Page 83 of Little Buried Secrets

Gee, thanks, Mom.

Hello to you too.

“You saw how much I had to eat at your house the other night,” I said.

She took a step back and frowned. “Just because you had a full plate on Sunday doesn’t mean you’re eating the rest of the time. I’m concerned about your wellbeing.”

“I’m fine, Mom. We should take a seat. The service is about to start.”

She swished a hand through the air, tipping her head toward the chapel door. “People are still filing in. The service won’t begin for at least five or ten minutes, I’d say. Come, come. We saved you a seat.”

Sitting in the third row where I couldn’t observe all that was going on around me wasn’t how I’d wanted things to go. I started to think of ways around it, and then I spotted the perfect backup plan.

“I’ll be right back, Mom,” I said.

“I don’t understand. You just said we needed to sit down. Where are you going?”

Without providing an answer, I made a beeline toward the back of the chapel. Simone had just walked in, and I wanted to catch her while I had the chance. She’d ditched her usual concert T-shirt, blazer, jeans, and Dr. Martens, and was dressed in a navy suit and matching stilettos. Aside from her wedding day, it was the most formal attire I’d ever seen her wear.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to be here,” I said. “I’m glad you came. Harvey and my mother are here too.”

“Yeah,” Simone said. “I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer, and I knew I’d find you here.”

I removed my phone from my handbag and glanced at the screen. “Sorry, I forgot to take it off mute when I got up this morning. Listen, I need a favor.”

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“My mother wants me to sit up front with her, which means I won’t be able to hang back and observe everyone during the services. I need you to be my eyes and ears. I’d like you to look around, get a feel for anyone or anything out of the ordinary.”

“You bet. I need a task to help pass the time. Funerals give me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Oh? I didn’t know.”

“It’s all right. I’m here because we’re working this case together. I was hoping to catch up with you at your mother’s house the other night, but we didn’t get the chance to be alone. I still need to tell you about the conversation I had with Kaia.”

“Let’s get together after the funeral is over,” I said. “You can talk to me about Kaia, and I’ll fill you in on all that’s happened since we last spoke.”

She moved a hand to her hip. “It’s a deal … on one condition.”

“What’s the condition?”

“As soon as the funeral ends, we get the hell out of here and grab a drink somewhere. I always need one after a funeral … well, one or five, give or take.”

I’d never been much of a day drinker, or in this case, an afternoon drinker, and I had no interest in starting now. There were also other things I wanted to accomplish today. But as I looked at Simone, there was a nervousness in her I wasn’t used to seeing—a vast difference from her usual confident, outgoing self.

I lifted a finger. “One drink.”

“I’ll take it.”

I smiled and turned, picking up the pace as I spotted the pastor making his way to the pulpit. To top it off, the expression on my mother’s face was one of disappointment, which made me feel even worse. I scooted in next to her, hoping she wouldn’t say anything, but knowing she would.

“It’s about time,” she said. “You and your sister-in-law were back there prattling on for ages.”

In truth, it had been a few minutes, but I kept quiet.

As the pastor began his opening remarks, I focused on what I could see from my position. To the far right, I spotted Rae in the front row. Bronte was beside her with her arm draped around her shoulders. On the other side of Rae was a man who resembled her. I guessed it was her brother, Jay. I watched him for a time, noticing his eyes were darting around, looking at various people in attendance. His gaze met mine, and I acknowledged him with a nod. He nodded back, offering a slight grin like Rae had told him about me.

Sitting in the row behind Rae was Grant, his attention focused on Bronte. His expression was grim, like he should be the one comforting Rae, not her. I wondered whether Rae had spoken to him again or seen him since I visited her. I also wondered why he was in the second row instead of the first.

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