Greg walked sternly out the room. Well, I told myself, feeling helpless, at least I got him to go away.
24
Paula
I WANTED TO SCREAM AT the sound of someone tapping on my bedroom door. I wanted everyone to leave me alone. I didn’t want to come out from under these covers. I knew my mother was as much of a basket case as I, so I knew she wouldn’t be much help. But hopefully, my sister was holding it down. I couldn’t deal with her over-the-top behind either, but at least she was handling my children. I’d tried to spend the day with them yesterday after I saw how they were grieving, too, and although I’d made it through the day, today I had retreated back to my safe place: under my covers.
“Hey, Paula, someone’s here to see you,” Charlene said, easing my door open, despite the fact that I hadn’t bothered to answer.
“Ugggh,” I groaned. I didn’t feel like visitors. Why did people always feel the need to come visiting you when you’d lost a loved one? Didn’t they say everything they needed to at the funeral?
“Who is it?” I moaned.
“You need to get up and come see,” she replied. “They have on plain clothes, but I can smell a cop a mile away.”
I sat up in bed. “Cops?”
“Yeah, I think they’re detectives or something.”
“What do they want?”
“I don’t know. You?”
“Maybe they have some news about Steven.” I threw my covers back and stood up. I knew I looked a hot mess, so I ran my fingers through my hair. I threw my robe over my pajamas and made my way downstairs.
“Where’s Mama?” I asked.
“Same place you were, in the bed.”
My heart was racing as I spotted the two men standing in the living room. I hoped that they had some information, that my husband had been the victim of a brutal robbery gone wrong, something other than that he had died from a heart condition. A condition I knew about when I told him I wanted a divorce.
“May I help you?” I asked.
“Hi, Mrs. Wright, I’m Detective Clark Aimes. We wanted to let you know that we have concluded our investigation.” He handed me a sealed envelope. “Since the autopsy confirms that your husband did die of heart failure, we’re closing the case. All the details are in that letter.”
The other detective handed me a box. “We also wanted to drop off his belongings. A few things that were in the hotel room.”
When I didn’t make any attempt to move, Charlene stepped forward and took the box. “I don’t understand. Why are you closing the case?” I asked.
“There’s nothing else to look into. Everything appears to be in order.”
“In order? How could a thirty-six-year-old man dying be in order?”
“I’m sorry.” He squeezed my hand, and then both of them headed out the door.
I sat heavily on the sofa, the box set on the table in front of me. My sister was standing by, looking uneasy, while I set the official report down, then pulled the box toward me. I pulled out my husband’s wallet and fingered it while I tried to keep a tear from escaping. I could not believe this. It was over.
“Umm, Paula, I know that you’re dealing with a lot, but . . .”
“But what, Charlene?” I wasn’t in the mood for my flighty sister. I just wanted to sit here and go through my husband’s belongings.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Charlene said, fidgeting with her hands.
“Say what?” I asked, not trying to hide my irritation.
“Okay,” Charlene shifted from side to side, “but you’re going to be really mad.”
“Mad about what, Charlene? Just tell me. I don’t have time for games.”
She was biting her bottom lip, which was not a good sign. “Tahiry isn’t here.”
A prickle of alarm made me sit up straighter. “What do you mean, she’s not here? Where is she?”
My sister ran her fingers through her hair but didn’t answer as her eyes darted about, like she was looking for a way to escape.
“Where is Tahiry?” I demanded.
“I–I don’t know,” my sister stammered. “I let her go to this party last night, and, ah, she didn’t come home.”
I stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the box. “What do you mean, she didn’t come home? What party did she go to? She’s fourteen! She doesn’t go to parties!”
“How am I supposed to know that?” my sister cried. “You were so out of it, the boys were driving me crazy, and Mama was a basket case.” She started talking real fast. “Tahiry was stressing out and wanted to go to that party, and . . . and I thought it would make her feel better.”