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24
SIENNA
As I walk into the building, I catch sight of a bulletin board. There’s a colorful flyer for a rummage sale. The flyer itself isn’t what catches my eye though, but a thumbnail on the flyer of a few pieces of jewelry. The trinkets remind me of the necklace I saw yesterday, the one from Dr. Thornton’s drawer.
Realizing my brain won’t let it go until I get some answers, I decide to just ask Dr. Thornton about it. It’s probably nothing but my brain won’t rest until it's satisfied.
Rich is in his office when I knock and as I walk in, he’s compiling spreadsheets of data. “Hey,” I call out. “I’m returning one of the books I borrowed.”
“Finished already?”
“I pulled a few things that were helpful,” I tell him. “I talked to the boys too,” I add, gauging his reaction. “We made up and I moved back in with them.”
He gives me a thumbs-up and looks up at me. Is it my imagination or does he look disappointed in that? “That’s great. Hang on one sec, let me just text one of my project managers back.”
Once he’s done, he turns in his chair to face me. “I’m glad you’ve worked things out. It hurts my heart to see those boys in pain still.”
“Yeah, I mean it must have been hard for them since losing Emily,” I say, trying to maintain a casual tone. “What was she like?”
“A little like you, actually,” Rich comments, folding his fingers together as he thinks over my question. “She was very passionate about her work and creating a better community.”
“Sounds like the two of you worked closely together,” I comment, subtly probing.
“Well, she and the boys were a package deal,” Rich says with a shrug. “It’s inevitable we spent time around each other.”
I nod, biting my lip. “And there was the whole thing where she fell in love with you,” I say. Rich’s eyes widen.
“I never meant for that to happen,” he says. “I was just as hurt by her betrayal as the boys were.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling bad for bringing that up.
My thoughts race as I try to bring up the topic of the necklace without being accusatory. I don’t want to point a finger over something silly. Rubbing a hand over the material of my skirt, I opt for nonchalance.
“So, I was going through some old boxes in the house and I saw a photo of Emily. She was wearing a beautiful necklace in the picture. Did she often wear jewelry like that?"
“Well, I guess Emily had a unique sense of style. She often wore gold jewelry. There was one necklace she had that she wore all the time."
“Oh, speaking of jewelry, I couldn't help but notice a necklace in your drawer the other day. Did it belong to her?”
“Oh, that,” Dr. Thornton gives me a soft, sad smile. “She gifted it to me after her confession. When she died, I found itagain and I guess I couldn’t bear to part with it. She was like a daughter to me.”
Something inside of me tingles, like a warning. “But I thought you weren’t that close to her?” I ask.
“We were brought together by circumstance,” he says. “But we spent a lot of time together. She was with the boys for a year before her passing.”
He grows serious, brows drawn. “Look, Emily also didn’t come from the most stable home life. I gave her the same listening ear that I did for the boys. You know that it’s common in that sort of situation to experience transference, and that’s all that happened. She confused romantic feelings with the safety and security I offered. That’s all.”
It makes sense, I guess. It answers my questions. But something still feels missing, like there’s a puzzle piece I’m not seeing. “I get it,” I say. “I can understand. The necklace must give you a sense of comfort.”
“It does,” Rich says, nodding. “Emily was a remarkable young woman, much like yourself, Sienna. She held a special place in my heart, and her loss weighs heavily on me to this day.”
“I’m sorry I brought up painful memories,” I apologize. I feel like I’ve pried into Dr. Thornton’s personal life and guilt gnaws at me. “I’m just here to drop off this book and turn in more data. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
“I understand why you might have been curious,” Dr. Thornton says, reaching out to grab my wrist. “But please don’t go through my personal things. If you have any more questions about the past, you can just ask.”
I nod, feeling sick to my stomach. I hate making people upset with me. “Here’s the data,” I say, handing him the folder. “I’ll be back doing fieldwork. Probably won’t see you for a few days.”
“Have a nice day, Sienna,” Dr. Thornton gives me a curt smile and I walk away, feeling like a fool.
