Claire shook her head. ‘Don’t be silly. I just want you to hold off while I make sure we’re supporting you as best we can. Eventually the Raven will give a little more of himself, but for now, be careful. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re vulnerable.’
Jennifer mulled over their meeting as she returned to her desk. Flipping back the cap from her anti-bacterial gel, she squirted a blob on the palm of her hand. Fresh dust particles on her computer monitor glittered accusingly under the light of the fluorescent tubes, feeding her growing apprehension. She itched to march outside and scrub the inside of her car, but she wouldn’t be able to touch it until crime scene investigators had checked for fingerprints. Her senses told her they would not be forthcoming. Something dark was on the horizon, and she could not shake off the feeling that another prediction was on its way.
Chapter Fourteen
The news that her sister was visiting that evening sent Jennifer in a tailspin of emotions. Amy had not visited her home in over a year, and there was something about the edge in her voice that left her uneasy. Her phone call had been short, not because Jennifer was driving home, but due to the way she grilled her like a suspect in custody. She had gleaned enough information to find out that Amy’s sudden attendance had nothing to do with the children. Jennifer took out her trepidation on the wooden hall floor as she gripped the scrubbing brush. She swirled the soapy water over the knots, then dropped the brush in favour of a toothbrush, working her way into the grooves until her arms weakened and her back ached. The carpet was the only surface she could not disinfect, and it never felt truly clean. She had been in far worse places, where her shoes stuck to the floor and she wiped her feet on the way out. But this was her home, and she had learned to cope with other people’s low standards of hygiene as long as her living space was clean and ordered. She sat back on her legs, pushing strings of hair off her sweaty face. Her prune fingers gave comfort as her need for order grew. When it came to her sister, the old feelings of protectiveness and control often came back into play. It had been tough for Jennifer to let go when Amy got married, and although David was as straight-laced as they came, he always made sure she had everything she wanted. Jennifer didn’t want anything to rock the boat now, not when things were going so well.
She had just enough time to shower and change before the doorbell rang. Anxious thoughts rebounded from one corner of her brain to the next as she searched the ceiling for invisible cobwebs. Amy would never call around like this, not unless she had a reason. It had always been up to Jennifer to visit her. Perhaps she was moving away, or there was something wrong with Josh. Perhaps …
The doorbell rang again as an impatient finger leaned on the buzzer. Taking a deep, calming breath, Jennifer opened it wide, her face breaking out into a smile as she welcomed her sister inside. Her hug was stiff and awkward, so unlike the warm squeezes her little sister would give her when she tucked her up in bed at night. She shook the beads of rain from Amy’s coat and hung it on the hanger, anxiously glancing at her muddied shoes. Amy opened the door to the living room and paused teasingly in the doorway.
‘I’d better take these off before you have kittens,’ she said, easing her feet out of her flat Mary Jane shoes.
She wasn’t far wrong. Jennifer felt she was expecting a bunch of lively felines already. She scratched the back of her hand, anything to keep her grounded.
‘Wow,’ Amy said, running her hands over the expensive furniture. ‘This place is even nicer than I remember. Can you imagine Josh in here? He’d have a field day with your cream carpet.’
Jennifer cleared her throat. ‘The kids are welcome here any time. Can I get you anything?’
Amy waved her offer away. ‘No thanks, I can’t stay long. I just wanted to pop in …’ Amy hesitated, swallowing hard. She stared at her stocking feet, unable to meet her sister’s eyes.
‘If you’ve come here to tell me something, it’s best you just get on with it.’ Jennifer stood at the fireplace, too nervy to sit.
Amy clasped her fingers tightly over her knee. ‘Straight to the point, as always, sis.’ She exhaled a short-lived laugh. I came because I didn’t want to tell you on the phone. But you’ve got to promise not to blow your top.’
Jennifer frowned. If it wasn’t anything to do with the kids, the other thing that could provoke such a reaction was … Her eyes opened wide. ‘Please tell me you’ve not been speaking to dad.’
Amy’s lips turned downwards as she squirmed in her seat. It was the same pouty frown she wore as a child when she didn’t get her own way. ‘How do you do that?’
‘Do what?’ Jennifer asked, wishing her sister would get on with it and tell her what was wrong.
‘Steal my thoughts. It’s the same with Josh. I only have to think something and he knows what it is.’
Jennifer felt a ripple of anger. ‘So you have been speaking to dad then?’
‘Yes as it happens. He wants to see his grandchildren,’ she said, her voice carrying an air of defiance.
Jennifer rubbed her hands against the back of her jeans. She had an uncanny urge to dip them in bleach and inhale the reassuring smell as they found her cuts and scratches. Disbelief, anger, and jealousy mixed in a sickening cocktail as it churned her stomach and raised her voice. ‘I don’t believe this. Why are you allowing that drunk back into our lives?’
Amy stood, pulling the thick strap of her handbag over her shoulder. ‘David said I didn’t have to justify my actions to you, and he was right.’
The comment inflamed Jennifer’s irritation. ‘Oh so what David says goes, is that it? What about us? Don’t you remember what dad was like?’
‘He’s not drinking any more. He’s changed.’
Jennifer rolled her eyes at the line. He’s changed. He’s sorry. He’ll never do it again. These were words she had heard victims recount countless times before. ‘And you believe that?’
Amy blew out an exaggerated sigh. ‘I can’t deprive the children of a grandfather. Aunt Laura thinks it’s a good idea.’
Jennifer’s fists clenched as she paced the airy room, wishing she could shake some sense into her sister. ‘Laura? That’s a joke,’ she said with a bitter laugh. ‘She’s carried a torch for dad for years. No wonder she wants him back.’
Amy took a step forward, jabbing her finger in her sister’s direction. ‘It’s all right for you, with your exciting job and designer clothes. For some of us, family is all we have.’
Silence descended as Jennifer digested the words. If family meant everything to her sister then why was she pushing her away? Fighting with Amy was the last thing she wanted, but she wasn’t going to allow her to slate everything she had worked so hard to build.
‘Oh, I get it. You’re speaking to dad to spite me, because you’re jealous of my lifestyle.’
‘Why would I be jealous of you?’ Amy retorted. ‘I mean, look around this place. It’s soulless. You don’t have one family photo on the walls. Where’s all the pictures Joshua drew you? Filed away in a cabinet under J?’
‘That’s not fair. Just because I don’t like clutter doesn’t mean I don’t treasure everything he’s given me. And speaking of Josh, don’t you think it’s time you put him first? Letting dad meet the kids is selfish and irresponsible.’ As soon as the words left her lips, Jennifer knew she had pulled the trigger on the grenade. If anything pressed her sister’s buttons, it was being accused of being a bad mother. Amy lived for her children, but Jennifer had had enough of bearing the brunt of her moods when her sister could not get her own way.