by Jill Bisker
Chapter Forty
We bowed our heads as the casket was lowered into the ground, laying to rest the body of my true grandfather I had never known. I tried to balance on the front of my feet as my black pumps sank into the damp, dark earth at the cemetery. I was wearing my sleeveless black dress and a cool breeze gave me a slight chill. Emmett placed a warm, steadying arm around my shoulders as I wiped away the stray tears from my cheeks, tears shed for lost chances and broken dreams.
I turned to give my mother a hug and smiled at my aunt and cousin standing just behind us. We were united in a new sense of family. There were a surprising number of people attending the service. A few were reporters hot on the trail of a morbid story that could bring titillation to a small town, but most were new family members and friends we’d gained in our search for Quentin’s history. While difficult for his family to learn of his unfortunate demise, it provided a sense of closure that they finally knew the truth and could lay him to rest, and they welcomed my mom and me, Aunt Shelly and Connie, as new members of their family. It was sad that Quentin’s parents had passed without knowing what had happened to him, but I felt confident that wherever they were now, they knew and were at peace.
There were still matters to be settled with Saundra. After Teoline, Quentin and Soren all vanished from the basement, Saundra awoke to find herself disarmed and guarded by a very angry Dean and Glen. A call to the police prompted a quick response from Officer Tina Swanson and her partner, Officer Burns. They wrote up a report about the decomposed body of Quentin which we found in the fruit cellar, and took Saundra away in handcuffs. We were advised to vacate the house for a few days until forensic specialists could perform a complete investigation, but Connie and I decided to stay with our mothers for a while longer after the traumatic experience we had just had in the house. We speculated whether there really was a treasure somewhere in the old house but our mothers insisted they didn’t know anything about it. After going through Soren’s finances, they were surprised that there wasn’t more money in the estate but simply assumed he had frittered away the cash while accumulating his assorted collections. One thing was certain—we intended to search every last box, cubby hole and crawl space to make sure we didn’t miss a thing.
Following the service, Emmett offered to drive me to the wake so we walked to his truck and climbed in. I closed my eyes and felt him take my hand.
“How you doing? Holding up okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine, not great, but fine,” I answered. “Thanks for being here, you’ve been a great friend. I know funerals aren’t the most fun things to go to, but you look fabulous in a suit.”
Emmett laughed. “I wouldn’t have missed it. I’d like to think I’m a little more than a friend.”
I opened my eyes to find Emmett leaning in to kiss me, his lips soft and warm. I felt a tingling like electricity flow from the top of my head, down my spine, and all the way to my feet. When he moved away I felt breathless. I looked into his eyes and saw the promise of a future there.
“While I’m feeling very warm right now, I’m sure they’ll have the air conditioning on full blast at the wake. If you don’t mind I’d like to get my black sweater that was left at the house.” It was a small town, we had plenty of time.
Emmett parked in front of the house and I quickly unlocked the front door and ran up the stairs to the master bedroom. I found the sweater I was looking for and headed back down the hall. Suddenly, I heard music.
At first I thought it was coming from the car outside. Then I realized it was inside the house. Slow and sweet, it drifted up the stairs. I stopped at the top of the stairs and it was deja vu. It was the song.
I went down the steps and the music got louder. I reached the bottom and stopped dead in my tracks. In the center of the living room were my grandmother and Quentin, dancing to We’ll Meet Again. The handsome young man and the bright young woman were bathed in soft light. Her head rested on his shoulder and he had a look of wistfulness on his face. I just stared.
“Teoline,” I whispered, unable to believe she was there. “It’s wonderful to see you, but you two can move on, you don’t need to stay anymore. You can be at peace.”
“Oh, Darlin,’” she said. “We’ve just found one another. We’re not going anywhere.”
THE END
About the Author
Jill Bisker lives in Stillwater, MN with her husband, son, and a calico cat named Senora. She believes in empowering women to be strong enough to protect themselves, while still soft enough to be loving and compassionate. Her work includes paranormal mystery and traditional high fantasy, as well as contemporary and humorous fantasy and an everyday living blog. Her novella Within Reach is her first publication with Melange. Once a dedicated stay at home Mom, Jill now writes full-time.
www.jillbisker.com
https://www.facebook.com/authorjillbisker
http://www.unaccompaniedjaunt.blogspot.com
Other Works by the author available at Melange Books, LLC
Within Reach
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