The Sister(70)

‘I don’t want you to talk to her again. Have you got that? She’s a lovely one, and you’re not going to spoil that. Do you understand what I’m saying? If you do what she does, you won’t go far wrong.’ Then he added as an afterthought, ‘She can be your mother; she looked like you when she was younger.’

He gave her the creeps, the way he always changed his voice to sound like someone different. When he left, he locked Eilise in the cage downstairs. The other woman never answered when Eilise called out to her; she wondered if she couldn’t hear her with all the doors closed.

She sometimes caught a little bit of conversation going on between them, sometimes cries of pain and the muffled sounds of sex at all different times of the day and night. Although it was clearly an abusive relationship, she could tell the other woman had no desire to get away.

She wondered if he kept her fed with heroin, too. It would explain why she was so dependent on him.





Chapter 54



Eilise lost track of time. Martin had gone off somewhere, leaving her locked in the cage. She wrapped her hands around the bars and attempted to shake them. Solid.

The cupboard door opened and the woman came in carrying a small tray. Eilise watched her as she pushed a drink through the bars. She kept her gaze down.

‘So are you married or what?’

She cocked her head to one side, turned to face Eilise and said nothing. She pushed two slices of toast between the bars of the cage.

‘He’s not here, right? So why won’t you talk to me?’

The older woman stood upright; her clothing resembled that of another era. Her dress was dark, floral patterned, knee length. Eilise doubted it had ever seen an iron. The cardigan she wore was baggy and beige. It was dirty. She brushed a lock of dark hair streaked with grey strands away from her face. They made eye contact for the first time. Eilise smiled shyly.

The deep vertical scar on the woman’s top lip allowed only a tiny crinkle to form in the corner of her mouth.

‘Are you afraid of him?’ Eilise said.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping with the exhaled air as if she’d deflated. ‘I’m afraid for you.’ With that, she turned from the cage and shut the door behind her as she left.

With the toast was a small plastic measuring cap, filled to the 15ml mark with what smelled like methadone. Eilise swallowed it; licking the inside of the cap until the sweet taste was no longer present. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she guessed Martin had been gone for two days. When he came home, he’d give her a proper fix. Her back ached and her skin crawled, the medication would kick in shortly, taking the worst of it away. She made a silent vow. I’m going to kick this habit when I get out of here. Strawberry had told her it was like having a monkey on your back; she didn’t know what he meant when he said it back then, but she did now. Picking up a piece of toast, she forced herself to eat.





Late in the afternoon, the woman returned with another shot and more food and drink.

‘I forgot to ask your name,’ Eilise said. ‘Will you tell me your name?’

‘If he knew you'd been talking, and I talked back—’

‘I won’t tell him,’ Eilise promised.

‘He’ll ask when he gets back. And if he thinks I’m lying…I don’t want him to hurt you.’

‘Then let me go.’

‘I can’t, we’re locked in.’

‘He keeps you prisoner, too?’

‘My name is Cathy.’ She raised her jaw defiantly. ‘And I don’t want to go out. I have everything I need here,’ she clipped each word for emphasis.

Eilise watched her mouth as she spoke. Her scarred top lip formed an inverted 'V' where it met with her lower one, the result of poor stitching she imagined, and guessed she’d had an accident when she was younger, must have fallen. A fall like that would have smashed her teeth in. It was probably why she spoke the way she did.

‘When’s he coming back, Cath?’

‘Could be tonight, could be tomorrow, Eliza.’ She appeared pleased she’d spoken her name.

‘Cath, it’s Eilise, not Eliza.’

The older woman nodded and left. Eilise did not take her medicine.





She heard Martin when he came in late that night; he ignored her, going straight upstairs to Cathy. The two of them murmured almost inaudibly for a few minutes. Cathy’s voice seemed to be attempting persuasion.

Martin spoke louder than before, ‘How did you know that?’

Cathy didn’t reply.

Martin then raised his voice, demanding an answer.

‘How did you know her name was Eilise?’ There was a silence and then an accusation. ‘You’ve been talking to her, haven’t you?’

Eilise agonised as she heard Cathy’s muffled protests and the sounds of a furious struggle, followed by a cry of pain, then deathly quiet.

Eilise listened intently. She couldn’t hear a sound.

The door opened, sending in a shaft of light, casting his shadow across the floor.

Martin stood there with blood on his hands and murder in his eyes.





Chapter 55



‘I told you not to talk to her. This is your fault!’ Martin stomped out and thundered up the stairs. Eilise strained to hear what was happening. He crossed the room above three times in quick succession. Then she heard a sound that made her heart sink. It was the sound of something heavy. A dead weight dragged across the floor.