Sisters

by Michelle Frances

  From a distance she could hear the exhilarated screams of other children flying down the blue slide into the pool. She’d seen it every time they’d walked through the resort, her eyes on stalks. It was the best pool she could ever have imagined; the slide went through a tunnel and a loop until it finally deposited you into a deep lagoon.

  A sound from behind caught her attention. A little snore. Abby turned and looked at her mother. Her eyes were closed, her sun hat pulled down over her forehead. Her mouth was ever so slightly open as she breathed deeply and Abby knew she’d fallen asleep. She looked across at Ellie, who was standing in the shallows, her neon orange armbands on, scooping a bucket into the pool then pouring it out again.

  Abby went over to her sister and took her hand. ‘Shall we go and see the other pool?’

  Ellie looked at her in doubt. ‘You mean the slide one?’

  ‘Yes. It’ll be fun, just me and you,’ said Abby. ‘We can play mermaids.’

  Ellie’s eyes lit up. Abby knew she’d been aching for them to play together.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Course. Come on.’ Abby led Ellie down the palm-lined pathways through the resort to the bigger pool. This was where most of the other children were and Abby looked up in wonder as she saw a young boy come hurtling down the slide, his mouth open in fear and excitement.

  ‘I’m going to be a mermaid with a purple tail,’ said Ellie excitedly. ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’m just going to have one go on the slide first,’ said Abby and Ellie was immediately alarmed.

  ‘But—’

  ‘Don’t worry, you don’t have to. You can stay here and watch. Can you touch the bottom?’

  ‘Only just,’ said Ellie, her feet on tiptoes, the water up to her chin.

  Abby knew she’d only be a few minutes, that’s all it would take to have one go. She pointed to an area of water a bit further out. ‘That can be our mermaid cave. We’ll play when I get back. In two minutes.’ She didn’t wait for a response, but ran off towards the slide and started to climb the steps. At the top, she looked down at her sister, saw her playing where she’d left her. Then the green light in front of her flashed on and it was her turn. She pushed off, hurtling through the tubes, tipping at the corners in an adrenaline rush that finished with a bubble immersion as she fell deep into the pool.

  She kicked herself upwards, utterly delighted. It was the best, most exhilarating thing she’d done in a very long time. She looked over to where she’d left Ellie, contemplating whether she could sneak in another go.

  Ellie wasn’t there.

  A commotion was going on a little further into the pool, where it was deeper, where their make-believe mermaid cave was. Abby saw a lifeguard dive into the water. She kept watching and saw him pull her sister from under the surface. She swam towards them, saw him haul Ellie’s small body out onto the tiles. She looked on in fear as the lifeguard shook her sister, then turned her over on her side where suddenly she vomited.

  Again, thought Abby.

  Her mother was furious, so much so that she could barely speak to her. Abby hung back a short distance from the sunbed, ostracized from the group, her sister wrapped in a fluffy towel with a large ice cream, their mother fussing over her, and Miriam too. Neither adult would meet her eye.

  Ellie meekly held up the ice cream. ‘Would you like a lick, Abby?’

  Abby shook her head, mumbled a ‘no thank you’ for appearances’ sake, hiding her fury and upset.

  Miriam was murmuring something to her mother. Abby’s ears pricked up. ‘I’d gone for a walk, that’s when I saw her. Yes . . . well, I don’t know . . . It was just a little bit odd. She seemed to know it was too deep but still . . . I’m sure she only meant to be away for a few minutes. It was just an awful accident.’

  Abby pretended not to hear. She walked away to the edge of the water where she sat on her haunches and contemplated how much simpler life would be without a little sister.

  The rest of the holiday passed by in some agony for Abby. She knew she was being punished by being mostly ignored and she tried not to cry about it. Her mother never challenged her over the trip to the slide pool and Abby sometimes wondered what she really thought. On the last day, Abby and Ellie had to stay in the room for a couple of hours while Susanna packed. Ellie was colouring on the floor by the window, and Abby lay on her bed and watched as Susanna took the things from the bathroom and placed them in the case. She held up a bottle of children’s paracetamol and shook it with a frown.

