The receptionist looked at her with a blank expression as if she’d never seen her before. Then she startled as if poked with a pin. “Let me double-check.” She picked up the phone and had a muffled conversation, and a minute later a middle-aged man strode toward her.
He held out his hand, revealing a Rolex watch. “Ms. Daniels, I believe.”
“Yes.” She shook his hand and noted it was damp. “You are?”
“Reginald Signs.” He retrieved his hand. “I need to see your ID to confirm you match the will, and then we’ll get you back to the box.”
“All right.” She tugged out her wallet and showed him her driver’s license. Then she glanced around for Jett. Guess he’d been detained longer than he anticipated.
The man studied her license, dark hair not moving as he leaned forward. “Thank you. If you’ll follow me.”
Savannah frowned as she replaced her wallet. “Do you need a photocopy of my ID?”
“We should have it on file.”
“I don’t see how. You’re the first person who’s asked for it.” She glanced around again. “I’m also waiting for a friend.”
He stood at what looked like attention, his shoulders so square under his suit coat he could have a hanger holding him straight. “We wouldn’t let you beyond this door if we hadn’t confirmed your identity. Checking your license is merely a formality. I’m afraid we do not have time to wait for your friend.”
That made little sense, but she followed him to a door that, after he swiped an employee badge, opened to a narrow hallway. The door looked thick enough to stop damage from an explosion.
“We were sorry to see that Mr. Tate died.” Mr. Signs’s voice held an insincere note. He’d probably never met Dustin.
“Yes.”
“I will show you to a room and then bring the box to you. We will open it together.”
He stopped at a door that held a keypad. After punching in a code, he opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter first.
The room was small with a harsh overhead light and petite table and two chairs. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Before she could nod, the door closed behind her with a harsh click. Would it open if she tried the door? She pushed the crazy thought that she was trapped from her mind. Of course it would open. Who would want to keep her in a small room at the bank?
She was being ridiculous.
But Dustin had been killed. Someone had run her off the road. All of it conspired to make her a little crazy. Savannah hoped there would be something in the safe deposit box that helped her make sense of the last two weeks.
The door opened, and Savannah jerked back to a prim position. Mr. Signs strode in with a box clutched in his hands. It didn’t seem very large as he set it on the table. “Your key?” He held out his hand, but she decided to hang on to it. A second key dangled from his other hand.
“It goes in there?” She slid her chair to the side so she had a better angle on the keyhole. At his nod, she smiled. “I’m ready.”
Together they slotted their keys and then twisted them. She felt the lid release as they extracted their keys. “Thank you. Is there a time limit on using this room?”
“No.”
“Wonderful.” She maintained her smile as she waited for him to take the hint and leave. He spun on one polished heel and left her alone.
She studied the box.
No time like the present. She reached for the lid. While there was probably a camera watching her, she’d pretend she was alone. The lid stuck and she had to tug to get it to open.
When she did, she frowned. The contents didn’t make much sense.
A couple small bars—were they gold?—were nestled at the bottom. She frowned. Dustin had never seemed the type to buy gold in anticipation of a rainy day. His investment activities had been riskier, bordering on day trading. Maybe the bars weren’t really gold, but if not, he wouldn’t put them in a bank box.
She carefully lifted the bars out. They felt solid and heavy as she set them on the table. Beneath them rested a passport and a small velvet bag. She frowned at the passport and opened it. Bernard Julius? The image was Dustin’s but the name was crazy. All of the stamps seemed to fall in line with trips to and from Thailand. Would he have stored jewelry in the bag? She picked up the bag, which held a few loose gems. She’d need a professional to help her know for certain what they were. Then she noted the small box that had been beneath it. A jeweler’s ring box.
Her breath hitched. Maybe he really had planned to ask Stasi to marry him.
She shook her head. She was being foolish to think it contained a ring or let it affect her. If he’d wanted to marry, that was his business. But a part of her heart still hiccupped at the idea.
She sank to the chair and stared at the small box. It was the kind that usually signified such joy. She reached back in and snatched it open. Her heart stilled as a small piece of folded paper fluttered from the black velvet that showcased her wedding ring. She’d given it back to him at the termination of their marriage, then assumed he’d sold it. Her fingers trembled as she set the box down and carefully unfolded the origami-folded paper.
His sloppy micro handwriting scrawled almost unintelligibly across it.
Addy, I’ve saved this for you. May you be the woman your aunt is. You make me proud.
Savannah collapsed against the chair’s back and rubbed her hands over her eyes. She couldn’t show the note to Addy. Not now.
Jett’s smile floated into her mind, and she absorbed the image. He was her anchor to what could be. She needed to free herself from the past. She’d let too much time pass living with the certainty she was unworthy of love. But Jett seemed determined to show her the untruth of that.
She closed the ring box and returned it to the safe deposit box. It could wait here until Addy was ready for the gift, because that was what it was. A gift from a father to his daughter. It wasn’t Savannah’s any longer, hadn’t been for a long time.
It was time to finally close the chapters that had dictated her story for too long.
