‘Don’t know why I bothered. He was boring. Always on about various muscle groups and how important it was to do daily exercises.’
‘He was, wasn’t he? Hey, did he get you doing those weird squat things?’
‘You mean, with your legs bent out a bit?’
‘Yes!’ Abby laughed and pulled away, back onto the road.
Ellie looked across at her sister and for a moment her vision swam. Abby became two until Ellie blinked and held her head still. She was sick of feeling unwell. Ever since they’d left Elba, it had been getting steadily worse.
Recognizing she was also hungry, she reached for her bag, where she had a bar of chocolate stashed. Inside, Ellie saw the gun. She stared at it, recollecting that she had handled it, that both her and her sister’s prints were on it. Ellie found herself wondering, if it had been Abby who’d had the knife to her neck, and she had been the one driving, whether she would have been able to pull the trigger and save them both. Would she have had the guts? She wasn’t sure, and anyway . . . She stopped, her mind whirring, suddenly struck by something. Neither of them knew how to use it – they’d even laughed about it. And yet . . .
‘Abby?’
‘Yes?’
‘You know yesterday, when we were laughing after I pointed the gun at you?’
‘That sounds weird, but yes?’
‘And how we said we didn’t even know how to use a gun?’
‘Yeah . . .’
Ellie shrugged. Where was she going with this? ‘Just . . . you seemed to make it work quite easily in the forest.’
Her sister looked at her. ‘I checked,’ she said flatly. ‘Looked it up online when you were in a shop or something. I can’t quite remember.’
Ellie looked at her curiously.
‘I guess I was intrigued. Why, you want a lesson?’
Ellie shuddered. ‘No, thank you. In fact, I don’t even want it in my bag anymore.’ She picked it out between her thumb and forefinger, holding it at arm’s length, then turned to put it on the back seat.
‘Better not leave it there,’ said Abby. ‘In case we get stopped.’ She saw her jacket on the seat. ‘Put it in my pocket. We’ll get rid of it someplace.’
Ellie leaned over and, taking Abby’s jacket, tucked the gun inside the pocket.
‘Junction,’ said Abby.
Ellie quickly turned back to the map on her lap. ‘Right,’ she called. As they turned, she got out the chocolate bar and, breaking it in half, handed one piece to her sister.
They drove on.
EIGHTY-FIVE
Susanna stepped out of the helicopter, holding her hair tight against the downwash from the rotors. As she walked across the field, away from the chopper, she could see Lieutenant Colonel Baroni heading towards her, her face set in a humourless expression. Further back, Matteo was waiting by a police car, his arms folded.
‘Now for your side of the bargain,’ said Baroni, as she approached. ‘And this better be good.’
‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ said Susanna. ‘You may have just prevented a tragedy from happening.’
Baroni was impatient. ‘Where are they?’
Susanna looked grim. ‘I will tell you exactly.’
EIGHTY-SIX
They could see teasing glimpses of blue as the car rose over a hill, or when the trees thinned to reveal the horizon.
‘Oh my God,’ said Abby, leaning forward to peer through the windscreen. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
‘The Atlantic,’ said Ellie.
They continued in silence, looking out for the sea, which became more visible as they got closer, passing rocky outcrops, trees misshapen by years of westerlies blowing off the ocean, until the single-track road came to a natural halt.
Abby stopped the car and turned off the engine. Both girls stared ahead. Land had ended. They were on the edge of an enormous cliff, the ocean spread out before them. Far out to sea, the horizon stretched until it blurred into a blue haze. A breathtaking drop below, the waves battered the edge of the rock. Gulls wheeled on thermals, soaring, looking for all the world as if they were in their own playground.
‘Vixía Herbeira, six hundred and twenty-one metres – that’s nearly six times the height of the White Cliffs of Dover,’ quoted Ellie.
Abby looked at her sister. ‘Is that the cliff? The if you don’t visit in life, you’ll visit in death cliff?’
‘Yep.’ Ellie saw Abby staring in wonder. ‘Now, for God’s sake, don’t do anything crazy. No Thelma and Louise.’
