“I know what they’ve been keeping from you, Natalie.”
“You knew?”
“No. I didn’t know all along, but you were so upset, and the detective in me just couldn’t let it go. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. We’re going to get this all settled here and now.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not one more minute of your life.” He opened his door. “Come on.”
She got out, and they walked to the tiny chapel.
Grandstaff sat on a pew toward the front, his hands folded in his lap.
“I’m going to wait right here,” Randy said. “Okay?”
She nodded and walked toward Paul, as Randy slid in the back pew to wait with his heart pounding.
“Hello.” Paul patted the bench. “Sit. I’ve got some explaining to do.”
She looked over her shoulder toward Randy.
He gave her an encouraging nod.
Paul pointed to the beautiful headstone. The shiniest stone Natalie had ever seen.
PATRICEGRANDSTAFF
LOVING WIFE, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER.
QUEENBEE. BEETHANKFULPSALM100:4
“My daughter’s ashes are there in the urn next to it.”
She took in a long breath, then took his hand. “It’s lovely.”
“Natalie. You are special. I told you about my grandson.”
“I know you loved him very much.”
“So did you.”
She held her breath. “I don’t—”
“Natalie, Jeremy had a family. He was my grandson, and the trauma he went through was greater than any child deserved. Family can be strangely difficult.”
“I remember you saying that, but he would never—”
“He didn’t lie to you.” He fervently shook his head, raising a finger to hold her back. “Listen to me. He made a promise to me. A promise that he struggled with, but he did the right thing. Your love for each other was pure. Real. He told me about you. You were the best part of his entire life. You gave him happiness.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I sent him away from here to protect him. Made him promise he’d never come back. We compromised on the cabin. His trips there weren’t just for hunting but for us to reconnect too. His father was a bad man. Dangerous, and he was evil to my daughter and my grandson. It was so hard to watch.”
He patted her hand. “We were going to tell you. He felt horrible that he let you believe he had no family, and yet he didn’t want you to live with the fear and terrible pieces of his past.”
“Why? I would’ve understood.”
“It was not who he was. It was what was done to him. He had to move on to find a good life with you, and he did. Please don’t be upset with him. This doesn’t change one moment of your time or love for one another.”