  ‘Oh.’ It was a small sound, escaping from her lips.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Abby.

  ‘I thought we had more, that’s all. I’ll have to get some when we get home.’

  She placed it in the case and continued to pack. Halfway through the flight home, Ellie began to get sick again.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Matteo woke to the sound of a loud banging. He started, taking a moment to realize he was still in the chair on the terrace. He looked at his watch and was astounded to see that several hours had passed since he’d come outside this morning. So he’d managed to sleep after all. He quickly rubbed his eyes and went to see who was knocking on his front door loudly, with purpose.

  Susanna had got there first. Walking into his hallway was Lieutenant Baroni, pulling off her sunglasses. Behind her, Captain Santini followed.

  ‘Can we come in?’ asked Baroni.

  Matteo shrugged. They already were.

  ‘We wanted to let you know that the car Abby and Ellie are in has come up on automatic number plate recognition,’ said Baroni.

  ‘Where?’ asked Matteo.

  ‘Crossing the border into France.’

  Still groggy with sleep, Matteo rubbed his forehead. Stared at Baroni with incredulity. ‘Seriously? And this is the first time it’s pinged on the system?’

  Baroni was unfazed. ‘They’ve obviously been taking the minor roads, keeping away from the town centres.’

  ‘So what now? Have the French police taken charge of this?’

  ‘The investigation is still with the Carabinieri,’ said Baroni. ‘It’s an inseguimento in atto. Pursuit in progress,’ she translated for Susanna. She looked at them both. ‘Have either of you heard from them?’

  ‘Thank God you’re here. I was about to call the police station,’ said Susanna. ‘I’ve just got off the phone to Ellie.’

  ‘You did?’ asked Matteo, stunned. ‘Why didn’t you wake me?’

  ‘Go on,’ said Baroni, ignoring Matteo.

  ‘We couldn’t talk long. But she’s all right; at least, she said she’s not hurt. She’s with Abby and she seemed scared. I told her about Abby’s history, about how she lied. Look, the number she called me from is on my call history.’ Susanna reached for her phone.

  ‘What about Abby?’ asked Matteo. ‘Is Abby OK?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ said Susanna with distaste. ‘She was shopping.’

  Baroni handed Susanna’s phone to Santini. ‘We’ll get this number checked. Did Ellie say where they were going?’

  ‘No . . . She was in a hurry to hang up. She said that Abby was coming, seemed very anxious about it.’ Susanna paused. ‘Ellie thought I was dead. That’s why they ran. Abby told her I was dead and persuaded her to go on the run.’ She looked up at Baroni. ‘Ellie said she’d call me again. As soon as she could.’

  ‘That’s good,’ said Baroni. ‘Does she trust you?’

  Susanna looked surprised. ‘Yes. At least I think so. Despite the fact her sister’s been trying to turn her against me.’

  Baroni nodded. ‘And I think that she will trust the police, yes? Then we ask her to persuade Abby to drive to a certain place. Somewhere we can meet them.’ Baroni held out her card. ‘My direct line. You need to call me as soon as she rings you.’ She turned to Matteo. ‘Have you heard from your wife?’

  He straightened, indignant. ‘No. Or I would have said.’

  Santini stepped forward, pushed his chest out. ‘The detective is j
ust doing her job. You just answer the questions.’

  Matteo looked at him all puffed up with self-importance. High on his own authority. He laughed.

  ‘Is something funny?’ snapped Santini, stepping even closer to Matteo.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Matteo.

  Santini shoved Matteo in the chest. ‘You fuc—’

  ‘Stop!’ yelled Baroni, pulling her partner off. She spoke calmly. ‘If Abby calls, I am asking you not to tell her that her mother is alive. If Abby is dangerous, as Susanna suggests, it could make her act irrationally.’ She pointed at the card in Susanna’s hand. ‘If either of them ring, call me. Do not wait.’

