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The humid air filled Dawn’s lungs, making each step towards number twenty-two harder. Dark rain clouds loomed, as though wanting to enshroud her sister, keep her hidden.
The gate creaked when she pushed it open. Ignoring the barking dogs, she focussed on the front screen door, full of holes, sitting ajar, doing nothing to stop mosquitoes or flies entering the home.
Yet, for Dawn it was a brick wall standing between her and her sister. She faced it, frozen a moment, before knocking on the doorframe.
‘Deloris.’ The woman’s name finally left her lips. ‘Are you home?’
Sounds echoed down the hall. Voices, the noise of a door closing.
‘Comin’.’
Was that come in or coming?
Dawn waited as the sound of footfalls on the wooden floor grew louder.
‘What ’cha want?’
‘I’m Dawn Grave. Daisy said my sister, Lisa, is here?’
‘Don’t know no Lisa.’
‘Lisa!’ Dawn called loudly, hoping her sister would recognise her voice, but why would she? Other than a few visits, they’d only spoken over a phone line, and even then, only occasionally. You couldn’t recognise a person’s voice over texts.
‘Lisa. It’s Dawn!’
The sound of movement, a door creaking, footsteps. Dawn held her breath.
‘Oh my God, Oh my God. It’s you. It’s really you!’
Deloris stepped aside as a whirlwind screamed past and shoved the screen door wide open with a bang.
Arms wrapped around her neck like a vice. Her sister’s tears soaked her blouse within seconds.
‘Abby. Baby. Come see your Auntie Dawn.’
Dawn was speechless and surprised to find warm tears running down her own cheeks as a small girl with huge blue eyes and long, blonde ringlets peered around the corner.
The strangest thought struck Dawn.
How does she stop those curls from frizzing?
‘Come on, baby. This is Auntie Dawn.’
The name finally sank in. Dawn turned within Lisa’s grasp to face the little girl.
‘Hi, Abby. Nice to meet you.’
She dropped down from Lisa’s embrace to the child’s level as the little girl scrutinised her with suspicion.
‘I’m sorry I haven’t met you before now.’
And she was. Deep in her heart, she knew she was. How could her sister have had a baby and not even tell her? Did she even give Lisa a chance?
‘You ready to go, Grave?’ Ryan called from outside the front fence.
Dawn glanced up into Lisa’s frowning eyes. ‘We’ve got room in the car for you two. Grab your gear.’
‘I’m staying here. The locals can keep me safe.’
‘I can keep you safe Lisa. And I need to know what’s going on. Your texts were cryptic as hell!’
‘If you’d taken my calls, you wouldn’t have had to decipher them.’
Abby reached for Dawn’s hand, making her glance down into the deep blue pools.
Abby glanced at her mother.
‘Can we go home now, Mummy? I want to see Cherry. She’s got to be hungry!’
‘Who’s Cherry?’
‘Our cat.’
Lisa smoothed Abby’s hair.
‘That cat’s got an attitude.’
‘Like someone else I know.’
Lisa scooped up her daughter and turned to Dawn. ‘You armed?’
‘Of course.’
Lisa bit her lip, studied her daughter’s face, glanced back at Ryan and then Michael standing in the yard. Finally, she nodded to herself.
‘You need to know what I saw, anyway. He police?’
Her head nodded towards Ryan.
‘Detective.’
‘I guess he’ll do then.’