Chapter Nineteen
News today, death with a chance of confusion

Julianne walked into the kitchen, while the past month and a half gone by wasn't much in the form of cases; but a lot of work had to be done. Being her day off, Julianne wore casually vest with a long flowing skirt, her long hair pulled into a ponytail, she started to make herself breakfast.

Hearing the creaky floorboard, it gave Julianne the time to get another mug for coffee, another plate for toast seeing Elizabeth entering the kitchen in a bathrobe and slippers, her long red hair pulled into a high messy ponytail as she slumped in a chair at the kitchen table. "Morning star shine," Julianne spoke cheerfully while hearing their mother in the hallway, and then Adele walked down into the kitchen, "Morning mum."

Wearing a business suit, everything was clean and presented as such. Long Blonde hair was into a tight French knot, her face was made to perfection, and the woman didn't look a day over thirty, when in fact she was in her late forties. "Morning Jules," her voice soft, "I've got my meeting in Chicago to get to, so I can trust you alone in the house?"

"Morning mother," Elizabeth spoke loudly, her voice calm, but behind her calm you could tell she wasn't very happy with her mother's blatant ignorance of her presence in the kitchen.

Adele kept watching Julianne, "I'll try and let you know I got there safe, I've left you some emergency money, and I'll see you when I get back," She kissed Julianne's cheek, picked up her travel case leaving the kitchen, not even giving Elizabeth a glance of acknowledgement.

Elizabeth waited until the echo of the front door closing got to them, twisting in her seat to look at Julianne from the kitchen table, "So, I guess she's still mad." Her voice flat, her hand brushed over her head before looking to the door again.

"You know, you could have just told her the truth," Julianne started to butter pieces of toast, watching the coffee machine doing it job, "Maybe she'd been a little more understanding."

For a second Elizabeth played with the table mat, carefully she looked up, "Julianne, I said it once, I'm going to keep saying the same thing," Her breathing trying to remain calm as possible, "I don't want her to know, and spend the rest of my life treating me like a fragile victim and," Elizabeth waved her hand, "I just want, what I want."

"So you'd rather her see you as a," She stopped speaking, the world she was going to say wasn't a nice one, she couldn't see her sister that way.

"A what Julianne?" Elizabeth kept focused.

Julianne kept her eyes down, "A slut," Her voice tried to be as low as possible.

Elizabeth nodded, "Well she does, she'll see me like that for a few weeks, maybe months, a year at the most, but she'll forget soon enough," Her hands folded in front of her, the feeling she always pushed away was getting easier as time passed, "If I told her the truth, she'd never let me leave home, she'd not let me go back to Yale and have me study somewhere she can be in constant control, she'll tell Dad and he'll," Her voice raised she was looking panicked. "I just want a life without being labelled okay."

"Okay, another subject, what are your plans for today?" Julianne walked over with a plate of toast and a cup of coffee with milk and two sugars, placing it down in front of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth pulled the plate closer to her, she thought about it; "I was thinking of a Wii fit work out and possibly make pizza for dinner, and meaning of making pizza I mean phoning Dominos." Her face lighting up a little, "Why you ask?"

"No reason," Julianne had returned to the table, this time with her own toast and coffee, "I got a phone call from Ray, he wants to meet for Lunch."

Elizabeth sitting up a little more alert, "Lunch with Ray, sounds lovely." Her voice smooth, her fingers were picking at her toast.

Julianne rolled her eyes, "He wants to ask me a favour."

"A favour?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrow with a grin playing over her lips.

"Liz, it's not like that, he said it was important."

"Important," Elizabeth repeated with a mocking expression, "Sounds like you're going to be cloud nine."

Julianne exhaled picking up her coffee, "He doesn't see me like that," her voice low, carefully looking to Elizabeth, "If you're bored of the house, you're more than welcome to join me."

"Well," Elizabeth kept her expression light, "Stay at home, or go out?" The question more aimed at herself, she smiled, "What time you meeting him?"

Quickly glimpsing at her watch, Julianne pulled her attention back to Elizabeth, "Just after one."

"Well it gives me enough time to get pretty," Elizabeth quickly sipped some of her coffee getting up, "I'll need to start that, also need to check my email."

"Check your email for what?" Julianne's eyes focused on Elizabeth's face for a heartbeat, her face trying to figure out who her sister was emailing so intensely with.

Elizabeth finished the coffee off, "Just someone," Her tone casual, "Any way, I'll be getting ready for a day out." Giving Julianne a salute Elizabeth left the kitchen.

Julianne finishing off her breakfast, she was just trying to figure out how her sister could be the way she was, but just assumed if her sister was happy, then just let her be.

Ray walked into the small diner; he searched around for the familiar blonde hair. Spotting it with the dark red hair of Elizabeth he felt better about the lunch already sitting one side of the booth while both sister's sat together. "Hey Jules, Liz," He placed his hands on the table, "Have you ordered already?"

"No Jules thought it would be more polite to wait," Elizabeth folded her hands, "So what is this favour you need to ask?" her face lit up, Elizabeth wasn't going to be waiting to know what this big favour was.

Julianne exhaled loudly, reaching across Elizabeth to pick up a menu, "You ever heard of subtly?"

"That's for people who like to beat around a bush all afternoon wondering what it could be," Elizabeth broke into a smile, "I think it's best to get it out the way."

Ray nodded, "Well," He reached for a menu of his own, "Last week Lowery's grandfather passed away," He spoke calmly, but in the back of his mind he felt weird not feeling anything about it, "Originally Charlie was going to escort Lloyd, but his wife is going to be in hospital for some tests on her baby."

