Sisters

by Michelle Frances

  In seconds, in the wing mirror, Ellie could see two unmarked cars chasing them, blue lights flashing, sirens wailing.

  ‘Shit,’ said Abby as they raced over a small bridge, landing hard.

  Winded, Ellie grabbed the dashboard. This was it, surely.

  ‘They’re going to get us, Abs,’ she said.

  ‘Over my dead body,’ her sister replied.

  ‘Maybe we should just hand ourselves in. Deal with the consequences.’

  Abby looked at her, aghast. ‘Are you joking? No. This is not how this ends.’

  She pushed the car even faster and Ellie clung on. The country lanes were narrow and they hurtled around corners, blind as to what was coming on the other side. Spartan trees and bushes lined the road, beyond which fields stretched into the distance, dotted by the odd farmhouse. Abby had managed to gain a bit of distance and for a few seconds they lost the two cars behind them. They neared a turning and, without warning, Abby flung the car left, into an even narrower road. She continued at speed, both girls watching anxiously in their mirrors.

  ‘Have they gone?’ asked Ellie urgently.

  ‘I don’t know, I don’t know,’ cried Abby.

  Then they saw the police cars hurtle past the turning.

  ‘Oh my God,’ said Abby, not quite believing what she’d witnessed. ‘We did it. We got away!’

  Ellie broke into a smile. ‘They didn’t see us.’

  Abby punched the air. ‘Yes! Yes!’

  ‘Maybe you could tell me next time you spin around a corner so I can make sure my stomach comes with me,’ said Ellie.

  Abby was laughing, buoyed by their success.

  ‘Where did you learn to drive like that, anyway?’

  ‘Never driven like that before in my life. God, that was fun,’ Abby added, surprised at herself.

  ‘Fuck,’ said Ellie, suddenly sombre.

  ‘What?’ Alarmed, Abby glanced in her rear-view mirror. There was nothing.

  ‘I thought I saw—’ Ellie stopped abruptly as they both glimpsed a police car gaining on them.

  ‘Oh my God,’ wailed Abby, putting her foot down. ‘Where did he come from?’

  Up ahead, a farmer was opening a gate leading from his field into the road. Behind him was a herd of russet-coloured cows.

  ‘Abs!’ said Ellie, pointing.

  The farmer hadn’t spotted them. He continued to push the gate until it was wide open. Then the first of the cows walked towards the road.

  Abby checked her mirror. The police car was even closer. She couldn’t stop. She hit the heel of her hand on the horn, one long, continuous blast. The farmer looked up, saw them hurtling towards him and his herd. He put his arms out, tried to halt the cows but now they were moving as one, a mass of blood and bone heading for the road.

  Abby drove as fast as she could, Ellie squeezed her body into itself and they raced past the herd, inches from hitting them.

  Without speaking, both girls looked in their mirrors. Behind them, the police car had come screeching to a stop, his path blocked by two dozen cattle.

  Abby whooped ecstatically.

  Ellie knew it would be several minutes before the police officer could resume the chase. He’d never catch up with them. There was no sign of the other car. They’d got away.

  ‘I love cows!’ yelled Abby.

  Ellie looked across at her sister. She’d never seen her so high. She’d never seen her so alive.

  EIGHTY-ONE

  Ellie held the payphone receiver to her ear, her hand damp with sweat. They had stopped at a roadside cafe; Abby was stretching her legs and Ellie could see her walking up along the edge of a nearby field, a small figure in the heat haze. Ellie had claimed she was tired – which was true – and instead had plucked up the courage to do what had been burning away at her since her time with Fredrik.

  His words echoed in her ears as she listened to her mother’s phone ringing. You’re a survivor. Then Ellie heard her mother pick up and the operator asked Susanna if she would accept a call from Ellie Spencer. She heard her mother’s gasp of acceptance and then the operator connected them.

  ‘Ellie!’

  ‘Hi, Mum.’

  ‘Tell me what’s happening. Are you OK?’

  Ellie took a breath. Composed herself. ‘I’m fine, Mum.’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘Spain.’

  ‘Spain? Whereabouts?’

