The day before Christine’s funeral, Vicki and I are sitting at the dining room table in our late sister’s house talking about the accident. We make a diagram, or map of the place Christine was swept off the rocks. It is a top view and I we have placed four people in that bowl;

Christine
Drew
Shamus
Vicki

There is silence. I am considering talking to Vicki’s son, Shamus, when my sister gets up and takes the note pad into another room. Shamus and Drew are playing video games in the den. Drew is 9 years of age. My friend comments on how unshook she appears.

Vicki comes back with the pad and puts it down before me, and says;

“I had Drew do this drawing in order to get in touch with her feelings. She moved this person over here. (points to hyphan betwen two top figures) She was not happy with where she placed her. She wanted to be accurate. There are not four people in that cove.”

I questioned Vicki again as to who was down in that cove, and, Shamus was no longer there. I was flabbergasted. I kept my mouth shut. This was a very primitive drawing, something a three year old would do. How would this help Drew get in touch with her feelings – by moving a stick figure over three feet!

When I saw Drew’s drawing that Mark sent me, when Drew was the same age, I knew Vicki had done this drawing. Drew is a gifted artist. No way would she do anything like this – in order to get in touch with her feelings – or for any other reason. Vicki was only gone for five minutes. No way would Drew put down the joystick to do this drawing.

A couple of weeks later Vicki says Shamus was up in the main house playing video games.

“I thought you said that part of the house was locked?”
No commnet.

In another conversation Vicki puts Shamus up in the guest house reading a book.

I get a call from Shamus who is angry. I sent a report off to John Detro who I thought was a reporter for the Pinecone. He is a freelance writer, and has shown my report to his friend, Stacey Pierrot.

Shamus now tells me he got a headache due to it being cold, and left the cove to go rest in the guest house.

“Vicki said you were reading a book – with a headache?”

“I wasn’t reading a book.”

I believe the sheriff and the coroner have a copy of this drawing on file. Vicki added to this drawing by showing me how far out the water, was, due to it being low tide – so ar you could not see it. And, it was foggy. Vicki put the fog in – and it has not lifted hence. Vicki needs to take a lie detector test – and some art lessons!

Vicki is an egregious liar, a master liar! Drew needs to be asked if she did this drawing. I suspect she is a poor liar, like her cousin Shamus. This is why we have only one eye-witness account from the three survivors.

When I talked to the sheriff on the phone he told me the main house was open and there were about five adults inside, plus, three children! He had put on scuba equipment to go fetch Christine who was still alive thirty minutes after the first 911 call. He told me he saw a third sister down in that cove. Was this Nina? Does she have children? Did she look like Christine?

These lies are an art form. This is minimalist art. That pyramid atop the hill is a house! Unbelievable! A helicopter plucked Christine from the sea and landed her near this house. My sister was put in a waiting ambulence so CPR work could be done. The ambulence rushed fifteen miles to the hospital. Why isn’t this drama in any book? Why have we not read many eye-witness accounts? What drama! What we allegedly got – is a child’s drawing of stick-figures? And from this they make a movie! Are you kidding me! Why don’t we see a helicopter in this famous cartoon drwan by a member of the famous Benton family?

C’mon! Where’s that infamous “rogue wave” and the 20 knot wind?

What we got for action, is a hyphan. So much for getting in touch with one’s feelings!

What became of the drawing Vicki and I made together that put her son about five feet from Christine? She must have torn it off the pad, and threw it away – as planned!

In a home movie Vicki and Shamus made a week later, serveral waves fill the cove.

“See, this is what happened to us.”

Shamus says something, and Vicki says;

“I told you not to come down here because it was too dangerous!”

Then THEY find the jacket Christine was allegedly wearing, high up in the iceplants.

“The big waves must have tossed it up here.” says Vicki.

When I questioed Shamus about this suede jacket that was in pristine condition, I wondering how Christine got it off, and how it made its way into the cover, I was hit with one giant lie after another.

The question I asked Vicki, that made her go fetch this drawing, was;

“Was it possible for Shamus to rescue Christine?”

It’s time for Vicki to get in touch with her feelings in a court of law – with a big blackboard hovering in the background! Time for some good ol courtroom drama!

Strap me to a lie detector! I’m good to go!

Jon Presco