nervousness. You’d think she’d have gotten used to this by now.
Then there was Angel’s funeral on Friday. He owed it to David, his old war buddy, to make sure his daughter was put to rest properly. He had helped bury June, David’s wife, buried David, and now he’d bury Angel, David’s stepdaughter.
* * *
Marnie wanted to talk to Scott alone, but he usually came to visit whenever Frank did. There was so much she had wanted to ask him, especially about his stepsister. Of course, in the beginning, she couldn’t keep her eyes open long enough to even think about having a lengthy conversation. Now as the days passed she could feel herself getting stronger. So she patiently waited.
One evening Scott arrived alone bringing her a bunch of magazines. He had come directly from work and was wearing a navy blue pinstriped suit that was superbly tailored to fit his tall, rugged body. He could have stepped off the cover of GQ. Marnie caught her breath, as her heart did that little skip it always did when Scott walked into the room. She had nearly forgotten how good he looked. She smiled mockingly to herself, thinking about how she’d thought she’d rid herself of all feelings towards him.
“You won’t throw me out, will you?” he asked.
“No. Not when you’ve come bearing gifts.”
He blew out his breath. “I wasn’t too sure if you’d talk to me—without Frank.”
“Not when we desperately need to talk,” Marnie said.
“About what?” Scott asked hoping for the best.
“I’m sorry about your sister. Why have you never mentioned her?”
Finally. This was the moment he’d sought so many weeks before. “If I had, we wouldn’t have had our misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean?”
“The woman you overheard in my apartment the night you called from the restaurant was my stepsister, Angel.”
Marnie’s eyes opened wide with surprise. She hadn’t sounded like a sister. “I don’t understand. The woman I heard sounded more like a lover than a sister.”
“Angel was so high on coke that she hardly knew what she was doing.”
Suddenly Marnie felt terrible—as if there might be room for more pain. “Oh, Scott, I feel so awful. I jumped to the wrong conclusion and misconstrued the entire situation. And to make things worse, I’d been unreasonable and wrong not to have given you a chance to explain. I’m so sorry.”
“I never told you about Angel because I was ashamed of her. I didn’t want you to know I had a stepsister who was so strung out on drugs, she’d sell herself for the money to buy them.”
“Did she die of an overdose?”
“No. She wasn’t that lucky.”
“How did she die, Scott?”
“She was murdered by a John. He literally beat her to death. Her features were totally unrecognizable.”
Marnie winced, closing her eyes. “How awful.”
“I begged her not to do what she was doing and to go into rehab, but she refused.”
“I’m so very sorry. I acted like a child. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Under other circumstances were you not in a hospital bed I’d milk this for all it’s worth. But to set things straight between us, let’s start again and allow me to take you to Umberto’s.
Fair enough?”
She smiled. “Yes. I’ll allow your motion, Counselor.”
Their eyes met and caught for a moment before Scott began to speak in a more serious tone. “I’ve put in a request to prosecute John Kalb. If the DA gives me the nod, I’m going to need input from you.”
“The file is still in my briefcase. Hopefully there won’t be too many holes in it.”
“It probably saved your life.”
“Too bad it couldn’t save Marishka Kalb’s, as well,” Marnie said, tears welling in her eyes.
“You couldn’t have prevented her death, honey.
“I know, but…”
The tears began to fall. Scott grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter and gently wiped her eyes. “I’ll make sure Kalb gets what’s coming to him. I promise,” he said, kissing the top of
Then there was Angel’s funeral on Friday. He owed it to David, his old war buddy, to make sure his daughter was put to rest properly. He had helped bury June, David’s wife, buried David, and now he’d bury Angel, David’s stepdaughter.
* * *
Marnie wanted to talk to Scott alone, but he usually came to visit whenever Frank did. There was so much she had wanted to ask him, especially about his stepsister. Of course, in the beginning, she couldn’t keep her eyes open long enough to even think about having a lengthy conversation. Now as the days passed she could feel herself getting stronger. So she patiently waited.
One evening Scott arrived alone bringing her a bunch of magazines. He had come directly from work and was wearing a navy blue pinstriped suit that was superbly tailored to fit his tall, rugged body. He could have stepped off the cover of GQ. Marnie caught her breath, as her heart did that little skip it always did when Scott walked into the room. She had nearly forgotten how good he looked. She smiled mockingly to herself, thinking about how she’d thought she’d rid herself of all feelings towards him.
“You won’t throw me out, will you?” he asked.
“No. Not when you’ve come bearing gifts.”
He blew out his breath. “I wasn’t too sure if you’d talk to me—without Frank.”
“Not when we desperately need to talk,” Marnie said.
“About what?” Scott asked hoping for the best.
“I’m sorry about your sister. Why have you never mentioned her?”
Finally. This was the moment he’d sought so many weeks before. “If I had, we wouldn’t have had our misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean?”
“The woman you overheard in my apartment the night you called from the restaurant was my stepsister, Angel.”
Marnie’s eyes opened wide with surprise. She hadn’t sounded like a sister. “I don’t understand. The woman I heard sounded more like a lover than a sister.”
“Angel was so high on coke that she hardly knew what she was doing.”
Suddenly Marnie felt terrible—as if there might be room for more pain. “Oh, Scott, I feel so awful. I jumped to the wrong conclusion and misconstrued the entire situation. And to make things worse, I’d been unreasonable and wrong not to have given you a chance to explain. I’m so sorry.”
“I never told you about Angel because I was ashamed of her. I didn’t want you to know I had a stepsister who was so strung out on drugs, she’d sell herself for the money to buy them.”
“Did she die of an overdose?”
“No. She wasn’t that lucky.”
“How did she die, Scott?”
“She was murdered by a John. He literally beat her to death. Her features were totally unrecognizable.”
Marnie winced, closing her eyes. “How awful.”
“I begged her not to do what she was doing and to go into rehab, but she refused.”
“I’m so very sorry. I acted like a child. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Under other circumstances were you not in a hospital bed I’d milk this for all it’s worth. But to set things straight between us, let’s start again and allow me to take you to Umberto’s.
Fair enough?”
She smiled. “Yes. I’ll allow your motion, Counselor.”
Their eyes met and caught for a moment before Scott began to speak in a more serious tone. “I’ve put in a request to prosecute John Kalb. If the DA gives me the nod, I’m going to need input from you.”
“The file is still in my briefcase. Hopefully there won’t be too many holes in it.”
“It probably saved your life.”
“Too bad it couldn’t save Marishka Kalb’s, as well,” Marnie said, tears welling in her eyes.
“You couldn’t have prevented her death, honey.
“I know, but…”
The tears began to fall. Scott grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter and gently wiped her eyes. “I’ll make sure Kalb gets what’s coming to him. I promise,” he said, kissing the top of
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