I looked over at Gabe. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he said. “That was a fairly long car ride.” Then he thought for a minute. “You might want to grab a few paper towels and a plastic bag or two.”
Taking a deep breath, I headed in for the supplies. That was one part of having a furry daughter that I didn’t particularly look forward to.
Gabe and Matt stayed with us until Molly got home from work. He didn't even say that was what he was doing, he just did it. I was going to have to work extra hard with my physical therapy because not being allowed to be alone with Zane was growing old, fast.
Not that I minded Gabe, and even Matt, hanging around. That part I kind of liked.
Gabe ordered a couple of pizza pies to be delivered, and we munched on them while we watched Dakota entertain the boys. Part of that time was spent on the front porch, so the boys could test out Dakota's hide and seek capabilities.
Let's just say the boys never had a chance.
It happened to be during one of their games that I saw Molly walking home. I guess I hadn't realized how much I dreaded her seeing the dog and knowing that we went without her. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel like she wasn't part of our small makeshift family.
Then I saw her eyes as she noticed Dakota for the first time. I've seen solar flares that weren't as bright. She ran the last block and was in the gate in record time.
As for Dakota, she gave me one questioning look. I do believe she was asking me if it was okay for Molly to be there. Call me crazy, but I answered her.
"It's okay, Dakky," I said. "This is Molly, and she's family."
I swear the dog grinned.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The Funeral (Colin)
Sunday was a lazy day for our new little family. I made sure to take Dakky Dog out for lots of walks, and in between she had some play sessions with Molly and Zane out in the front yard.
Then, still feeling like I owed her something, I took Molly shopping. For the first time in a very long time, if ever, she had her own personal living space. Even if it was just a bedroom and a private bath. So, it was only fitting that we make over the room to fit her.
We hit a big department store and, after a lot of convincing on my part, Molly finally agreed to pick out a few things to make the room her own. I was happy to see that she didn't go super frilly on me.
Instead, she picked out a simple green patterned sheet set with comforter and green and white pinstriped curtains. When I insisted that she get a rug to match, as the hardwood floors get cold in the winter, she chose a round braided area rug made with a mix of autumn colors.
The room's furniture she said she was fine with. Becca had furnished it simply, but well. A queen-size bed with pillow top mattress, a small white desk with two side drawers for supplies, a tall chest of drawers, and a soft saucer type chair in the corner. The pillow top to the chair was brown, so it would match Molly's new color scheme well.
Then it was just a matter of getting a new shower curtain and towels for the bathroom. She went a little more girly there, with a daisy patterned curtain and bright yellow towels.
When we got back home, Molly drafted Zane to help her make up her new space and the two of them ran up the stairs to make the rooms hers. Closely followed by Dakky Dog, who wanted to see what was in all of those crinkling bags.
I'd like to say I did something productive while they toiled upstairs. But the past week had taken a major toll on me, so instead, I took a nap. Which is why I was only half awake for Gabe’s call.
I’d laid the phone on the table at the end of the couch, which, in hindsight, was not the smartest place to reach it in a hurry. By the time I got awake enough to get into a position where I could reach it, it had stopped ringing. I pushed the necessary buttons to see who had called.
Gabe. I hit redial and waited.
“Hey,” he said. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything fun.”
“Nope, just lounging on the couch while the others do a makeover on Molly’s room. What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that the coroner pulled some extra hours this weekend and finished up with Rebecca.”
Okay, now I was fully awake. I took a moment to sit upright on the couch, bracing myself. Then I asked the million dollar question. “So, how did she die?”
“The cause of death was blunt-force trauma. One side of her skull had a pretty nasty dent in it.” He hesitated. “It is possible that her death was an accident and that... someone... just freaked out instead of coming forward.”
“Yeah, and it’s possible that I’ll hit the lottery, but I’m not planning my financial future on it.”
“Just want you to be prepared for what his attorney is going to argue. That is if we ever get the evidence we need to book the bastard.”
“We’ll get it.” And if it wasn’t fairly soon, I’d be taking matters into my own hands. Becca deserved justice one way or the other. Besides, I was pretty sure I could do it and they’d never be able to pin it on me. “Any leads I should know of?”
He hesitated just long enough for me to know he was keeping something from me. “I’ve got a few things I’m checking out on my end. Knowing where he dumped her has opened up some new places to ask around. Of course, it’s been a few months, so don’t expect miracles. The human memory is a fickle thing.”
“Don’t suppose you’d let me ride along when you start the asking?”
“Sorry, pal. Police only on this one. We don’t want to run the risk of the jerk calling us out for procedural misconduct and weaseling out of a solid conviction.” His voice softened. “Besides, you’ve got enough on your plate for the next few days. Now that the coroner is finished, they are releasing the body to the funeral home.”
“Do I need to call them?”
“Nah, already took care of it. Just take care of putting Becca to rest and let me work on putting the bastard away.”
“Okay, Sheriff.” That didn’t mean I wouldn’t be doing my own investigation once that was done if Mike was still a free man. But for now, yeah, Becca took priority. Justice came a very close second. Knowing Gabe was on it meant a lot.
