CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

C HAPTER T HIRTY -F IVE

Three weeks after Shannon found Rosella slumped over her desk in her office, a funeral was held for Rosella Marlow at the East Lawn Memorial Park. No words were said before her casket was lowered into the ground. Rosella had bought the plot thirty years ago, at the same time she bought her husband’s. From the looks of it, the staff at East Lawn Memorial Park had gone to a lot of trouble to excavate and exhume Lance Marlow’s body. The ground right next to Rosella’s plot was no longer level, and wooden planks covered the deep hole where her husband’s casket had been put to rest fifteen months ago.

A dozen people Shannon didn’t recognize had come to watch Rosella’s casket being lowered into the ground. Also in attendance were Chloe and Rowan, because Chloe had made a promise to her son. Trey and Mac stood next to Shannon. Jason and Dianne had also come. It might have seemed strange to some if they knew the man who despised Rosella and who nine days ago shot a man in Rosella’s bedroom stood among them. But Jason Abbott had purposely aimed for Nicolas’s leg, never intending to kill him. He’d only wanted to stop Nicolas from harming anyone else.

Nobody had known Kaylynn’s gun wasn’t even loaded. And how could Jason have known Nicolas would pivot and fall at the precise angle necessary for his head to hit the sharp corner of the stone mantel? Nicolas had ruptured an artery and suffered what the doctors called an epidural hematoma; he had bled quickly, which exerted pressure on the brain and proved fatal.

When Shannon had found out there was a bite mark on Nicolas’s arm, she’d felt a mix of emotions. Detective Seicinski had written in her report that Nicolas Alcozar, afraid of being found out, had attacked Mac in the park, hoping he would frighten her enough to stop Shannon and Chloe from continuing with their probe. How sad to think the man had felt the need to attack a child in order to protect his own.

Shannon was thankful Mac was okay but insisted her daughter speak to an online therapist once a week. Experiencing a traumatic event could lead to a range of emotional responses, making it difficult for her daughter to feel safe and comfortable in public spaces.

As far as Shannon was concerned, there were two loose ends in the investigation. One being a piece of information never brought to Detective Seicinski’s attention—the torn bit of cloth Shannon had discovered on the broken fragment of wood within the entrance to the living room. Nothing warranted bringing it to anyone’s attention, Shannon decided. Chloe hadn’t mentioned it, so she let it be. The other loose end was the note Rosella had found in her mailbox. Shannon couldn’t think of any reason why Nicolas would have left such a note for Rosella, and for now, she decided it was best if she let it go. But she did have a question for Holly.

The casket stopped moving downward. It was over.

Chloe grabbed a fistful of dirt and tossed it onto Rosella’s casket. The rest of the people in attendance did the same as a show of solidarity. There would be another funeral in the coming days for Nicolas Alcozar. Shannon and Chloe had been spending a lot of time with Kaylynn. In fact, Holly, Becky, and Dianne had joined them in helping Kaylynn get through this trying time. They were working on raising money to help her with legal fees and living expenses since there was no way she could afford to support the boys on her meager income. Kaylynn appreciated the help until she could figure out what to do next.

Holiday’s mother had contacted him the other day to see whether he wanted to move in with her and her new boyfriend, but he’d told her he’d rather live with Kaylynn and Archer if Kaylynn would have him. Kaylynn was happy he wanted to stay. Although nobody knew the legalities of what would happen with Archer, for now, she kept both her boys close.

When they were done, their little group from Forty-Fifth Street, made up of seven people, headed back to the Leavitt house, where everyone else was waiting. When they arrived at Chloe’s home, Becky and Holly were there with their two children. The two women had been working hard to stay together, Becky bending over backward to please Holly, which seemed to be working.

Becky played with the kids while Holly set up the trays of food Chloe had ordered from Mother, a restaurant on K Street. Today, in Rosella’s honor, they would be feasting on lasagna, collard greens, mushroom Bolognese, and oyster and mushroom po’boy sandwiches. When Becky left the kitchen, Shannon went to speak with Holly. “Holly,” she said. “Thanks for doing all of this.”

“Glad I could help.” Holly looked her over. “How’s your arm?”

“A little stiff, but I’m doing well.” Shannon shifted from one foot to the other. “I have a question for you. It’s been keeping me up at night.”

Holly stopped working and met her gaze. “What is it?”

“Your fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, and I was curious as to why.”

Holly made sure nobody else was around before she said, “I was hoping nobody would ask.”

“I’m sorry.”

Holly sighed. “I was there at Rosella’s house before you came. That’s when I must have lost the mask I had hooked to my wrist. I went upstairs to find Rosella and talk to her. She was sprawled on top of her desk—blood everywhere. When I heard her say, Help , I knew she was still alive.” Holly inhaled a shaky breath.

