Don't tell me bye bye (mystery/ thriller)

Chapter 23

The house is still, in contrast to my restless mind. I don't have Jennie's phone number and I have no idea where she lives so I sent her a couple of messages online just before Jin came and confiscated my phone for the night, swapping it with Big Betsy, but she hasn't replied. I roll over in my wrinkled clothes, and push down the light on my bedside clock for the millionth time. It illuminates my face, mocking me with the time as it ticks closer towards midnight, suggesting that Jennie is never going to appear.

There's a tap at the window or was it just hope, tapping its finger inside my head? I sit up with a jolt, my ears searching out for the sound. It comes again and I leap out of my bed, hurry to the window and throw back the curtains, and there's Jennie on the grass, like a blonde quarterback sneaking around under a head cheerleader's bedroom window.

I point to the front door, Jennie nods and steps out of sight. I grab Big Betsy then tiptoe into the hallway, pausing outside mum's room, listening to her and Jin's faint snores for a few satisfying seconds before I tread down the stairs, taking care to avoid the giveaway squeaky steps.

I reach the front door, glance up the stairs just in case Jin has decided he can't spend the night lying next to my mum and is opting for the sofa again, then click open the locks, biting my lip with each clunk and wave Jennie in. I look her up and down; she looks unnecessarily glamorous dressed head to toe in black. I should have guessed that she would have a stealth wardrobe just for this sort of occasion.

"In here," I whisper and beckon her towards the living room, but she shakes her head and creeps down the hallway. "Jennie! Where are you going?!"

She gestures towards the door to the cellar, and I shake my head, frowning as she turns the doorknob and disappears onto the first step. I stand like a statue, thinking I should be the one leading the way, when the cellar light blinks on and Jennie's blonde hair pops around the doorway again.

"Come on," she whispers, "we don't have all night."

My mouth tries to form some kind of protest but I decide it's best to just follow her. I step onto the wooden stairs and begin to follow her, but she stops, and points behind me.

"Close the door then," she hisses, rolling her eyes at my novice lack of experience in sneaking around.

I close the door with a soft thud, then follow her down the rickety steps, the smell of sawdust and oil floating up my nostrils. I've never actually been in Jin's office before, and it hasn't taken long for him to put his male stamp on the room. There's a leather sofa to the far side of the immense space, and an L.A. traffic sign leaning against another wall, along with all sorts of other man cave decorations. A huge desk sits on a faded rug in the middle of the room with pens, papers and a laptop strewn over the top in organised chaos. There's a stripy blanket in the corner of the room, a couple of yellow bean bags, a play kitchen, and toys cluttered on top of it; a space just for Teddy.

I reach the bottom step and follow Jennie to the middle of the room. She turns around and leans against Jin's desk, folding her arms and looks me up and down.

"Stop looking so freaked out, this is your house, remember? I'm not going to, like, do anything to you down here."

I shake my head and wipe my hands down my face, a lack of sleep and confusion making my brain wobbly. "I know that. I just...how on earth....have you..."

"Been here before?" I nod, glad she can put a sentence together even if I can't. "Look, sorry I'm late. I didn't want to race off after you in case Dan suspected anything, so I stayed at the hospital for as long as I could, then he insisted on giving me a lift home. And then I couldn't decide what to wear."