Chapter Forty-Nine

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

THE NEXT MORNING, the morning of the funeral, Riley wakes early and lies anxiously in bed, dreading what's to come. She's thinking about Diana, and where she is now. Then, from out of nowhere, she remembers the abandoned cemetery on the outskirts of town. She can picture it, on a low rise surrounded by trees, quite overgrown. She'd forgotten all about it. There's no church there; as far as she knows, there never was. It's just a small cemetery, and she hasn't looked there.

After breakfast, she tells her mother she's going out for a bit with Evan, that she won't be long. It's a lie, she's not going to bring Evan. She's nervous, going out on her own, but it's something she must do. The day is cloudy, with a chill in the air. She gets on her bike and rides out of Fairhill, turning left at the edge of town. She pedals down a gravel road for a couple of miles and then she sees it, just as she remembered. She stops and gets off her bike, breathing heavily from the exertion. There's a sign inside the fenced area: MACKLIN CEMETERY . She hesitates before she opens the gate. What if she doesn't find him? What if she does?

She walks solemnly among the gravestones. The thought of Diana's grave, waiting for her this very afternoon, is never far away. She wanders slowly from the front of the cemetery toward the back, reading the headstones, sometimes straining to make out the names and dates – and then she finds him.

Simon Foster, born 1861, died 1873.

It's a shock. She stands in front of the modest marker, frozen in place. And then she collapses, sinking to her knees on the cold ground. The discovery deeply unsettles her and makes her worry for Diana. What if it's true, about Emily at the bridge? What if she's been hanging around, angry and lost, all this time, because she'd been jilted and killed herself? What if Diana is stuck, also angry and lost, because she'd been murdered?

Riley stares at the marker with Simon's name, feels the chill seep up from the ground into her bones. She can't talk about this with Evan. He'd just tell her it was a coincidence, that coincidences happen all the time. She can't talk about this with anyone, not even her mother. They'd think she was cracking up. The only one she could share this with is Diana, and she's gone.

But then she realizes that there is one person who might not think she's nuts – Sadie Kelly. She was there that night too.

The day is grey and grim; very appropriate for a funeral, Edward Farrell thinks, staring out the bedroom window as he dons his black suit. The funeral is at the United Church at one p.m. The whole town has pretty much shut down, according to Shelby, who'd been out earlier. She is in the bedroom with him, putting on a black dress. Fortunately, Cameron had a decent dark suit in his closet from the recent wedding of a second cousin. Edward prays that they all get through it okay, that Cameron doesn't break down, that there are no ugly scenes. He's particularly afraid that there might be ugliness directed toward his son, and toward him and Shelby. A lot of people who will be at the funeral probably think Cameron did it. Edward is afraid of that himself. Cameron has certainly given them lots of reason to doubt.

And Edward hadn't helped the situation, by going out to that farmer's field at night. He'd seen in the news that they'd searched that field the same night. He thinks it's because he was seen. He felt like he couldn't breathe when he found out, that his actions had tipped them off. What if they'd found what he could not? But they hadn't found anything – or, at least, they haven't said so.

They had discussed whether they should even go to the funeral but had decided that more harm would be done by staying away. People would talk either way. Better to put in an appearance, to hold up their heads. And so the three of them, in their mourning clothes, get into the car together without speaking.

As they arrive at the church, Shelby watches people anxiously. She is nervous about the funeral. She just wants to get through it, can't wait for it to be over. They will attend the service, and afterward walk to the burial site behind the church to pay their respects, but that's it. They have sent flowers. But they have decided not to approach Mrs Brewer to offer condolences. It's too risky. They don't know what she might do, or say, at the sight of Cameron.

People in town have been avoiding Shelby, knowing that her son is a suspect in Diana's murder. Everyone knows that he's been questioned repeatedly, that he saw her that night, that he's retained an attorney. She feels as if they have been shunned, cast out. Because what could be worse than parents who raise a child who kills another child? All sympathy is on Brenda Brewer's side. There's a great outpouring of that. And while Shelby understands that, and even agrees with it, she can't help but feel bitter at what she has suffered, and is suffering, as Cameron's mother. And if he didn't do it, think of what Cameron is suffering!