Abby was puzzled. ‘Thelma and Louise?’
‘Yes, you know, the movie. Driving off the edge.’
‘Why did they do that?’
‘To evade capture. To be free. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen it.’
‘I didn’t really go to the cinema.’
‘Good God, Abby, it’s ancient. It came out in the nineties.’
‘I never had cable either.’
‘It would be on normal TV. Please tell me you watched TV.’
Abby was indignant. ‘Of course I did! I’m not a freak. Just not that often. Too tired or at work. Must have missed our friends Thelma and Louise. Were they sisters?’
Ellie smiled to herself. ‘Might as well have been.’
‘OK, Louise,’ said Abby. ‘I’m not going to drive off that cliff.’
‘I think you’re probably Louise,’ said Ellie. ‘The level-headed one. The one who was strong, who led all the time. The achiever.’
‘You’ve achieved,’ said Abby.
Ellie let out a small laugh.
‘Of course you have. You’ve lived your life to the full. Travelled, had experiences I’ve deliberately deprived myself of.’
‘But you had the high-flying career.’
‘Not the life, though. You may have had a stunted childhood being wrapped up in cotton wool but you sure made up for it.’
Ellie pondered, eyes lighting up as this new revelation sank in. Maybe she had.
‘Who are you calling stunted?’
Abby smiled.
‘Looks like we’ve reached the end of the road,’ said Ellie.
‘Yes.’
‘We’ve come a long way.’
‘We have,’ agreed Abby.
‘Seems a long time ago we were swimming in the sea at your place.’ Ellie thought back to the house they had left, the simple life Abby had carved out for herself. There would be no going back. ‘I’m sorry I messed up your retirement.’
Abby was quiet for a moment. Then suddenly her face broke into a huge smile. ‘Are you kidding? These last three days. They’ve been the best of my life.’
‘Seriously?’
‘I was too young for retirement anyway.’ Abby nodded towards the cliffs. ‘You want to get out?’
‘Sure.’ Ellie opened the door and the wind immediately caught it. A chilly blast filled the car. ‘It’s cold out here,’ she said.
‘Take my jacket if you want,’ said Abby as she got out of the car.
Ellie leaned over and grabbed it. As she stepped onto the cliff, she pulled it on.
She walked as near to the edge as she dared. Then she leaned into the wind and felt the physical freedom of the seabirds as they soared. She didn’t see Abby step behind her, lift her hands.
‘Look at that,’ said Ellie in awe, as she saw a gull swoop through the air. She turned then, saw Abby’s hands just behind her shoulders, at exactly the right position to push her off the edge. She wouldn’t stand a chance; the shock and the loss of balance would make her stumble right over.
‘Abs . . .?’ Ellie said in a scared voice.
Abby’s face broke into a grin. ‘That’s my third.’
‘What?’
‘Idea. From when I was little. I was going to push you off a cliff.’
‘Oh my God.’
‘Not now, obviously.’ Abby lowered her palms.
‘Are there any more?’ asked Ellie. ‘Only, if we could get them out of the way now, that would save me
having any more heart attacks.’
‘You’ll have to wait and see.’
‘Oh, come on.’
‘No.’ Abby smiled and turned away.
‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ said Ellie.
‘Sounds serious.’
‘Kind of . . .’ Ellie took a deep breath. ‘It’s about Mum . . .’
‘What about her?’
How did she explain? Abby was looking at her expectantly but then they heard the sound of sirens squealing, tyres screeching to a halt. Both girls looked back to see several police cars blocking the road, dust rising into the air. Doors flung open and police officers exited at speed, crouching down behind their vehicles, guns raised.
‘Oh my God,’ said Abby.
‘Are they pointing those things at us?’ asked Ellie in shock.
‘I don’t think it’s the seagulls,’ said Abby.
‘Step away from the car with your hands above your head,’ ordered Baroni, through a loudspeaker. She crouched down behind the door of the police car, watching intently, alert for any sudden moves. Santini was in another vehicle to her left. He got out, raised his weapon.
