I MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT. PERHAPS this one has some power that makes her strong. I will keep my eye on her. She is worth watching.

Sometimes I think how amusing it would be if Santa in his sleigh threw down packages of dead flesh upon the world.

Piece on earth, peace on earth, bad will to them.

Rose

Eleven

For two or three days Rose lived in the dreams of a high fever. But by Tuesday morning, she had come back to reality. Mom immediately presented her with her schoolbooks and all the homework assignments Jerram had dutifully brought home. Just when she was looking forward to a tubercular-type convalescence, languishing on the couch, watching the soaps all afternoon.

She wasn’t in the mood for schoolwork. She wanted to talk to Grace and find out if Cyn’s body had been found.

Mom wouldn’t say anything. She only made soothing noises when Rose tried to ask. Don’t concern yourself with such things when you’re ill, she said, and in the next breath told her to get on with her homework.

At lunch, Mom noticed her glances at the wall clock. “Got an appointment?” she joked.

“Just want to talk to Grace. Catch up on what’s been happening.”

Did a shadow cross Mom’s face? She felt a now-familiar sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. There was no doubt but that Cyn’s body had turned up. Otherwise Mom would have been broadcasting the good news.

Rose went back to bed and fell asleep soundly until she heard the phone ringing at around four o’clock. It was already getting dark outside — the day had slipped away.

She got out of bed, felt a little shaky and dizzy and went to the top of the stairs.

Mom was saying, “She’s asleep, Grace. Why don’t you try again later?”

“It’s okay, Mom, I’ve got it,” she said, picking up the hall extension. She waited to hear the click of Mom’s hanging up.

“Hi.”

Grace didn’t waste time. “You’ll never guess. Gregory asked me for a date! A date, Rose, did you hear me?”

“That’s really great.”

“Can you believe it?”

“Not really. Did you say yes?”

“Of course I said yes, what else would I say?” “No?”

“Why would I say that? Oh, listen, Rose, I’m sorry. How are you feeling? I missed you. I tried calling Sunday and yesterday but your mom said you were really sick.”

“Raving with fever, but I’m a lot better now.” “Then I guess you didn’t hear. They found a skeleton in the Danville junkyard. They think it’s a girl, and she was murdered.”

“And it was Cynthia, right? Nancy Emerson’s friend who’d disappeared?”

“No, I told you, it was a skeleton. It’d been there for years. Nobody knows who it is.”