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I shoved that into the back recesses of my mind for years,Rose thought.I need answers now.
“Do you come often?” Rose asked because she was too frightened to dive immediately into the darkness.
“Once or twice a week. They take care of me here.”
Rose smiled and glanced at his ring finger to find it empty. She wasn’t sure why she’d assumed he was single. He was probably just a little bit older than she was.Maybe he’d been married before. Perhaps he had grown children.
It was easy to assume many things about a person. Those assumptions were often never correct.
Sean sipped his Diet Coke and held her gaze for a steady moment. Rose’s heart thumped.
“Why were you looking for me?” he asked.
Rose reached for the diary and placed it on the table between them. Her vision blurred with tears, but she blinked them away quickly, cursing herself for showing her hand.
“You know I bought the old Grayson Estate,” she said, fingers splayed over the diary.
Sean nodded and remained quiet. His eyes were impossible to read. Maybe that was what made him a good cop.
“I’ve been going through everything,” she said. “Throwing things out. Seeing what might be of value. I want to refurbish it and open a hotel or bed-and-breakfast. Something like that.”
“You’ve never been inside?” Sean asked.
Rose shook her head, although she was surprised at the question.What does Sean know about me?Then again, Sean hung out here at the diner. Sean was a resident of Nantucket. It meant he was privy to all sorts of gossip.
I wonder what the island says about me buying that old place. The judgment never ends.
“A lot of the house was sealed off like a tomb,” Rose said. “It means a lot of the books and art were saved. But today, I discovered a room on the second floor that seems to have belonged to Natalie.” Rose’s voice warbled when she said Oren’s first wife’s name. She couldn’tremember the last time she’d said the name aloud. Natalie had always existed as a character in her mind. The diary made her real.
Rose paused for a beat to make sure Sean knew who Natalie was. He didn’t ask any questions.
“This is her diary,” Rose said, pressing the little book across the table. “I read the last entry and knew I needed to talk to someone immediately.”
Rose filled her mouth with Diet Coke and watched Sean read Natalie’s neat and beautiful handwriting. She half expected his jaw to hang open with surprise. But Sean was a professional. He kept his face stoic.
“It forced me to remember that first summer I was here,” Rose said when Sean raised his head. “Everyone was so sure that Oren started the fire. That he was the one whokilledNatalie. The gossip was everywhere. If you were here, you remember it.”
Rose lowered her voice. Across the restaurant, Brenda’s eyes continued to flit over, taking stock of her, listening. Rose knew that whatever she said now would be used as gossip for later. But right now, she didn’t care. People could say whatever they wanted about her, about her life.
“But Oren spent the summer at the Walden Estate in 1993,” Rose continued. “I don’t remember any kind of investigation being conducted. I can’t understand why. Why didn’t the cops go through the Grayson Estate? Why didn’t they look through Natalie’s things? Why didn’t they arrest him or question him?”
Rose felt breathless. “If they’d read that entry, there would have been a trial. Right? I mean, hehurther. She was terrified of him. Isn’t that reason enough for a trial?”
Rose was on the edge of her seat, hands spread flat across the diner table. Sean remainedquiet. Contemplative. For a moment, Rose was terrified that she hadn’t said anything aloud. That her thoughts were turning tight circles, but she hadn’t opened her mouth at all.
Brenda appeared with their burgers, fries, and greasy onion rings. Her voice was overly bright, proof that she wanted to linger and listen to their conversation.
“It looks great, Brenda,” Rose said. She felt on the brink of tears.
Justice for Natalie! I want justice for all the women in Oren’s life!
Brenda disappeared into the kitchen. Sean folded his hands in front of him. He seemed not to notice the burger, the melting cheese, or the bright tomato planted on top. He looked captivated by Rose.
And then he said something that startled Rose out of her skin.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
How was it possible that Rose had forgotten?
