Page 80 of Home Is Where the Bodies Are

“Yes, you did, Nicole. You saved my life.”

“You would have done the same for me. That’s what sisters do. They save each other.”

She wraps her arms around my body and hugs me. It’s one of those embraces that heals a part of you. One that serves as a reminder that love truly can conquer all.

“Love you.” The words come out so quietly, I almost hope she doesn’t hear them.

“Love you too, Nicole,” she whispers back.

Tears well from deep inside me, a place I haven’t cried from in a long time. They spill out and course down my cheeks. They’re tears of relief. Beth pulls away, looking me in the eyes. She’s crying just as much as I am. She looks so much like Mom did at her age.

She slides an envelope from her pocket and holds it out. “I found this.”

I hesitate for a moment before taking it from her. On the front, written in my mother’s handwriting, is the nameMichael.

“What is it?”

“It’s the letter Mom wrote for you. Michael switched his out for yours.”

My bottom lip trembles and I feel my throat closing. I pull the letter from the envelope. It only takes a few words for me to know Beth is right. This is the letter Mom wrote for me. The tears continue to build and fall. I fold the letter.

“You aren’t going to read it?” Beth asks.

“Not yet. This isn’t the right moment.”

She places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I get it.”

“I have something for you too.” I reach into my pocket and hand Beth the key for the safe-deposit box.

Her brows shove together as she flips it over in her hand. “Did you open it?”

“Yeah.”

“What was inside?”

“Hold on,” I say, putting a finger up. I walk to my car parked in the driveway and grab the manila envelope from the front seat. I’ll let Beth read Mom’s letter before I turn it over to the police.

My hand trembles as I extend it to her. It’s withdrawals, my body craving a drug. It used to scare me when my body quaked because I wasn’t strong enough to stave them off without giving in. But I’m not scared anymore. I’m stronger than I ever gave myself credit for, and I know chasing the high is the equivalent of running in place. With each stride, dirt gets kicked up and all that happens is you end up digging a hole beneath you. If you dig long enough, you’ll eventually get buried in it.

Beth hesitates for a moment before taking the envelope from me. She doesn’t say anything about my trembling hand. The flap is already open, ready for her to look inside and get a glimpse of the past.

“What is it?” she asks, briefly looking at me.

“It’s everything Mom wanted us to know.”

“And what’s that?”

“The truth,” I say.

FORTY-SIX

LAURA

To those I’ve lied to,

My job as a mother was to protect my children... but I think I took it too far. My husband and I both did. We wanted the world for our kids, and we were willing to destroy it, just so they could have it. I’ve lived with this for over twenty years, and I know I’ll die with it too, but I won’t take it to my next life. In death, I want to be free of it. This is the truth of what happened to Emma Harper, Christie Roberts, Charles Gallagher, and my husband, Brian Thomas. This is the truth of what we did.

On the evening of June 15, 1999, my husband, Brian, told me Emma Harper was dead, and we needed to get rid of her body. He didn’t tell me why. He didn’t tell me what happened. He just told me it needed to be done. Somehow, I went along with it. It’s strange how quickly we can do the things we thought we never would. It only takes a second to make the wrong decision. After we buried her, I knew it wouldn’t be the end of it, but I thought the hardest part was behind us. It wasn’t. Seeing Emma’s parents, Susan and Eddie, go through the grief of not knowing where their child was, that was far worse.

---