“Goodness,” the lawyer says and silence follows again, but this time it’s not long. “In that case, she must have arranged for the letter to arrive after her death.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Mr. Hoffmann, this is all confusing to me.”
“I understand that. But I need to give you the letter. Now that I know Mrs. Holder died, I also need to speak to you about her will.”
“Her will?” My fingers brush the base of my throat.
Carmen stands up from the couch and approaches me in the kitchen. Her eyes are bright with questions, her expression one of pure curiosity.
My blood boiling, I turn away from her and continue the conversation.
“You must be mistaken,” I say to the man. “The people you need to get in touch with are her husband or her mother. Her mother is here right now. Would you like to speak to her?”
Even as I ask, I’m hoping he’ll say no to speaking with Carmen. She’s Lavinia’s mother, but her actions since she arrived have proven to me that the only person she cares about is herself.
“That won’t be necessary. Mrs. Holder made it clear that I should speak to you. We should meet in person. I live in Nashville. We could have lunch on Friday if you have time.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work.” I swallow the lump blocking my throat. “It’s the day of Lavinia’s funeral.”
“Right, okay. That’s not a problem. I’ll come to the funeral, if I may. I only got to know her for a short time, but she seemed like a good person.”
“Yeah, that would be fine.”
Without asking for Carmen’s permission, I give him the details of the funeral and we hang up.
“Someone wants to talk to you about Lavinia’s will?” Carmen asks, coming too close for comfort.
I distance myself from her.
“Yes. That was Lavinia’s lawyer,” I say. “I don’t know what he wants, but he said he needs to talk to me in person. He’ll be at the funeral.”
I had arranged Lavinia’s funeral all on my own. I ended up spending most of the money Marcy had given me, but Lavinia was my friend, and I could not reach Jeffrey.
When I contacted some of Lavinia’s friends after going through the contacts on her phone, I was overcome with sadness. Many of them didn’t answer the calls.
“This should be interesting.” Carmen beams. “Maybe I can join your little meeting. Iamher mother.”
Something clicks in my mind. It all makes sense now. She came all this way because she thought she was getting something out of Lavinia’s death. The woman makes me sick to my stomach. I almost wish I didn’t find her contact details.
“I’m sorry.” My voice is sharp and chilled. “Jenna needs me to take care of her. She’s due for her bath. I’m sure you can make your own food. Everything you need is in the fridge.”
Chapter 25
“Are you ready in there?” Carmen calls from outside the guest room. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Almost.” It’s a lie. I’ve been trying for an hour to finish up, but I don’t seem to be making any progress. I keep having to redo my makeup because the crying won’t stop.
It’s Lavinia’s funeral today and I’m struggling with the idea that she’s about to be buried. I’ve been trying to keep it together, but now I’m coming apart.
The hardest thing is knowing that she took her own life. The letter to her lawyer certainly confirmed it.
I try buttoning up the black dress. It’s one of Lavinia’s dresses. I didn’t bring anything suitable for a funeral. I also lost a lot of weight. My maternity clothes are way too large now.
My fingers are trembling so much, it’s hard to grab hold of the pearl buttons. I yank off the dress again and try on something that doesn’t need buttoning up, a black wrap dress that reaches below my knees.
Sadness mixed with the exhaustion from lack of sleep makes it hard for me to function or focus. Jenna woke up several times last night—every two hours.
As expected, Carmen slept through it all and didn’t even bother to help me out in the morning. Since she arrived, she has not once offered to give the baby a bottle or do anything else for her granddaughter. I don’t mind caring for Jenna, but it saddens me that her grandmother doesn’t even bother to pick her up, especially since her mother died. Is it because she’s half Jeffrey’s daughter? Does she hate Jeffrey that much?
