Mary's Bones

FIVE

I had been awaiting John's return for ten minutes now. The wind thrust its way in through the backdoor, causing me to tighten my robe around myself. I ignored the bounce in my knee and folded my arms. Should I have gone out there with him to look? I felt much safer here. But I felt a lot safer knowing John wasn't putting himself in danger back there.

"Alright, Angie. There's nothing and no one back there." John closed the backdoor as he stepped inside. He kicked the dirt off his shoes before slipping them off.

"Are you sure?" I stretched on my toes to peek over his shoulder.

"Yes, babe." He walked towards me, pressing a kiss to my lips. His hands then found my cheeks, smothering them together. "I have no idea what happened tonight. I'm just glad you're safe and unharmed. Next time, call me as soon as something like this happens. Please?" I couldn't ignore the concern on his face. I nodded. He must have thought I was going insane too.

"I'm sorry." I bowed my head, glaring at the floor.

He used his finger to lift my chin, pressing another kiss to my lips. "Come on, let's eat. I brought Chinese food." He nodded towards the kitchen. Now that I wasn't as scared, I could smell the food. Oh geez. I'd been so focused on the situation, food slipped my mind.

"You both sound like you need it." He chuckled. I blushed at the sound of my stomach gurgling. John led the way into the kitchen, and I willingly followed.

Once we were both settled and everything was calm again, we began to indulge in conversation. It was the same as any other day. I asked him about his day at work, whether he spent all day at the station, patrolling, or out on the field.

My knowledge only went so far in his profession. His work hours were normally forty hours a week unless he was adding on night shifts and whatever other emergency call-ins. He asked me how my painting class went. We talked about any and everything except Cory.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you, I have a message from some important people," John said. 

I frowned. "What? Who?"

"Today, I met with the parents of Mary Drake—Edward and Lucinda. They were eager to invite you to the memorial service." He shoved some lo mein into his mouth, awaiting my response.

I sat back and tilted my head to the side, scrunching my face. "They invited me to Mary Drake's memorial?"

"Mhm." He nodded.

"Um, why?" I hesitated. Not that I had a problem with it, but I didn't think I deserved to be there. It felt like I was intruding into someone's personal life. I didn't know the first thing about Mary or her family. 

"Well, Lucinda and Edward said they wanted to thank you. So, they want you to stop by so they can show their appreciation. She said it will be a small service in their home until they can hold a proper funeral when Mary's remains are returned to them."

"Oh," I mumbled.

"Here"—he pulled out a folded piece of paper from the breast pocket of his shirt—"this is the address. The memorial starts at 3:30 if you decide to go. Your classes are only from one to three, so that works perfectly for you."

"Okay," I said and took the paper. He smiled at me, then went back to eating. The rest of the night went on like that, smiling at each other and eating in silence.

* * *

The hardened ground beneath my feet felt like rubble. October had already frozen over the air, so I wasn't surprised that the front lawn of the Drake residence was covered in solid grass. I could feel moisture against the skin on my cheek.