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Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
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  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Angelica handed her a half-empty box of tissues. “I found the letter on his desk. Before he finished, he stepped away to look out the window—and fell through the floor. The boards had rotted. He fell four stories into the dark.”

Sofia passed her back the tissues.

Angelica accepted them and stared at the box as if she didn’t realize tears were sliding down her cheeks.

“His neck was broken as well as... Well, his neck was broken, so he died instantly.”

Elle knew that was perhaps not true. But Angelica and her mother wanted to believe it, and Bradley Lindholm was long gone. So it was true because believing that hurt less.

“I rigged a camera and a light on a rope and lowered them into the depths. I found him.” Angelica closed her eyes and frowned as if opening them would cause pain. “I saw...my boy...”

Sofia was sobbing steadily, sorrowfully.

Two women with broken hearts endeavored to come to grips with an old, hurtful truth: they had each believed the man they loved had betrayed them when his disappearance had been an accident, and only now were they facing the truth—and their combined grief.

“I have people who are retrieving his body. It’s taking more time than I...than we would like, because they have to shore up the structure before they enter. I would not allow anyone else to risk their lives to get him.” As Angelica had risked hers. “We’ll bury him in the Gothic graveyard and I hope,” she said and her voice strengthened, “I hope you’ll accept the role of his widow... Sofia.”

Elle’s mother sobbed steadily now, and she nodded.

Angelica looked at Elle. “You’ll be his chief mourner.”

“No. I never knew him. The role of chief mourner is yours. I’ll be my mother’s support.” At last, Elle’s voice wobbled. “And yours.”

81

THE GOTHIC SPRING PSYCHIC FESTIVAL ended on Sunday night with a round of drinks at the Live Oak, a financial accounting (between Rune’s shop receipts, the profits at the restaurants in town and Veda’s earnings from her crystal ball, it was the best year yet) and a promise to clean up in the morning.

On Monday, cleanup did indeed begin, on Adam’s studio and on the festival grounds. Before the day was over the studio looked as if blood had never been spilled within its walls, the tents and magic shows had been dismantled and loaded into the trucks, and Eric and his crew had bid Gothic a fond farewell and taken to the highway. It was only after they left that Angelica discovered Veda had accepted Eric’s invitation to come on the road as their fortune-teller.

Angelica was not pleased. Good assistants were hard to find, especially for someone as exacting as Angelica.