Shedug into her purse, found her mobile, and after a moment of scrolling andtapping, she pressed it to her ear.
“Hey,TJ,” she said in a falsely cheerful voice. “Are you still in the room? Good,stay there. I’ll be back—” She pressed a palm over her eyes and sighed. “TJ,can you please—okay, can you just stop? You have no idea what kind of day I’vehad, and the last—”
Holdingthe phone away from her, she scoffed angrily at the device. “I don’t have thestrength to deal with this right now,” she muttered to herself before throwingit back into her purse.
Notknowing what else to say, I asked, “Is he okay?”
“Oh,yeah, he’s just great,” she mumbled, thrusting a hand into her hair. “Do youhave kids?”
Lockingmy jaw tight, I shook my head. “No. Never had the chance.”
“He’smy only child, and he is the absolute love of my life,” she said quietly. “Ijust wish he didn’t hate me so goddamn much.”
“Oh,I’m sure hedoesnaehate ye,” I replied, not really knowingif it were true or not. I didn’t know her or her child. Maybe theladdiereally did hate his mother something awful andwished her dead, for all I knew.
“Hisfather and I got divorced about five years ago and our relationship hasn’t beenthe same since,” she explained. “And I can’t really understand why. He knew wewere awful together, and he was never mad at his dad. Our split was amicable,his father and I are still great friends, so …” She shrugged in a tired way,like her shoulders were too heavy for her body to carry. “I just wish I knewwhy he hated me.”
“Didye ask for it?”
Sheturned tome,eyes narrowed. “Ask for what? For him tohate me?”
“Ah,”I shook my head, “no, I meant, did ye ask for the divorce? Or was ityerex-husband?”
Sheswallowed audibly and replied, “It was me.”
Shrugging,I replied, “Then, there ye go. Ye were the one to give up first, soyouare the enemy here.”
“Hm,”she mumbled angrily, before turning to look out the window, while I kickedmyself for saying anything at all.
Yefuckin’ daft prick.
***
“What’reyedoin’ here?” Rick asked, leading the two of usinto the office at his family’s funeral home.
“Rememberall those times I’ve patched upyercountless wounds?”I asked, taking a seat in one of the cushy chairs situated on one side of hisdesk. Rosalynn quietly took the chair beside me, her eyes volleying between usas we spoke.
“Aye…,” he replied hesitantly, watching me with uncertainty and skepticism.
“Well,I’m here to collect my favor.”
“Favor?Christ, if I had known ye’d holdkeepin’ me frombleedin’ to death as blackmail, Iwouldaejust let death take me.”
Hesmiled, as if thiswasa big joke, but I wasn’tlaughing, and neither was the woman at my side. It didn’t take long before herealized we were serious, and Rick sighed, laying a hand over his eyes.
“Fuck,okay, what do ye need from me?”
Withouthesitation, I said, “An autopsy.”
Droppinghis hand like it was made of brick, he stared ahead at me, unblinking andappalled. “Anautopsy?” he asked, his voice raising three notes higherthan normal. “What in the fuckin’ hell is wrong with ye?”
“Listen—”
“Icould lose my business!”
Iglanced at Rosalynn, with her fidgeting hands and her bitten bottom lip. Icould only imagine what was going through her head,all ofthe worries and assumptions she must have. Rick was the only hope I had, and hewas going to do this for me, whether he liked it or not.
“Theybotched the report,” I told him, raising my voice. “William never even saw thedamn body. There was no mention of the strangulation marks around her neck, andhe wrote that the wrong fuckin’ foot wasmissin’.”
