The woman drew herself up, straightening her shoulders under Evie’s words, a faint flush rising beneath her tear-streaked cheeks.
“I’m Oscar Stanley’s wife,” she said, voice trembling as she held out the paper she had been waving. “We were married a year ago.”
Turning to the funeral director, Evie apologized quietly for the interruption and asked if there was somewhere private she could speak with the woman. He nodded, looking relieved that the shouting had stopped.
“Yes, you can use my office,” he said, gesturing toward it.
Thanking him again, Evie glanced at Tommy. He inclined his head slightly and followed as she led the woman -Gina,according to the marriage certificate - into the office. He closed the door behind them.
“Why wasn’t I informed my husband was dead?” Gina demanded at once, stepping in too close. Evie caught the sharp scent of cigarettes on her breath and wrinkled her nose but held her ground.
“Because we didn’t know you existed,” she said evenly, folding her arms. “It’s been two weeks; you didn’t try to get in touch with him during that time?” The document looked legitimate, but Evie couldn’t help feeling suspicious; Gina was about as far from Oscar’s type as it was possible to get.
“I- the prison wouldn’t give me any information,” Gina snapped, glaring at her. “I thought they were on lockdown or something. I only found out this morning when my mom sent me the obituary.”
Evie studied her for a moment. That was plausible, prisons on lockdown didn’t hand out visitor information, and since Gina’s name wasn’t on any of the paperwork Evie hadreceived from the prison or from Fred, the warden probably wouldn’t have given her details; Oscar hadn’t listed her as next of kin.
She passed the document to Tommy. He took it without a word and left the room, phone already in hand.
“Hey! Where’s he going with that?” Gina demanded, her nasal Long Island accent grating on Evie’s nerves.
“Relax,” Evie said, calm and cool, refusing to meet the woman’s heat with equal force. “You really think we’re going to accept the word of a random woman who shows up at the end of a memorial claiming to be my father’s wife when there is absolutely no mention of you anywhere? He’s going to make a few calls and confirm it’s real, that’s all.”
“It’s real! What would I have to gain by lying?” Gina snapped, jabbing a finger toward Evie and stepping into her space again.
“If it’s real, you shouldn’t have a problem with verification.” Evie didn’t answer what Gina might stand to gain; she wanted to see if the woman would mention Oscar’s estate herself. “And if you don’t step back, I’ll bring Thorn in here to make sure you stay on one side of the room.”
Gina’s eyes narrowed. “The big blonde guy?” Evie nodded and to her nose’s relief, she stepped back, dropping into a chair with a huff.
They waited in silence for another fifteen minutes before Tommy returned and handed the marriage certificate back to Evie.
“It’s real,” he confirmed.
“Thanks, Tommy.” She gave him a small, grateful smile. “Would you and Nissa mind taking my mom home so Gina can say her goodbyes to her husband?” She had no interest in gettingbetween Della and Gina. Her mother wasn’t having a good day, and Evie didn’t need an audience for another‘Oscar was the Devil’Ted Talk.
“No problem.” He glanced at Gina, who was already on her feet, wearing a triumphant smile. “We’ll take your car, and Thorn can bring you home.”
“Sounds good.” Evie nodded, exhaustion creeping back into her voice. “My keys are in my coat pocket.” She followed him to the door, watching as he relayed the plan to Nissa and Thorn.
“Humph.” Gina folded her arms when Evie didn’t move, blocking the exit. “They divorced two years ago. She shouldn’t care about him remarrying.”
“I don’t care,” Evie said without turning around. “There’s no reason for you two to meet. She’s my mother, and I only just met you, so she gets priority.”
“Who put you in charge, anyway?” Gina’s voice climbed in pitch, the whine making Evie’s temples throb.
“What are you, ten? Stop whining.” The words came out sharper than she intended, her patience finally cracking. She drew a slow breath, forcing her tone steady. “And for the record, Oscar put me in charge.”
She could practically feel Gina’s glare burning between her shoulder blades as the woman fumed in silence. Evie’s shoulders tightened, but she stayed where she was until Tommy and Nissa had her mother safely out of the building.
Only then did she step aside, allowing Gina to pass. The woman started toward the room where Oscar’s ashes were displayed but stopped halfway there and turned back to Evie.
“Who do I talk to about his money? As his wife, I’m entitled to it.”
There it was. Evie felt her lip curl in disgust. Folding her arms, she leveled the older woman with a blank stare. “You’re not, actually. His will left everything to me. But since you want it so badly, you can have his debt.”
The words hit their mark. With petty satisfaction, Evie watched the gleam in Gina’s eyes fade as her shoulders sagged.
“I thought you wanted to say goodbye?” Evie gestured toward the room that held Oscar’s ashes, already reaching for her phone. She needed to call Fred; she had no idea if spousal privilege could override a will.