The truth is, they don't know. They might not ever know. Sometimes, she thinks that is the best she can hope for.

Cameron, even in his misery, despair and anxiety, frets at the tight fit of the shirt collar around his neck, the unaccustomed formality of the suit. He feels so out of joint with the world. He and his parents arrived early and slipped into one of the back pews in order not to make an entrance. He avoids meeting anyone's eyes, and as he sits, he tries to keep his gaze on the floor or on the back of the wooden pew in front of him. But he can't help his eyes straying sometimes.

Now he sees Riley and Evan, entering the church together. They start up the aisle, Riley in a plain black dress Cameron has never seen before, Evan in black trousers with a sharp crease and a white shirt, no jacket. He doesn't have a suit, apparently. Riley is already crying, but Evan looks stoic, like he's desperate to hold it together. Riley's mother and Evan's parents follow after them, looking grim. Cameron forgets to look down at the floor and stares at them, his former friends. As they reach the front of the church to take their seats, Evan turns and glances around the church as if surveying who is there. He happens to catch Cameron's eye and holds it for a second. Cameron refuses to look away, wondering if Evan and Riley think he killed Diana. He's not going to let Evan – or anyone else – intimidate him. He has every right to be here – he loved her.

His eyes suddenly blur with tears. Can't they see he's hurting too?

The funeral has created a crisis of its own in Ellen's world, which was already in turmoil. The murdered girl was found in the Resslers' field. Ellen's father feels that therefore he and her mother must go. But he delicately suggested that she stay home.

Should she? She would like to hide until all of this is over. She didn't know Diana Brewer personally. She's embarrassed and humiliated at the gossip and rumours swirling around Brad, who, as far as anyone knows, is still her fiancé.

After she read the file yesterday, she felt a bit clearer in her own mind. It was as he'd said, but this other girl was worrying her. It's not the detectives she's worried about. They can't reasonably think Brad murdered Diana. What possible motive could he have had? She'd made a fairly minor complaint, really. It was laughable – nobody would get murdered over that. She's inclined to stand by him, to ride it out, for now. But there's this niggling doubt, gnawing away at her.

Her parents are less forgiving. They are appalled at the allegations made against their future son-in-law. They are of the ‘where there's smoke there's fire' school of thinking. They want her to break it off, cancel the wedding. But Ellen considers herself more open-minded. She's more apt to consider that the girls might have made it up – that it's at least a possibility. They had argued about it, the night before at the kitchen table. Backed into a corner, Ellen found herself staunchly supporting Brad, while her mother and father listened in dismay. She told them about the file, how Principal Kelly, who was there at their meeting , had fully supported Brad's version of events, and firmly believed that Diana had not been telling the truth. She told them that Diana hadn't wanted to go to the authorities, and that made it more likely that she was lying.

‘But everyone said she was a good, honest girl,' her mother said doubtfully. ‘Why would she do that?'

‘Teenagers do stupid things,' Ellen shot back.

‘So do men,' her mother said, and Ellen found herself unable to answer.

‘I have to stand by him,' Ellen insisted finally, becoming tearful. ‘What else can I do? The wedding's in less than two months. We're buying a house—' And then she hadn't been able to speak for crying.

Brad was going to go to the funeral. He could hardly stay away, he told her. It would just make people think he had something to be ashamed of, and he didn't. He wanted Ellen to go with him, to show the world that she believed him. He insisted that she go, that she be at his side.

But her parents wanted her to distance herself from him, to go with them, or stay home.

In the end, Ellen decided to go to the funeral with Brad. She felt that if she didn't, her wedding would be off. And she wasn't quite prepared to make that decision just yet.

So now, here she is, walking into the church on Brad's arm, a little bit late, because they wanted to slip in the back unnoticed. When they arrive, it's standing room only, so they press their way in. The service has already started.

Ellen stands, eyes front, focused on the minister.