DEADWOOD'S MANSION MYSTERY (DEADWOOD REVIVED (MARCUS LYNETTE MYSTERY EXPLORATION) Book 3) by Peyton Dinwiddie

Author:Peyton Dinwiddie [Dinwiddie, Peyton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOUR

It was a sunny Friday morning, but for Marcus, it was only a half-joy. Marcus knew Lona's killer, as he'd wished he had when he'd gone to Patricia's grave, but he had not yet brought him to justice. He was happy that Gina, the woman of whom he had begun to grow fond, was right by his side, but his mother was not there to approve his choice and give him the nod. She had only known him with one lady all his life, and that was as a freshman in college. Her name had been Patricia, too, and his mother had liked her. She had his mother's spirit, too. Every time she spoke, she'd reminded him of her, and somehow, it made him love her all the more. She would have loved Gina, too, and as much as he had his differences with his mother, her smile and approval was a blessing to which he looked forward.

Another half-joy was that Gina held his hand throughout the burial procession. It was warm, but his heart was so cold after the loss of his mother. She was with him as they walked by the open coffin with her lying in state. It was at the last chapel she'd attended before her death. Her hair was white as wool, and her lips stiff as sticks. Red, as though dipped in fresh blood. Her skin was clear as day and looked as soft as a mango's. Funny-- she was not as grey as he had anticipated. She could, in fact, pass for being alive at that very moment.

He just stood there, looking. He stood long enough that those who marched beside him had to go around him. The weight of his sadness had not yet sunk into his soul because he imagined she was just asleep--a very peaceful sleep. The last time he'd seen her, she had been burdened by a laborious cough, and she wasn't sleeping peacefully in those days, but there she was, in a peaceful sleep, even though it was death, and he loved to see it.

When he heard the rumbling sound of the dirt pouring over the coffin, his heart leaped, and his body jerked involuntarily. It had become real that Patricia was in the ground, and he was never going to see her face again, living or dead.

“Marcus?” Gina called, gripping his hand even tighter.

He simply grunted. He would have said words, but his throat was clogged by the mucus that formed as he battled his tears.

“It’s going to be all right,” Gina said, her voice blending with the pastor as he pronounced the final rites.

Marcus merely nodded, his eyes firmly shut.

It wasn't long before the ceremony was over. He had not imagined it would be so short. The space they had made in the ground filled up once Patricia’s coffin was in it. People began to leave, one after the other, without saying much. They simply touched his shoulder and said something that sounded sorry for which he had no reply.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.