Susanna was sitting in the back of the car. She’d had strict instructions to remain there, whatever happened. She looked through the windscreen, could see her two daughters up ahead on the cliff edge. Suddenly she didn’t want to do as she was told. She opened the car door and, getting out, she stood tall.
‘Get back in the car,’ snapped Baroni, but Susanna ignored her. She could see Matteo standing by another one of the police cars, but this was her moment, her children. She stepped forward, disregarding Baroni’s increasingly furious demands.
Abby blinked, unable to take in what she was seeing. ‘Oh my God,’ she faltered. She looked over at Ellie, saw her guilty face.
‘That’s what I was about to tell you,’ said Ellie, biting her lip. ‘Mum’s not dead.’
‘Are you joking me?’ said Abby. ‘How . . .?’ Lost for words, she just stared at her mother, who was slowly moving towards them.
‘This is your last warning,’ said Baroni. ‘Move away from the vehicle with your hands raised in the air!’
‘I think we’d better do as she says,’ said Ellie. She slowly stepped away from the car. Abby had no choice but to do the same.
‘Move further away from the vehicle,’ ordered Baroni and both girls started to walk away from their car, towards the police, their hands above their heads. The police edged towards them, their weapons still raised.
‘You need to arrest her,’ said Susanna, pointing. ‘Abby. She’s the one who’s dangerous.’
Abby’s mouth dropped open.
‘She’s been saying it’s you,’ said Ellie quickly. ‘The whole time. You’re the one who hurt me as a kid. She’s been saying you’ve tried to poison me on this trip. Hiding stuff in my food.’ It pained her to admit to this, to see her mother again. She had loved her so much. Ellie felt the ground spin. She stopped still, regained her balance.
Abby looked at her mother and was shocked to see the distance in her eyes. It was as if Susanna was looking at a stranger, someone she had no connection with. Abby was suddenly filled with an incredible anger. She had tried so hard to make her mother love her. She hadn’t deserved any of this. She dropped her arms by her sides, started to walk towards Susanna, slowly at first, then faster.
‘Stop right there!’ yelled Baroni but Abby kept on going.
Susanna stood absolutely still.
‘Has she got the gun?’ Baroni asked her colleagues urgently. ‘Can anyone see if the suspect is armed?’
‘Can’t see,’ said an officer agitatedly, his gun aloft.
Santini stayed conspicuously quiet. He raised his weapon, holding Abby in his sight-line.
‘Abby!’ Matteo stepped forward in desperation but was immediately held back by another officer.
Susanna didn’t move, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Just a few more seconds, then Abby would be cut down by the police and order would be restored.
EIGHTY-SEVEN
Abby’s eyes blazed as she approached Susanna. ‘You gave her something, didn’t you? That night at my house when you helped cook. She’s been ill ever since we left.’
‘I swear I didn’t,’ said Susanna, innocence cast across her face. ‘It’s not true,’ she insisted loudly to the police.
‘You’re lying.’
‘It wasn’t her,’ cried out Ellie but her voice was weak and got lost in the wind.
Susanna stood in front of her eldest daughter and held her head high. ‘If I had, it would have worn off by now,’ she said, ‘and if anything, Ellie’s been getting worse.’
Matteo saw his wife falter. Jesus, he thought, she’s right. His mother-in-law was right. Which meant . . . He looked at Abby.
‘You know it’s true,’ continued Susanna. She lowered her voice. ‘And you know you were always jealous of her.’
‘Get your hands up!’ shouted Baroni to Abby.
‘With good reason,’ said Abby to Susanna. ‘You ignored me. Ellie was always your favourite. Why did you do that, Mum?’ She looked at her mother, searching her face for an answer, but Susanna was inscrutable.
EIGHTY-EIGHT
Ellie continued to look at her sister, horrified. Abby had to stop moving; she had to do what the police were saying! In desperation, Ellie’s hands fell to her sides and, as they did, they brushed against the pocket of her jacket and she felt something hard and weighty. She froze – the gun!
Awkwardly, she moved her hands away.
She didn’t notice Santini clock her movements, see her nervousness, her fear. She didn’t see his eyes light up, as he instinctively understood what she’d felt in her pocket. She didn’t see him swing his arms so that his weapon pointed at her instead of Abby.
