Chapter 8: The Grave With No Body
My father didn't tell me about the message until Patricia had spoken to the police and arranged for the cemetery records to be checked.
But I saw his face when he read it.
And I knew another terrible secret had just opened.
“Daddy,” I said, “is Mom really buried there?””
He sat beside me on Hannah's sofa.
“I don't know, sweetheart.””
“Then why did we visit her grave every year?””
Dad looked down.
“Because I believed she was there.””
I remembered the cemetery.
The stone with my mother's name. The flowers Dad placed beside it. The cold metal fence I used to hold while he knelt in front of the grave and whispered things I couldn't hear.
I'd once asked whether Mom could hear us.
Dad had said that love found ways to reach people, even when we couldn't see them.
Now I wondered whether he'd been speaking to an empty patch of earth.
Patricia arrived with an update from the cemetery office.
“The burial records show an interment under your wife's name,” she explained.
“However, the record doesn't include the usual documentation identifying the remains received by the cemetery.””
Dad stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
“It means the paperwork is incomplete. It doesn't establish that the grave is empty. We need further records and, if appropriate, authorization for a formal examination.””
“Who signed the burial authorization?””
Patricia opened the folder.
“Elaine Bennett.””
Dad stood and walked to the window.
“Again.””
“Yes.””
“Every document leads back to her.””
“Not every document,” Patricia replied.
“But enough of them to justify a thorough investigation.””
Rose sat beside me, her expression troubled.
“Mr. Bennett, there may be another explanation for why Elaine was involved in so many arrangements.””
Dad turned.
“What explanation?””
“She told me once that your wife didn't trust the family solicitor. She said she was helping because your wife had become confused after the accident.””
“Confused?””
“That's the word she used.””
Dad stared at her.
“My wife was a lawyer herself. She handled complicated financial agreements. She wasn't confused.””
Rose lowered her eyes.
“I know. At the time, I didn't understand what Elaine meant.””
Patricia closed the folder.
“We should avoid drawing conclusions until the records are verified. But I recommend that you stop contacting family members directly about the evidence.””
Dad gave a humorless laugh.
“They're the ones contacting us.””
“Then preserve every message and let the authorities handle the threats.””
Later that afternoon, Dad and Patricia went to the cemetery with a police officer. I stayed with Hannah, but Dad called me from the car before they entered.
“I wanted you to hear this from me,” he said.
“What?””
“We've spoken to the cemetery manager. No examination will take place today. We're getting the proper authorization and checking the original records first.””
“Did they find the body?””
“We haven't established whether the remains are there.””
I stared at the phone.
“What if Mom was never buried?””
Dad was quiet.
“Then we'll find out what happened to her.””
When he returned that evening, he looked exhausted.
The cemetery's records were incomplete, but the manager had found an old delivery receipt from the funeral home. It listed a sealed casket delivered on October 15.
The receipt had been signed by a man named Daniel Cross.
Patricia had already discovered that Daniel Cross was not an employee of the funeral home.
He was a private security contractor who had once worked for Richard.
Dad spread the documents across Hannah's dining table.
“Why would a security contractor deliver a casket?””
“We don't know,” Patricia replied.
“But the funeral home has agreed to provide its archived records to the investigators.””
Dad pointed to the receipt.
“And this signature?””
“Appears consistent with the name Daniel Cross. It doesn't establish who was inside the casket.””
I stood in the doorway, unable to look away from the paperwork.
“Could Mom still be alive?””
Dad turned toward me.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he crossed the room and knelt in front of me.
“I won't lie to you. I don't know.””
I wanted him to say yes.
I wanted him to say my mother had escaped, that she had been hiding somewhere safe, waiting for the right time to return.
But Dad wouldn't give me a comforting lie.
So I asked the question I'd been afraid to ask.
“If she's alive, why hasn't she come back?””
His eyes filled.
“I don't know that either.””
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Rose sat beside me while Hannah turned down the hallway lights.
I kept thinking about the photograph of Mom in the hospital bed. She'd looked frightened, but she was alive. She had been alive on October 14.
I was sure of that much.
Around midnight, I heard Rose's phone vibrate.
She checked the screen, frowned, and stepped into the hallway.
I followed quietly.
“Hello?”” she whispered.
A man's voice answered.
I couldn't make out the words.
Rose's face drained of color.
“No. That's not possible.””
She listened.
Then she said, “How do I know you're telling the truth?””
Another pause.
“Because of the photograph?””
Rose looked toward the stairs.
“Where are you?””
The caller answered.
Rose closed her eyes.
“I won't bring Wren anywhere. If you want to speak to Mr. Bennett, you'll have to contact his lawyer.””
She ended the call and stood motionless.
I stepped into the light.
“Who was that?””
Rose turned sharply.
“Wren, you should be in bed.””
“Was it Thomas?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Was it Uncle Richard?””
Her silence frightened me.
“Rose?””
She crouched in front of me.
“I can't tell you everything yet, sweetheart. But I can tell you this: someone has been trying to reach your father for years.””
“Who?””
“Your mother.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Rose's eyes filled with tears.
“The man who called me said he has a letter written by your mother. He says she gave it to him before she disappeared.””
My legs felt weak.
“Disappeared?””
Rose caught my hands.
“I don't know if she's alive. I don't want to give you hope without evidence.””
“But you just said—”
“I said someone claims to have a letter. That's all.””
I pulled away.
“Why does everyone keep doing this to me?””
Rose looked devastated.
“I know. I'm sorry.””
I went back to bed, but I didn't sleep.
The following morning, Dad sat with me at breakfast while Patricia arranged a secure call with the man who had contacted Rose.
His name was Daniel Cross.
The same man whose signature appeared on the cemetery receipt.
He appeared on the screen from a small office, wearing a gray shirt and looking nervously toward the door.
“Mr. Bennett,” he said, “I worked for your brother.””
Dad's jaw tightened.
“Where is he?””
“I don't know.””
“Do you know what happened to my wife?””
Daniel hesitated.
“I know she was alive after the date on her death certificate.””
Dad gripped the edge of the table.
“Where?””
“An apartment outside the city. I was hired to transport her there.””
“By whom?””
“Richard.””
“Why?””
Daniel looked down.
“Because she said someone was trying to kill her.””
Dad's face crumpled.
“Did you see her again?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Six months ago.””
The room went silent.
Dad's voice was barely audible.
“Was she alive?””
Daniel nodded.
“She was alive.””
I covered my mouth.
For nine years, I'd believed my mother was dead.
Now a man was telling us he'd seen her six months ago.
Dad leaned toward the screen.
“Where is she now?””
Daniel swallowed.
“I don't know. But she left something for Wren.””
“What?””
“A key.””
He held up a small envelope.
Inside was a brass key and a note written in my mother's handwriting.
When Wren is ready to know the truth, take her to the place where the bells stopped ringing.
Dad stared at the note.
“Where is that?””
Daniel looked at me through the screen.
“The old chapel where your parents were married.””
May you like
Then he added one more thing.
“There's someone waiting for you there.””
