Chapter 9 - A Service for the Living
The chapel smelled of lilies and damp wool. Rosalind stood in the back gallery wearing a borrowed black coat and a scarf drawn high over her face. Below, people filed past two framed photographs: hers and Tobias's.
Garrett stood near the altar, pale and handsome in a dark suit, accepting embraces he didn't deserve. Penelope stayed beside him, one hand on her stomach.
“He was always so devoted,” a woman whispered.
Rosalind's nails dug into her palms.
When Garrett stepped to the microphone, his voice broke beautifully. “My wife was the best part of me.”
“Liar,” Rosalind whispered.
Tobias stayed near the exit, keeping watch. He had wanted her nowhere near the service. She had insisted. She needed to see who attended, who avoided Garrett's eyes, who already knew the ending he'd written for her.
Penelope rose to speak. “Rosalind always wanted a family,” she said softly. “I hope she knew how much we loved her.”
A low murmur of sympathy moved through the crowd. Rosalind nearly vaulted the railing.
Then a little boy approached Garrett and offered a folded paper boat. The boy's mother, a former housekeeper named Nora Bell, stood behind him.
“Nora,” Tobias whispered in Rosalind's ear. “That's the woman Halden mentioned.”
They followed Nora out through a side corridor. She startled at the sight of Tobias walking. But when she saw Rosalind, she gripped the wall and began to cry.
“Your mother didn't drown,” Nora said.
Rosalind froze. “What?”
“She went into the river. But she came out.”
“Then where is she?”
Nora glanced toward the sanctuary. “They kept her alive because she knew the account numbers. After that...” Her voice failed.
“After that, what?”
May you like
A door slammed at the far end of the hall. Garrett's voice followed, low and furious.
“Nora? I know you're in there.”
