Chapter 51
Katherine feels my body lurch at the sound of my sister’s voice. Her hand crushes my mouth as she lowers her face inches away from mine. ‘If you scream, I will kill her. Do you understand?’
I don’t have to question if Katherine is serious about her threat. I can tell by the manic glint in her eyes.
‘Janine?’ Beth calls again through the letterbox. ‘I know you’re here. We set up Find My Phone last night, remember?’
Hatred fills Katherine’s features. ‘Of course you did,’ she mutters before grabbing the knife from the floor. She holds it to my throat, the chill of the blade icing my pulse. ‘You scream, she dies, got it?’
When I nod, Katherine’s hand loosens. She pauses, ready to strike should a peep come from me, but I remain silent.
‘Good girl,’ Katherine says as she stands. She slips the knife into her back pocket and smooths down her appearance before skipping down the stairs with a jovial trill of, ‘Coming!’
Resting my forehead against the banister, I watch Katherine open the front door halfway. The angle I’m laid at means I can’t see Beth, but I can see the knife sticking out of the back of Katherine’s jeans.
Run, I itch to scream, but the chilling threat of the weapon warns me of the consequence of that shout.
‘Is everything okay?’ Katherine asks.
‘I don’t know, that’s why I’m here. Do you know Janine Rai?’ The concern in my sister’s voice breaks me in a whole new way, and a single tear slides from the corner of my right eye.
‘Janine? Yes, she’s in my writing group. Wonderful woman. Is everything okay with her?’
‘That’s what her husband and I are trying to figure out. She came to speak to Otis Clarke earlier, but she’s not been home since. We saw online that he’s been arrested, so there’s no reason for her to still be here. Her car’s parked on the road, but she’s nowhere to be found.’
‘How odd. Have you tried calling her?’
‘Countless times, but she isn’t picking up. Recently, she’s been a fan of putting her phone on Do Not Disturb.’ At the irritation in Beth’s voice, Katherine lets out an expertly acted sigh of concern.
‘Well, I can see why you’re worried, but I’m afraid I haven’t seen Janine since our last writing group meet-up.’
I drag myself along the landing to peek at my sister, but the closer I get to the top of the stairs, it’s only more of Katherine’s hallway that comes into view.
‘Really?’ I can hear the frown in Beth’s voice. ‘That’s so strange. The Find My Phone app says she’s here.’
‘Here? At my house?’ Katherine laughs. ‘Strange indeed! But you know what signal in rural places is like. It’s patchy at best. Maybe Janine’s still at Otis’s?’
‘There’s no one there, I’ve already checked. Even the police have gone.’
Those words cause Katherine’s hand to move to her hip. As her fingers come to rest inches away from the handle of the knife, my heart thunders.
‘How odd,’ Katherine replies, mirroring Beth’s concern. ‘I can’t think of why that would be other than a signal issue. Perhaps the app is a little muddled?’
‘Maybe,’ Beth replies hesitantly. ‘Are you sure you’ve not seen Janine?’
‘Positive. If I hear from her, though, I’ll tell her to get in touch with you.’
‘That would be great, thank you,’ Beth replies. ‘I guess I’ll leave you to your day. Thanks again for your help.’
‘Anytime,’ Katherine says. As she begins to close the door, I know this is the moment I should shout for help. If I want to be saved, this is my chance. My only chance.
Maybe Beth could outrun Katherine.
Maybe she could overpower her.
Or maybe she could end up dead.
Never has a thought filled me with such devastation. Beth, slain on a doorstep, all because she came looking for me.
My little sister who never gave up on me, even when I’d given up on myself.
Tears choke me as my mind casts itself back to my best childhood memories, each one centred around Beth.
Sharing a bedroom meant arguing one minute, being best friends the next.
It meant giggling as we pushed our beds together to sleep beside each other.
It meant shouting about borrowed clothes, drawing on each other’s toys, reading each other’s diaries.
It meant sharing secrets, sharing hopes, sharing everything that mattered.
It meant a bond forged like no other, forever.
A bond I hope my sister knows means the world to me, because once Katherine shuts that door, I know I will never see Beth again to tell her.
But if closing that door means keeping Beth alive, then I’m fine with that. Clamping my lips shut, I roll onto my back and say a silent goodbye to my sister, and to my life.