Catharine saved her final reports, shut down her computer, and grabbed her leather purse. The clock on the wall read exactly 4:15 PM. For the first time in days, she was actually leaving the office while the sun was still up.
As she took the elevator down to the parking garage, her mind drifted away from work. Her little sister, Melissa, was on the afternoon bus from their home village. Melissa was in her final year of high school, with her final matric exams just a month away. Since the school was on a short mid-term break, Catharine had practically begged her to come to the capital. It was the perfect excuse to get her away from their home—away from the constant shouting matches, the heavy smell of cheap beer, and the empty cupboards left by their father's nonstop gambling benders.
In the basement parkade, Catharine pulled out the heavy metallic key fob Jake had left on the kitchen counter that morning.
