The Bones She Buried: A completely gripping, heart-stopping crime thriller(6)
He sighed. “Not recently. You want to know how bad she was getting?” he asked, wiping at a tear as it spilled down his cheek. “Last month I was over there and she forgot who I was. She started talking to me like I was my dad. They used to argue about how much money he spent on things we didn’t need. She started chastising me about having bought a two-hundred-dollar VCR. A VCR!”
“I had no idea, Noah. I’m sorry. Every time I saw her, she seemed fine.”
“Most of the time she was. These… episodes were just becoming more frequent. That’s why Laura and I talked about taking her to a neurologist, but we never got around to it and now…”
He drifted off, leaning forward, elbows on knees and face in hands once more, but Josie heard the unspoken words. Now, it’s too late.
Josie stroked his back. “I’m so sorry, Noah. So sorry.”
Four
Laura Fraley-Hall arrived like a tornado a few hours later, bursting through Noah’s door without knocking, tossing her purse and jacket onto the floor as she moved from the foyer to where Noah still sat on the couch. Laura was three years older than him and had the same thick brown hair—hers flowing down her back in waves—and the same hazel eyes. She was a head shorter than Noah though, and her face was rounder and softer. She wore a tight navy sheath dress with a colorful scarf draped around her neck, just above her visible baby bump, which she covered with one hand as she fell onto the couch on the other side of Noah. Her arms encircled his shoulders, pulling him away from Josie and into her embrace.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered.
Noah emerged from his stupor long enough to return the hug, his tears coming afresh and mingling with Laura’s. Josie got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to give them a few moments alone. There, she busied herself making a pot of coffee. She checked his fridge to see if there was anything she could offer Laura to eat, but then figured Laura would have about as much appetite as she and Noah. Josie waited until the sobbing stopped and she could hear their voices before going back into the living room. She stood in the doorway, watching the two siblings for a moment.
“Where’s Grady?” Noah asked Laura.
“He’ll be here in another hour or two. He’s packing us some bags. When Josie called me, I just got into my car and drove. I was at a work event.”
Josie knew that in recent years Laura had been promoted to vice president at Sutton Stone Enterprises where Colette had worked as secretary and assistant to the owner and CEO for over forty years. It had started out as a small family operation at a nearby quarry, mining bluestone, limestone and boulders, and had since grown into a thriving multi-million-dollar enterprise. It now had its own construction arm, a trucking division and quarries all over the state devoted to providing asphalt aggregate for concrete, sand and gravel. Colette had bragged earlier that year that Laura had been placed in charge of getting their Bethlehem site up and running. She called Laura and Grady the family’s ‘power couple’, with Laura rising through the ranks of Sutton Stone Enterprises and Grady running a thriving accounting business that allowed him to work from home most of the time.
Laura’s hand flew to her forehead. “Oh dear. I’m sure Mr. Sutton will want to hear about this from me, not anyone else.”
“Mr. Sutton—your boss?” Josie asked, but Laura ignored her.
“He will,” Noah said. “He adored Mom. Can you—can you call him?”
Laura patted Noah’s knee. “Of course.”
Josie felt another sharp stab of sadness for Noah and his siblings; Colette’s old boss was deemed more worthy of hearing about her untimely death than the father of her children. Inwardly, she chastised herself for not having gotten the full story about Noah’s father before. Noah knew all her secrets and yet what did she really know about him? What could she really offer him in a crisis such as this? He’d always been her rock, supporting her and guiding her through the terrifying darkness life had plunged her into time and again. What could she offer him in return?
“Why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up,” Laura said softly to Noah. “Get out of these clothes. Take a shower. Maybe lie down.”
Josie had suggested the same multiple times before Laura arrived, but this time Noah complied, getting to his feet and climbing the stairs slowly, his shoulders stooped. Josie and Laura listened for a few moments as he shuffled around upstairs. When they heard the shower go on, Josie caught Laura’s eye. “Noah said that there was no need to notify your father.”
Laura laughed bitterly. “No, I suppose there isn’t, but I’ll let him know anyway. He won’t care enough to come to the funeral, but I’ll text him. Mom would want us to tell him.”
“We’re probably going to need to speak to him at some point,” Josie said. “At the very least to rule out any involvement.”
“Involvement? Don’t make me laugh,” Laura told her. “Fine. I’ll text you his number. Do what you must. Josie, do the police have any idea who did this to my mother? I want the truth.”
Josie shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. Not yet. But our team is working on it as we speak. Laura, I need to know, is there anyone your mother had any issues with? A friend or neighbor? Even a boyfriend?”