“One more thing before I ring off, Colin. And I want you to listen to me very carefully, understand?”
Damn, he was giving me his cop voice. “You have my full and undivided attention, sir.”
“Behave yourself at the funeral. You know that Michael and Joan will be there. Are you going to be able to handle it?”
My jaw clenched, and I considered. “I’m not going to even acknowledge that the son of a bitch exists. Here’s hoping that everyone makes the assumption that I’m still just pissed over him trying to take Zane from me.”
“Hadn’t thought of that,” Gabe’s voice sounded thoughtful. “Just don’t deck him in front of witnesses, and keep your gun at home, okay?”
I had to grin. “You got it, Sheriff. If I decide to take a swing at him, I’ll make sure we’re alone first.”
“I know it’s hard when we both believe Mike is guilty. But...”
“Yeah, I know, I know. Playing our cards too early would only give him time to come up with an angle to beat the charges.”
“Right, and there are too many of those angles with what we have already. I want rock solid, indisputable proof. I want him on premeditated murder, not accidental manslaughter.” Gabe’s voice was tight. “And you can trust me when I say I won’t stop until I get that.”
“I do trust you, Sheriff. And you know if there’s anything I can do to help, all you have to do is say the word.”
“Same here, Colin. And I’m not just talking the case, either. You need help, call me.”
I’m not sure why his words affected me so strongly, but they did. All my life, I’d always been the one others leaned on. It was really nice to have someone offer to be the leaning post for a change.
After we hung up, I called the funeral home to finalize the dates and times for the funeral. Visitation would be tomorrow and the actual service w
ould be late morning Tuesday. Closed casket all the way.
Molly and Zane spent the evening playing games and watching movies. I spent it going through old photo albums and collecting pictures of Becca’s life. The best ones would be framed and sprinkled throughout the viewing room.
That was how I wanted Becca remembered. As a living, breathing, happy person.
It probably wouldn’t have taken me half as long if I could have seen better through my tears.
THE REST OF SUNDAY and most of Monday passed in a haze. The funeral home gave me a short list of items they needed, and I dropped them off around lunch time.
Gabe had talked me out of seeing Becca’s body. At first, I fought the idea, but going through all of those pictures made me realize he was right. That wasn’t what I wanted for the last sight of my sister. Better to remember her waving goodbye as I left for training. Whole and happy.
I would give anything to relive that day again. I would have taken them with me, I wouldn’t have gone, I would have changed fate itself. But life doesn’t work that way.
No do-overs when death calls.
Molly had arranged an adjusted schedule for her last two days, telling them that she had to work the mornings for both or shorten her notice time. They accommodated the different hours. I think they were still hoping to change her mind about leaving. That wasn’t going to happen.
The visitation was due to start for family only at four, then open for the public from six to eight. Becca had been popular in the community, so I expected quite a crowd. I really wished I could just skip the dedicated family time and simply show up at six.
But in a small way that would have been letting Michael win. And I wasn’t willing to do that.
Molly got home at three, right before the bus arrived with Zane. We had decided to let him start riding the bus to free up Josh from pick up and drop off a little earlier than he had agreed to. It was only fair.
Luckily, Matt rode the same bus, so he was there to help Zane get used to it. Having a friend with a son to be Zane’s friend was really nice. And Zane had been super excited at the chance to finally ride the big yellow bus. To him, it meant he was finally one of the big kids.
When the bus pulled up, he had a welcome party waiting for him. Me, Molly, and Dakota all patiently waiting.
He ran off the bus and immediately went to Dakota to give her a huge hug. Geesh. Second-best to a dog, that’s me.
We went inside and Molly took Zane upstairs to get him cleaned up and dressed in his new black suit. It looked a lot like the one I was going to wear, only he had the luxury of a snap on tie.
Part of me didn’t want to take Zane, but he had said he wanted to go. He was a tough little guy, but if it got to be too much for him Molly could get him home. She had insisted on going too.
The dress she had bought must have taken every spare cent she had. Her pride hadn’t allowed her to let me buy one for her. Besides, she said, she’d need an interview dress for when I got full custody. Not that I was at all sure I was going to be willing to give her up even then.
I didn’t worry about bringing her to the family visitation. Not one bit. She was more family to me now than my own mother.
We planned it to get there right at four o’clock. Truthfully, I didn’t want to spend an extra second with those people than I absolutely had to out of respect for Becca.
Michael, Joan, and Mom were already there. My step-dad had decided not to take off work early. He’d be there shortly after five, and if I knew him at all, still in the clothes he wore at the hospital. He was the administrator, so at least he would be fairly dressed up.
“I thought this was only for family members,” Michael said. His way of greeting me.
I looked past him to mom, giving her the answer to his comment. “It is. For one thing, as Zane’s nanny, Molly is now family. And for another, I thought it might not be such a bad idea to have someone here who is on my side.”
Mom gave me a hurt look, then looked away. But she never said a word in contradiction.
Michael grunted, but stepped to one side and let us pass. I noticed that Zane’s grip on my hand had tightened drastically. Like he was clinging to a life line. I pretty much figured that was how he saw it.
