A Cast of Killers
Page 41
"And, I guess, she never stopped missing New York. One day, she told us that she was leaving and that was that. I guess she was afraid that we would try to stop her. Or that we would come and get her against her will. She would never even let me know where she lived. Her Social Security check went right into the bank. There were times when I couldn't understand her secrecy, but I think that I understand it now. She had a life here. She was Emily Toujours. She could come back and start over again. And, most of all, she could be near the theater she loved. I think of her sitting in the dark of the audience, dreaming of what might have been. She still loved us, I know. Every month, she would call me and tell me that she was okay. She always described the shows she had seen and her memory was so vivid—it was almost like being there with her."
She stopped for a moment to regain her composure. In the soft light of the church, there were many people who saw Emily in her daughter's determined face.
"My mother will be very much missed," she continued. "Not just by you, but by me and my family. When she didn't call last week, I knew that something was wrong. But I didn't know where to begin. You can't imagine the hurt that a person can go through in just a few hours of not knowing. I was lucky. A few days later, I found my answer in the newspaper.
"But if not for you, the police tell me, I might never have known what happened to her. It would have been too late, they say. She'd have been buried as a number. Instead, I've come to New York to bury my mother. And she will be buried here, because I know it's where she'd want to stay.
"But I've also come to New York to thank you for giving me my mother back. To thank you for giving my family the opportunity to grieve her. And, most of all, to thank you for caring what happened to my mother, both before and after she died."
The woman stopped and looked out over the church very slowly, as if seeking to memorize all of their faces. She sighed and the sound was caught by the microphone. It moved through the church like a shadow.
T.S. reached for Auntie Lil's hand. He knew now that their latest journey was nearing its end.
"My mother's real name was Eleanor Perkins," Emily's daughter concluded. "And she was once a most extraordinary woman."
Books by Gallagher Gray
PARTNERS IN CRIME
A CAST OF KILLERS
DEATH OF A DREAM MAKER
A MOTIVE FOR MURDER
Writing as Katy Munger
LEGWORK
OUT OF TIME
MONEY TO BURN
BAD TO THE BONE
BETTER OFF DEAD
BAD MOON ON THE RISE
Writing as Chaz McGee and Katy Munger
DESOLATE ANGEL
ANGEL INTERRUPTED
ANGEL OF DARKNESS
ANGEL INTERRUPTED
Copyright © 1995 by Gallagher Gray
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This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.
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