Page 35 of Unburied

Tyler nodded, picking up on her train of thought. “Christine was my mother.”

A million thoughts flew through Vivi's brain, and she latched onto the first thing that solidified in her mind. “That's why you went out with me,” she accused. “You were trying to get information about Christine and her family.”

Tyler shifted uneasily. “Not completely, but yes.”

And suddenly it clicked. Tyler showing up at the grocery store, running into him at Morningside the day Vivi went to visit Ellen… “Ellen’s the ‘old family friend’ you mentioned. You went to see her.” Anger simmered in Vivi's stomach. “When were you going to tell me?”

“Soon.” He looked sincere, but Vivi was still furious that he’d used her. “But I had a feeling you were avoiding me after our date, and by the time I got to see you again, you broke things off.”

“Because I was with Mason,” Vivi murmured.

Tyler nodded. “Obviously, I came to speak with Ellen, but I found out that you were living here instead. I arranged to run into you in the store so I could talk with you a bit. When you told me Ellen was in the nursing home…” He exhaled deeply. “I went to see her, but she wasn’t in the best frame of mind.”

Vivi couldn’t begin to wrap her mind around what had happened. “I… don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry.” His eyes pleaded with her. “Really, I am. I should have been upfront with you and told you the truth from the beginning.”

Vivi folded her arms over her chest. “Well, I can’t really help you. Ellen talked about her from time to time, but other than that… You might have better luck with her brother, Elijah.”

“Thanks. I just… I don’t know how to explain it, but I got the feeling from her letters that her pregnancy was unwanted.”

“I can imagine. Christine was young,” Vivi put in. “Maybe she just regretted it.”

“Could be,” Tyler admitted. “But the whole tone of the letter was just… sad. She said something once that she felt trapped where she was.”

Almost immediately, Christine’s diary came to mind for Vivi. She’d read a handful of passages, but the whole thing was depressing. Christine had lamented being ridiculed by classmates, unable to speak to anyone. She’d mentioned that she had no one to talk to; no one would believe her if she told the truth. She’d apparently considered taking her life several times but couldn’t bring herself to hurt the baby.

Vivi threw a quick glance at Mason, but his expression remained impassive, and she knew he was waiting for her cue. She wasn’t sure exactly what Tyler’s intentions were, so she decided it was best to keep that to herself for now.

“Do you have these letters?” Mason looked skeptical, not that Vivi could blame him.

“They’re back in my hotel room.”

Mason’s lips pressed into a firm line as he regarded Tyler. “So we've determined that Christine was your birth mother and you came here looking for information. The question is why. Why keep looking for her after you knew she was gone?”

“Right. So, that's where it gets interesting,” Tyler said. He turned to Vivi. “I tried reaching out to Ellen first but when that failed, I looked for Russ.”

At Vivi's blank look, he tipped his head. “Do you remember Russ?”

Should she? Vivi racked her brain, but she couldn’t think of anyone close to Ellen with that name. “I don't know who that is.”

Tyler studied her. “She never mentioned him?”

Vivi had no idea who he was talking about, or why. “No. Why does it matter?”

“Russ was Ellen’s second husband.”

Vivi shrugged a little, lost. “If she remarried, it was long before I even came around. It obviously didn’t last long, because she never mentioned him to me. Besides, what does that have to do with anything?”

“Russ was married to Ellen for almost a decade before they divorced. He came into the picture not long before Christine—my mother—got pregnant.”

“And…?” Vivi drew out the question, wondering what he was getting at.

“I think he had something to do with it.”

He couldn't have shocked Vivi more if he tried. “You think…?” She shook her head, unable to fathom the implication. “No way.”

Tyler lifted his shoulders. “I can't be sure of anything without evidence. That's why I've been poking around here. I talked to Ellen, but she claimed not to remember. Besides, I didn't want to push too hard. I wasn't sure how she would react if I accused her husband of raping her daughter.”