Page 38 of Unburied

Mason eased Vivi against his side, curling his fingers into her hip as she leaned into him. “What else happened in your dream?”

She shook her head, lost in thought. “I… I don’t know. It never finishes. It’s like my mind just cuts off.”

Had something terrible happened to Vivi, something so horrible that she’d shut it out? Mason prayed not. The thought had his stomach roiling. If her dream was actually a repressed memory, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened afterward. And if Ellen had discovered that he'd raped Christine, then come after Vivi, could she have been pushed to take drastic measures? Mason knew what he would've done if it were his daughter, but he didn’t say that aloud.

“Maybe he was murdered,” he finally conceded.

“By who?” Vivi asked. “I don't think Ellen could do it.”

“Maybe not by herself,” Tyler stated slowly, “but maybe she knows who did.”

Tyler and Mason exchanged a look over Vivi's head. One thing was for certain—they had to talk to Ellen.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Vivi repressed a yawn as the printer spat out the final sheet of paper, then tucked it into the folder for Mason to look over. She had run background checks on both Tyler and Russ per his request, even though she was more certain than ever that Tyler was genuinely telling the truth.

The memory of seeing that photo last night lingered in her mind. It was eerie seeing the face from her dream in a photograph. She had felt cold all day, unable to shake the chills plaguing her. Worse, she couldn’t even go to Mason the way she wanted. He had kept his distance, as they always did at work, and her heart constricted. He was right; she needed to tell Knox.

There was something else that weighed heavily on her conscience. Things had been absolutely chaotic around the office, and she didn’t want to heap more concerns on her brother’s plate. She vowed to tell him soon—just as soon as everything calmed down and they could have a rational discussion one-on-one.

She closed up the folder, then slipped into the bullpen and moved toward Mason’s desk. Her heart kicked up at the sight of him, and she fought to cover her reaction. In the middle of a discussion with Luke, he paused and glanced her way as she extended the folder.

“Thanks,” he said.

He accepted it with that single word and nothing else. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it hurt a little that he was so blasé about the whole thing. It was irrational, she knew, since she was the one who asked to keep things quiet at work, but his indifference stung.

She had told her brother that she was taking off a little early to go check on Ellen, so she strode back to the front desk where she grabbed her keys, logged out of the computer, and headed out to her car. She stopped by the bakery to pick up a slice of Ellen’s favorite Key lime pie before turning toward Morningside Assisted Living.

Since it was another gorgeous, sunny day, she decided to check outside first. After looking around for a minute, she saw one of the nurses with another patient. “Hi, Robin, have you seen Ellen today?”

Robin shook her head. “Not yet. Why don't you check her room?”

“Thanks.” Vivi smiled and headed inside. As soon as she stepped into Ellen’s room, she knew today was a bad one. Ellen sat huddled in a chair in the corner, her raggedy old shawl wrapped around her shoulders, a blank expression on her face.

Ellen turned to her as she entered the room. “Hello.”

Vivi never knew exactly where Ellen’s mind was, so she offered a tiny smile but didn't move any further. “How are you feeling today?”

“Fine, thank you.”

Ellen appraised her for a second, like her mind was trying to connect the dots, wondering if she knew Vivi and why she was there. “Would you like to come in for a minute?”

“That would be great, thank you.” Ignoring the sharp dagger of pain spearing through her heart, Vivi took a seat across from her and set the box of Key lime pie on the table. “I brought pie if you'd like some.”

Ellen lifted the lid of the box and gazed quizzically at it. “What is it?”

Vivi forced a smile to her lips. “Key lime pie.”

Ellen studied it for another second before closing the lid. “I don’t think I like Key lime pie.”

Vivi’s heart clenched with sympathy. She couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to not know or recognize anything anymore. It was hard to know how to act around Ellen sometimes. The last thing she wanted to do was push and scare her, so she kept their conversation easy and carefree. “It's a beautiful day. Have you been out for a walk?”

Ellen turned and looked out the window. “No. I need to take care of the lilies.”

Though they were some of the hardiest flowers around, Vivi didn’t bother to speak up. Ellen had doted on them, spending hours making sure they were perfect. “I could take care of them if you'd like,” Vivi offered.