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“What about a memorial?” she asked.
“A memorial?”
“Yeah, like a little ceremony we could do to remember her by. Nothing big, but maybe something where we set up someflowers, play a little music, and I could say a few words. I mean, I know that she tried to take me from here, but she was acting under orders from my father and most likely under threat of death if she didn’t succeed. I really want to do this for her after everything she’s done for me throughout my life.”
Her attitude perked up a bit as she spoke, letting me know this was indeed the right call to make.
“I think that sounds like a fine idea.”
“Not until tomorrow,” she said. “I want to take some time to write exactly what’s in my heart about her.”
“Maybe on the western shore of the island. Sunset sounds like the right time for a memorial.”
She nodded.
We reached the house, making our way to the kitchen for a quick snack before hitting the shower. To our surprise, Roberto, Pearl, and Marianne were all there. A platter of sandwiches was on the kitchen island, my stomach grumbling at the sight.
“There they are,” Pearl said, an expression of concern on her face. “I thought you could both use something to eat.”
I could sense right away that Emily was conflicted. The sandwiches, toasted with melted cheese, looked amazing. I sensed her hesitation, placing my hand on her shoulder. She glanced over at me and I spoke up.
“You ever want to get anything done, food in your stomach’s the first step.”
Pearl smiled, pushing the plate over toward us. “Before you compliment Logan on his wisdom for that comment, know that he got that one from me.”
A small smile formed on Emily’s gorgeous mouth. Without another word, she picked up one of the sandwich halves and bit into it, the toasted bread crunching as she did. Roberto, already polishing off a sandwich of his own, regarded me with a look that made it clear he wanted to know what had happened.
“Why do you look so sad?” Marianne asked Emily.
“Mary-Moo, you know it’s not nice to pry like that. If someone wants to tell you how they feel, they will.”
“It’s OK,” Emily said, her eyes downcast. “I am a little sad.”
With that, she filled in the group on what had gone down. She glided over the more difficult details for Marianne’s sake, of course, phrasing things carefully.
“Marta’s gone?” Marianne asked when Emily was done. “Forever?”
Pearl’s eyes were wide, her hand on her mouth. “That’s… Oh, my God.” She hurried over to Emily and pulled her into a hug. Marianne, seeming to understand the gravity of the situation, joined them.
“Thanks,” Emily said, the women letting go. “I just… this is really hard for me to talk about. But I want to do a memorial tomorrow at sunset.”
“A memorial?” Marianne asked. “What does that mean?”
“A memorial is a way to celebrate someone’s life,” Pearl answered. “We’ll get together and talk about the person lost and promise to keep them in our hearts.”
Marianne’s eyes lit up. “I know a good way to remember someone—I can draw a picture! My memory’s really good, and I definitely spent enough time with Marta to be able to draw her. I mean if that’s alright, of course.”
“That would be great,” Emily said, tears forming in her eyes. “It really would.”
By this point, Roberto was staring at me hard enough to burn holes in my skin. He wanted to know exactly what had happened, and he didn’t want to wait another minute longer. Emily, Marianne, and Pearl had fallen into conversation about the memorial, and that seemed like as good a time as any to fill in Roberto. I nodded toward the door connecting us to the dining room.
“Something tells me that what happened to poor Marta was a little more gruesome than what Emily let on,” he said as the door closed behind us.
“You’re right about that,” I replied, stepping over to the twenty-person dining room table and leaning back against it. “Emily had a hard time giving me details, and I didn’t want to pry them out of her. But from what she told me, Charles didn’t hold back. Used cartel guys.”
“Fucking hell,” Roberto said, shaking his head in anger and disbelief. “Bet you anything thatbastardoforced her into it. Marta was strange the entire time she was here. I could tell she was hiding something.”
“You would be correct. Charles admitted as much to Emily But what’s done is done. Important thing is that we prepare for whatever Charles has in mind next. He told Emily that he’s not done with her, and I believe him.”
