Olivia awoke early the next morning to rays of brilliant sun pouring through the window. She put her hands over her eyes and realized that today was the memorial, the time to formally say good-bye to Todd. It was still way too early to get up and she rolled over in bed, but couldn’t go back to sleep. What would happen after the ceremony was over? Would everyone disperse, return to where they came from, leaving Todd’s ashes scattered behind? She couldn’t let herself think about it now, had to stay strong, at least throughout the day.
Olivia felt she had to do a good job today, not only for Todd, but also for others, to help them feel better. Todd would have wanted her to, no question about that. Time was growing short and Olivia had to spend her time thinking about what she would say at the memorial. It was a tall order and she knew it. The service was scheduled for eleven in the morning at a local church a few blocks away. How could she capture what Todd had meant to her and share it with others? The thought of speaking in front of Todd’s family and friends was daunting. She knew they all viewed her as an intruder, wondered who she really was. Olivia was struck by the fact that not one of them had even called her to see how she was doing. How would Todd have felt about that?
Olivia finally rose and after showering put on light makeup and chose a beautiful amber silk dress, with a strand of matching beads. She brushed her long, blonde hair extra hard and let it hang loose around her shoulders. She wanted to look good today, to make Todd proud.
While her father scoured the papers and news for every detail about the case, Olivia spent some time writing notes for her speech. Strangely, there was little she felt comfortable saying publicly. The thought of his family there in the audience made her feel numb. Olivia decided that she would speak extemporaneously at the memorial, let the moment guide her, say whatever came into her heart.
Olivia’s father looked especially tired this morning. She wondered how long he would be able to stay down here with her, how long the case would go on. “How long do you plan to stay?” she asked him then.
Her father looked at her, troubled. “Good question,” he responded. “Naturally, I’m not leaving you down here alone, but I’ve also been researching and discovered that the police have no legal grounds to keep you here. You are either under arrest or not. There are very few restraints unless and until you’ve gone through a legal process.”
Olivia was relieved and surprised. “But they told me not to leave,” she said.
“When the cops tell you not to leave town, it’s a warning that you’re under suspicion, I learned,” he continued. “If you leave that would increase the suspicion. Basically, it’s just a code for we have no evidence to charge you, but we’re going to ignore all other leads and concentrate on you.”
“They’re not concentrating on me, though,” said Olivia.
“Not now, of course not. Right now they’re holding Tomas. So, as I see it, you can give the cops time to question you after the memorial, then we’re out of here!”
“Just like that?” Olivia took a sharp breath.
“Why would you want to stay, anyway?” Her father looked confused.
“How can I leave Todd here like this?” Olivia uttered, in pain.
“Leave him like what? He’s gone, Olivia.” Her father looked disturbed.
“I mean how can I leave until I’m sure what really happened to him?” Olivia felt deep dismay.
“You have no choice,” her father responded. “It could take years until they actually find out what happened. Or it could happen just like that.”
*
The church the memorial was being held at was historic and old. The worn wood on the outside seemed to have been there for ages, weathering sun, rain, wind, and storms of all kinds. The church was tall and narrow, with vertical stained glass windows through which the sun now poured. The wooden doors were wide open, welcoming guests to the memorial.
Even though Olivia and her father arrived early the church was already filled to overflowing. Seats had been saved for them in the front rows and an usher guided them down. To Olivia’s distress, she and her father were seated right behind Todd’s family, who sat stiffly in the front row and did not turn around to greet them.
A few moments later, a middle-aged pastor stepped up on the small stage in front, raised his hands out to the crowd, and began speaking.
“I welcome each and every one of you here this morning to honor the young life of Todd Denton, who was taken from us way too early.”
Olivia heard murmuring in the background.
“When a young person passes,” the pastor went on, “we are always looking at the tragedy of unlived life, unfulfilled hopes. It is especially important not to lose our faith in God at a time like this, though. Especially when the loss has been due to evil in our midst.”
The sound of sobbing in the church started softly.
“Although as yet the true cause of this darkness hasn’t been uncovered, believe me, it will rise to the surface!” The pastor’s voice rose. “Evil cannot stay hidden forever, it must rise up.”