EIGHTY-NINE
Susanna waited. Surely it was only a matter of seconds now? The police suspected that Abby was armed and there was no way they’d let her keep on coming at them. She half wondered about provoking Abby into launching at her, just to get to the end of this nightmare. Maybe she should say something that would cause Abby to make a sudden movement. Then it would be over. Susanna would deny anything Kathleen claimed – that ‘confession’ she’d made would never stand up. If she could just silence Abby then Susanna knew she’d be safe forever and no one would ever find out what she’d done.
‘She doesn’t care for you, you know,’ said Susanna.
Abby frowned. ‘Who?’
‘Ellie. She’s been talking to me this whole trip.’
‘You’re wrong. We get on now, we’re close.’
Susanna shook her head. ‘You never have been and you never will be. I’m sorry about that but it’s the truth.’
Susanna turned to smile at her younger daughter and as she did so she caught sight of Santini pointing his gun in a different direction to all the other cops. She frowned, trying to understand, then it all happened so quickly. She was distantly aware of Abby lunging for her, Baroni shouting a warning. But Susanna wasn’t even looking at her eldest daughter; she was staring at Ellie, who was rushing towards them – not to her, Susanna, but to Abby – with fear and love etched across her face. Susanna reeled around to see Santini, his gun at eye level, and in a split second she knew what he was going to do. She screamed out in denial, throwing herself at her favourite daughter. There was a blinding pain, then she fell to the ground.
NINETY
The world seemed to slow down. Ellie was aware of a deafening bang, an explosive sound that made her ears ring and suddenly left her feeling as if she was watching everything from a distance. Her mother was lying on the ground next to her, blood seeping from her back. Ellie felt dizzy . . . Must not fall, she thought and tried to right herself. Abby was gesturing at her wildly, trying to get away from the police, but they pinned her hands behind her back and restrained her with handcuffs. Ellie knew that if she tried to walk towards her she would tumble. The ringing in her ears just wouldn�
��t go away. She closed her eyes for a moment but felt herself sway so opened them again. The policewoman who’d held the megaphone was now on the ground next to her mother. She’d rolled her over, was pushing on her chest, but Ellie knew she was dead.
Her mind suddenly swirled and she couldn’t focus properly. In despair she tried to grab hold of something, but there was nothing but thin air and she collapsed to the ground.
EPILOGUE
Eight months later
‘Trust you to take the best position,’ said Abby. Holding a tray with two glasses of iced lemonade she’d just brought from the house, she looked down at her sister, lying on a lounger beside the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ellie had already made herself comfortable in the shade, cast by the new umbrella that Matteo had put up before he went to work. The other lounger was in full sun.
‘I need the shady one, the heat worsens the MS,’ said Ellie.
‘I thought we weren’t meant to wrap you in cotton wool?’ said Abby, but she spoke lightly as she placed the tray down on the rocks and handed her sister a drink.
‘I forbid it,’ said Ellie. ‘But I’m allowed the occasional perk. Just don’t ever make a fuss, OK?’
Abby held her hands up. ‘I promised, didn’t I?’
‘I didn’t even want you to know . . .’ mused Ellie. ‘I didn’t want anyone to know.’ She’d kept her illness secret ever since she’d been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly two years ago. It was only when she’d been taken to hospital after that fateful day on the cliff that it had all come out. ‘I’m normal,’ she continued. ‘Not the ill person. Never again.’
‘Course.’ Abby lay back on the other lounger and started to apply sun cream.
Ellie could see her sister glancing over every so often; she knew Abby was plucking up the courage to ask something she’d been dying to confront her about for months. She’d been skirting around the subject, knowing Ellie didn’t like to discuss it.
‘Do the doctors know?’ asked Abby casually. ‘How you got it?’
Ellie smiled wryly. Her sister already knew the medical professionals couldn’t say how she’d developed her illness. This wasn’t the real question. Better to deal with this once and for all. ‘If you’re asking whether I got MS as a result of what Mum did to me when I was younger, the answer is no.’
Sisters Page 28