  ‘Mum, I need to ask yo—’

  ‘Is Abby still with you? Did you find the gun?’

  ‘Mum! Please. Stop interrupting. Yes, I found the gun. You were right.’

  ‘Thank God!’ said Susanna, deep relief in her voice.

  ‘At least, you were right about Abby having taken it,’ said Ellie.

  Susanna paused. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Last night, Abby and I were held at knifepoint—’

  ‘Oh my God!’

  ‘Mum. Please let me speak. A man climbed into the back of our car when we were at a petrol station. He made us drive up into a forest. He forced us out of the car, was about to take us into the trees. He had a knife to my throat the whole time.’ Ellie found she was shaking with the memory. ‘He was probably going to kill us. Which is why Abby shot him.’

  Ellie waited for a reaction but her mother was silent.

  ‘Mum?’

  ‘Yes. I’m here,’ said Susanna quickly, her voice steeped in shock. ‘Shot him? You mean . . . he’s dead?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Her mother was silent again.

  ‘Mum, he was about to slit my throat,’ said Ellie, emotional. ‘If Abby hadn’t done what she did, both of us would be lying dead in the woods. But do you see what I’m saying? Abby saved my life.’

  Susanna was taken aback. ‘What?’

  ‘You told me she hated me, that she was dangerous. You told me she did that awful thing to me when I was young. But she saved me. Without Abby I’d be dead.’ Ellie paused. ‘Which means I think it was you, Mum. You were the one who poisoned me, like Abby said all along.’

  ‘Now hang on a minute.’

  ‘Please, no more lies. I just want to know why you did it. Actually, I don’t want to know that. I need to tell you something. You robbed me of my childhood. Do you realize that? You took something from me that I’ll never get back. And what I really want to know is, do you feel bad for what you did?’ Ellie’s voice cracked. ‘All those times sitting watching while I cried as a doctor performed tests on me . . . the hours and hours of feeling I was missing out when I was kept home from school . . . the terrible sense that I was left behind, that I was a failure. What about all those things? Do you ever regret it?’

  Susanna mustered a deep breath. ‘Ellie, you need to listen to me.’

  ‘Mum, stop.’

  ‘Please. I beg you.’ Susanna waited and, when Ellie said nothing, she continued. ‘This man she shot. You say he had a knife to your throat at the time?’

  Ellie frowned. ‘Yes, I told you.’

  ‘So he was restraining you? He was close to you?’

  ‘Yes, he had his arm around my neck.’

  Susanna inhaled. ‘So how do you know Abby didn’t miss her original target?’

  ‘You what?’

  ‘Was there anyone else around?’

  ‘No . . .’

  ‘No witnesses?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So are you sure she was aiming at the mugger?’

  Ellie recoiled.

  ‘I’m so sorry, darling,’ said Susanna, her voice barely audible. ‘I only say these things because she’s dangerous. You need to get away from her.’

  ‘You’re wrong, Mum. She saved my life.’ Ellie was suddenly triumphant. ‘If she wanted to get rid of me, why didn’t she just shoot both of us?’

  ‘I don’t know. She’s a control freak. I have no idea what she’s really planning. She’s always been secretive, you know that. She’ll have some hidden agenda, some big plan, that you can be sure of. Are you still feeling unwell?’<
br />
  ‘Yes . . . But—’

  ‘I knew it! You’ve got to be vigilant. You need to watch your food, your drink.’

  Ellie looked up towards the field, where Abby was still walking.

  ‘Mum, Abby’s not poisoning me. I’m not going to be swayed. I wish you’d just admit to what you did.’

  ‘I can’t watch you get hurt by her. I’d never forgive myself.’

  ‘She’s named me in her will, did you know that? Left me half her fortune.’

  Susanna paused. ‘She said that?’

  ‘Yes. A million quid. Why would you bother leaving someone a million quid if you didn’t at least like them?’

  Susanna was silent for a moment. ‘I don’t know, Ellie. Now, listen to me. You have to do whatever it takes.’

  ‘Mum, I’m not going to do anything.’

