What's Done In the Dark(39)

“It’s just so . . . I don’t know . . . tense around our house. Why can’t I come live with you?”

I felt awful. If I thought it would help, I would push aside any feelings I had to let Tahiry stay with me. But I knew Paula needed her daughter, even if she wasn’t acting like it. “Tell you what, promise me you’ll never run off like that again, and I will talk to your mom about chillin’ with us for a little while. Deal?”

“Deal.” She sniffed.

She looked out the window as she wiped her tears. We rode in silence until we pulled up into her house.

“Tahiry!” Paula said, swinging the door open and meeting me on the porch.

A part of me wondered if she was going to haul off and smack her daughter upside the head. But she grabbed her tightly, and they both broke out crying.

“Baby, don’t do ever do that to me again. I would die if something happened to you, too.” While still holding her head tight to her daughter’s, she looked up at me. “Thank you, Felise.”

“You’re welcome. Tahiry is just very upset and trying not to worry you because she knows how hard this is for you.”

Paula pulled away from her daughter, wiped her eyes, and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’m so sorry, baby.”

“No, Mama, I understand.” She reached out to include me in the hug. “Nana made me feel better.”

“She always does.” Paula smiled and then reached over to enfold me as well. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I inhaled sharply, grateful that she couldn’t see my eyes because I’m sure the guilt would’ve given me away.





26


Paula


“YOU KNOW THOSE THINGS AREN’T good for you.”

I looked up to see Tahiry standing over me, her arms folded across her chest, her lips poking out.

“So, what, you’re the cigarette police now?” I tried to say with a smile as I dropped the cigarette down by my side.

“No, it’s just that I’ve already lost my dad. I don’t want to lose my mom to lung cancer.”

Wow. That was a low blow, but it was enough to make me squish my cigarette out.

“Okay, babe.” I held up my hands in defeat. “I’m done.” At least I’m done smoking around her, I thought. But my cigarettes were the only thing keeping me calm these days.

“What are you doing?” I asked her. I’d tried to spend the last two days giving Tahiry some extra time. Yesterday, we’d lain in bed together, watching old movies. The together time was good for us both. I’d come out here on the deck to try and steal a moment of “me” time—and a smoke.

“I’m trying to straighten up the living room,” she announced.

I raised an eyebrow. “You straightening up the living room?”

Tahiry shrugged. “Keeps me busy. But I wanted to see what you wanted me to do with a box.”

“What box?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like it has a few of Dad’s things in it. Why is it in the living room? Are you packing his stuff up already?”

“Of course not,” I said, trying to figure out what she was talking about. “Oh, my goodness, that’s the box the police brought over,” I said, when it dawned on me. “Go get it. Bring it here. I haven’t paid it any attention since they brought it here.”

“Oh, okay.” Walking back inside, she returned with the box and set it at my feet. “What is that stuff?”

“It’s just Dad’s belongings.”

“Oh.” She turned like she couldn’t bear to see me go through it.

His portfolio was placed on top, so I took it out and shuffled through it. I didn’t find anything unusual: some paperwork with Kevin’s signature, business cards, a notepad, and his iPad. I set the portfolio to the side and then slowly fingered his suit and his tie, his socks. But I stopped when I saw his underwear. I couldn’t think why, but something didn’t feel right. And then I figured out what was puzzling me. Why would his underwear be in this box and not on him? My mind started churning as I tried to figure that out. I never asked the police what he was wearing when they found him.

But why would they have removed his underwear before the coroner came? I jogged my memory, and I was right. This box came from the hotel, not the coroner.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear my sister walk out onto the deck.

“Hey,” Charlene said.

I glanced at her, then quickly turned back to the box. “Hey.”

“What are you doing?” she said, walking over to peer in the box.

“Just going through some of Steven’s stuff,” I said. I was annoyed that she was messing up my thought process.