If you think this hasn't messed with Lily's head, guess again. The day after David arrives he comes across Lily going through his belongings. He asks her nicely to stop but she ignores him. David tries to get her to leave. Lily waits until just before David is afraid he's gong to have to throw her out, before getting up slowly. [The following is adapted from pages 16 - 17 of the book.]
As if casually, Lily asks, "So David, did you like how it felt, when Emily went down?"
All the air left the room. Lily's eyes sucked at him greedily. "Did it feel good? Powerful? Were you glad--even for just a minute?"
David had words somewhere inside him, but he couldn't get them out. He tried to tell himself; C'mon she's just a kid, just a little girl. It didn't work. He and Greg and Emily had been "just kids" that day. Just because you were under 18 didn't make you innocent. Or harmless.
"Get out!" [Growled loudly - point toward the "door".]
Lily just smirked as she left his room, her head held high.
This family is seriously messed up and Kathy's suicide may not be what it seems. David's fresh start is beginning to look like the bad old days as he wonders if murder runs in the family.
Adapted from a book review by Nancy Henkel, King County Library System