Todd’s brother Craig spun around then and looked at Olivia. Stunned by his glance, Olivia shivered terribly. Her father grabbed her hand and lunged forward in his seat as Craig quickly turned back around.
“Before those who knew and loved Todd come up to speak of him, let us pray together,” the pastor went on.
After the offering of prayers and singing of several hymns, the atmosphere in the church softened.
“Now I call on Todd’s father, George, to come up to honor his son,” the pastor announced before he went to sit on a small red chair nearby.
Todd’s father jumped up and walked unsteadily to the stage. Olivia wondered if he’d been drinking or if it was just the shock of his son’s loss that caused his imbalance.
“You all know me and I know you all,” Todd’s father started, when he took his place up front. “We all knew Todd and loved him. He was a rising star from the day he was born. He was smart, he was kind, he was fun, he was loyal.” His father shot a quick glance over at Olivia. “Todd was very loyal to the people he loved. He would never do anything to hurt them. The fact that someone decided to hurt him now will not be accepted! God does not accept it and neither will we!”
A strange buzz of acquiescence sounded throughout the church.
“We’ll find the killer and string them up.” Todd’s father’s voice got louder.
The pastor stood up and rushed over to him. “It’s normal to be so upset,” he said to both George and those in the audience. “But we must also ask for forgiveness and mercy for all.”
“No one gave my son mercy, though, did they?” George blustered on.
Olivia began trembling, horrified by the display. What was his father truly saying?
“This is a time for remembering the good in Todd’s life,” the pastor said, trying to calm him. “Let’s call up someone else now.”
“Call whoever you want.” His father’s voice grew dimmer.
“Let me call Deanne, Todd’s beloved sister,” the pastor went on.
Deanne, who was sitting in the front row, then got up and walked onto the stage as Todd’s father backed off. Olivia had seen her before briefly, but was struck now by how much she looked like her brother. It was almost like seeing Todd again.
Dressed in a black sleeveless dress, Deanne seemed bereft. “We all remember Todd,” she started in a melodious tone. “We remember his beauty, his charm, his incredible love of life. It’s impossible to believe that it’s all been snuffed out now.”
Olivia felt people rustling in their seats behind her.
“Todd was my best friend, my confidant, the very best brother anyone could want,” Deanne went on as in the front row, Todd’s mother started crying. “I guided him as best I could my whole life long,” Deanne added, her voice trembling. “I pray that he will now become an angel and guide us to discover who hated him so much in their heart. It can’t be anyone we’ve known!”
Again, the gasps in the audience became louder.
“This could turn into a lynch mob at any second,” Olivia’s father whispered to her. “You don’t have to get up there and talk if you don’t want to.”
Olivia felt she had to talk, though. If nothing else, she had to defend herself against secret accusations the people here might have against her.
After Deanne sat down, the pastor nodded at Olivia. “I’d like to call Todd’s fiancée up now.”
There was a rumble in the room then, along with a low sound. Olivia stood and as she walked to the stage, she felt all eyes riveted upon her. Once up there, she looked out at the sea of faces and to her surprise saw Wayne and Lorna sitting there, as well. As she stood there entirely exposed, Olivia prayed that Todd would be with her in some way to help.
“I know that none of you know me,” Olivia started. “It must be hard thinking of me as Todd’s fiancée and I’m sorry about that. Todd and I hadn’t been ready to share our relationship with anyone up to now. We were about to shortly.” Olivia saw a woman in the audience smiling, though others looked at her grimly. “Even though Todd and I had only been together for a relatively short while, he meant the world to me,” Olivia continued. “I’d never met anyone like him. He was everything any woman could dream of and I’m deeply grateful for the time we had.”
Olivia heard more rumbling in the room and looked down at Todd’s family. Deanne was watching her closely, but the others were all looking down at the floor, as if refusing to even meet her eyes. There was no reason to try to win them over, Olivia realized. She was here for Todd, to thank him, say farewell, send him off with love.
“I want to thank you, Todd, for the love we shared together and the strength I received from you,” Olivia went on. “You will never die to me, never. I’ll keep you in my heart forever and remember you as long as I live.”
