Page 69 of The Half Sister

‘Great,’ he says, sounding enthused. ‘So where are you now? At home?’

‘I’m just on my way back now,’ she says, skirting the issue. ‘How’s your day been?’

‘Mad busy,’ he says. ‘And far from finished unfortunately. The PM’s press conference isn’t until this evening, and he’s agreed to give me a one-to-one straight afterwards.’

‘On the phone?’ asks Kate.

‘In person,’ says Matt.

Kate groans.

‘Yeah, tell me about it,’ sighs Matt. ‘So I’m on a train to Birmingham after work.’

‘Okay,’ says Kate, nonplussed. She’s used to dropping everything herself at a moment’s notice – it comes with the territory.

‘I’ll keep you posted,’ says Matt. ‘Oh, and by the way, keep your eyes peeled for our centre spread the day after tomorrow.’

‘Oh yeah,’ says Kate. ‘Why’s that?’

‘Didn’t I tell you that the new girl had a good nose for a story?’

Kate’s lungs feel like they’re being squeezed. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘She’s sniffed out something that might be of interest to you.’

‘Meaning?’ Kate presses.

‘She’s tracked down someone who’s used those genealogy websites to find their long-lost relatives.’

Kate shudders involuntarily, her blood feeling like it’s freezing over. ‘Wh-who’s she found?’

‘A woman who’s been reunited with her sister by uploading her DNA – just like Lauren and that girl.’

Kate’s jaw spasms and there’s a banging in her head as she imagines Jess and Lauren’s faces peering out at the five million people that read theEcho. Would they really be that stupid? Kate can’t take the chance.

‘My girl promises it’s a corker,’ Matt goes on.

My girl?If Kate were in a forgiving mood, she’d acknowledge that it was a phrase he’s used before, but right now it just leaves a sour taste in her mouth.

The noise in her head is getting louder, like a beating drum that’s getting closer and closer. She can see this spiralling out of control.

‘You can’t run it,’ she says.

‘What? Why not?’

‘Because...because we’re running a similar story tomorrow.’

‘Oh shit!’ groans Matt. ‘Are you kidding me?’

She hates lying to Matt, as they’ve always managed to give and take where work’s concerned, both of them careful not to tread on the other’s toes. But this is different. This is personal.

‘Yeah, sorry,’ she says. ‘I offered it up in conference and the news team went with it. Their story’s much stronger thanyour girl’s, I’m afraid.’

‘What have you got?’ he sighs, not picking up on Kate’s sarcasm.

‘Erm, I really can’t say.’

‘Seriously?’

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