The Roman by Sylvain Reynard

Author:Sylvain Reynard [Reynard, Sylvain]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ever After Publishing
Published: 2016-08-22T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Two

“DANIEL WAS A GOOD MAN.”

Father Kavanaugh looked down into the blue eyes of Raven and Cara’s mother, Linda. He nodded but made no movement to shake her hand or embrace her.

“Why didn’t Raven come with you?”

Father started at her question. His hand went into his pocket and closed on the relic he carried. “Raven is recovering from the attack. She isn’t well enough to travel.”

Linda gave him a pained look. “Do you think she will come home?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“But you are close to her,” Linda pressed. “She trusts you. Maybe you could talk to her about coming home? She could stay with us. We have plenty of room.”

“Mrs. Shannon, I can’t repair your relationship with your daughter. Only you and Raven can do that.”

“But my family is in shambles.” Linda placed her hand on his arm. “We need your help.”

On instinct, Father pulled his arm away. “Your family was in shambles a long time ago, Mrs. Shannon.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Linda raised her voice.

Father noticed that the few remaining mourners, including Linda’s new husband, had turned their attention in his direction.

His hand went to his forehead, and he rubbed at the creases. “Forgive me. I’m sorry for your loss.”

He tried to walk away but she stepped in front of him. “I demand to know what you meant.”

His eyes moved to hers. “I’m talking about what happened to Raven and Cara when they were children.”

Linda reddened. “Raven is unbalanced. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Why would you dismiss her claims before I told you what she said?”

Linda mumbled a vague response.

The priest’s expression grew severe. “Your ex-husband’s recent arrest in California for child molestation corroborates Raven’s account of what happened to Cara.”

Mrs. Shannon began to protest vehemently, but he lifted his hand. “You can lie to yourself, and you can lie to everyone else, including your children. But you cannot lie to me. You knew.”

Something in her eyes shifted.

She adjusted her very expensive handbag. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He leaned closer. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You knew what was going on, and you did nothing. So Jane, your twelve-year-old daughter, took matters into her own hands. And she paid for it with her leg.”

“You don’t know what he was like!” she shouted. “You don’t understand.”

“Then tell me.” His voice grew quiet once again. “I’m listening.”

The woman hesitated, something working behind her eyes.

She glanced around and saw the remaining mourners watching the exchange.

“Thank you for performing the service, Father. Please tell Raven I hope she feels better soon.” Linda spun on her heel, and marched away.

Father Kavanaugh watched her departing form. He watched her take the arm of her husband and walk toward the long black limousine that waited nearby.

He lifted his eyes heavenward.

He’d tried to help Raven and her family for many years. Cracking Linda’s denial for the first time should have felt like a victory. But he felt far from victorious.

She needed healing and love as much as her daughters. And he’d been harsh with her.

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.