by Lisa Alber
He’d succeeded. But at a tragic cost.
“Dermot can’t stay here anymore,” Danny said.
“But, Gemma, what about Gemma?”
Good question. She would need to remain local to support Dermot, and it could be better for her to stay here than at Fox Cottage by herself. They could barter. Free room and board for help with the kids. And there was Marcus too; his own roller-coaster journey toward sobriety might be sticking at long last. Danny would have to see. He’d have to see about everything.
“We might want to consider Grandpap Marcus too,” he said.
Petey clapped his approval.
“But what about Gemma?” Mandy said.
“We’ll ask her first to help her out, and then we’ll see about Grandpap. And the kittens too. I’ll fetch them from Alan tomorrow. This will be our plan.”
Petey clapped again. “We can help them all.”
Sweet, sensitive boy, already knowing how little they could help Ellen.
“Oh, look.” Mandy pointed toward the hedgerow near the front gate. “Can we help it too?”
Danny squinted. “I don’t see anything.”
Petey pointed too. “We have to help it.”
Danny didn’t need to see the sparrow to know this was what they spied in the grass. A flutter caught his eye and was gone again.
“It’s flying!” Petey called.
“And that’s just as it should be.” Danny held their hands and stood. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got in the freezer for dinner.”
Mandy grabbed his house key and unlocked the door and ran inside before Danny had a chance to hesitate again. Petey stayed close. His tone was both hopeful and cautious. “I like being home and you do too, right, Da?”
“I do indeed. Home is the best place to be.”
The talk continued after that September of the unaccountable fogs. Locals hunkered down as winter cold and rain settled in on them, and a new tale grew, a tale of Lost Boy, who’d come to right a wrong and ended up Grey Man’s victim instead.
It may be true that on the morning of his death a stream of light found its way through the fog. And it may be that in a lucid moment he remembered Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.”
It may also be true that by the strength of his final thoughts, he vowed that the truth about John McIlvoy would become known. Somehow. He didn’t know how. He didn’t care. Before he died, he believed.
So, if there be a providence in the fall of a sparrow, Lost Boy was that sparrow and providence let him linger long enough to die in the arms of a lost man, one of Lisfenora’s own, who had needed his own talisman.
Thereafter, Lisfenorans spread tales about strange sightings when the fogs rolled in. They argued about what the sparrow with the drooping wing meant, but all would agree that Grey Man who rolled in with the fog was better than a grey man living within their midst.
THE END
© James Titus
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Alber is a Rosebud Award nominee for best first novel for Kilmoon, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and winner of an Elizabeth George Foundation grant and Walden Fellowship.
Before devoting herself to the fiction life, Lisa worked in Ecuador, Brazil, and New York City. Her various career choices included international finance, journalism, book publishing, and technical writing, with a minor stint as cocktail waitress.
Lisa lives in the Pacific Northwest with a tiny dog and a chubby cat. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. You can find Lisa at http://www.lisaalber.com.
Table of Contents
Copyright Information
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Dedication
WEDNESDAY
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
THURSDAY
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
FRIDAY
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
SATURDAY
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
SUNDAY
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
MONDAY
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
TUESDAY
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-THree
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
WEDNESDAY
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Forty-Nine
Fifty
Fifty-One
Fifty-Two
Fifty-Three
Fifty-Four
Fifty-Five
THURSDAY
Fifty-Six
Fifty-Seven
Fifty-Eight
Fifty-Nine
Sixty
FRIDAY
Sixty-One
Sixty-Two
Sixty-Three
Sixty-Four
Sixty-Five
About the Author