All she had to do was release the past and face what might yet be.
She could reach out and grasp the future.
The future could be painted by hope if she’d let it.
First she had to get these items safely home and then prepare for the memorial service. After that she could focus on why Dustin had the gold and gems.
Chapter Thirty-Six
As Savannah left the bank late Monday morning, the sky matched her mood with a covering of dense clouds. If she hadn’t organized Dustin’s memorial service for Addy, she’d wish for a way to gracefully skip it. At home, Savannah pulled on a pair of designer black pants and a matching tunic. It was an outfit she reserved for non-court days, and it was the armor she’d need to get through the afternoon.
When Rhett stood on her hind legs to be picked up, Savannah had to walk away so her clothes weren’t covered in a fine coating of fur. She’d never been allergic a day in her life, but she blamed the cat’s nearness for the catch in the back of her throat as she grabbed her keys and purse and hurried from the house.
The man had been the only man she’d allowed into her heart until the last weeks. The realization of the hope she felt for new love brought a slight smile on the hard day.
When Savannah reached Stasi’s apartment building, Savannah had to sit in the car a minute and suck in deep breaths. Somehow she would find the fortitude to be the rock Addy required, while ignoring the fact that she and Stasi had yet to talk about Friday’s school incident.
Who would be her rock?
I will.
The thought bounced around her mind and stabbed her. Help me trust that You will.
It wasn’t seismic or loud, but she felt the beginnings of peace. A peace that would shelter her and flow from her if she let it. She wanted to let it, because if she didn’t she would crack.
She inhaled peace for a minute, then closed her eyes
and with one last exhale, pushed from her car.
A curtain fluttered at Addy’s window. By the time Savannah hiked to the third-floor landing, Addy stood in the doorway.
“I’m not ready for this, Aunt Savvy.” Her voice was small and fragile, and the circles under her eyes were as dark as her dress. Her niece had become a zombie, with her spark absent since the night she’d found Dustin’s body. She would never unsee that trauma.
“I don’t think we ever are.” Savannah eased toward Addy and pulled her into a hug. She felt Addy’s arms circle her waist and hold on tight. “We’ll get through today, and then we’ll figure out what we do next. I promise you will be okay.”
“Isn’t that sweet?” The sarcasm in Stasi’s voice couldn’t hide the hurt on her face. There was a hopelessness to the slope of her shoulders, and she looked like she’d lost even more weight to the point of emaciation.
“Hi, Stasi.” Savannah reached to welcome her sister into the hug, and Stasi hesitantly stepped in. For too many years the sisters had lived on the opposite sides of Dustin. Today that could change, even if they had a lot to figure out. Addy relaxed, so Savannah cleared her throat, and the group hug ended. “Do you need to get anything before we leave?”
Addy glanced at her empty hands. “I don’t think so.”
“We have you.” Stasi stepped back into the apartment’s entryway. “You’ll take care of us.”
On the quiet drive to the church, Savannah mulled Stasi’s words in her mind. It was true. She’d continue to be there for them, even when it hurt. It’s what family did.
Before Savannah was really ready, they pulled into the parking lot of the church Dustin had attended when he’d been in town. The church was a small brick building with a parking lot that could hold around forty cars. If there hadn’t been a cross illuminated on the brick, it would be easy to drive by and think it was another business. Today the lot was about half full, and as Savannah pulled in, she didn’t notice any satellite trucks. That didn’t mean there weren’t reporters present though.
Addy sniffed from the back seat, and Stasi turned on her. “Stop that now. You will not let people think you are beat by this. He’s not worth it.”
“You thought he was,” Addy said. The hint of defiance gave Savannah hope that Addy would be okay.
“Well, he’s gone. No use wasting tears on a man who couldn’t fully love.” Her gaze shot to Savannah. “Any of us.” She exited the car and walked up the sidewalk to the main doors of the church, then entered without waiting.
“Guess it’s you and me, kiddo.”
Addy nodded and leaned into Savannah’s side as they walked together into the building and then the small sanctuary. There were about twenty pews on each side of the aisle. A small stage at the front held a piano, an undersized set of drums, and a podium.
“I think family sits up in the front row on the right.”
Her sister smiled at a man walking down the aisle, and Savannah wanted to scream. When would Stasi grow up? When would she recognize that everything she thought she had to offer was washed up, drowned in a flood of alcohol and painkillers that had to be pickling her body from the inside out? If Addy wasn’t enough to make her change, then the woman would flirt her way to an early grave.
Addy took a seat and leaned against Stasi’s shoulder. A flawed mother was better than none. In this moment Addy wanted hers.
Savannah would step back and let them have this time. But when Stasi failed again, and she would, Savannah would be there to protect Addy. Just like every other time.
* * *
Jett expected Dustin’s family to slide into that row right before the memorial began. He’d arrived an hour early, wanting to see who would show for the service. It could be a great way to get a sense of the man, eavesdropping on unguarded comments. He’d gained salient details at other memorials and funerals.
