Elle put a hand to her head as she forced her brain to re-engage. What day was it? She had work, but she was on late shift today. Damn it, she had no excuse.

‘Elspeth, are you sure you’re all right? There’s a bug going around.’

‘I’m fine. I’ll be there.’ She ended the call before her mother had a chance to really start the third degree. Elle felt punished enough as she gingerly massaged her throbbing forehead, before heading into the bathroom to shower.

Walking into the office of Bartholomew and Bartholomew was like stepping back in time, and not in a particularly good way—more into a chaotic, pre-computer-age time. In Mr Bartholomew’s defence, the firm did have a computer, it was just that the filing system seemed to have exploded from the filing cabinet and now resided on every conceivable flat surface in the office.

Elle could almost feel her mother’s eye twitch at the sight of the mess, but she didn’t say anything as she leaned down to kiss her cheek, before giving her dad’s arm a gentle squeeze. She was so caught up in her own grief over losing Gran that she sometimes forgot that her dad had also lost his mum. ‘How you doing, Dad?’

He patted her hand and smiled in a way that didn’t quite crinkle his eyes the way it usually did, and they shared an understanding glance before Elle took a seat beside her youngest brother, Malcolm.

‘It’s a shame your brother and sister couldn’t stay until today,’ her mother said, tucking her skirt tightly around her legs as she eyed the outdated, lino-covered floor. ‘So we were all here.’

Elle kind of wished she didn’t have to be here either. She had other things on her mind—like, if it was sound …

Thankfully, there had been no further incidents, and in the harsh light of day it was a lot easier to put things in perspective. She’d been under a great deal of stress yesterday, that was all. Elle tipped her head back to rest against the wall behind her and closed her eyes.

‘Big night, sis?’ Mal asked, eyeing her smugly.

‘No. Why?’

‘You’re wearing your sunnies inside.’

Damn it. She quickly slid them onto the top of her head and fought against cringing at the bright fluorescent lights overhead.

‘Whoa, yeah, maybe you should put them back on,’ Mal suggested.

‘I just didn’t get much sleep last night,’ she muttered defensively. ‘Anyway, what are you still doing home? Don’t you have to get back to dissect something in a lab?’

‘I got an extension. I’m currently ahead in everything anyway.’ He shrugged.

Of course he was. ‘Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Becky Sloan, would it?’ she asked casually, but she saw her brother’s eyes widen slightly.

‘What?’