Julianne's eyes snapped to attention of what Ray just said, "Charlie's wife is pregnant?"

"Well I'd assume that," Elizabeth chimed in, "You're trying to say you've been roped into escorting Lloyd to the funeral?"

"Pretty much," Ray's eyes skimmed over the menu, his main attention was on Julianne, "I'd really like you'd to come with me," His voice soft, "If I go on my own, there would be another funeral for Lloyd."

Elizabeth pulled a funny face, "Sounds legit," Now taking the menu from Julianne she looked at the burgers, "So I am obviously going to have to tag along, where is it?"

Julianne side glanced to Elizabeth, "You can't just invite yourself along."

"Well, no, but then again Lloyd ask me already in a e-mail." Elizabeth smiled smugly, her attention onto Ray, "So really, I'm not inviting myself, I'm just stating, what your face is telling me is what you was going to ask next."

Ray's eyes narrowed, "I think you've had enough interaction with Lowery, you're sounding like him." He exhaled, "But yes, I was going to ask if you could come."

Julianne's face fell only for a second, she had enough time to shake it off before looking at Elizabeth, "That's who you've been emailing all this time?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered slowly, "He's been like a rock to me," Her eyes searching Julianne, "But obviously I didn't tell you, because you'd have this reaction," She now brushed her hair out of her face, "Jules, don't worry, that will never happen."

Julianne let a small blush appear over her face, "I wouldn't assume that much, plus me and Lloyd are not like that either." Her eyes going to Ray's face, she was wondering what he would think of her if he'd known.

Ray laughed, "I think you and Lloyd are very much that," He turned his attention to Elizabeth now, "The pair of them are worse than a couple of teenagers."

"Preaching," Elizabeth waved her hand up, "But seriously, how is this going to happen?"

Ray kept watching Julianne, whose face was still lightly flushed, "Well we've got to drive to Thompsonville," He glanced around to see if someone was going to come and take their order yet, "It's going to be a long drive, the funeral starts a eleven in the morning."

"So I'm assuming it's a road trip, motel stay kinda thing?" Elizabeth asked, she turned to see a waitress heading over to them.

The waitress smiled, "Hello how can I help you?" Her voice polite, mostly because it was the start of her shift, as she watched the three people at the table looking over the menus.

"I'll have a cheese burger, curly fries and a cherry cola," Closing the menu and placing it back in the holder.

Ray took a few seconds to glimpse over, "I'll have a cheese burger, regular fries and a black coffee." He nodded watching the waitress take it all down.

Julianne knowing her turn, she couldn't decide, her eyes scanning over the menus, "I'll just have the baked potato and chicken side salad." Her voice small, "Oh and a coke please." She smiled to the waiting watching her walk away, turning her attention back to Ray. "So when is the funeral happen?"

"Day after tomorrow, so we'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon." He kept watching Elizabeth and Julianne carefully.

"Sounds cool, I'll make a playlist for the road," Elizabeth slipped out of the booth, "It's going to be better than sitting in watching re runs of Charmed."

Ray watched Elizabeth walking to the ladies before attention on Julianne, "Is she alright?"

"Yup, she's just a picture of perky," Julianne turned around, "I just think it's best you don't mention it, she's fine, but then I've been there all I can."

Ray nodded, "Well, either way tomorrow is going to be a long day," He reached over taking Julianne's hand, "I'm really grateful that you can do this for me." He broke into a smile, and for a second Julianne's heart sunk in her chest.

Elizabeth kept quiet while driving back to the house, she felt better about being the one driving, maybe it was easier to focus on the road, rather than be in the passenger seat feeling awkward.

Julianne kept still, "So, how long have…" her voice trailed off, "Never mind," her eyes looking to the window seeing the street signs.

"You want to know about the emails," Elizabeth's eyes never leaving the road, but her voice calm, "I've been emailing him for two weeks." Pulling into the street getting closer to home, it felt miles away.

"So Lloyd's been helping you with? Well you know." Julianne watching Elizabeth's face, it was hard to bring up the events that happened, but curious as she didn't want to be, she was just hoping for something.

Elizabeth kept quiet for a while, slowing down the car carefully she pulled over, her attention on Julianne, "Okay, I want to be nice. I really do," Her hands still on the wheel, even if her face was staring at Julianne, "But yes, simple answer, Lloyd has been helping me," Finally her eyes lightened up, "I've also been helping him, it's what friends do, so if you want to be jealous Julianne, just say what you're thinking and stop looking like a wet blanket."

Julianne's eyes widen as her mouth fell slightly open, "A wet blanket!" She kept staring at her sister, "I, well, you, what?"

"Look, I am going to say this, you'll listen," Her hands moving off the wheel, her full attention on her sister once more, "Lloyd is crazy about you, you are crazy about Lloyd." Quickly Elizabeth's hand lightly slapped Julianne's cheek, "Tomorrow when we are all going to Thompsonville you are going to get it together officially or I will beat you both to death with a shoe!"

Julianne's hand now touching her cheek, her face flushing pink, "Okay, I'll, we'll, it's a funeral Liz!"

"Yes, which means you get to be there for him when he needs you the most, so for the love of anything and everything, I think you know that we all know you and Lloyd are never going to be just friends." Starting up the car again Elizabeth started making the rest of the drive home in silence. All the while Julianne kept thinking of how tomorrow was going to pan out.