The Lucky Sisters

Prologue

Nora and Stevie were lucky by name and lucky by nature – at least that’s what they’d been told throughout their forty-nine years. They almost always won something on scratchies (never a big amount, but still), were often the recipients of raffle prizes, and more than once had been upgraded from economy to business (or, in Nora’s case, from business to first). Except, as Nora had very sensibly pointed out ever since they’d found out they were adopted, ‘Lucky’ shouldn’t have been their real name, and no matter how lucky a person was, there was one thing they couldn’t avoid.

No one was lucky enough to escape death.

Chapter 1

As the hearse slowed into Karrakatta Cemetery – one of Perth’s oldest and arguably most well-known – Nora’s stomach rumbled. Talk about timing. She hadn’t been able to manage more than a mouthful since their mother had died a week ago, and now that her hunger had finally returned, she wouldn’t be able to eat until the wake, still hours away.

That was if she was lucky enough to even get close to the food, all of which had been made by the employees at her own restaurant. Nora had thought this a little much to ask of the highly trained five-star chefs when most attendees would be happy with scones and sandwiches, but Santi had insisted that Lillian’s guests deserved the best. He had loved his mother-in-law as much as everyone else who met her, which was why, although Lillian Lucky had died at the grand old age of ninety-three, meaning many of her contemporaries had long ago passed away, they were expecting quite the crowd.

‘You hungry?’ Stevie asked, glancing over from where she sat beside Nora in the backseat of the car. The coffin, covered in native flowers, lay just in front of them behind a glass window. Stevie had insisted they choose the hearse that allowed loved ones to be with the deceased until the last possible moment, which Nora thought a little macabre. Although she’d loved her mother more than anything, she’d much rather have been in the sleek black car following behind with Santi and Cherry. She wanted to remember Lillian full of life, not as the lifeless figure in the coffin, the arms that had once wrapped around her when she was hurt or sad now still and folded across her mother’s chest.

Nora blinked, realising Stevie was staring at her expectantly. ‘I’m sorry. What did you say?’

‘Are you hungry?’

She shrugged. Had her stomach been so loud that Stevie had heard its misgivings, or was this proof of the twins’ intuition that she swore existed between them?

Stevie dug into the massive pocket of her inappropriate-for-the-occasion, multi-coloured kaftan-style dress, pulled out a KitKat with the flair of a magician conjuring a rabbit and thrust it at Nora. ‘Here. Have this.’

Nora couldn’t remember the last time she’d had chocolate. People might say you should never trust a skinny cook, but no one respected fat ones.

You shouldn’t be thinking of food at a time like this.

‘I’m not sure I should be eating in here.’

Stevie scoffed. ‘Always such a rule follower. Would you rather eat something now or faint during the ceremony?’ When Nora still hesitated, Stevie added, ‘If you don’t want it, I’ll have it.’

‘No!’ Nora snatched the chocolate out of Stevie’s hand, then chastised herself. ‘Sorry. And thank you. I’ve barely been able to eat this past week.’

‘No need to apologise. I’ve always got your back.’ Stevie retrieved another KitKat from her pocket and Nora wondered how many she had in there. ‘I’ve lived on these since Mum died. I joked to Felix that I should take out shares in Nestlé.’

‘Who’s Felix?’

‘Just some man who warms my sheets occasionally.’

Nora thought she heard something in her sister’s voice that indicated maybe this Felix was more than a fling but told herself she was probably imagining it. Stevie hadn’t had a serious boyfriend since Cherry was a toddler. Surely she’d have told Nora if she was properly seeing someone.

Or Cherry would have.