Ryan at twenty-one.

Standing beside Kitchen & Dining

me outside our grandmother’s house.

Around his neck was the same silver locket.Book a Spa Day

I turned the photo over.

Summer 2007.

Three years before his death.

My hands began to shake.

Ryan had disappeared in October 2010.

Police said his car had been found near Lake Michigan.

A body had washed ashore eleven days later.Follow Stars

Badly decomposed.

The police told us identification was made through dental records and personal effects.

There had been no viewing.

We cremated what we were told was Ryan’s body.

I had stood at a cemetery holding a small urn while a priest talked about eternal peace.

But what if it hadn’t been Ryan?Learn a Language

The thought was insane.

Impossible.

And yet the necklace existed.

I barely slept.

At seven the next morning, my phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered.Shop Jewelry

“Rachel?”

Christopher Bennett.

I sat up.

“What do you want?”

A long silence.

“Come back.”

“Why?”Edit Photos

“Because you

need the job.”

Anger flared through me.Bath & Body Products

“And you need someone willing to tolerate you.”

Another pause.

“That too.”

I looked toward Brandon sleeping on the couch.

“Will you tell me about Ryan?”

“No.”

I nearlyCelebrities & Entertainment News

hung up.

Then Christopher added, “Not yet.”

I gripped the phone.

“What does that mean?”

“It means there are things you do not understand.”

“Then help me understand.”

“I can’t.”Family Law

“You mean you won’t.”

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes.

Five thousand dollars a week could change my children’s lives.

It could move us out of that apartment.

Pay medical bills.

Put food in the refrigerator.Standardized & Admissions Tests

Give Emma new shoes.

Give Brandon the inhaler the doctor recommended.

And maybe, just maybe, staying near Christopher would give me answers.