The Sister(214)

‘It isn’t important. She’s so much better, and that’s all that counts.’

‘True, but what he said is a cop-out. Why not just admit that whatever The Sister did, it worked?’ She dipped her head and looked up at him from below her fringe. ‘Now that I’ve got you face to face, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.’

‘Can I have a coffee first?’

‘Of course, I’ll join you.’ She plucked her cup from the top of her desk and said, ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’

He followed her to the kitchen. ‘How’s the website going?’ he said.

‘It’s all done, just needs you to look it over and give it your stamp of approval.’ She held up a teaspoon. ‘Still taking sugar? You chop and change so much I never know.’ She bit her bottom lip and looked at him, tears welling. ‘I’m sorry. I still haven’t quite got over everything.’

‘Hey, if you need some more time?’

‘No, really, I’ve had more than enough, I – it’s time I got back into normality.’ She took a tissue from under her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes before throwing it into the waste bin.

The kettle rumbled steam spewing from its spout. The button popped out, and the vibration slowly subsided. She poured the water and stirred. ‘I’m having mine black, you?’

‘Same.’ He picked his coffee up from the worktop and wandered out into the main office area, with no one else present to worry about, he said, ‘What did you want me to explain?’

‘All of it. I want to know why The Sister had to flee like that, and what this church you spoke about wants her for. Did she get away?’

She sat behind her desk. He perched on the corner.

‘She did what she set out to do. I helped her. Beyond that, I don’t know anything else.’ He stared into a distance she couldn’t see. Kale had betrayed the trust he’d put in him. Isolated from the abilities that had grown within him all his life, the other acquisitions, sharpness of mind and intuition hadn’t left him. Conclusions, once based on probabilities, chances and possibilities: he’d have to learn to put faith in those deductions again. Although cut off and cast adrift from all previous perceptions, he was acutely aware he was missing something. More and more, he’d thought about what Rosetta had told him. I see three women. Only one is good for you. With Stella sitting adjacent to him, the thought drifted into his mind.

She waved her hand in front of his face.

He shook his head and then clapping his hands together, said, ‘Right, let’s see what you’ve done with this website.’

‘I didn’t realise you could do all that,’ he said after she’d run through the pages. ‘The last site we had running was just static, do you remember?’

‘Do I,’ she groaned. ‘Okay, so you’re happy with the layout, what about contact details, you said you were going to think about those—’ Interrupted by the sound of his mobile ringing, she paused as he answered the call.

‘Good morning,’ he said, deliberately withholding her name. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Miller, I need your help.’

‘Can we talk about it later?’

Stella, detecting a level of tension in his voice, stared at him, and listened for clues that would give the caller’s identity away.

‘It’s to do with Boyle,’ Carla said.

‘He’s long gone,’ he said, calmly, but without conviction. He didn’t want to spook Stella.

‘Is he? Are you sure about that? I know you got Tanner to meet the two sisters when they came back from Scotland.’

‘That was weeks ago, he’s either skipped the country, or he’s dead. Eilise hit him so hard she swears she left a dent in his head.’

‘Still, you can’t be sure, can you?’

Stella got to her feet and moved closer to him. Looking at her, he half smiled and grimaced at the same time. He moved from the corner of the desk, and ambled towards his office, mouthing to her; I won’t be a minute.

‘I can’t, you’re right, I can’t.’ He mourned the passing of the powers Sister kept cloaked from him. He sat on the corner of his desk.

‘It’s a nice little job, Miller. A jaunt down country, an overnight stay with me?’

‘What does any of that have to do with Boyle? I’m right in the middle of setting up a new website in the office.’ He sighed. ‘I’m trying to get away from all that. I want to take a new direction, a less dangerous one.’

Carla’s voice cooled and became distant. ‘A few months ago, you'd have jumped at the chance to stay overnight somewhere with me. It’s that new secretary of yours, isn’t it? You can’t bear to leave her, can you?’

He considered what she said. There was some truth in it. He definitely felt more of an affinity with Stella since he’d taken her to Scotland.

Carla goaded him. ‘Not denying it then?’

He laughed. ‘So silence is agreement is it?’

‘Never mind,’ she said, her tone matter-of-fact. ‘I’ve got a prediction for you. Can you guess what it is?’

A small measure of irritation crept into his voice. ‘Sadly, no. Just tell me, will you?’

‘You’re so boring lately, Miller. There was a time you'd have had a guess, and it would have been right.’