I don’t know the answer, but something doesn’t add up.
Already on alert, my feet are in motion the second I hear her vile words to Terina, blaming her for Craig’s death. Fuck if I’m going to let that shit happen on my watch.
“Whatthe fuckdid you just say to her?” I demand.
Rina spins to face me, but my attention is centered on the cosplay hag beside her.
I know how hard it is for Rina to be here. God knows I don’t visit my brother’s gravesite often enough because of the guilt. The last thing she needs is some psychopath spouting bullshit accusations.
The woman Terina called Kristi places her hand over her chest as though taken aback by my question. “I was speaking to my daughter-in-lawprivately. No one involvedyou.”
I position myself next to Terina but slightly in front of her, inserting myself between the two women. “I don’t care who she is to you. If you speak to her like that, you’ll answer to me.” I lean forward and lower my voice. “And if you think you’ve got a nasty temper, just wait until you see mine.”
Her jaw drops in offense. “Are youthreateningme?”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. Keep your fucking thoughts to yourself, or I’ll erase your thoughts entirely.” I place my hand on Terina’s lower back. “Time for us to go. I can’t stand the stench here any longer.”
Rina obliges, leading us swiftly back to the car while I try to tamp down my fury.
What a fucking cunt. Who says shit like that to family? Terina didn’t do jack shit to cause Craig’s death. Has that cigarette with legs been spewing venom like that for the past five years? Probably. And if so, it’s no wonder Terina has assumed some fictional role in the guy’s murder.
I drive us out of the cemetery with a strangled grip on the steering wheel. I only wish it were that bitch’s neck instead.
“The anniversary is always hard on her. She’s lonely without him. Craig was her only family.” Terina’s defense of her ex-mother-in-law has the opposite effect of its intent, amping up my irritation rather than quelling it.
“You can’t make excuses for people like that,” I say in a clipped but level tone, trying not to take my anger out on her.
“I know,” she says softly.
The broken words chip away at my heart. Fuck, I don’t want her to hurt, but I need to know more about this situation.
“Is she in contact with you beyond the chance cemetery encounter?”
Terina is slow to answer. “She texts sometimes,” she finally admits.
Not anymore. I’ll be goddamned if Rina ever hears from that woman again.
“Renzo know about her?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“I didn’t ask if it was a big deal. I asked if Renzo knows.”
“No, okay. I’ve never said anything, and there’s no reason to,” she says forcefully, growing more defensive. I have to wonder why. Why would she want to keep this from her brother?
According to Renzo, Rina is under the impression that her husband’s death was a mugging gone wrong. If that’s the case, why would Rina and Crispy Kristi think Rina was to blame? Did they know about his shady extracurriculars? Even if they did, why would that implicate Rina?
“You keeping something from him aside from that?”
“No.” She crosses her arms, a clear sign that she’s closing herself off.
I spend the rest of the trip home mulling over the facts. Nothing seems to add up, but I’m not sure where the disconnect enters the picture. This would be so much easier if she’d just talk to me.
Is she truly still in love with Craig?
Why does she blame herself for his death?
Why can’t I shake the feeling that she’s lying to me?
