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.
“What time?”
“Four.”
I returned.Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Christopher acted as if nothing had happened.
That almost made it worse.
For three days, we barely spoke beyond what was
necessary.
I helped him bathe.Bath & Body Products
Dress.
Eat.
Transfer to bed.
Stretch his arms.
Manage medication.
And every day, the silver locket remained around his neck.
He never removed it.Celebrities & Entertainment News
I began noticing other things.
Christopher hated
mirrors.
He refused visitors after dark.
He woke from nightmares shouting names.
Daniel.
Marcus.
Ryan.
The first time I heard my brother’s name, I nearly dropped a glass.Standardized & Admissions Tests
Christopher pretended he hadn’t said it.
By the end of the first week, Brandon’s fever was gone.
Emma had stopped asking whether we had enough food.
I paid three months of overdue rent.
Then Christopher did something unexpected.
He asked about my children.
“What are their names?”Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