  They turned to go and Matteo watched as Susanna let them out of his house. He didn’t wait for her to come back into the room; instead, he returned to the terrace. He stood with the sun burning down on him, unable to understand how his life had been turned upside down in such a short space of time. His wife was missing. On the run with his sister-in-law. And Abby had his gun. He breathed deeply a moment, searched his soul. Would Abby use it? Was Ellie in danger? He’d have unequivocally said no only twenty-four hours ago, would have laughed the suggestion off, incredulous. But now he didn’t know what to think.

  He heard Susanna come to the patio doors behind him and he turned around. She stood in the safety of the room and he was aware she was trapped there – she wouldn’t come out to him in the heat, not with her sunburn. This gave him a sense of relief.

  ‘I’m just going for a lie-down,’ said Susanna, ‘but I have my phone with me.’

  He nodded and watched as Susanna turned away. Why hadn’t she woken him after Ellie had called? He could have laid his hands on Baroni’s number immediately; Susanna would have known that.

  Matteo waited a while, long enough for Susanna to get upstairs and settle, close her eyes. Then he quietly re-entered the house. He looked around the living room, paid attention to things he’d not really noticed before, such as Abby’s books on the shelf. He ran his finger across the spines, tried to see if he could see any personal papers tucked in between. He moved to the bureau at the side of the room, opened the doors. He rummaged through folders, carefully indexed, papers meticulously filed, and then underneath them all, he found a small grey book: an address book. He flicked through, the names meaning nothing. People from Abby’s life before he met her.

  Then at ‘G’, his finger stopped. Abby had made an entry: Grandma. Next to it was an address – and a phone number.

  THIRTY-SIX

  Ellie went over and over it again in her head. She stared out the window as they drove through the French countryside, trying to make sense of her mother’s stark warning. She scoured her memory for recollections of childhood that might throw some light on what Abby was supposed to have done. Had her sister had access to her food? Had she insisted Ellie eat something? But Ellie couldn’t remember. It seemed one of them had hurt her, though, and she wasn’t sure which of the two was easier to stomach: her mother, who was currently several hundred miles away, or Abby, next to her in the car.

  Ellie didn’t know if she should be afraid or not. And then suddenly, exhausted by the uncertainty, she let out a hysterical bark of laughter. Surely Abby wasn’t about to do away with her in broad daylight? Careful, risk-averse Abby? It didn’t seem possible. Whatever her mother claimed.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ asked Abby.

  Ellie tried to get a grip on her mania. ‘Nothing.’ She saw Abby look over at her oddly. Ellie was certain Abby was about to question her further, and she was desperately trying to think of ways to change the subject when the French landscape did just that for her.

  ‘It’s more beautiful than I even imagined it would be,’ she gasped. The fields had morphed into wet plains that were criss-crossed with reeds of the palest green. On either side of the road were vast swathes of rippling shallow water that held on to the reflections of the clouds.

  ‘What is this place?’ asked Abby, looking around in awe.

  ‘It’s the Camargue,’ said Ellie and then both girls saw a flamboyance of pink flamingos, some wading, some resting on a wide sandbank.

  ‘Oh my God, look!’ said Abby, eyes wide as she stared across the lagoon at the birds. She was so enraptured, Ellie couldn’t help but smile.

  ‘Anyone would think you hadn’t been away before,’ she said.

  ‘Well, I haven’t. Not really.’

  ‘You live in Elba.’

  ‘I know. And I went to Florence. But that’s about it.’

  Ellie frowned. ‘That can’t be right. What about all those work trips? Mum used to say you went to the Middle East a lot – Doha, Dubai. And Hong Kong . . . I’m sure she mentioned Hong Kong.’

  ‘Yeah, I did. But as you say, that was work.’

  ‘But surely you explored?’

  ‘Not really. A plane, an airport, a conference room and a hotel. Then straight home again.’

  Ellie still didn’t understand. ‘But what about holidays? You had holidays, right?’

  ‘I got twenty-five days’ leave a year.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I sold them.’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Back to the company. They had a scheme where you could sell most of your leave if you wanted. So I did and then I invested the money.’

  Ellie was staring at Abby, mouth agape. ‘You voluntarily gave your leave back to the company so you could work even longer?’

  ‘It was a good deal.’

