Page 47 of A Hidden Past

Edith’s eyes widen in shock. “You what?”

“Last night. Julian and Clara went out to party or something, so I broke in while they were gone and read Lila’s diary. It’s all there.”

“What’s all there? She knew they were going to kill her?”

“No, but she knew all about Clara’s drug use, and she knew a lot of criminal activities that Julian was involved in. I’m talking seriously bad stuff. Like organized crime stuff. Extortion, racketeering, embezzlement, political deals and at least one case where someone was ‘gotten rid of.’”

“Oh, my stars."

“Yeah, I know. He’s basically the Al Capone of Autumn Downs.”

“Oh, my word.” Edith leans back in her chair and stares out the window, eyes wide with shock.

It occurs to me that I’ve just unloaded a lot of heavy stuff on a seventy-two-year-old woman. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Winslow. You don’t need to hear all of this.”

“Edith,” she reminds me, “and I knew most of what you just said, or at least suspected it. I’m just surprised that Lila knew. It makes a lot of sense now.”

“Yeah.” I sip the rest of my coffee. “I just hate that no one’s doing anything about it.”

“Have you told the police?”

“I told them that the Kensingtons killed Lila. I haven’t told them about the diary yet.”

“You should.”

I scoff. “Why? So they can have me arrested for breaking and entering?”

She gives me a gentle but stern smile. “I don’t mean to be cold, dear, but when you consider what happened to Lila, a little time for burglary is a small price to pay.”

Except it wouldn’t be small time for me. With my criminal history, I’d be looking at the maximum sentence of six years. Still, Lila got the death sentence, so Edith has a point.

But… “It’s not that simple. The cops had evidence to at least look into the parents, and they ruled the death an accident in two days. The ink was barely dry on the coroner’s report, and they swept it under the rug. When I told Detective Ramirez that I had caught Clara doing drugs, she didn't even care. She just wanted to know why I was back at the house. She thought I was selling drugs to Clara and Lila.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. They really want to stay off of Julian’s bad side.”

“Do you have the diary still?”

I shook my head. “No, she…” I catch myself before I tell on Vivian. When I lift my eyes to Edith, she has that hard look in them again. I don’t know if Vivian could get in trouble for anything she did, but I know that people talk in this neighborhood, and I don’t want to make anything harder for her than I already have.

I feel a pang of guilt for my earlier behavior. Vivian was only trying to protect me. I need to go apologize to her.

I finish with, “He took it back.”

“Julian? How did he take it back?”

I redden. “I… I confronted him.” Edith sighed and looked down at her coffee. “I know, I know. I fucked up.”

“Language.”

“Sorry. I messed up. I was just angry, and no one was doing anything. I figured that someone should let them know they hadn’t gotten away with it.”

“But they have so far. And allowing your emotions to control you only increased the chances that they’ll still get away with it.”

Her correction is delivered far more gently than Vivian’s, but it cuts far deeper. I lower my head and feel tears come to my eyes again.

Edith stands and takes the empty coffee mug. “Tears don’t help. Save them for later.”

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