Page 6
A feeling of hopelessness weighs down on me. “So, that’s it, then?”
“No, ma’am. You have my word that I will keep searching for answers but just understand it’s not going to be easy.”
Theo meets my eyes and my heart breaks a little more knowing we may spend the rest of our lives searching for answers.
“Y’all can have your mother’s body moved to a funeral home whenever you’re ready. The medical examiner has finished everything he needs to do.”
A sob wells up in my throat and Theo wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Okay, we’ll take care of it and please keep in touch if you get any updates on the case.”
Rodriguez nods and stands, holding his hand out toward Theo. “Of course.”
They shake hands and he leads us back out to the waiting area before disappearing in the back. Theo leads me outside and I shiver as we cross the street and sit down on the park bench again.
“I hate not knowing,” Theo whispers and I nod in agreement. Mom always taught us that knowledge is power so not having the answers we need only makes all this worse.
“What was she doing there?” I ask again, almost to myself and Theo sighs.
“Honestly, T, with Mom it could be anything.”
I nod, watching the cars drive past us as I try to wrap my head around everything that’s happened in the last forty-eight hours and everything that still needs to be done.
“Does Mom have life insurance?” I ask and Theo shrugs.
“I doubt it. She would have considered it an unnecessary expense.”
I drop my head into my hands and suck in a breath. “How are we going to pay for a funeral, Theo? I don’t have anything.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. “We’ll have to cremate her and spread her ashes. It’s not like we have anyone to invite, anyway.”
“We could do it at the beach she loved in Grand Isle,” I suggest and he nods.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll take care of everything, okay?”
I nod, relieved that he’s willing to take the lead because I’m barely hanging on at this point and I can’t imagine adding anything else to my plate.
