Despite everything Constance had done since, I couldn’t help but feel for her. It must have been a terrible moment.

“When Rip was through, she asked John and me if we felt the same way.”

“What did you say?”

“John didn’t say anything. He walked out. He was never good at expressing himself, especially when he was upset. But me, all I could think about was what Carl was going to do to me when I got home.” She looked up at the trees. “So, I said I agreed with Rip.”

I forced myself to take a breath. My hands trembled with the effort of staying in control, but I had to hang on until she told me everything.

“I don’t know what we were thinking. Maybe that we’d shame her into splitting up the estate? All it did, though, was harden her heart in a way I never thought possible.” She met my eye again. “I know you think I’m a monster, but I never gave up on trying to make things right with her.” Her face twitched. “Ask me how many apology letters I’ve written.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Hundreds,” she spat. “Year after year, I wrote her letters. They always came back unopened. And every time I got one of those letters back in the mail, it was like Constance was there, telling me, over and over again, You’re still a bad person, Mary. Bad. Bad. Bad.”

Suddenly I knew I was seeing the creature who had been capable of ending her sister’s life.

“And I’ve had to live with that voice for years. It was better with Grant, but when he died, that voice got so much louder.” Her body shuddered, forcing her to grab the headstone for support. “And then I found out about the family plot. Connie’s last revenge.” She stared at me with an uncomfortable intensity. “I think you know what happened after that.”

I held her gaze though every part of me wanted to look away. “The night Constance died you went to the bookstore. Theo said you were upset. You had tried to cancel, but she convinced you to come by. Liz came too, but she didn’t stay long.”

Mary nodded. “She was worried about me. I had just found out about the addendum. Liz had known about the plot since Grant died. She had handled the arrangements. She didn’t want to upset me with it, but I found a copy of the paperwork at her house. She thought maybe there was some legal recourse, but I knew my sister. She’d have everything in order. I was so upset. I thought going to Theo’s might calm me down, but it didn’t.”

“So you left the bookstore. Theo said you left around ten, giving you an alibi, but her timing had been off by at least an hour. The grandfather clock in the store had stopped. You then headed for the graveyard to clean up the site the way you normally did.”