CHAPTER ONE
Sisters! Sisters!
I
In kitchen of her sister’s house, eighteen-year-old Lucy Erpingham poured two glasses of white wine and carried them over to the table where her sister, Jodie Narbade, peeled cellophane away from a selection of dips.
“Jodie, would you say you’re very much the older sister?” Lucy asked, slumping down in the chair next to Jodie.
“What makes you ask?” Jodie replied.
“Some new guy has started at work and I got talking to him and said you were six years older than me. He said with an age gap like that, he bet you’d always been very much the older sister – that’s what he said – and I said, what you mean bossy?”
Jodie helped herself to a breadstick. She knew what her sister really wanted to talk about. “Do you like him – this new guy?”
“A bit.”
“A bit, eh? How old is he?”
“Bit older than me.”
“Has he got a girlfriend?”
Instead of replying, Lucy opened a bag of crisps, dunked one of them in some of the dip and popped it in her mouth.
“What’s his name?” Jodie asked.
With a mouthful of food, Lucy mumbled something incomprehensible, to which Jodie raised her wineglass and said, “Here’s to Lucy and Mmunamable!”
“Me and Mmunamable! I wish we could do this more often, Jodie. Get together like this.”
“I’m always here for you Lucy, you know that, but I’m a married woman now, I’m not at your beck and call anymore, love.”
“Yeah, but I need someone to confide in.”
“Why? What have you done?” Jodie teased. “Is that the door?” she asked just as the front doorbell rang for the second time. “Who on earth can that be at this time?”
She answered the door to find her neighbour looking quite flustered.
“I’m so glad you’re in Jodie,” he said. “My battery’s flat and I’m already late. I need somebody to jump it. Is your husband about?”
“No, he’s at a stag night, but don’t worry I’ve got leads in the back of my car. I’ll just get my keys.”
She picked up her keys from the hall table, and called out to her sister, “Lucy I’m just helping my neighbour jump-start his car. I won’t be long.”
“Okay,” Lucy called back.
IILess than fifteen minutes later, Jodie walked back into the kitchen with the words, “Got him started.” Lucy wasn’t there. “Lucy? Where are you?” she called out.
Nobody replied, and so she knocked on the door of the downstairs’ cloakroom, but the door swung open, revealing an empty room. Lucy wasn’t in the living room either. Jodie yelled upstairs: “Lucy? Are you up there?”
When she didn’t hear anything, she ran up the stairs but her sister wasn’t anywhere that she could see. She returned to the kitchen. It was a bit like the Marie Celeste – the wine bottle was where she’d left it, as were their snacks and wineglasses, both still two thirds full. Where on earth was she? She was about to say, “I think you’re a bit old for hide and seek love,” when she realised Lucy’s handbag and coat were gone.
She called Lucy’s mobile phone, but got the answer phone. “You gone home Lucy? Aren’t you feeling very well?” she said. “At least call me and let me know you’re okay.” She sent the same message by text and received a reply by return.
‘Had to go! Sorry. Things to do. C U!’
Jodie stared at the message. She’d never known her sister to do such a thing. It was completely out of character.
‘What’s happened? I’m here for you whatever you’ve done. But I can’t help you if you won’t tell me!’ she immediately texted back.
She didn’t get a reply and her calls went unanswered.
Extract from A Game Of Cat And Mouse by Nina Jon
available from all Amazon sites (e-book & paperback).
To read inside or link through:
https://www.amazon.com/author/ninajonbooks
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007N33HUC
Sisters! Sisters!
I
In kitchen of her sister’s house, eighteen-year-old Lucy Erpingham poured two glasses of white wine and carried them over to the table where her sister, Jodie Narbade, peeled cellophane away from a selection of dips.
“Jodie, would you say you’re very much the older sister?” Lucy asked, slumping down in the chair next to Jodie.
“What makes you ask?” Jodie replied.
“Some new guy has started at work and I got talking to him and said you were six years older than me. He said with an age gap like that, he bet you’d always been very much the older sister – that’s what he said – and I said, what you mean bossy?”
Jodie helped herself to a breadstick. She knew what her sister really wanted to talk about. “Do you like him – this new guy?”
“A bit.”
“A bit, eh? How old is he?”
“Bit older than me.”
“Has he got a girlfriend?”
Instead of replying, Lucy opened a bag of crisps, dunked one of them in some of the dip and popped it in her mouth.
“What’s his name?” Jodie asked.
With a mouthful of food, Lucy mumbled something incomprehensible, to which Jodie raised her wineglass and said, “Here’s to Lucy and Mmunamable!”
“Me and Mmunamable! I wish we could do this more often, Jodie. Get together like this.”
“I’m always here for you Lucy, you know that, but I’m a married woman now, I’m not at your beck and call anymore, love.”
“Yeah, but I need someone to confide in.”
“Why? What have you done?” Jodie teased. “Is that the door?” she asked just as the front doorbell rang for the second time. “Who on earth can that be at this time?”
She answered the door to find her neighbour looking quite flustered.
“I’m so glad you’re in Jodie,” he said. “My battery’s flat and I’m already late. I need somebody to jump it. Is your husband about?”
“No, he’s at a stag night, but don’t worry I’ve got leads in the back of my car. I’ll just get my keys.”
She picked up her keys from the hall table, and called out to her sister, “Lucy I’m just helping my neighbour jump-start his car. I won’t be long.”
“Okay,” Lucy called back.
IILess than fifteen minutes later, Jodie walked back into the kitchen with the words, “Got him started.” Lucy wasn’t there. “Lucy? Where are you?” she called out.
Nobody replied, and so she knocked on the door of the downstairs’ cloakroom, but the door swung open, revealing an empty room. Lucy wasn’t in the living room either. Jodie yelled upstairs: “Lucy? Are you up there?”
When she didn’t hear anything, she ran up the stairs but her sister wasn’t anywhere that she could see. She returned to the kitchen. It was a bit like the Marie Celeste – the wine bottle was where she’d left it, as were their snacks and wineglasses, both still two thirds full. Where on earth was she? She was about to say, “I think you’re a bit old for hide and seek love,” when she realised Lucy’s handbag and coat were gone.
She called Lucy’s mobile phone, but got the answer phone. “You gone home Lucy? Aren’t you feeling very well?” she said. “At least call me and let me know you’re okay.” She sent the same message by text and received a reply by return.
‘Had to go! Sorry. Things to do. C U!’
Jodie stared at the message. She’d never known her sister to do such a thing. It was completely out of character.
‘What’s happened? I’m here for you whatever you’ve done. But I can’t help you if you won’t tell me!’ she immediately texted back.
She didn’t get a reply and her calls went unanswered.
Extract from A Game Of Cat And Mouse by Nina Jon
available from all Amazon sites (e-book & paperback).
To read inside or link through:
https://www.amazon.com/author/ninajonbooks
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007N33HUC