  ‘Don’t ignore me. It’s too important. You have to stop her.’

  Ellie exhaled loudly. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’

  ‘Do I need to spell it out? You have to get to her before she gets to you.’

  Shocked, Ellie was silenced for a moment. ‘What are you suggesting . . .?’

  ‘You know. Deep down, you understand.’

  Ellie hung up and backed away from the phone in case her mother tried to call back. She wrapped her arms around herself, dumbfounded at her mother’s strength of belief. Then she looked up at Abby, a small dot near the field. Her sister turned and waved. Ellie raised her own hand, then watched as Abby walked back down the track.

  EIGHTY-TWO

  Susanna swore under her breath. She knew it was pointless to call back; Ellie wouldn’t answer.

  She sat down in the living room chair and tried to think what to do. She was so worried. The message just didn’t seem to be getting through. Her favourite daughter was out there somewhere in the Spanish countryside, completely under Abby’s spell.

  A thin line of perspiration broke out on Susanna’s forehead. Somehow she had to get to Ellie, convince her she was telling the truth.

  But how?

  Susanna opened up her phone again, googled the number Ellie had called from. It was located somewhere in north-western Spain. Susanna couldn’t tell exactly where, so she zoomed out and it was then her heart stopped. She remembered a child’s atlas from decades ago, a journey around Europe’s biggest, longest, highest. She looked again at the red pin in the map, marking the position of the payphone from which her daughter had just called her. It was instinctive, as true as a mother knowing her child she’d nursed from ill health.

  Susanna knew where Ellie and Abby were heading.

  EIGHTY-THREE

  Matteo sat in a utilitarian plastic chair in the front office of the police station. Waiting. He’d stay there the entire day and night if that’s what it took. An hour ago, Baroni and Santini had stormed through the doors, with that Scandi guy, Fredrik Andersen, in tow. Matteo had been on Baroni in seconds but she’d refused to acknowledge his presence, much less answer his questions. Matteo knew that right now Fredrik was being debriefed – or having his head ripped off, if the Carabinieri’s mood was anything to go by.

  Matteo glanced up at the clock, watched the hands tick on. He’d managed to glean from some of the more friendly local staff that Fredrik had been a honey trap but he’d switched allegiance halfway through the operation. He also knew that sooner or later, Baroni would have to let Fredrik go and Matteo was not going to leave his post until he saw that man walk past.

  The door that led to the offices and interview rooms opened. Out stepped a tall blond man. Matteo leaped to his feet.

  ‘Fredrik?’

  He stalled, then recognized Matteo. ‘Oh, hey. Look, I’m done with answering all the questions. Like I told the lady back there, I don’t know where they’ve gone.’

  Matteo nodded. ‘But you saw them?’

  ‘Sure . . .’

  ‘And how were they?’

  ‘Doing OK, considering.’ He frowned. ‘Hey, should I even be talking to you?’

  Matteo flashed his ID. ‘Captain Morelli, Italian Carabinieri. You said, “considering”. Considering what?’

  Fredrik appraised Matteo. ‘You know, you cops should maybe cut them a bit of slack. They’ve been through a lot.’

  ‘How was Abby?’

  ‘Yeah, she seemed OK. Fierce.’

  ‘Fierce?’

  ‘Yeah, like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with. Gotta have some sympathy for her husband.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind.’

  ‘What?’ Fredrik frowned, then it clicked. ‘Oh! That’s you? Right!’ His eyes widened. ‘She’s married to a cop? Whoa. She is one dangerous lady.’ He raised his fist and gave Matteo’s arm a friendly punch. ‘Respect.’ He indicated the door. ‘Hey, it all right if I head off? Got a pilgrimage to finish.’

  ‘Just one minute. Are you sure you don’t know where they’re heading?’

  Fredrik laid a palm on his chest. ‘I swear.’ He paused. ‘I just kind of hope they get away. Even with you being Abby’s husband.’

  Matteo watched as Fredrik walked down the front steps, the door shutting behind him.

  He sighed. Where was his wife? The longer this went on, the worse it would be – for all of them. And Baroni had shut him out of the investigation, so he had no idea what she was planning next. His phone rang. Matteo looked at the screen. It was Susanna.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Matteo, I have heard from Ellie.’