  ‘Didn’t you ever feel as if . . .’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You were missing out?’

  ‘On holidays?’

  ‘On life!’ exclaimed Ellie. ‘All those places to explore and people to meet. All those adventures you’ve never had.’

  Abby bristled. ‘I did OK, thanks. Not everyone can say they’ve retired in their thirties.’

  ‘No, they can’t,’ murmured Ellie. ‘So, what made you want to?’

  Abby was silent for a moment. ‘It was always about feeling safe. I never felt Mum had my back in the way she had yours. I wanted to set myself up for life, then I could go and enjoy it.’

  ‘And are you?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know. Enjoying it.’

  ‘Course!’

  ‘That didn’t sound very convincing.’

  ‘It’s just getting used to another lifestyle, that’s all. There’s lots of time to fill.’

  ‘Whereas before you had no time. Did you ever go out? You know, an evening’s entertainment?’

  ‘Course I did!’

  ‘You’d allow yourself to spend money on drinks?’

  Abby rolled her eyes. ‘It’s very simple. You stick to a budget.’

  ‘Hmm,’ said Ellie. ‘Let me paint you a picture. You’re in a bar, having a great time with your friends. You’ve all done equal rounds, right, fair and square? As I can’t imagine that not happening. It’s only nine o’clock and the budget is spent. It’s your round again. You don’t want to go home. What do you do?’

  ‘I’d drink water.’

  ‘Oh my God.’

  ‘It was the only way.’

  A group of white horses waded through the water up ahead, their tails flicking. The girls watched as the straggler suddenly ran to catch up with the rest, its coat catching in the sunlight.

  ‘They remind me of the horses in Andalucía,’ said Ellie. ‘So elegant.’

  ‘The dancing ones?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘When did you go there?’

  Ellie pondered. ‘Can’t remember. It might have been twenty sixteen, after I learned to sail around the Greek islands. No, it was twenty seventeen. The same year I saw the Northern Lights in Lapland.’

  ‘You’ve done some travelling.’

  ‘I love it. I love being somewhere different, the sense of freedom.’ Ellie looked at her sister. ‘Is there nowhere you’ve yearned to go?’

  Abby thought. ‘Do you remember . . . when we were little, we were supposed to go to Disneyla
nd?’

  Ellie nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, I’d never wanted anything more in my life. I would cry myself to sleep every night after it got cancelled.’

  The horses suddenly galloped off in unison, a flock of white birds wheeling overhead, their cries intermingling with the splashing from the horses.

  This sort of thing was priceless, thought Ellie, an experience that was worth more than money. Wasn’t it? She wondered exactly how much Abby had gained through her sacrifices. What value her sister had put on missing encounters like these.

  ‘How much are you worth?’ she asked.

  Abby did a double take. ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Money. How much have you got? To the nearest fifty thousand,’ added Ellie, ‘to make it easier.’

  ‘I’m not telling you that!’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s none of your business.’

  ‘That is true,’ said Ellie, ‘but what harm can it do to tell me? Is it really that big a secret? Personally, I think it might inspire me. Let me know what my big sister can achieve from nothing and maybe it’ll reform my spending habits.’

  Abby pulled a face. As judgemental as ever, thought Ellie but she refused to buckle.

  ‘A hundred grand?’ she persisted, teasingly. It had to be more, surely.

  ‘I’m not having this conversation.’

  ‘Two? Three? Go on, you can say. Maybe even five. Five hundred thousand pounds. That should last a while, shouldn’t it? I don’t really know how it works – do you live off the interest? Then you wouldn’t need to spend any of it. You could keep going forever. What’s the interest on five hundred K? Maybe not so much. So is it more? Six? Se—’

  ‘Two million.’

  ‘What?’ Ellie’s mouth dropped open.

  ‘Two,’ said Abby. ‘Million,’ she repeated. ‘Seeing as you wanted to know.’

  ‘Two million pounds?’ Ellie closed her mouth. She was finding it hard to breathe, as if a great lump of rock had been placed on her chest. Two million was more than she would ever see over the course of her entire lifetime. She suddenly felt very small, very foolish.