Chapter 24

Her back stiffens when she hears someone walk up the front steps, open the front door, and then pull it shut with a bang. The kitchen window rattles ominously and she feels a flash of irritation. Grits her teeth but can’t bring herself to turn around. To meet his eyes.

‘There’s no coffee?’ Leo says in surprise. ‘Are you still upset?’

‘And a good morning to you, too,’ she mutters and turns the page of the newspaper.

Aimlessly scans headlines and pictures, reads a random opening paragraph without taking in a word of what it says. Pushes some yoghurt and muesli onto her spoon and puts it back down. Hears Leo run the tap, open cupboards. Turns the page.

‘Anything interesting?’

She can feel him watching her. Forces herself to look up. He’s standing by the kitchen counter with the empty pot from the coffee machine in one hand and a filter in the other.

‘Not really,’ she says with a vague shrug. ‘The usual.’

‘Nothing new? Nothing has happened?’

Does he suspect?

‘I already told you, no.’

She can tell she sounds harsh. Wants to take it back, start over. Say something else. He resignedly shakes his head and turns to the coffee machine.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t get a lot of sleep,’ she says.

She stands up, opens the bin and scrapes out her bowl. Avoids looking at the uneaten goop and pushes down a wave of nausea. No more yoghurt. Ever again.

She can sense that he has turned around and is watching her again.

Maybe an orange.

‘You’re not having breakfast?’

‘I’m not hungry. I think I might be coming down with something, actually,’ she adds and turns away when he takes a step towards her.

‘I think you should keep your distance,’ she says. ‘Just to be on the safe side.’

‘Yeah, maybe I should,’ he replies curtly. ‘For my own bloody safety.’

Don’t say anything. He doesn’t need to know.

Instead, she hears herself say:

‘How’s Luna? Aren’t you done recording soon?’

Just then, another voice comes from the doorway.

‘Good morning, people! What, there’s no coffee?’

Sigrid rubs her eyes with the heel of her hand and yawns so wide her jaw looks on the verge of being wrenched out of joint.

‘It’ll be ready in a minute,’ Leo says and looks queryingly at Karen.

‘What do you mean?’ he hisses quietly. ‘And why are you so obsessed with Luna?’

Not quietly enough.

‘Are you fighting again?’ Sigrid says. ‘What’s with you two these days? You’re always fucking arguing.’

They reply in unison, using the exact same words.

‘We’re not fighting.’

‘Yeah, right,’ Sigrid mutters and pulls out a chair. She thuds onto it and bends over the still-open newspaper.