Countdown - Iris Johansen [14]
“I don’t know.” She opened the screen door. “Mike. That horrible, senseless murder. I guess it reminded me of Aldo and his fixation on Cira, all those killings . . . and the way he stalked you. And now Mike’s murder may have something to do with you too.”
“Maybe not. We don’t know anything for sure.”
“No, we don’t.” The door closed behind her.
It was odd that Eve had connected Mike’s murder with that nightmare time in Herculaneum. Or maybe not so strange. She, Joe, Eve, and Trevor had been bound together in a common purpose to put an end to that monster, Aldo, and then had put it behind them. Only how could you truly abandon the memory of an experience like that and walk away? She and Trevor had been knit so closely that she felt as if she had known him forever. It hadn’t mattered that his past was murky or that he was totally ruthless and self-serving. She had been motivated by self-preservation and he had been driven by greed and revenge. Yet they had come together and gotten the job done.
Stop thinking about him. Talking to Eve about Trevor had caused the flood of memory to rush back to her. She had put him firmly in the back of her consciousness and only brought him out at her convenience. That way she remained in control as she had never succeeded in doing when she was with him.
What could you expect? She had only been seventeen and he had been almost thirty and experienced as hell. She had handled him very well considering the emotional storm she’d been going through at the time.
She stood up and moved toward the door. Forget Trevor and Cira. They didn’t belong in her life right now. She had to concentrate on her family and the effort it was going to take to get through today.
3
She hated funerals, Jane thought numbly as she stared down at the coffin. Whoever thought they were some kind of catharsis must be nuts. Every moment hurt, and she could see no healing coming from this ritual. She’d said her own good-byes to Mike during these last three days since that senseless murder. She was only here for Sandra.
And Sandra looked like she was going to collapse any moment and was paying attention to no one. Eve was standing beside her, but Sandra probably didn’t even know she was there. Several of Mike’s friends were gathered at the grave site. Jane knew a few of them: Jimmy Carver, Denise Roberts, and Paul Donnell. Her roommate, Pat, had also flown down for the funeral and was looking uncharacteristically solemn. Nice of her to come. Nice of all of them.
Only a few more minutes and they could leave the cemetery. Those minutes seemed to take a lifetime.
It was over.
She stepped forward to throw her rose on the coffin.
“Is there anything I can do?” Pat asked as Jane turned away from the grave. “I’m supposed to get back to school, but I’ll bail if you need me.”
Jane shook her head. “Go on. I don’t need you. I’ll see you tomorrow or maybe the next day.”
Pat made a face. “I should have known. You don’t need anyone. You’re always willing to step up to the plate if I’m in a jam but heaven forbid if I try to return the favor. Did it ever occur to you that I’d feel good to be on the giving end?”
“You don’t know how much you’ve already given me.” She swallowed to ease the tightness of her throat. “I should have told you. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to . . . When I first met you, I was so serious and responsible I couldn’t even think about just relaxing and having a good time. You taught me that having a good time isn’t a crime and that joy can come from some pretty bizarre situations.”
Pat smiled. “You mean like the time we got stuck in the car in that snowstorm because you had to come and get me when I drank too much? Not much joy there. You gave me hell.”
“You deserved it. But even from that fiasco there will be good memories. We sang stupid songs and talked for hours while we waited to be rescued. It . . . enriched me. You enriched me.”
Pat didn’t speak for a moment. “I do believe I’m choking up. I’d better get out of here.” She gave Jane a quick hug.