Page 34 of Not Quite Dead Yet

‘’Course,’ Luke answered. ‘I know what I’m doing, Dad.’

Dad tried to smile. ‘So, you won’t be falling in any trenches again?’

Luke chewed his cheek.

Sophia piped up now, resting a hand on Luke’s back. ‘I think it’s going to be Mason Homes’ best project yet.’

‘Mason Construction,’ Dad corrected her.

Sophia’s cheeks reddened and Luke shrugged off her hand.

‘No, I know,’ she said, speaking across the table to her father-in-law. ‘But Luke’s been thinking, he might change the name, wh-when he takes over. Thinks it sounds more, well, homey.’

Dad had another sip of coffee, finished it with a shrug. ‘It’s been called “Construction” for forty years, since I set it up. Don’t think there’s anything wrong with the name.’

There wasn’t any meanness in his voice – Dad didn’t know how todomean – but the color drained from Sophia’s face.

‘No, of course there’s nothing wrong with it.’

‘I gotta pee,’ Luke said, chair scraping as he pushed back from the table, disappearing into the hall. Jet was the one dying, and yet somehow Luke had managed to make it all about him. He was good at that.

‘Sophia,’ Jet said now, trapping her with her eyes. ‘I wanted to ask you something, about Halloween.’

‘Sure.’ She still looked pale.

‘You came over to the house when we were out. Twice.’ Leaving the question between the lines.

Sophia nodded, too many nods, cartoon-quick. ‘Yeah, to drop off those cookies I baked. Don’t know if you saw them, pumpkins and bats.’

‘Saw them,’ she said. ‘Ate two of them, before …’

‘Oh,’ Sophia said.

‘They were fine. A little dry.’ Jet straightened in her chair. ‘But you came over twice. First to drop the cookies, and then again an hour later.’

‘Did I?’

‘Yes, you did. The doorbell camera recorded you. I can show you the video if you don’t –’

‘– Oh, sorry,’ Sophia laughed, too much breath behind it.‘I remember now. I left my phone here. Thought it was in my pocket, but I must have put it down somewhere. Came back to get it when I realized.’

Jet’s turn to nod. That made sense, the phone thing. But she was enjoying watching Sophia squirm; she was normally so rigid. She didn’t use to be like this, when they were teenagers. Sometimes Sophia had even been the funny one. ‘Which room did you leave it in?’

‘The kitchen.’ Sophia was ready with the answer. ‘Got baby brain at the moment, don’t I, hun?’ She looked up at Luke, who was back in the room.

‘Huh?’ He wasn’t listening.

‘Jet was just telling us about the doorbell camera footage, from that night.’

Luke glanced across the table, locked onto Jet’s eyes. ‘Does it show what time it happened? When exactly it …’

‘Not exactly,’ she replied. ‘But my Apple Watch told us. 10:46 p.m. That’s when someone whacked me over the head.’ Jet spread jelly over a second piece of toast. ‘Say, Luke, where were you at 10:46 p.m. on October thirty-first?’

‘You joking?’ he laughed.

‘Kinda.’ Jet shrugged. ‘But, actually, I do want to know. I need to know where everyone was. And if you don’t answer, then everyone’s going to think you murdered your own sister.’ She showed him the inside of her mouth: the sticky, munched-up toast.

‘Jet.’ Mom pressed her temples harder.

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