Page 42 of The Couple's Secret
There was a huff. “I’m calling because Noah told Drake that you want to cancel the vow renewal.”
Josie groaned. “Ugh. We really are in middle school.”
Ignoring the barb, Trinity softened her tone. “I think you should go through with it. You deserve it. Both of you.”
“It’s just that Wren?—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Trinity cut in, voice still gentle. “This isn’t about Wren. You were right to postpone it before because she’d just arrived. She’s a bit more settled now. Sure, the three of you have a lot of work to do but I know you, Josie. You don’t think you deserve this.”
She had no response to that. It was far too early, and she was far too uncaffeinated for an impromptu therapy session.
The twin telepathy must have stretched across the miles because Trinity didn’t bother to dive into psychoanalysis. Instead, she said, “Just know that if you cancel this, you’re going to break Mom’s heart. She’s pretty much made this her entire identity.”
Josie laughed. It was true. Noah had worried that Trinity would be the one trying to take over the planning but instead, it was her mother, Shannon, who had been treating it as if it was her own vow renewal—no, her own wedding. What had started out as a small, simple ceremony was now an affair nearly as big as their ill-fated wedding had been. After Josie and Noah announced they were going to do it, Shannon bombarded them with calls and texts and a zillion ideas for everything from the venue to the font they should use on their invitations.
Invitations. Shit. They had already gone out. Trinity and Drake lived in New York City. They’d both already requested time off from their very busy jobs to attend. Noah’s brother had probably already booked his flight from Arizona. Surely, they would all understand if the ceremony was canceled.
“Mom missed so much of your life,” Trinity said, breaking into her thoughts. “Then your wedding was ruined. Don’t get me wrong. She’s overjoyed that Wren has come into our lives, her first grandchild and everything. But seeing you two celebrate your marriage properly, with all the trappings and everyone you love in attendance? Josie, she needs that.”
“If you’re going to guilt me like this, you could at least DoorDash me a latte and a dozen cheese Danishes,” Josie complained.
She did feel guilty. Lila Jensen had worked for Shannon and Christian Payne’s cleaning service when Josie and Trinity were three weeks old. She’d set their home on fire and kidnapped Josie. Authorities believed Josie had perished in the blaze. They had no idea that Lila had spirited her away to Denton. Thirty years later, a cold case knocked Josie’s world off its axis and fate set it to rights, reuniting her with her parents, twin sister, and little brother.
But there was no getting back the time they’d lost or the milestones they’d missed.
“It’s not just Wren,” Josie mumbled. “It’s?—”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell her sister how much Noah was struggling. It felt like a betrayal. He wouldn’t even talk to her about his trauma or his nightmares. Was he even in the right frame of mind for something like this? Just the other night he’d gone from being sweet to cruel in the span of a few minutes.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Trinity said, again practically reading her mind. “Just please, think it over, okay?”
Josie made a half-hearted noise of agreement before hanging up. She’d think about it. Just not right now.
There were funerals to attend.
Twenty-Three
The services for Tobias Lachlan and Cora Stevens were held entirely outdoors at Brighton Springs’ biggest cemetery. At first, Josie thought their children had chosen a graveside service to keep things simple and expedient but when she and Gretchen showed up, joined by Detective Fanning, there were already hundreds of people everywhere. News vans and parked cars clogged every lane of the cemetery, their owners all heading in the same direction—to the top of a hill. Josie, Gretchen, and Fanning followed, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They’d worn proper funeral attire, but Josie was sure all three of them screamed law enforcement with or without the trappings, just like the few plainclothes Brighton Springs police officers she’d noticed nodding at Fanning as they passed. Detective Thomas Chaney, the current lead on the case, was still on vacation.
On the crest of the hill, several reporters and their camera crews waited, eagerly approaching attendees, hoping for a juicy soundbite. Spread out below were dozens of headstones and even more people filling the gaps among them. Fanning took the lead, waving Josie and Gretchen toward the bottom of the hill where a large tent had been erected. As they drew closer, two coffins came into view, mounted on a casket-lowering device. Surrounding them were massive floral arrangements and enlarged photos of Tobias and Cora in the prime of their lives, smiling brightly.
A pastor stood nearby, slowly flipping pages in his bible. Along the ground, artificial turf had been rolled out. A dozen empty chairs were lined up, awaiting family and close friends. Smartly dressed representatives from the cemetery and funeral home strode about purposefully, corralling reporters and keeping everyone several feet away from the seating area. Josie didn’t see Riley, Jackson, or Zane yet.
“Why not have a private service?” Gretchen asked Fanning. “The majority of these people probably didn’t even know Tobias and Cora.”
None of them said what Gretchen actually meant, which was that it was likely that most of the people in attendance were here out of morbid curiosity, here to get a bit of gossip they could share when they went back to their homes or jobs.
Fanning scratched his scalp, dislodging a lock of thick white hair. “Yeah, some of these people definitely didn’t know them but a lot of folks remember Tobias. This is just one in a long line of tragedies. They stood by him before, they’ll stand by to see him to his final resting place. That’s what community is about.”
They drew closer to the tent. A plainclothes officer raised a hand to stop them from getting near until he saw John Fanning. “Sir,” he said in acknowledgment before letting them pass. They found a spot a few feet away from the side of the tent, facing the hill. From this position, they were close enough to observe the family and the crowd.
Josie slipped on a pair of sunglasses. “The community stood by Tobias when his wife died? Zane’s mother?”
“Gabrielle, yes. She was quite young.”
“She died of a heart attack, right?” asked Gretchen from his other side.
Fanning nodded. “Cardiac arrest. It was horrible. Unbelievably tragic. But even before that, Jackson’s mom, Rachel, up and left Tobias with a three-year-old that wasn’t even his own blood. She took off with some guy. Victor something. Tobias kissed her goodbye that morning and when he got home from work, she was gone. Left a note asking him to take care of little Jackson. Never saw or heard from her again.”