But Savannah, Addy Jo, and an underweight woman were the only people who made their way to the front of the church. They slid into the second row, leaving the first open. Jett couldn’t see what Dustin had seen in Stasi. Side by side, the better sister was evident. Where Stasi was all thinness and sharp edges, Savannah had a warmth and softness to her that she tried to mask but couldn’t. A petite woman with Asian features walked up the outside aisle and settled in the row behind the trio. She kept her head bowed. The rest of the rows held a scattering of quiet people.
After an hour, Jett was ready to get off the uncomfortable pew and away from the slightly musty smell of the red carpet that was fading from overuse. A heavy floral aroma from the white lilies in a couple flower arrangements at the front of the stage cloyed in the space.
He remained where he was because he wanted to support Savannah, even from a distance. Something had shifted between them, and he hoped they were on the verge of becoming more. Much more.
She was here for Addy and her sister. Who was here for her?
The answer came in the next minutes as her friends and colleagues from the law firm made their way down the center aisle and sat shoulder to shoulder in the pew behind her, edging the other woman to the outside seat, where she stayed in the shadows. The solidarity in their expressions telegraphed their commitment to Savannah. These women would be her rock, and as the receptionist leaned forward to hug her from behind, Jett thought Savannah might not need him after all.
Then the memorial began. The eulogies were short. Addy stood to share a small story, constantly looking toward Savannah, who stood behind her, a hand on the young teen’s back. After they returned to their pew, a couple of Dustin’s flying buddies shared stories of a man who had been a bit of a Top Gun Maverick. A man who lived bigger than life until he met Savannah. From his seat a couple of rows behind and to the right, Jett could see the color flush up her neck.
Then the man had changed course again.
That was something Jett couldn’t grasp. If a man captured the heart of a woman like Savannah, why let her go?
Sure there was something overwhelming and intimidating about the woman, but it wasn’t because of what she did. It was who she was. She had more smarts in her pinky than many had in their entirety.
He turned his attention to the crowd, trying to see who might be there that didn’t fit. He wasn’t there because he knew Dustin, and maybe others were in the same position, only with more sinister reasons.
Was Agent Martin or whoever was involved in Dustin’s death here? Those who committed crimes liked to see the fruits of them. Why? They got some kind of a thrill from it? He glanced around, but the photo of Agent Martin he’d found online didn’t match any of the people at the service.
He surreptitiously glanced around during the rest of the service, then waited at the back for Savannah to step away from those who lingered to extend condolences. She looked exhausted, with Addy looking worse.
Savannah slowed when she neared him, and the women from the law firm fanned behind her. “Thank you for coming.”
He nodded. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t alone. Looks like you have lots of support.” He turned to Addy. “You getting any sleep?”
She shook her head and sniffled. “I’m trying.” She glanced at her aunt, then back at him. “It’s hard.”
“It will get easier someday. I promise. But it’ll be hard for a while.” He wished an adult had told him that truth when he was in her shoes. Instead, he’d had to learn the hard way. “Eventually you’ll be okay again.”
“I know.” Addy studied him directly with a maturity someone her age shouldn’t possess. “I have Aunt Savvy.”
Her mother must have heard that last bit, because she stiffened and tried to grab Addy’s hand. “We are going.”
Addy leaned into Savannah even more. “I’m not ready and want to stay with her.”
Before the tug-of-war could get going, the dark-haired woman he’d noticed stepped nearer. A look on her face suggested she’d made a mistake, yet her gaze seemed frozen on Addy.
“I think someone’s waiting to
talk with you, Savannah.”
Savannah closed her eyes for a moment as if gathering strength, then opened them and turned with a smile to the woman. “Hello.”
The woman glanced from Addy to Savannah. “You are Ms. Daniels?”
As she stepped out of the shadows, her quiet elegance became clear. From her simple black dress to carefully styled hair, even her makeup had an understated simplicity that enhanced her fine features. Her words had a lilting tone of someone who’d learned English after their tongue was set toward Asian languages.
“Yes.” A guarded expression matched the stiffening of Savannah’s posture. “Can I help you?”
“I would like to speak with Addy Jo if I may.”
“I’m sorry, but who are you?”
“A friend.” She stopped and swallowed hard. “A friend of Mr. Dustin’s. I have something for her.”
Savannah’s arm tightened around Addy, and Jett braced himself to intervene. Savannah studied the woman. “You know my name, but what is yours?”
“You may call me Hope.”
Jett leaned forward. “Hope Boonmee?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The woman startled at Jett’s pronouncement of her name. She clutched her purse as her gaze darted about the sanctuary and she took a step back. “I must leave.”
Savannah reached out with her free hand. “Please. We would very much like to talk with you.”
Stasi was growing impatient. “Are you ready to go yet?”
Hope used that distraction to try to step into the shadows, so Jett cut off her path. “I bet you have time for coffee.”
The woman’s eyes and mouth rounded.
Stasi looked around the circle. “Who’s she? What did I miss?”
Addy rolled her eyes. “Too much, Mom.” She took a step away from Savannah and toward Hope. “I would like to hear what you remember about my dad.”
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