Page 83 of My Sister is Going to Kill Me

“How do you suggest we do that?” Big Pete asked.

Chapter Thirty-Six

It was possible Mandy had used more CareFree than recommended. Her skin felt amazing—airy and smooth—but her thoughts slipped and wriggled from her grasp. She leaned back against the sandy bank and stared up at the darkening bowl of the canyon, letting her mind drift as the stars slowly punched themselves out of the sky. She tried to count them.

It felt impossible. It felt normal.

She realized: That was the difference. Despite the insanity of the day—the discovery of Babette’s dead body, the shock of her dad crashing the trip, the arguments and uncertainties and potential dangers floating in the river—she felt at ease. Not perfect; all the sharp rocks were still there. But they had been bathed in muddy water. It was as if the tide of her equanimity had risen, blanketing the hard things, making them soft.

Liv’s voice floated toward her as if in a waking dream.

“Mandy. I have to ask you something.”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier, when Dad—are you okay?”

“Yeah, just . . . you know.” Mandy waved to the canyon. The air felt thick, her hand moving slower than usual, sculpting the night.

“Tell me your favorite painter,” Liv said.

“Magritte.”

“And the name of Dad’s convertible from when we were kids?”

Mandy scowled. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

“Look, I know you think I’m some kind of stick-in-the-mud—”

“More like a stick-in-the—”

“—but that datura plant is no joke. You heard Fiona. It could have been the cause of Babette’s death. There’s something we still don’t understand about that last focus group . . .”

Mandy sat all the way up. The vehemence in Liv’s voice was a buzzkill. “Look, I get it. You’re worried. You get State Department alerts about how criminals use the datura plant to turn people into zombies in Bogotá, and you think the worst. But CareFree is a professional product made by a legitimate company. There are lots of things derived from natural materials where if you took too much, or the wrong kind, it could hurt you. And besides, if there were anything wrong with it, we’d figure it out.”

She really hoped there was nothing wrong with it. CareFree felt too good—and her dad had too much invested—for it to be another flop. Or worse, she supposed. Some kind of illegal poison drug would definitely be worse.

“Here’s what I want to know.” Liv’s voice was soft, riding the quiet desert air. “Do you think Dad is telling the truth about why he came down here with Babette?”

Mandy felt a spike of irritation at her sister’s implication. Then, just as quickly, it melted away. “Honestly? I don’t think even Dad knows why he came down here.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not like you.” Mandy tossed a pebble in the river. “You’re a rock. We’re water.”

This seemed to her to encapsulate the situation. But judging from Liv’s confused expression, she had to say more. “We don’t have a fixed plan or position. We go where opportunity takes us, moment to moment. If Dad said Babette asked him and he decided to come, that’s probably what happened.

“And you know what’s weird?” Mandy continued. “Babette changed her plan too. We all thought she’d descend from a helicopter, but instead she waited and brought Dad down with her the next day. It was all a surprise.”

“Babette seemed to be full of surprises,” Liv said.

“But she wasn’t chaotic,” Mandy said. “She was a rock, like you.”

“Your hero is like me?” Liv’s voice was so low Mandy could barely hear her.

“Ex-hero. That puppy thing was messed up.” Mandy shook her head. “And don’t die, okay?”

“Deal.” Liv looked out toward the water. “I could use your help with something else,” she said. “Hypothetically.”