at
redemption, an appeal must be made to the governing body’s
disciplinary committee. Emily wasn’t sure what he’d do. She was
just happy they’d be together.
Claire wanted to ask to join Emily in New
York. However, instinctively she believed her presence was
currently unwelcome. She hoped it was only momentary, besides Emily
and John needed private time.
Amber arrived home to find her dining room
table covered in piles of disheveled papers. It was the information
Claire saved from Tony’s box, along with new information Amber and
Harry helped accumulate. Harry’s connection to the Bureau of
Investigation and Intelligence was definitely advantageous.
From the box , Claire saved
pictures. Looking through the stack, she placed them in
chronological order. The first series was from her parent’s
funeral. If she hadn’t stared at them for hours, in her cell in
Iowa, the subject would be upsetting. Instead, the circumstance of
their existence dominated her thoughts. The photo in her hand was
of the grave site. She saw the vibrant autumn trees surrounding the
double plot and a seemingly appropriate gray sky. The faraway shot
showed Emily with John on one side and Claire on the other. There
were many people behind them. The next one caused Claire’s stomach
to churn. It showed a close-up of her, alone -- her name
handwritten on the back. She recognized the distinguishable
writing. She’d seen that same script on many notes throughout her
two years with Tony.
She didn’t meet Anthony Rawlings until almost five years after these pictures
were taken. Yet, the looming question remained; did he personally
shoot these photos? It added to the mystery. She wished for
pictures of the crowd, some way she could scan for his familiar
face. Thinking back, Claire remembered news coverage -- her father
was a policeman, and even though his death wasn’t in the line of
duty, it was considered newsworthy. Suddenly, she wondered if the
footage still existed. Working at a television news station, she
knew many videos were disposed of after a certain length of time.
Nonetheless, if she could watch, even a few seconds of the crowd,
Claire would find Tony -- tall, dark and handsome -- if he were
present.
The next stack of photos revealed images
from Emily and John’s wedding, with the same alarming close-ups of
Claire with her name written on the back in Tony’s handwriting. The
sea foam green dress made Claire smile.
She realized if she took these pictures to
the police, they didn’t prove Tony’s presence. Of course, he could
pay someone to take the pictures. Yet, Claire was certain a
handwriting specialist could verify his handwriting.
The other bit of
information, Claire retained, from Tony’s box of confessions, was
the Top Secret report. Over the past four months
she’d wondered how he obtained the document. It looked official,
containing the Top Secret watermark. Originally, she placed it in
the box of information to burn. However, just before leaving her
cell, Claire decided to remove it. Looking back, she chastised
herself for taking the box to the incinerator at all.
She couldn’t really justify her actions,
only that at the time she wanted freedom and separation. Watching
the contents burn proved temporarily therapeutic. As the flames
enveloped the box and its contents, she felt her life with Tony
shrivel into parallel nothingness. At the time, it was
cathartic.
In the days and weeks that followed, she
realized the error of her ways. With time to meditate, muse, and
contemplate her life’s milestones, it seemed that at many junctures
she’d acted impulsively. Whether it was refusing to leave Atlanta
after the loss of her job, signing a seemingly benign napkin,
getting into a car and fleeing Anthony’s estate, or burning a box
of confessions, the choices and their consequences continued to
return and rear their ugly heads.
The Top Secret report told the true
identities of two important players in the downfall
redemption, an appeal must be made to the governing body’s
disciplinary committee. Emily wasn’t sure what he’d do. She was
just happy they’d be together.
Claire wanted to ask to join Emily in New
York. However, instinctively she believed her presence was
currently unwelcome. She hoped it was only momentary, besides Emily
and John needed private time.
Amber arrived home to find her dining room
table covered in piles of disheveled papers. It was the information
Claire saved from Tony’s box, along with new information Amber and
Harry helped accumulate. Harry’s connection to the Bureau of
Investigation and Intelligence was definitely advantageous.
From the box , Claire saved
pictures. Looking through the stack, she placed them in
chronological order. The first series was from her parent’s
funeral. If she hadn’t stared at them for hours, in her cell in
Iowa, the subject would be upsetting. Instead, the circumstance of
their existence dominated her thoughts. The photo in her hand was
of the grave site. She saw the vibrant autumn trees surrounding the
double plot and a seemingly appropriate gray sky. The faraway shot
showed Emily with John on one side and Claire on the other. There
were many people behind them. The next one caused Claire’s stomach
to churn. It showed a close-up of her, alone -- her name
handwritten on the back. She recognized the distinguishable
writing. She’d seen that same script on many notes throughout her
two years with Tony.
She didn’t meet Anthony Rawlings until almost five years after these pictures
were taken. Yet, the looming question remained; did he personally
shoot these photos? It added to the mystery. She wished for
pictures of the crowd, some way she could scan for his familiar
face. Thinking back, Claire remembered news coverage -- her father
was a policeman, and even though his death wasn’t in the line of
duty, it was considered newsworthy. Suddenly, she wondered if the
footage still existed. Working at a television news station, she
knew many videos were disposed of after a certain length of time.
Nonetheless, if she could watch, even a few seconds of the crowd,
Claire would find Tony -- tall, dark and handsome -- if he were
present.
The next stack of photos revealed images
from Emily and John’s wedding, with the same alarming close-ups of
Claire with her name written on the back in Tony’s handwriting. The
sea foam green dress made Claire smile.
She realized if she took these pictures to
the police, they didn’t prove Tony’s presence. Of course, he could
pay someone to take the pictures. Yet, Claire was certain a
handwriting specialist could verify his handwriting.
The other bit of
information, Claire retained, from Tony’s box of confessions, was
the Top Secret report. Over the past four months
she’d wondered how he obtained the document. It looked official,
containing the Top Secret watermark. Originally, she placed it in
the box of information to burn. However, just before leaving her
cell, Claire decided to remove it. Looking back, she chastised
herself for taking the box to the incinerator at all.
She couldn’t really justify her actions,
only that at the time she wanted freedom and separation. Watching
the contents burn proved temporarily therapeutic. As the flames
enveloped the box and its contents, she felt her life with Tony
shrivel into parallel nothingness. At the time, it was
cathartic.
In the days and weeks that followed, she
realized the error of her ways. With time to meditate, muse, and
contemplate her life’s milestones, it seemed that at many junctures
she’d acted impulsively. Whether it was refusing to leave Atlanta
after the loss of her job, signing a seemingly benign napkin,
getting into a car and fleeing Anthony’s estate, or burning a box
of confessions, the choices and their consequences continued to
return and rear their ugly heads.
The Top Secret report told the true
identities of two important players in the downfall
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