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For the first time that day, I let myself believe him. I let myself lean on him, let myself accept that I didn’t have to do this alone. And as we stood there, wrapped up in each other, the world outside our door could wait. For now, this was enough.
It wassome time before the ME could give us a definitive answer on the bones in the well—they’d found trace DNA and matched it to Micah. All evidence suggested that the bones were the remains of Micah and Rachel’s mom, Rebecca. Xavier had been blunt in his delivery, explainingthat the tests on medications came up empty, but it didn’t prove anything as too much time had passed. The bones showed evidence of trauma, but that could have been from hitting the side of the well. Tally had a collection of items from the luggage she wanted to share with Micah and Rachel, and they were being couriered. I was curious, of course, and got to see photos of everything, but the originals were reserved for the Lennox siblings, as they should be.
The medical records might have told us that she’d only had a few months to live, but that didn’t lessen Micah and Rachel’s pain. I did admit to Rachel and Micah some of what my dad said to me, even though it felt like betraying my dad, who wasn’t there to defend himself. His ramblings hadn’t made a lot of sense, but I told them, and at least I’d been honest. Rachel hugged me after, Micah shook my hand, and somehow, I felt as if I was finally doing the right thing by them and my dad. The discovery had reopened old wounds and cast a shadow over everything they thought they knew, but they were a strong family, and they were getting through it all together. They were focused on the future, and they didn’t want the past to become more than a memory.
They released Rebecca Lennox’s remains in late October, and today, the family was burying her. The wind carried the scent of approaching winter, where the chill settled deep into your bones and made the ground beneath your feet feel harder than it should. The sky was overcast, a muted gray matching the somber mood of the gathering. Almost the entire town had turned up, a sea ofdark coats and solemn faces, their breath visible in the crisp air.
The small cemetery, nestled in the corner where the graveyard butted up against Lennox land, felt like a fitting resting place for Rebecca Lennox. She was being laid to rest in the peace she had been denied in life, far from the man who had made her final days a misery. The only consolation any of us could take was that Edward Lennox was dead too, buried somewhere in this graveyard, though no one in the family had bothered to mark his burial site.
Micah and Rachel stood together at the edge of the open grave; their hands tightly clasped. On either side of them, Daniel and Scott provided silent support, their presence a reminder that the Lennox siblings weren’t alone in their grief. Rachel’s eyes were red-rimmed, but she held her head high, a quiet strength radiating from her that reminded me of her mother. Micah was more stoic, his face a mask, but I could see the pain in his eyes, the kind that comes from losing something you never had the chance to hold onto.
How Rebecca had died would remain a mystery, but in my gut, I knew it was Edward’s doing. The memories Rachel had recovered seemed to suggest that her mother had taken her own life, a final act of defiance before her husband could end it for her. He’d tossed her body down the well, not even giving her the dignity of a burial. Maybe it was for fear that the town would find out she’d committed suicide, or maybe that they would suspect he’d had a hand in it.
What was worse was we’d never know the whole story.
From what Connor had learned, Edward had left town and stayed away long enough to make the story fit, and then he’d come back and pretended she’d gone. He refused to talk about it, kept his fucking pride, and never let anyone know how he treated her.
Or how he’d treated Micah and Rachel.
It was a tragic story, one that left a bitter taste in my mouth, but at least now, Rebecca was being laid to rest away from him. Her grave, a peaceful plot beneath the bare branches of a large oak, was far from where Edward lay.
The minister spoke quietly. His words were lost to the wind as the townspeople bowed their heads. I found myself staring at the fresh mound of dirt that would soon cover Rebecca’s casket, wishing there was more I could do, more I could say.
As the service ended, people began to disperse, and family and close friends headed back to the Lennox Ranch for the wake. My feet felt rooted to the spot, my eyes lingering on the grave as the crowd thinned around me.
Connor stepped up beside me, his hand brushing mine in a silent offer of comfort.
“You should go with them,” I said, my voice low, almost lost to the wind. “Be with your friends.”
“What about you?” he asked, his tone gentle, but there was an edge of concern there too.
“I’m covering the office,” I replied, my eyes still on thegrave. We’d talked last night about people wanting to talk about my dad, how he was doing, and how long he had.
I wasn’t ready to stand in a crowd and tell them the truth—that he was living on borrowed time in a world of confusion.
“Babe—”
“I promise you I’m okay.”
Connor hesitated as if he was going to argue, then he kissed me. “All right,” he said, though I could see the reluctance in his eyes. He squeezed my hand before stepping back. “I’ll see you later, then.”
I watched him walk away, heading toward the line of cars that would take everyone back to the ranch. The sound of car doors closing, engines starting, and murmured voices filled the air as the town departed, leaving the cemetery quiet and still.
The cold seeped through my coat as I stood there, alone with my thoughts and the grave of a woman who had suffered more than anyone ever should. The only sound was the wind through bare branches and the distant hum of the town waking up to another day.
Rebecca was at peace, and that was something. But the weight of her story and how it had ended hung heavy in the air. I knew I’d carry it with me, just as Micah and Rachel would, and in some small way, that felt right. We couldn’t change the past, couldn’t undo the wrongs that had been done, but at least now, there was some small measure of justice in the fact that Edward Lennox would never harm anyone again.
I took one last look at the grave before turning awayand heading back into town. There was work to be done, and life would go on, but today, at least, we had done something that mattered. And that, I hoped, was enough.
Epilogue
NEIL
Three weeks later
Connor’s handsgripped the wheel as we drove up to Lennox Ranch, the road twisting through the hills. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the landscape. The tension in Connor’s shoulders was palpable, and though I wasn’t used to being a passenger in his car, today was different. We were heading to the ranch for a celebration, and a mix of anticipation and something heavier was hanging in the air.
“How are you feeling about being Archie’s hero today?” I asked, breaking the comfortable silence between us.
