A Ship Without Sails

Chapter 10

"Ms. Thorn sent us the official time and cause of death!" Daisy cried the next day, bursting into the dining room. She waved around a small pile of papers.

The family crowded around her, peering down at the top paper.

"Approximate time of death, 2:15-2:45. Estimated cause of death..." Mrs. Blackburn trailed off in awe at the list of possible causes.

"Blunt force trauma is the most likely, but others could be strangulation, blood loss, infection... why not drowning?" Daisy wondered aloud.

"She must've been dead before she hit the water," Shayna murmured in a low voice. "Either that, or she died before inhaling the water." An uncomfortable silence fell over them.

"I wonder if she was scared," Mrs. Blackburn sighed, rubbing her arms, as if to hug herself. Mr. Blackburn placed his hand on his wife's trembling shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm sure she was alright. She was a smart girl," he said, though his voice was forced.

"What's gonna happen to her stuff?" Daisy asked. Shayna looked up at her sister, confused, when she saw a gleam in her older sister's eyes.

"I mean, all her clothes, her room... her car?" Daisy continued. Her parents glanced at her, with looks of bewilderment apparent on their faces. Then Mrs. Blackburn waved her hand and said, "You take them. I can't think of that right now."

A grin broke out on Daisy's face. "I... They're mine?" Shayna couldn't help but feel frightened by the Cheshire cat smile on her sister's face.

"Thank you, guys!" Daisy dropped the papers and dashed out of the room, heading upstairs. Shayna picked them up slowly, her hands quaking. What's wrong with her? she wondered in horror. Is this her way of grieving? She remembered when their pet fish had died, instead of crying and helping her sisters to bury it, Daisy had guilted their parents into buying her a new doll to make her feel better.

Shayna placed the stack of papers on the smooth counter, glanced at her parents to be sure they were alright, then followed Daisy.

She pushed open the door to Daisy's bedroom, opened it about an inch, and peered in. "OHMYGOD GET OUT!" Daisy screamed, shooting a pillow at the slightly open door. Shayna closed the door for a second, took a deep breath, then plunged into the room. "Daisy, I need to talk to you," she said. She tucked her shaking hands into her canvas utility shorts pockets and straightened her back.

"What?" Daisy's question sounded like a statement. Shayna's amber eyes bored into Daisy's green, and for once, Shayna refused to be the first to look away.

"I need to know why you totally shoved Kurt under the bus yesterday. With Astrid? You guys were at each other's throats." Shayna let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

For a second, so fast Shayna thought she had missed it, scorn flashed through Daisy's eyes. Then, a look of innocent annoyance crossed her face.

"Are you accusing me of killing Kerry?" Daisy smirked. Shayna took a step back, appalled.

Daisy slowly stood from her bed. "You are, aren't you? You think I murdered our sister in broad daylight." With every word, she took a step closer to Shayna. Then, in a flash of inhuman speed, she thrust Shayna against the wall, shoved her face just inches from her sister's and snarled, "Get out if all you're going to do is play detective."

Shayna didn't miss a beat. She bolted out of the room and into her own. She closed her door, turned her back to it, then slid down to the floor. Her heart hammered, her breathing ragged. Letting her forehead rest on her knees, sobs racked her thin body as all of the pent-up fear and confusion flowed out. She cried silently until a light knocking jolted her back to reality.