Salt Sisters

already set up an out of office reply on my behalf, and my inbox was not as full as I had hoped. There was a message from my boss, Toby, the Vice President of my department, expressing sympathy and telling me to take it easy, and another from HR reminding me that the bereavement policy allowed two weeks off following the death of a sibling. As if I could afford to take it.
Annabelle Taylor – that bitch – had sent an email saying I should take as long as I needed, offering to handle my clients while I was away. I clenched my jaw. The vultures were already circling, ready to take advantage.
I hadn’t had a holiday yet this year, and I hadn’t used my full allowance last year either – I’d only agreed to take a few days off when Toby had threatened to fire me if I didn’t. I’d checked in to a women-only wellness retreat in Bali and tried to focus on the yoga and massages and not my accounts, but my mind had kept flitting back to my portfolios.
I called Bethany and told her not to let Annabelle anywhere near my clients. She was to tell everyone that I was dealing with a family issue and working remotely for one week only. Possibly two. Bethany reluctantly agreed.
Rachel had already taken care of breakfast by the time I got to Amy’s house. She was brushing Betsy’s hair while Hannah scrolled her phone absent-mindedly. Mike had gone out, so I couldn’t ask him about his visit yesterday to Moore, Moore & Ridley and his plan to contest the will. The funeral director was coming later to run through the plans, but there was nothing for me to do in the meantime.
My mobile phone rang and I stepped outside to answer it, expecting it to be from work. Instead, I got a stammered greeting from Jake Ridley.
‘Yes, hello, Mrs Morton – um, Miss Morton, er…’
‘Please, just call me Isabelle. Er, I mean Izzy.’
He was making me flustered.
‘I just wondered how you were holding up. After the coroner’s update.’
I hesitated for a beat, frowning. ‘We haven’t had an update.’
There was a pause on the line before Jake spoke again. ‘Er… actually… That’s a good point. It’s Mr Sanders that they would have contacted. He’s Amy’s next of kin. Forgive me, I assumed he had already updated the family.’
My jaw tightened. ‘It must have slipped Mike’s mind. What did they tell him?’
‘The good news is that the body has been released. The funeral can go ahead.’
Great. I could be on a plane home by next weekend. If I wanted to.
‘There are… er, one or two issues that are unresolved. Some questions outstanding, that the police will now look in to.’
I froze to the spot, eyes wide.
Jake stuttered. ‘I’m sorry, I thought you knew this from your brother-in-law… That’s why I was calling, really, to see how you were.’
‘What questions?’ I leaned against the wall to steady myself.
He paused and took a deep breath. ‘Mrs Sanders – er, your sister – had unidentified substances in her blood. They’re running some further tests on the samples. But more significantly, there seems to have been a problem with the car - some damage to the front wheel. The police believe that possibly caused the crash.’
Was I hearing this right? My pulse pounded in my ears.
‘What kind of damage to the wheel? What does that even mean?’
‘Those are questions for the police to answer. They’ll pass any evidence back to the coroner, who will decide if an inquest is needed.’
‘I don’t understand - they think it might not have been an accident?’
And what did that mean? I shuddered.
‘Please don’t jump to any conclusions. It just means that there are some questions to be answered. They’re ruling out all possibilities.’
My mouth was dry. ‘Do me a favour please,’ I said in a quiet voice. ‘If you hear anything else, please let me know. Just in case Mike forgets to tell me something important.’
I thanked him and put the phone down, my head pounding. The sky was starting to cloud over and a threat of dark grey rain was creeping in from the horizon. I tried to dislodge the idea that Amy’s death might have been anything more complicated than a tragic accident.
After Dad died, Auntie Sue used to take us for long walks on the beach. I decided now that we needed a change of scenery and some fresh air before the rain started.
Adam had pulled together some inspired outfits while packing my suitcase, but he hadn’t included much outdoor gear. I went up to Amy’s room to search for warmer clothes and came back downstairs in her sweater, fleecy jacket, Barbour coat and walking boots.
‘Oh my.’ Rachel’s eyes glistened as she saw me. ‘For a moment, I thought it was Amy.’
We walked through the village to the top of the coastal path that ran down to the wide, sandy beach. The tide was out, and we had a huge stretch of golden sand between us and the water. I dug my hands deep into the pockets of Amy’s coat, reaching for some warmth and shelter from the cold wind.
The beach was empty apart from a few dog walkers, and we set off towards Bamburgh Castle. Betsy held Rachel’s hand and I wished she’d chosen me, even though I knew Rachel was more of an aunt to Amy’s children than I had ever been.
When Mike and Amy decided to start their family, I was still working in London and making the long trip up north every couple of months. I would leave after work on a Friday, driving up the A1 in my Corsa and getting to Seahouses just in time for last orders.
The first time Amy was pregnant, I knew right away. There was something different about her, nothing obvious, just like she had a secret and was keeping it to herself. She hadn’t even told Mike at that point, and when I pulled