Chapter Seventy-Three Raine
Chapter Seventy-Three
Raine
It rained the day Maria and Gabe were buried.
I’d considered rescheduling, but Molly, Edith, and I needed closure.
We had to find a way to put the past behind us.
So we gathered at the gravesites with the pastor.
Molly had worn the light blue dress. I’d worn the bright blue one. Two blips of color in a sea of black.
I’d watched Maria’s and Gabe’s urns being lowered into the ground. I hoped Gabe could forgive me for putting him beside the woman who’d killed him. Edith took my hand very briefly and then nodded as if I’d done the right thing.
I’d decided to renovate Hale House. I’d taken a deep breath and agreed to the silver plan. In January, Molly and I would move into the cottage she’d shared with her parents while the work was being done. She was excited to see ghosts. I wasn’t.
I was in the process of selling off fifty acres on the eastern edge of the property closest to the Charlottesville area and the interstate. Several developers were working up bids.
My father and grandfather were rolling over in their graves, but I was happy with my decision. Time to let go and move forward.
Molly continued to see Miss Rebecca, the counselor. We still hunted for ghosts every evening, and several times a week we visited her parents’ markers in the cemetery. Nightmares for us both were a constant. Healing was a slow and uneven process.
The medical examiner had tested Mom’s remains and detected cyanide.
I’d not been surprised they found poison considering the time.
When I’d told Edith, she didn’t seem surprised.
As to Edith, my relationship with her couldn’t be described as warm, but we had come to an unspoken peace.
She was staying in her house. Molly visited her often. Not perfect. But which families were?
A knock at the front door, and I saw Judson through the windows. He was a regular visitor here. Most nights he tried to stop by while Molly was still awake, but some nights, like tonight, work kept him late.
I moved to the door, smiling when I opened it. A rush of cold air swarmed around us. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
He stepped inside, closed the door, and removed his hat. He kissed me on the lips, long and unhurried. “I wasn’t sure I would.”
Molly and I had visited his house on the western edge of the county. Rustic and isolated were the best descriptors. Fun for a few hours, but not ideal for overnights.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I still have pizza.”
“That would be great.”
He followed me into the kitchen. I retrieved a slice from the pizza box and put it on a plate in the new microwave. As it spun, I kissed him. He leaned into me, tension rippling through his body.
He broke off the kiss.
“What?” I asked.
“I came on business,” he said.
I groaned. “Okay.”
“Ken is fighting the charges. As you once said, he’s arguing it’s a matter of ‘he said, she said.’ He’s making headway with the judges. He’s out on bail. But ordered to stay away from you and Molly.”
Fear inched along my spine. “Ken doesn’t care about rules.”
“He will this time. He’s wearing an ankle monitor and knows any visit here will land him back in jail.”
One good thing about Ken’s arrest was that he’d signed the divorce papers to show his good faith and that he had no designs on the Hale lands. “Fingers crossed.”
We were safe. At least for the time being. But he’d always be circling close, ready for an opportunity. Ken would never be satisfied until he had the estate and me. That dark truth hung over me most days, a dark cloud ready to thunder and spit lightning.
But I pushed it aside and kept moving forward. I was my mother’s daughter. Appearances mattered.
The sale of my house with Ken had closed, and I’d driven to Northern Virginia with Judson and Molly and cleaned out my storage unit. My old life fit in the back of Judson’s pickup truck.
I’d officially resigned from my job and had no plans to visit Northern Virginia. I thought I’d miss the job and my friends more, but I’d never had one regret nor looked back. I might one day, but not now.
With luck, Ken’s and my paths wouldn’t cross again. “He’s not stupid,” I said.
“Neither are we.”
The microwave dinged. “Is that all the work-related news?”
“It is.”
“Good. I don’t want to talk about that anymore tonight.”
He took my hands in his. Kissed me on the lips. “Deal.”
I loved him, felt as safe with him as I had when I was a teenager. But I was old enough now to realize that I’d saved myself once and would do it again.