It wasn’t rational. The feeling came over her quickly. Laura knew it as soon as she thought it. People always talked about the five stages of grief, but this wasn’t any of them. Somehow, she felt she was running out of time. Whatever it was she wanted to do, she’d best get it done soon.
They stepped out of the Medical Examiner’s office. A large cop waited for them outside. Nick already knew him. The detective asked a few questions about Brandon, which Laura politely answered before they left.
On the ride home, a thought occurred to her. Laura had to ask.
“Nick?”
“What, baby?” He took one hand from the wheel, reached across, and held hers.
“Did Yuri do this?”
“No.”
“Did he ever get his money back?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know? You’ve told me some stories about him.”
“I let Yuri know I was selling the shop and paying him back the money. I decided I’m going to accept the developer’s offer. Yuri didn’t do this.”
She wanted to believe him.
They returned to their big, empty house. It’d been years since Brandon lived there. Still, it felt emptier to Laura. Nick took Laura’s hand again. He brought her into the bedroom. He fell on the bed with her. “Let’s take a nap.” It was the middle of the day, but really, Laura couldn’t think of a better idea.
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