Page 191 of Buried Too Deep

The aide grinned. “I will. I promise.”

“Excuse me?” A woman stood in the doorway, her neat pantsuit marking her as administration versus a nurse or an aide. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting,” Cora said calmly.

“They are friends,” Jenny said, focused again on the television where puppies cavorted. “Go away, Mrs. Collinsworth.”

“I’m afraid visiting hours are over,” Mrs. Collinsworth said with a painfully fake smile. “Your friends will have to come back later.”

“With a dog,” Jenny said.

“With a dog,” Cora promised.

Phin held his hand out to Jenny. “Thank you.”

She took his hand without looking at him. “You’re welcome. I hope your dog helps you for a long time.”

Phin gave SodaPop an affectionate stroke down her back. “I hope so, too.”

The three of them started to leave, Val slipping the aide her business card. The aide’s eyes widened at Broussard Investigations, and she pocketed it with a slight nod.

They were to the door when Jenny’s voice stopped them in their tracks. “She cried, Phin.”

Phin turned, ignoring the Collinsworth woman who was ordering them to get out. He went back to the sofa, kneeling in front of Jenny once again, the woman’s gaze fixed straight ahead. She was looking at the television, but Phin didn’t think she was seeing it. “She cried?”

“My baby. She cried. My father said she was born dead, but I heard her cry.” She dropped her gaze to Phin’s, her expression steely. “He said I was wrong, but I know I heard her. I told everyone that I heard her and they said I was crazy.”

Phin didn’t look away. “They lied,” he whispered. “You’re not crazy.”

Jenny nodded soberly. “Thank you.”

“You need to leave now,” Mrs. Collinsworth said loudly. “Or I’m calling the police.”

Jenny rolled her eyes, surprising him. “Come back. Please.”

“I will,” Phin promised, then briefly squeezed Jenny’s hand. “Enjoy the puppies.”

“I will.”

Phin rose and met Cora and Val at the door. “We’ll go,” he said to Collinsworth. “No need to call the police.”

The woman’s eyes were angry. “You are not allowed to be here. The family wishes Jenny to have her privacy and now you’ve upset her. Do not come back. I’ll escort you to the door.”

She did just that, making a grand gesture as she waved them out.

Phin stopped walking once he was outside. His stomach hurt. His heart hurt.

“Her brother,” he said.

Val sighed. “Yes. I recorded the whole thing. I think Reverend Beauchamp has quite a few things to explain.” She rubbed Phin’s upper arm comfortingly. “You were so good with her, Phin. So patient.”

“She’s all alone,” Phin said. “I know how she feels. Except she was forced and I chose it.”

Cora stepped in front of him, giving his shirt collar a little yank so that he looked down at her. “That is not true. Your brain lied to you, Phin. Told you that you weren’t good enough. It’s normal to believe your brain. You weren’t in the right place mentally or emotionally to make those choices. Now you are, so what you do now is important. Your family will understand that. They will respect that. Or they will answer to me.”

Phin could only stare at her. Then her words sank in and his chest filled with warmth and he could breathe again. He leaned in and kissed her and she smiled against his lips.

“Good answer,” she said when he pulled away. “Are you ready to talk to Detective Clancy?”

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