“Hey, Zane,” Mike said, kneeling down to get eye to eye with the boy. “Ready to come home now?”
I felt Zane jerk, and he literally seemed to shrivel into himself. Maybe bringing him hadn’t been such a good idea after all. And I guessed my plan of totaling ignoring Mike wasn’t going to work. I had to answer for Zane’s sake.
“His home is with me, and it always will be, Michael.” Not even giving him a chance to respond, we moved on to the closed casket at the end of the room.
By this time, Zane was shaking. I wasn’t sure if it was the dialog with my criminal step-brother, or the sight of the casket ahead. Either one would be more than any child should be asked to handle.
As requested, the funeral director had placed a softer chair at the end of the casket for me to rest in while greeting friends. I sank into it gratefully and pulled Zane up into my lap.
Molly stood behind me, one hand resting on my shoulder for support. She hadn’t said a word so far, letting me handle things. But I remembered her with the baseball bat, and I knew she’d be a force to be reckoned with if I needed her. It was amazing how the support of one small girl was so much comfort.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse through the half opened doorway of a brown sheriff’s uniform, and my comfort level ratcheted up a lot. He didn’t come in, respecting the privacy of the family, but Gabe had my back. And that meant the world. Even if he was there to make sure I didn’t screw things up. Maybe especially then.
I saw Mike leave the room for a few minutes, and wasn’t surprised when the funeral director followed him back in, carrying another soft chair. This was placed at the foot of the coffin, away from me.
Mike offered the chair to mom, and then he and Joan sat in the first row of visitor chairs, and he spent his time sending me death glares. They warmed the very cockles of my heart. If a man like Mike hated me, I must be doing something right.
Besides, I had the thought of him spending the rest of his life behind bars to keep me warm and fuzzy. In fact, that thought was the only reason he was still alive and breathing. His very presence here was an abomination.
Once Zane settled down and stopped shaking, I pointed out the picture board that stood next to us. It was filled with the photographs I’d supplied. The pictures on that board held memories of Becca’s entire life, from her newborn photo to the one picture I had of her and Zane’s father to ones of her playing with Zane in the park. In every single one of them, she wore a smile.
My sister had been eternally happy. Unless Michael had somehow been involved. Needless to say, there were no pictures on the board that held his image, though mom and my step-dad were well represented. Even if I had been tempted to put one up with him in it, there wasn’t a single photo of the two of them where Becca was smiling. Said a lot that did.
I should have seen it before, and maybe I could have stopped what happened. But I had foolishly thought that once we were grown, Michael would just leave us the hell alone. That belief may have been the one that cost us Becca. For that, I would never forgive myself.
Drawing my thoughts to a happier time, I pointed out a picture of Becca and her winning seventh-grade science fair project and proceeded to tell Zane all about the trials of that project. They hadn’t allowed us to enter a joint project, even though we were twins and in the same science class. So we had chosen two separate projects and had simply helped each other.
She had placed first with her experiment on the intelligence of plants and the effects of music and light on their growth. My project had placed a close second. That one focused on the effect of different kinds of lights on plant growth. We had both used tomato seedlings for our experiments, and Zane laughed when I told him, in great detail, of how we had set u
p a vegetable stand to sell the fruit when all was said and done.
Intent on my story, I didn’t notice mom come up behind me until she spoke.
“I remember that,” she said. “I think you made all of, what, ten dollars?”
I looked back to see a small, sad smile on her face as she reached out gently to touch the photo. I wished we had thought to take one of us and the stand. It had been quite the sight to behold as we had made it ourselves.
“I can’t remember the exact amount, but it was enough to get the two of us into the movies with popcorn and a drink.” I looked down at Zane. “Now you almost have to take out a small mortgage to do that.”
Mom’s gaze traveled over each picture, and I watched her closely. When she looked at them all once again, I was pretty sure she had realized that one family member was very noticeably absent. Still, she said nothing.
But she did turn and look at me. “Would it be alright if I sat over here next to you?”
Trying not to let the shock register on my face, I nodded. “That would be nice.” My voice sounded a bit gruff, even to me.
Molly moved the chair and mom took a seat beside me. That was far too much for Michael, who then had to come and join us. My knuckles whitened on the arm of my chair, but somehow I made it through those grueling two hours.
Once they opened it up for friends, it got easier and harder at the same time. Emotionally, it was so much easier as I could be distracted from the single wish of my heart to strangle the life out of Michael. Physically, it was much tougher, because some friends simply couldn’t be greeted while sitting. The close ones required hugs, and more than a few kisses.
When it was time to close up and go home, Mom lagged behind the others. When she faced me I wondered for a minute if she knew.
She didn’t.
“That story you told in the court room,” she said. “Was it true?”
“Every word of it, Mom,” I said. “Michael tried his best to make our lives a living hell every chance he got.” Then I gave her a small smile. “But we had each other, so we were okay. If I’ve never said thank you before, I’ll say it now. Thanks for giving me such an awesome twin.”
All About Zane (Travis County Legal Book 1) Page 12
