Chapter 11 - Peter's Last Lie
Peter's grave was opened the next morning.
Nora hated every second of it.
She stood fifty yards away because she could not make herself watch.
Alma stood beside her.
"He would hate this," Nora said.
"He hated ties too. We buried him in one anyway."
Nora laughed despite herself.
The coffin contained no document.
Rourke came back with mud on her shoes and irritation in her face.
"Nothing."
Nora closed her eyes.
Then Alma said, "His watch."
Peter had worn an old silver pocket watch every day.
Nora had given it to Daniel after the funeral because Daniel said he wanted something to remember Peter by.
She had thought it sweet.
Now she felt stupid.
Rourke searched Daniel again.
The watch was not with him.
Daniel had disappeared.
His lawyer claimed not to know where he was.
Celeste also vanished after leaving the board meeting through a service exit.
By afternoon, police found her SUV abandoned at a private airstrip.
No plane had departed.
"Decoy," Rourke said.
Nora was discharged with Sophie two days later.
Against advice, she refused police housing and went to Alma's small apartment above a bakery.
"Your stairs are evil," Nora said, carrying the baby carrier carefully.
"My rent is cheap. Evil has benefits."
The first night was almost peaceful.
Sophie woke every ninety minutes.
Nora cried because she could not get the bottle temperature right.
Alma accidentally bought the wrong diapers.
At 3:14 a.m., they both laughed so hard they had to cover their mouths.
Then the bakery alarm sounded downstairs.
Alma froze.
Nora reached for her phone.
A shadow moved under the apartment door.
Three slow knocks.
"Nora," Daniel whispered from the hallway.
She stopped breathing.
May you like
"I have Peter's watch.
