Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone

Author:Doug Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orenda Books
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

33

Jenny

She threw two ice cubes and a slice of lime into the glass. The fizz and clatter in the gin and tonic was Pavlovian, made her tongue sweat. She took a swig, felt the alcohol cutting through. She looked around the kitchen, saw Schrödinger in his armchair, went over to him.

‘Hey, cat.’ She reached out a hand.

Schrödinger swiped a claw along her forearm.

‘Fuck’s sake.’ Jenny rubbed at the scratch. ‘Just trying to be friendly.’

She stared out of the window at Bruntsfield Links and thought about her dad. Remembered playing football with him out there in a spare moment between funerals, him pretending to be crap in goal, flopping over once the ball was past him. Then the two of them sitting on the grass eating ice poles, lurid yellow and green. The feel of it in her hand, cold and sticky.

The doorbell went downstairs. She sighed. Indy was away home, Dorothy and Hannah were out. She took her gin downstairs, ice clinking in time with her footsteps. She opened the door and saw a face she hadn’t laid eyes on in years, one that was similar enough to her ex-husband that her breath caught in her throat.

Craig’s sister had layered blonde hair and bags under her eyes. She was taller than Jenny by a couple of inches, lean and wiry, wearing a black hoodie and jeans, trainers.

‘Stella.’

Stella smacked Jenny’s drink from her hand. The glass bounced off the door and landed on the rug. The lime slice was like a little floundering fish.

‘You bitch,’ Stella said.

Jenny went to slam the door but Stella pushed a foot into the hallway.

‘You don’t get to shut me out.’

‘What are you doing here?’

Stella’s fists were clenched and Jenny stepped back into reception. Stella walked in and pushed the door closed. Jenny caught the smell of the lilies on the desk as she backed away.

Stella jutted her neck out and widened her eyes like a cat stalking its prey. ‘Why do you think I’m here? You killed my little brother.’ She stepped forward and Jenny shrunk back. ‘My mum just had to look at the disfigured remains of her son.’

‘I’m sorry—’

‘You’re sorry?’ Stella said in a theatrical voice. ‘I don’t believe that for a second, and even if you were, you don’t get to fucking say that.’

‘I don’t—’

‘How dare you go and see Mum at the hotel.’

‘What?’

‘You think I don’t speak to my own mum? I know what’s been going on in this cosy little death house. Fucking murderous coven.’

She swept the vase of lilies off the desk onto the floor. They landed on the rug and didn’t smash, just leaked water and made pollen stains.

‘Because that’s what you Skelf women are, fucking witches.’ She took another step forward and Jenny moved around the desk. She saw the phone, thought about the police.

‘I didn’t do anything.’

‘Are you kidding?’ Stella’s cheeks reddened. She put hands on her thighs for a moment as if she needed respite from her own anger. ‘You lit him on fire and set him adrift in the ocean.

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