Ghostly Melodies by R. L. Stedman

Author:R. L. Stedman [Stedman, R. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-473-45652-8
Publisher: RL Stedman

27

Is This What It’s Like, Having Sisters?

Early evening and the three of them had gathered in the family room at the front of the house. Behind the glinting turquoise of the pool lay the city of LA, half-hidden by the haze. The sky was turning pink, and in the distance the street lights were coming on. Kind of cool to watch the city becoming outlined in light.

Chrissie and Zoe were reclining on opposite corners of an enormous couch. Chrissie thumbed lazily through a fashion magazine as Belinda sketched. Her pencil, skimming across the paper, made a soft scraping sound.

Zoe’s feet throbbed relentlessly. Today had been so bizarre. Belinda had been so sure there was something in that tree – but Chrissie couldn’t see it, and neither could Zoe. She frowned. Jubilee had seen something. And there had been that awful smell.

Well, at least she’d run into that kind soldier again. One positive to come from this bizarre day. And he was even nicer than she’d remembered. How strange to think that he was her bodyguard. Weirder still, that she even needed a bodyguard. She shook her head at the unexpectedness of it. Jubilee had gone into the city to meet a friend. He’d said she would be safe if she stayed indoors, and she’d said she wasn’t going outside; she wasn’t going anywhere until her feet stopped hurting.

The door opened and Riccardo came in. Chrissie stiffened and Belinda closed her sketch pad.

From his frown, Riccardo was obviously annoyed. “Why did you disappear like that? I thought the doctor made it clear – no walking until your feet healed.”

Belinda pointed at her wheelchair. “You talking to me?”

“Don’t be stupid,” he snapped. “I meant them.” He indicated Chrissie and Zoe.

Chrissie didn’t lift her eyes from her magazine. “We were okay.”

“We didn’t go far,” Zoe added.

He rounded on her. “And I thought you had more sense.”

She shuffled guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

Belinda swung her chair about, and scowled at her. Belinda, Zoe realized, probably never apologized.

Riccardo sighed. “Well, never mind. At least there’s no lasting damage.” Reaching over, he yanked Chrissie’s magazine from her hands.

“Hey!” she said.

“So what happened last night? Where did you go?” He held up the magazine. “No, don’t tell me. Let me guess. You have no idea.”

“Actually,” said Belinda, “that’s precisely true.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure. So, now I know why you were so keen to get together this morning: you were hatching a crazy-ass story. What do you mean, you don’t remember?”

Belinda wheeled over to the window. “It’s the truth. We don’t remember.”

“And what about that useless piece of shit of a bodyguard?” Riccardo grumbled. “My daughters disappear and where is he? Asleep, that’s where he was.” He grunted then, walked over to the marble fire mantel, and stood, moodily surveying the gold-painted pine cones placed on the artificial coals. “And now he’s disappeared.”

“He’s gone to meet a friend,” said Zoe.

She felt protective of Jubilee. Back in the bus depot, there had been something empty about his eyes; like he’d lost part of himself.

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