  He straightened up. ‘Did she say where she was?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But where did she call you from? A payphone?’

  ‘It makes no difference whether I have the number or not. She’ll be gone by now.’

  ‘But we’ll be able to locate her from the last . . . How long?’

  ‘I can do better than that,’ said Susanna. ‘I can tell you where she’s going.’

  ‘Where?’ he demanded.

  ‘One condition,’ continued Susanna. ‘You speak to Lieutenant Colonel Baroni and get me there too.’

  EIGHTY-FOUR

  Ellie was saddened by her mother’s continued denial of what she’d done. Perhaps she was deluded – couldn’t even admit it to herself. As the car flew past the fields, Ellie wondered about her desire to hear remorse in her mother’s voice. It felt so important to hear those words. I’m sorry. I wish I hadn’t done it.

  But then what? Even if her mother had repented, it wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t give her back her childhood. She’d still be the same person she was today. Actually, she wasn’t the same person. She was dealing with even more loss: that of their relationship as mother and daughter. They’d been so close, had shared so much. Ellie had thought her mother was her rock. How wrong she’d been. Susanna was a weak woman.

  Suddenly Ellie knew she’d never get an apology from her mother. She could spend the rest of her life waiting and hoping, that hope turning to resentment when a sorry never materialized.

  She stared out of the window, tried to put it from her mind.

  ‘You OK?’ asked Abby.

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘Only you don’t look it. You look like someone who’s just been dumped.’

  ‘I think, under the circumstances, it is currently hard for me and Fredrik to maintain a relationship.’

  ‘You don’t half pick ’em, Ellie.’

  Ellie bristled. ‘Hang on, he just helped us escape.’

  Abby pulled a face.

  ‘Admit it. If it hadn’t been for Fredrik, we would’ve been in the back of a police car by now.’

  ‘It was Fredrik who got us nearly caught in the first place!’

  ‘Right, pull over,’ said Ellie.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Let’s get this sorted once and for all.’ She tugged on the steering wheel and, alarmed, her sister slowed the car until they stopped on the side of the road.

  Ellie turned to face Abby. ‘I am sorry.’

  ‘For what?’

  �
��Jon.’ Ellie saw her sister stiffen. ‘You still seem to have an issue with it so I want to clear the air.’

  ‘An issue? An issue? Well, I think I’m entitled to have an issue.’

  ‘It was ages ago.’

  ‘You stole my boyfriend from me.’

  ‘It wasn’t like that.’

  ‘I would really find it a whole lot easier if you would just admit the truth,’ said Abby.

  ‘You’d already broken up. You’d dumped him!’ said Ellie. ‘Told him work was making it difficult to find time for a relationship or something. He was gutted, as I recall,’ she mused.

  ‘I what?’

  ‘You broke up with him,’ repeated Ellie. Abby was looking at her incredulously. ‘Right?’

  ‘He broke up with me,’ said Abby.

  ‘Seriously? That is not what he said.’

  ‘You’d better not be lying . . .’

  Ellie put her palm on her chest. ‘Swear on my moth— my life.’

  ‘The bastard . . .’

  The two sisters were quiet for a moment as they contemplated this change in history.

  Ellie thought for a moment. ‘I didn’t feel good about it,’ she said. ‘I was envious of you, of your job, your new flat, how everything seemed to be falling into place . . .’

  ‘I was working like a lunatic. I would fall asleep the second I got home.’

  ‘It didn’t look like that. Not from the outside. It looked like you were succeeding in everything. Again. Jon made me feel as if I had the right to be at your level as well. Except it was weird. I only met him twice. And no, for the record, I didn’t sleep—’

  ‘Blah blah blah blah,’ said Abby suddenly, drowning her out.

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘I don’t want to know.’

  ‘That I didn’t sleep wi—?’

  ‘BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! Too much information.’

  Ellie laughed.

  Abby shook her head. ‘God, to think all this time . . . Hey, for the record, it is still not cool to date your sister’s ex.’