Page 10 of Little Shattered Dreams

“I think this place suits you more than you realize.”

“And I think we should keep discussing Quinn,” I said with a wink.

“Speaking of Quinn, are there any men at this place?”

“Aside from a few of the employees, no. It’s an all-women retreat.”

“Seems kinda sexist if you ask me. I wouldn’t mind checking into a place like this myself sometime.” His face went red, like he’d made the comment before thinking it through first. “Anyway, back to our conversation about the group sessions. What else did Quinn have to say?”

“She talked a little about her life, but every time she got a few sentences in, she’d burst into tears. The first time, she ran out of the session, and I didn’t see her for the rest of the night. She didn’t even come to dinner.”

“And tonight’s session?”

“Quinn started to break down again, but this time she stayed. A younger woman sitting next to her put her arm around her, which seemed to help.”

“What is the young woman’s name?”

“Faith.”

“Last name?”

“I don’t know. They ask us not to use last names here.”

“Makes sense, I guess, based on the personal nature of the conversations y’all are having. Before the floodgates opened, what did Quinn share with the group?”

“She’d been divorced a couple of times. Her second husband took his own life, right after the divorce.”

He tapped the pen to his notepad. “Interesting. What else?”

“She had cancer a couple of years ago. Went through chemotherapy. She’d been wearing a long blond wig, but it looked great on her.”

“Did she talk about why she was at the retreat?”

“She did. She said she came here to start over and to find a way to forgive the people who had wronged her in the past.”

“Did she mention anyone by name?”

I shook my head. “That’s another no-no here. We're encouraged to talk about our past, but with some boundaries. In the booklet we’re given upon arrival, it states we’re not supposed to use names, except for our own first name. It’s meant to help respect and preserve the privacy of everyone who comes here.”

“Seems like a good idea.”

“I guess. I mean, they're fine with us bearing our inner soul so they know everything about us, but mention your last name, and you get a slap on the wrist.”

From the other side of the room, Officer Higgins said, “Over here.”

Silas got to him first, squinting as he looked at what appeared to be a bullet. He patted Higgins on the shoulder and said, “Good find. Bag and tag, my friend.”

“Not to change the subject, but now that you’re the chief of police, how’s the search for your replacement going?” I asked.

“Slow,” Foley answered.

“Maybe you’re being too picky.”

“And maybe you should have considered my offer to return to the department.”

I offered him a snarky smile in response. “Not a chance. I’m sure you’ll find a new detective soon.”

Out of thecornerof my eye I saw Officer Decker standing outside Quinn’s front door. He’d spread his arms out as far as they could go as if creating a human barricade to keep people out of Quinn’s place. He was also talking to someone, but I couldn’t see the person or hear the specifics of the conversation.

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