Shannon remained still, her heart beating fast.

“I told Rosella I would call for help if she answered my question: Was she the one who sent the complaints about me to CDPH?” Holly wiped her hands on the small towel she was holding and said, “Rosella told me very bluntly, as if it were of no consequence, that it was her.” Holly closed her eyes tight. “I wrapped my fingers around the letter opener with the intention of driving it deeper. I hated that woman. The hatred I felt clouded my judgment and made me irrational. And I knew it, which is why I didn’t do it. I released my hold on the letter opener and ran. I ran as fast as I could. I’m not proud of it. The thought that maybe I could have saved her will never leave me. I regret what I did, but I can’t change the past.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “I haven’t told Becky or anyone else. And I don’t plan to.”

“Understood,” Shannon said. She wanted to tell Holly how much she appreciated her honesty, but Holly turned back to what she’d been doing before Shannon had interrupted.

Shannon walked away, leaving her alone. Every nerve ending felt numb as she made her way back to the main room. She was grateful to Holly for answering her question, but she found it unsettling to acknowledge that Rosella’s maliciousness had such a profound effect on so many. The damage she’d caused the community was hard to swallow.

When she entered the living room and saw Wesley talking to Ridley, she felt awkward. Chloe had mentioned Wesley had called to ask if he could come today; she’d told him it was fine as long as he didn’t drink or make a scene—those were the rules. Shannon didn’t know the man, but she had seen firsthand the hurt he’d caused not only his family but also Holly, and she didn’t know what to think of him. Maybe he wondered about her, too, after hearing Chloe was Shannon’s biological mother.

Shannon and Chloe had talked for hours since Shannon had read all the letters. Each one had been meaningful, happy, and sad. Despite the initial hurt she’d felt upon realizing Chloe hadn’t wanted to meet her, she was beginning to understand what her mother had gone through. Shannon wasn’t the only one who had struggled. In spite of everything Rosella had done, Chloe and Shannon were thankful to the journalist for bringing them together. Nobody would ever know what Rosella’s endgame had been. Had her plan involved setting Shannon against Chloe before dropping the bomb?

Shannon picked up a flute of champagne from a tray. Blake was coming downstairs. He stopped before he got to the landing, frowning as he asked in a voice loud enough for the roomful of guests to hear, “Is this a celebration of Rosella’s life?”

Everyone grew quiet.

It was Rowan who spoke first, his voice cracking. “Yes,” he said. “She was nice to me, and I liked her.”

Cute little Archer stepped forward and stood close to Rowan. “I liked her, too.”

Everyone looked at Kaylynn, who merely shrugged as if to say, “Each to their own.”

A few halfhearted cheers sounded, and everyone raised their glasses and then took a sip of champagne or punch.

Shannon couldn’t keep her eyes off Blake. Although many days had passed since his arrest, it was good to see him home where he belonged. And it was difficult not to stare. He was her half sibling. Same with Ridley and Rowan. It would take some time for all of them to get used to it. Except for Mac, who was thrilled to now officially be part of a large family, something she’d always longed for.

The sound of the doorbell had Chloe rushing to the door, already back to being the perfect hostess. It surprised everyone but Shannon to realize Chloe had invited Detective Seicinski and Detective Toye. After asking Rowan to please take Ethan and Archer to the playroom and turn on cartoons, Chloe handed each detective a glass of champagne. “Is there anything either of you would like to say?” she asked. “Anything at all?”

“Don’t worry,” Detective Toye said to all in an unusual moment of friendliness. “Nobody is under arrest.”

Laughter erupted, along with a few forced chuckles.

“We stopped by to let you know,” Detective Seicinski said, “we were given the go-ahead to exhume Lance Marlow’s body, and the results have come back.”

Dianne moved closer, eager to hear what the detectives had to say. She had decided to talk to the detectives a while back, telling them everything she had witnessed of Rosella’s treatment of Lance Marlow while he was in the hospital. During another sweep of Rosella’s house, the detectives had found more than a dozen nonfiction books all having to do with wives killing their husbands. Inside the books were highlighted sections and notes in Rosella’s handwriting. Tucked inside Before He Wakes by Jerry Bledsoe was a printed list of books from Goodreads, titled “True Crime—Wife Killing Husband.”

“An autopsy was done,” Detective Seicinski said. “Lance Marlow died of asphyxiation and not of complications from the accident.”

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Jason asked.

Dianne nodded. “Rosella killed him.”

“We’re celebrating the life of a murderer?” Blake asked, obviously still angry with Rosella for causing him and everyone else so much grief. “This party is lame.”

