Page 31 of Sisters

‘There’s no time.’

‘It won’t take long.’

Abby turned and looked at her sister. ‘Now, Ellie. We need to leave now. We’re on TV,’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘The owner of thepensioneis down there – it’ll only take a couple of seconds for him to recognize us. That’s if he hasn’t already and called the police.’

Ellie’s eyes widened in fear. ‘Oh my God.’

Abby got her own bag and quickly filled it with her things. Ellie, now dressed, was simultaneously shoving her feet into her sandals and flinging her hair up into a ponytail.

The two sisters walked silently down the stairs, bags in hand. Halfway down they could see thepensioneowner working at the reception desk. The minute they reached the bottom of the staircase, he’d spot them.

Abby waited, unsure of what to do, and then the owner’s wife called him from the kitchen. He got up and left the desk.

‘Now,’ said Abby, hurrying down the rest of the stairs. Ellie followed and they ran for the front door and across the car park to the car.

‘Hey!’ shouted a voice, and Abby turned to see thepensioneowner coming after them. ‘You need to pay!Pagate!’

‘Get in, get in!’ yelled Abby and she flung their bags in the back as Ellie clambered into the car. Abby started the engine as thepensioneowner’s fingers were grasping at the door handle. Petrified, she wrenched the car into gear and, just as the door began to open, she pulled away in a cloud of dust.

TWENTY-FIVE

‘What else did they say?’ asked Ellie. She looked anxiously over at the speedometer and wished Abby would slow down a bit.

‘I didn’t hear anything else. Just that we had gone missing and the police wanted to talk to us urgently.’

‘Do you think the guy back there, at thepensione, do you think he heard the news?’

‘If he hadn’t, it’s only a matter of time.’

Ellie stretched out her right leg; it still felt numb from the day before and she rubbed the muscles in her thigh.

‘You OK?’ asked Abby, glancing across.

‘Just a bit sore. Must be from the accident,’ Ellie said briefly, before changing the subject. ‘Where are we going?’

‘Don’t know,’ admitted Abby.

‘You do realize we’ve run again?’

Abby bit her lip. ‘Yeah.’

‘Makes me look even more guilty.’

‘You think we should’ve stayed? Handed ourselves in?’

‘Not “ourselves”. Me. I’m the one who pushed her.’

‘I drove the car. I’m an accessory.’

Ellie looked across at her sister. ‘Funny, isn’t it?’

‘What?’

‘All those years I wanted to spend time with you and you wouldn’t let me. Now look at us.’

‘Yeah, well, you were annoying,’ said Abby.

‘I was not!’