The Accomplice(45)

“Luna, you awake?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Yes,” she mumbled, eyes closed, curled up in a ball.

“Hydrate. Sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”

That morning, 911 dispatch got a call from a pay phone in the town of Deerkill.

“There’s a girl who might be missing named Scarlet. You’ll find her near Black Oak Bluff. She said she was going to hike there.”

“May I ask who is calling?” the operator said.

The line went dead.





October 12, 2019


Owen and his mother regarded the wall of urns. At first he wasn’t going to get one, since the plan was to scatter the ashes, but it felt weird keeping the remains of his wife in a cardboard box for any duration. Owen thought Irene would want something simple, but each urn seemed more ornate than the last. She probably would have preferred the box. He honestly didn’t know. They’d never had that conversation.

“I’m surprised she wanted to be cremated,” said Vera. “She didn’t seem the type.”

“What’s the type?” Owen asked.

“Agnostics, cynics, people who want their remains transported to inconvenient locations, and the poor,” said Vera.

“You’ve given this a lot of thought,” said Owen.

“She’s a woman of means, is all I’m saying. Doesn’t her family have a mausoleum somewhere?”

“No. And her mother was cremated. That’s all I have to go on.”

Vera’s cellphone chirped in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and answered. She spoke in a barely audible whisper, even though she and Owen were the only two people in the room. “Hello. Oh, good. Okay, dear. See you soon.”

“Who was that?” Owen asked.

“That was your brother,” she said. “He’s running late. But he’ll make it later tonight.”

If it were up to Owen, he would have kept his family out of the whole thing. It was Luna who’d insisted that he call his mother, and Vera who’d insisted on calling Griff. Vera would sometimes go months or years not speaking to Griff, but they seemed to have been in communication more recently. Owen wasn’t sure what had changed. Maybe Vera had forgotten the original cause of their rift. If she had, Owen could see her forgiving Griff’s other filial misdemeanors. Whatever the reason, Owen was grateful to have Griff back on Mom duty. Vera was on the decline. Owen didn’t want to shoulder that responsibility alone.

While Owen was at the mortuary with his mother, Luna swung by a liquor store and purchased jumbo bottles of vodka, bourbon, and gin. She also picked up paper plates, disposable cups, and a couple of bags of ice. After dropping off the wake provisions, Luna returned home. She found Sam upstairs, packing a suitcase.

“Going somewhere?” Luna said.

“Driving down to Philly tonight.”

“You just saw your mom.”

“She broke her wrist, Luna.”

“Two weeks ago. And she’s fine.”

“Normal people see their parents more than once every two years.”

As Luna was deciding how to respond, Sam said, “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”

“I understand. But the wake is tonight. Can it wait?”

“The wake is a bunch of your friends standing around Owen’s house, drinking, in the vicinity of Irene’s ashes. There’s nothing ceremonial about it. It’s a sad party with only your friends in attendance. I think I can miss that without anyone noticing. You don’t need me, right?” Sam said.

It was more of a challenge than a question. And he was right. His absence wouldn’t be felt. Then again, Sam’s mother wouldn’t have felt his absence either. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years past and hadn’t recognized Sam in two.

“Mason and Casey will be here this evening. Did you—” Luna said.

“Yes. I cleared out the guest room,” said Sam.

The only person who might notice that Sam was gone was Casey. Luna figured she would demand an explanation. But an explanation was easier than having Sam stay at home. With him gone, they wouldn’t have to sleep in the same bed. Luna assumed that possibility was at least one factor in his decision.

“See you when you get back,” Luna said.

“We should—”

“I know,” said Luna.



* * *



—

Luna’s doorbell rang just after four o’clock. Such sounds had always irked her, but this time she felt a tiny rush of adrenaline, followed by a deeper wave of guilt. Despite the tragic circumstances, Luna couldn’t deny that she was really happy to see the two people on the other side of the door.

Luna hugged Casey first. She was always surprised by how aggressive her friend’s hugs were. They lasted longer than most people’s. Then Mason stepped in and gently kissed Luna on the cheek. He touched her shoulders lightly and vaguely leaned in.

Luna often wondered how Casey and Mason’s mismatched affection worked in a marriage going on ten years, but they seemed to have sorted it out.

“It’s really good to see you guys,” Luna said, picking up a random piece of luggage and leading the way past the kitchen to the office/guest room on the first floor.