Olivia heard more crying in the audience. It was enough; the crowd was restless and she had said her good-byes. She turned stoically then, stepped off the stage and returned to sit beside her father.
The pastor got up and invited a few others to speak about Todd. His brother Craig went up and warned that whoever did this would rot in hell. He returned to his seat with both fists clenched.
Todd’s brother Lance went up briefly and spoke of their wonderful childhood together and how he would remember it always. A childhood friend of Todd’s shared a few memories and a colleague at work spoke about what a wonderful work mate Todd had been. Thankfully, after that the service wound down with a few more words from the pastor.
Everyone stood then and row by row filed out into the hot, humid day. Most gathered together under the leafy trees in front of the church in small groups, comforting one another. Olivia and her father stood there alone.
“Let’s get out of here now,” her father said, agitated. “I’ve never been in a group quite like this.”
Olivia wasn’t ready to leave yet though. “Let’s just say good-bye to Todd’s family first,” she suggested.
“Not necessary,” her father objected.
Olivia wanted to say good-bye properly, though, and walked over to Todd’s family. The moment she arrived, they all took a few steps back.
“I just wanted to say good-bye,” said Olivia, quietly.
“Say good-bye when you never said hello? We don’t need to hear anything from you, young lady.” Todd’s father leered at her. “I don’t even know why you came to the memorial. You’re only making it worse.”
“I beg your pardon?” Olivia’s father stepped up quickly behind her.
“Don’t beg me for anything!” Todd’s father shot at him. “We don’t need you here, not any of you, including your lousy daughter.”
“How dare you talk about my daughter that way? Especially when she’s suffering.” Olivia’s father’s voice thundered loudly at him.
“Suffering? I’ll show you suffering,” George shot back. “Just take a look at my wife and you’ll see suffering. How do we know that your daughter even knew Todd?”
“What the hell are you implying?” Blake yelled, now at his limit.
“Please, Dad.” Olivia wanted him to back away.
But George was totally beside himself. “We don’t know anything about your daughter, do we? For all we know Todd picked her up and she was just a one-night stand.”
At that Blake closed in and grabbed George’s collar. “Rotten scum,” Blake growled at him.
“Grab me all you like.” George was getting off on this. “You think we believe for a second that your daughter is my son’s fiancée? For all we know she engineered everything that happened.”
The veins stood out on Olivia’s father’s neck. “You’re sick and twisted,” he said to George.
“Better watch what you say, fella.” George’s head bobbed back and forth as a crowd began to gather around them, including Wayne and Lorna. “No one here trusts anything about your daughter!” George continued. “We’re all on the lookout!”
Olivia’s father looked as if he were about to take a punch at George. “Go to hell,” he uttered. “And who knows anything about your son, really?”
“Plenty of people here,” George said, fuming.
Wayne jumped in suddenly to separate the two fathers. “No need for this now,” he ordered. “Back off, both of you, emotions are running too high.”
“You’re saying I have no reason to be upset?” George was blubbering.
“I’m saying to back off, both of you! This isn’t the time for this,” Wayne commanded as he suddenly threw Olivia a long, disturbed glance.
*
“We’re leaving Key West immediately,” Olivia’s father said as soon as they returned to the hotel. “There’s not a single reason we should stay here.”
But fortunately, before Olivia could even answer, the phone rang. She ran to pick it up instantly and to her surprise it was Wayne.
“Just calling to see how you and your father are doing,” Wayne said as soon as she answered the phone. “That was a rough time you both had at the memorial.”
“Very,” said Olivia.
“I’m sorry about it,” Wayne replied, “and so is Lorna. In fact, your father’s lawyer called us about it. Would you and your father like to meet with us now and talk?”
Olivia thought it was a good idea to meet and straighten things out. She had no idea if her father was up to it, though.
“It’s Wayne, the detective.” Olivia put her hand over the mouthpiece as she spoke to her father. “Your lawyer contacted him.”
“Good,” her father grumbled. “I told him what happened at the memorial. He didn’t like it, either.”
“Wayne’s wondering if you and I would like to meet now with him and his partner, Lorna?”
“That’s a fine idea,” her father quickly agreed. “It’s a smart thing to do before we wrap things up and get out of town.”