Not My Sister

Not My Sister P.K. Simpson Not My Sister © 2023 P.K. Simpson ISBN: 978-1-7350828-1-3 (Digital) ISBN: 978-1-7350828-0-6 (Paperback) Lucky Publishing United States of America Note: This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. Created with Vellum Praise for Not My Sister Not My Sister is a spellbinding story of adventure and searching for answers. It will keep you reading until the very end! I would love to see a movie made from this book since the characters were so well developed and intriguing.—Dena R. I am delighted to give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The characters, plot and descriptions were all enticing. —Reviewer, OnlineBookClub The plot is well built and contains several twists. The characters are well written and their feelings of despair, anxiety and uncertainty are very palpable.—Basia, Book Sirens I was up until 4am to finish this book. Great read, well done!—Kathy S. You may have all the facts but still not have the answer. For those who have lost a sibling and have lost their place. Foreword When someone you love dies in a foreign country, your brain plays tricks on you. You look for your loved one everywhere. On the street. In a restaurant. At the hardware store. There are times you think you see your loved one. In that split second, a spark of exquisite possibility flares in your heart—because you would give anything to discover their death was a mistake. A hoax. A bad dream. So, you keep searching, hoping to see a certain face in the crowd. Until one day, you do… Contents 1. Detained 2. Seattle | Two Days Earlier 3. The Card 4. The Promise 5. The Detective 6. Ren’s Torment 7. The Studio 8. Dancing 9. The Gallery 10. Utrecht 11. The Audition 12. The Break-In 13. The Video 14. Tales & Spirits 15. Bad News 16. The Reception 17. Tattoo Clue 18. Basia’s Mom 19. Garden Escape 20. Joe’s Revelation 21. Unearthing Elena 22. The Letter 23. The Autopsy 24. The San Francisco Bar 25. The Boat 26. Confronting Carlo 27. Losing Olivia 28. Licking Wounds 29. The Confession 30. The Hospital 31. The Blame Game 32. Bubbles 33. The Deadline Also by P.K. Simpson 1 Detained Amsterdam. The city that took my sister. I once vowed that I would never return to Amsterdam. But here I was, two years later, flying over the Venice of the North on a fool’s errand. I had been sent to re-confirm that my sister was dead. Of course, she was. As the plane descended over slumbering tulip fields and rain-splattered canals, I tried to picture the Amsterdam of my early twenties: getting high at coffee shops, eating fries on the sidewalk, and giggling in sex museums. But those days were gone, just like my twenties. Now, at thirty-four, all I could conjure was the bleak November when I’d last been here—and the night we said good-bye to Olivia. On the evening of her cremation, three of us—Olivia’s fiancé, my mother and I—set lanterns alight in Vondelpark and released them into the sky. As I watched my sister’s white lights rise above the rooftops of Amsterdam, part of me ascended with her, never to return. Even now, I could feel the jagged hole inside my chest where a star had been ripped out and dragged into the heavens with her. Oh, that starry, starry night. So beautiful. So cold. So final. My stomach burned. I had no desire to revisit the past or the lop-sided relationship I’d endured with my younger sister. But whose fault was it that I was on this plane? Mine. Because I had serious issues with saying no, especially to the parents, and especially to my grief-ravaged mother. So, I had put my life on hold for a few days and got on this plane, hoping I could do what the parents wanted and make them happy for once. I knew it was a long shot. With my shattered family, it would always be a long shot. I tipped my forehead toward the cool window of the jet and looked out. The quilt of fields and waterways raced past, ever closer. We were almost there. I swallowed back the misgivings that clogged my throat and focused on the positive. This trip could be my chance to get answers about Olivia’s death. I still harbored questions about how and why she had died. I probably always would. But I was older this time around—much older than I had been two years ago. Plus, I was armed with a new perspective gleaned from the countless true crime podcasts I had listened to for the past two years. Now I knew how investigations could stall or go off course. I’d learned that police sometimes fabricated motives when they lacked evidence and resources. I suspected that Olivia’s case had fallen through the proverbial cracks, and at the time, no one had possessed the bandwidth to protest. My travel companion, Angelina Lammata, violated my personal space to stare out the window with me. Her boobs smothered my shoulder. “Finally,” she said. “I can’t wait to get out of this sardine can. I think I have clots in both legs. Maybe even my ass.” “You and me both. But mine’s in my brain. To come back here?” I shook my head at my own idiocy. “I must be crazy.” “You had to come back, Jessica.” Angie sank back to her seat and patted my forearm. “None of us will rest until we know for sure.” “And if the card my mother got was just an empty threat?” “Then we’ll have more time to sightsee and buy cheese.” Angie nudged me and ducked to catch my eye. “Free vacation. Hello.” Nothing in life was free. But maybe Angie hadn’t learned