Chloe went to her son and whispered in his ear. When she noticed the detectives already heading out, she went after them, took hold of Detective Toye’s thick arm, and led him back to the table laden with food. “At least take a sandwich for the road.”

While they each selected a sandwich and a cookie to go, Shannon approached the table and asked, “What happens now?” What could they do, she wondered, to a dead murderer?

Detective Seicinski shrugged. “There won’t be a trial. No criminal charges, either. Our commanding officer could decide to make an announcement, but it’s unlikely.”

“And from a civil perspective,” Detective Toye said, “there’s nobody left to sue Rosella Marlow’s estate for damages.”

Shannon checked to make sure Kaylynn wasn’t within earshot. “What about Kaylynn Alcozar? What’s going to happen to her and Archer?”

“Kaylynn is sticking to her original story. She didn’t know her husband kidnapped Bradley Wilson,” Detective Toye said.

Detective Seicinski must have noticed Chloe’s and Shannon’s confusion, because she added, “According to Kaylynn, Nicolas told her he had a one-night stand with a woman at the office where he used to work. Eighteen months later, the woman was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and she asked Nicolas to take care of the baby.”

“Makes sense,” Chloe said, but Shannon could tell she was going along with the story because she didn’t want Kaylynn to get in trouble.

Detective Seicinski shrugged. “Kaylynn Alcozar is a smart woman who has hired one of the best criminal attorneys in the state. She is the only mother the boy has ever known, at least that he remembers. He has no family, no aunts or uncles. Nobody knows who the father is or was. If Archer is taken from Kaylynn, he’ll be put in foster care.”

“That would be a shame,” Chloe said.

Detective Seicinski heaved a weary sigh, making Shannon wonder if the woman might finally get a chance to sleep. “In the end,” the detective said, “it will depend on the judge’s ruling. Kaylynn is not viewed as a flight risk, so for now, the boy stays with her.”

Shannon’s gaze was now focused on Mac and her husband, who was whispering in their daughter’s ear, making her laugh about something. A few feet away, she spotted Kaylynn running after Archer, who’d grabbed two cupcakes from the tray instead of one. Finally, her eyes settled on Chloe, who was now walking the detectives to the door. Instantaneously, Shannon felt something she hadn’t expected to feel: a profound sense of accomplishment, a quiet pride in having worked with her mom to unravel clues and secrets to form a coherent picture that had once seemed impossibly out of reach.

The mystery had been solved.

Nicolas Alcozar, a young man who had never been spanked as a child, who did well in school and didn’t know the humiliation of being called to the principal’s office, a man who had never before had trouble with the law, had come home early one Thursday afternoon only to discover, without anyone being the wiser, that his wife and son had been visiting Rosella Marlow. He’d known then, had felt a deep conviction and understanding based on past experiences with Rosella, that she was onto him. She’d known Archer had once gone by the name Bradley Wilson.

But had she known, he pondered in his writing to Kaylynn, that the boy had shown signs of abuse? He hadn’t kidnapped Bradley Wilson, he wrote. He had saved him—given the boy a chance at living his best life. And yet he also knew it hadn’t been his choice to make. So he’d done the only thing he could think of to protect his family: he had killed Rosella. Once he discovered Chloe Leavitt and Shannon Gibbons hoped to uncover the mystery of Forty-Fifth Street, he’d felt trapped, panicked, and determined to leave no loose ends. He was deeply entrenched by then.

Shannon knew all this because she had seen the letter Nicolas had left for Kaylynn, detailing what had happened in the event things didn’t go well, which they did not. His written message began with Nicolas declaring his love for his wife and ended with his apologies for causing her and the boys so much pain and disappointment. After Kaylynn showed Shannon and Chloe the letter, they followed her outside and watched her put a match to it, saw it turn to ashes within the firepit Nicolas had built out of stone.

In this fleeting moment of clarity and resolution Shannon was experiencing, she allowed herself to bask in the satisfaction of a job well done. The mystery may have been solved, but the memories of the journey, the lessons learned, and the friendships forged along the way would stay with her forever. And it wouldn’t be long, she thought, before her life would go back to the mundane routines of everyday life.

Or would it?

Despite Rosella’s flaws, Shannon was grateful for the woman’s impact on her life, whether her intent had been a positive one or not. Reflecting on Rosella’s life and the choices she’d made, the good and the bad, allowed Shannon to think about the nature of forgiveness, the complexities of human behavior, and the chance she had now to live her life to its fullest.

From across the room, Trey winked at her. She smiled back at him and found herself wondering what new mysteries awaited. Filled with determination and a newfound sense of freedom, she stood poised, ready to conquer the world, knowing the best was yet to come.