Page 67 of Craving You
“No, but we have to,” I sigh.
Wepulluptothe community center, and I am suddenly thankful I overestimated attendance.There are so many cars here, but they have a spot up front reserved for us to park.The media are being respectful for a change, but Leann also volunteered to wrangle them, so we didn’t have to worry about them getting in the way.She is a sweet woman, but tough as fuck.She has probably already scared at least one of them
Andrea and Ross get out first before Cam does.Cam and Andrea walk around the car to Ross and Remy before he takes my hand and I get out.The media instantly starts snapping pictures, and I try my best to ignore them.
“Hey,” Sam says as he walks up.“Practically every employee is here.Leann has threatened to kill half of the media already, and Matthew’s wife is also here.”
“Fuck,” I sigh.“I’ll start with her.What’s her name?”
“Kate,” he says.We all walk with him to a woman standing by herself by the door.
“Hi.Kate?”I ask.
“Yeah,” she smiles softly.“You are Lorelei.”
“I am.I am so sorry to hear about Matthew,” I say.“I can’t imagine.”
“You can,” she says.“Just in a different way.I’m sorry about Beatris.It’s been all over the… well, everything.”
“Yeah.I am avoiding… everything,” I say, making her smile.“Sam said you wanted to talk to me?”
“Yes.I heard that you were one of the ones who found him?”
“Uh.Yeah.We were coming to check in on the audit.He had missed a meeting and we knew he was feeling down about Tris, so we went to go check in with him,” I explain.
“I am so sorry you had to see that.He never would have wanted you all to find him like that,” she sniffs.“I don’t really understand.I talked to him on the phone, and he was sad, but he was planning on him and me sitting down and talking about what happened with the business.I know about the club and everything… I forgave him for that because I wasn’t exactly making his life easy, but… We were fine… he was fine… I’m sorry to be doing this today.I should go.”
“No.No.No,” I say.“Please, don’t go.I promise, it’s okay.I can understand how suffocating grief can be.You reach out when you can and if this is how you process, so be it.Matthew was a good man.”
“They won’t confirm if it was a suicide or not,” she says, glaring at Andrea.
“Well, I will tell you what I think,” I say.“I think he was killed… One, they said his cause of death was that he was hanged and did not specify suicide.Two, if it was suicide, they would just say that.If they aren’t, knowing I saw him, then they have reason to believe that he didn’t do it.”
“I’m with her,” Cam says.
“Who would do something like that?”she asks.
“The same person who raped Tris with a knife,” I say bluntly.“You are welcome to sit with us, if you’d like.”
“Are you sure?I didn’t really know her.”
“Tris loved adopting people and making them her friend.If she were here, she would have claimed you the moment she saw you standing alone,” I say.“Come sit with us.”
“Thank you,” she says.“I don’t know why I came.I just… Wanted to meet you.”
“Sometimes we need a little support.We are the ones who can probably relate the most right now,” I say.“Come on.”
We get closer to the media, and someone shouts a question.“Lorelei!Are you worried you are next?!”
Leann spins around and looks like she is about to punch him, so I walk over and get her attention.“It’s okay.I’ll talk to them,” I say.
“You sure?”Remy asks me.
“Yeah.People are curious,” I say.“I won’t stand here all day, but I will answer a few questions.”
“Are you worried you are next?”the same man asks.
“Well…” I say, looking at Andrea.She nods, so I tell the truth.“I know I was the intended target.I am concerned that someone or someones will get to me, but I am not going to let it consume my life.I will be vigilant, but I won’t stop living because of it.”
