Page 164 of Everything She Feared

They’re not her real family. Who keeps photos of a fake family? Someone with no family?

“Look at this, Kim.”

Benton was staring at a wall calendar in the kitchen, dotted with handwritten notations on different days.

“What is it?”

“Look what she wrote on the last one, today’s date.”

Pierce read the tiny neat script in blue ink:Today’s the day!

She exchanged a glance with Benton.

Neither one of them knew the significance of the date.

Pierce swallowed hard, because whatever it was, she sensed that they were too late.

84

Bothell, Washington

At the SilverbrookHills Senior Living Home, a soft knock sounded at Marjorie Cole’s door.

She’d been sitting up in her bed watching the rain web down her window and turned to see Bella Spencer at the entrance to her room.

“Your door was still open. I’m sorry, did I disturb you?”

“No.”

“Would you like some company?”

“Okay.” Marjorie’s weak smile couldn’t mask her torment.

Bella sat in the chair next to her bed.

“I saw Sara on the elevator a little earlier, and my, she looked upset.”

Marjorie’s chin quivered but she was silent.

“And now you look upset. Forgive me, I don’t mean to pry, but is something wrong?”

Blinking at her tears, Marjorie turned back to her window. “That’s quite a storm we’ve got out there,” she said.

“Goodness, I am prying. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologize.” Marjorie looked down to study the crumpled tissue in her hands. “It’s just family matters, you know?”

A moment followed with only the sound of the rain on the window.

“Family matters,” Bella repeated. “We know all about that, don’t we?”

Marjorie nodded.

“In fact—” Bella stood and closed the door, then locked it “—I wrote to you about a family matter.”

Marjorie was puzzled.

“And you wrote back to me,” Bella said.

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