The Family Business

Chapter Six: A Shiny Black Impala

Eleven Years Later...

Janie's POV

"You know, we never get breaks—take a vacation, or anything." Frankie said.

I glanced sideways at her and cocked an eyebrow. "You want to take a vacation?"

Frankie shrugged. "I don't know. I guess not. It's just something I noticed."

She continued to stare at the road like this little conversation hadn't mattered, but I knew it did. The crinkle in her forehead and tense way her hand was fisted on her blue jeans was a tell-all. I sighed and tried to put as much attention on my sister as I could without distracting myself from the other occasional car on the road.

"Frankie, what's this about?"

"Nothing. It doesn't even matter."

I waited impatiently for her to continue. When she didn't, I gave her the stink eye.

"Look, Janie, it's nothing, really."

"It's not nothing." I growled. "Is this about our last case? The Djinn?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is it?"

Francis finally looked at me, then pursed her lips and peered out into the dark again. "I just miss Bobby...a lot...sometimes."

I softened immediately, thinking about Bobby. The man practically raised us; taught us everything we know...about anything. So this was the dark place her mind was taking her.

"I'm tired of staying in a new place every couple of days or weeks. We used to have a place to go back to."

"Home." I filled in, smiling at the thought of Bobby's old place.

Frankie and I had lots of good memories there. A few bad ones, but mostly good. I remember the first time I snuck a cold one out of the fridge while Bobby wasn't looking. Frankie had a field day before she realized I'd snuck her one too. Bobby never said anything, but I think he knew. Too much like our old man I suppose, not that we'd ever know for sure.

"Yeah. Home. I miss it. And I don't mind travelling. We're just doing what we can with what we have, but there's something I've never told you."

I peered suspiciously at her and her sheepish tone. "What?"

"I get carsick."

I looked at her like she'd suddenly sprouted vampire teeth. "What? You're kidding."

"Yeah, I'm totally messing with you."

I didn't realize I'd been holding my breathe until I let it out. "Oh, good."

Frankie laughed. "I can't believe I actually had you going there for a second."

I laughed and punched her in the shoulder. "Only for a second." I pulled off the road into a mostly empty dirt and gravel parking lot. 

"Um, Janie? This isn't a motel. This is kind of the opposite of a motel. This is the absolute middle of nowhere." 

"You said you wanted a break, right? Well, this is where people go to take a load off when they can't afford one." I gestured to the building at the far end of the lot. 

"Janie, that's a bar." 

"Wow, really?" I laid the sarcasm on thick. "I'm aware of that." 

"Janie, we're too young to go to a bar." 

I reached across her into the glove box and pulled out two drivers licenses. "Not with these, we're not. Grab the credit card that matches this one."