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“Please, have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the couch opposite of where she was standing as Alfred took off to get the coffee.

Ty and I sat down, Mrs. Sanders sitting on the couch opposite us, and her son made his way to the window on the far side of the room. He kept his gaze focused outside, but I didn’t doubt his attention was on everything that was happening inside this room.

For a fleeting moment, I diverted my eyes to Ty. He inclined his head ever-so-gently as he sent a reassuring smile my way. Following several beats of assessing silence, Annie’s mom asked, “So, tell me again. What is this you’re doing?”

“I’ve spent a couple of weeks now working on planning to put together a news piece on your daughter, Mrs. Sanders,” I started.

“Please, call me Monica,” she begged. “Mrs. Sanders is my mother-in-law, and we like to keep things separate so they’re clear.”

I nervously bit my lip and dipped my chin with understanding. That this woman was focused on something that seemed insignificant when her daughter had been murdered so recently was unsettling.

My mind immediately drifted to thoughts of my own mother, or Yasmine’s mom. They were both nearly inconsolable, and Yasmine and I were still alive. I couldn’t imagine how they’d be if the worst had happened to either one of us.

“Okay. Well, so, as I mentioned, and I’m sure you’re already well aware, Annie had such a tremendous impact on the people in this community. So, I decided to reach out to some of the organizations that I know she was involved with, and I have to tell you that even though I already knew she was an incredibleperson, my eyes have been opened to a whole other side of her. You should be so incredibly proud of your daughter.”

“I appreciate you saying that. Her father and I certainly don’t have any regrets as it pertains to Annette.”

A sound came from the far side of the room, and I realized Reed had huffed. Evidently, he didn’t like what he’d just heard, and I wondered if Monica would have said the same about her son.

Alfred returned with coffee, placing a tray down on the table between the couches.

“Thank you, sir,” Ty said, reaching to take a mug from Alfred.

“My pleasure. If there is anything else you need, please do not hesitate.”

The man was so sweet, even if he seemed on edge. Ty and I had only been here for a matter of minutes, and I didn’t doubt he could feel the tension in the room the same as me. I could only imagine what had been happening before we arrived between Monica and her son and how it might have impacted someone like Alfred. After he’d distributed the coffee along with a side of cookies, Alfred left the room.

Returning my attention to Monica, I asked, “Is your husband around? I don’t want to inconvenience anyone, but if you think he’d like to speak with us, I’m happy to wait.”

She shook her head. “No. No, Sully’s poured himself into work these last few weeks,” she explained. “I think this would be far too difficult for him.”

“I understand. I just wanted to make that an option in case,” I explained. “So, as I said, I’ve been learning a lot about Annie. And I had originally considered just speaking to individuals in the community, but the more I’ve heard, the more I believe it’d be so wonderful to have her family involved in this. I think it would just give it a more personal touch to hear from the people who saw her in her everyday life.”

Monica’s eyes dropped to her coffee mug. She hesitated, returned her attention in my direction, and asked, “What is your goal in doing this?”

Was she against it?

Granted, she couldn’t technically stop me from reporting on something, but given what I’d shared with her, I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want me to do this. Of course, it was entirely possible that she just wanted to be sure I wasn’t fishing for dirt. It wasn’t unheard of for reporters or journalists to have ulterior motives. I had one now, though it wasn’t because I intended to write something horrible about a woman who had proven to be one of the very best Steel Ridge had to offer.

“Inspiration,” I declared.

“Pardon?”

I smiled at her. “I can think of no better way to honor Annie’s legacy than by doing something that could possibly make others feel inspired to live with a similar mindset. What happened to her is absolutely devastating. God, it’s awful. In spite of that, I have to believe that Annie would want others to be inspired by the work she did.”

Another grunt came from Reed, forcing our attention in his direction. Ty’s body tensed beside mine.

“Reed, please,” Monica begged, the pleading in her tone powerful enough to make my heart pound harder.

“Please what?” he clipped.

“Stop this.” Her voice was firm, the same way a mother would keep it to warn their child they were entering dangerous territory.

But just like a toddler whose sole job it was to push the boundaries and see how far he could go, so did Reed. “Inspire people? Are you joking me, Mom? All Annie did was worry about everybody else. She’d have lived in poverty if it meant saving the world.”

Though I kept my head pointed in Reed’s direction, my eyes shifted toward Ty. No doubt he was thinking the very same thing as me.

“It made her happy,” Monica said. She was trying to regain some semblance of pleasantness in the room again. The way her voice had pitched higher told me she was hoping to save face.

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