The Bones She Buried

Fourteen

The Fraley children had only vague memories of Drew Pratt and the Kickbacks for Kids scandal, things they’d heard on the news or read online. None of them could account for why Colette would have had the flash drive. “She must have found it or gotten it by accident somehow,” Laura theorized.

“Yeah,” Noah agreed. “I don’t know where it came from, but I don’t think she had any idea what was on it.”

“She knew enough to hide it,” Josie pointed out.

Laura laughed. “With two other completely random objects, from what Noah said. You have to understand, Josie, the more the dementia took over her mind, the more strange and inexplicable things she did. God knows where she got those things, but she was probably having one of her episodes and hid them. She’s probably got stuff hidden all over that house.”

But when Noah did the walk-through with Mettner they didn’t find any other hidden items or anything else unusual.

With the funeral looming, Josie had helped Noah straighten and clean up his mother’s house before his sister saw it. Laura was entering her last month of pregnancy and Noah was already concerned about the stress that Colette’s death had put on her, and didn’t want her to see the disarray. Once the house was restored, Laura went through Colette’s closet to choose clothes and jewelry for her funeral. Josie did her best during that week to help the Fraley family in any way she could. The days and nights passed in a blur. She had little time to check in with Mettner or Gretchen and, before she knew it, she was walking into the funeral home hand in hand with Noah.

They had arrived well before the viewing was scheduled to begin. A strange, creeping stillness took over them the deeper into the building they went. As her feet, clad in simple black flats, sank into the thick carpeting of the viewing room, Josie couldn’t help but flash back to her husband Ray’s funeral. All these years later, the grief was still there, the wound barely scabbed over. Josie felt a wave of sadness for Noah. Now he would feel the yoke of loss, forever on his shoulders.

Josie squeezed his hand as the funeral director sailed into the room and beckoned the Fraley siblings into the anteroom where all the photos had been proudly displayed. She stayed behind while Noah, Theo, Laura and Grady went over the final details before the mourners began to arrive. Colette’s body lay in a beautiful, shiny rose gold casket at the front of the room, dozens of floral arrangements arrayed around it. Josie read each card. With Deepest Sympathy, they read, and below each message was the name of a family. A lump formed in Josie’s throat as she realized how many people’s lives Colette had touched.

She turned when the Fraley children and Grady shuffled back in. Laura’s cheeks were streaked with tears. One hand rested on top of her belly while the other clutched a crumpled tissue. Noah walked over to Josie and took her hand.

Theo looked at his phone. “People will probably start arriving soon. Better get in line.”

They took their places along the side of the room, with Theo closest to the casket, then Laura and Grady, and finally Josie and Noah. Laura blew her nose and then leaned forward, looking first in Theo’s direction and then in Noah’s. “Noah,” she said, her voice shaky and shrill. “Josie can sit over there.” She pointed to the rows of chairs lined up in front of Colette’s casket. For a moment, Josie felt heat rise to her cheeks, but so as not to cause any unnecessary drama, she started to move toward the chairs. Noah didn’t let go of her hand.

“Josie’s standing in the greeting line with me,” he told his sister.

Laura stepped out of the line and pushed past Grady to confront Noah. She poked a finger in the air in Josie’s direction. “You’re not married. She can’t be in the greeting line.”

Theo said, “Laura, really. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Laura shot him a caustic look. “Stay out of this, Theo. You barely qualify for the greeting line. When’s the last time you even spoke to Mom?”

“Laura, Jesus,” Grady said, reaching out to grip her arm. “Stop.”

“I will not,” she snapped. “This is my mother’s funeral.”

Noah said, “It’s my mother’s funeral, too and I’d like Josie to stand next to me to support me.”

Laura folded her arms over the top of her belly. “I don’t want her in the line.”

Josie felt both anger and embarrassment. Acerbic words bubbled on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back.

Noah stood his ground. “I want her in the line.”

Josie saw a muscle in Laura’s jaw begin to throb and tried to pull her hand free from Noah’s. “It’s fine, Noah,” she murmured. “I’ll sit.”

He didn’t let go. With her free hand, Josie reached up and touched his cheek. “Really. It will be fine. I’ll sit right there—right across from you. If you need me, I’ll only be a few steps away.”

Under Laura’s glare, he slowly relented, his grip on her hand loosening. As Josie took the chair at the end of the nearest aisle, directly across from where Noah stood, Theo mouthed the word sorry at her. She managed a tight smile.

The four of them stood in line with erect posture and tight expressions, the tension among them palpable. It was almost a relief when the mourners started to arrive in a steady stream of faces Josie didn’t recognize. They were friends, neighbors and church members, from what Josie could gather by the small talk they made with the Fraley children after shaking hands, hugging and offering condolences. It was apparent from the long line of people that Colette had been well-loved and respected.

A hand squeezed Josie’s shoulder gently. She turned slightly to see Gretchen in the seat behind her, and a wave of relief washed over her. “Thanks for coming,” Josie said quietly.

“You’re not in the greeting line?” Gretchen asked.

Josie shook her head. “Don’t ask.”

Gretchen leaned in to speak into Josie’s ear. “I alibied these guys, by the way. Mettner had me do it over the phone. Theo was in a business meeting in Phoenix. His immediate supervisor was able to confirm that. Laura was heading up a job fair in Bethlehem. Several people were able to corroborate that. The Halls’ housekeeper confirmed that Grady was home all day working around the time Colette was murdered.”

“That’s good,” Josie said. “I didn’t think any of them had anything to do with her death, but I told Mettner to rule them out anyway.”

“Has their father shown up?” Gretchen asked. “Lance Fraley?”

“No. Laura said he wouldn’t come. Looks like she was right. Did you talk to him?”

“Not yet. I have a call out to him. Hey, who’s this silver fox?”

Josie looked up as a tall, robust man in his seventies with a thick head of striking white hair strode confidently toward the greeting line. He started with Noah and worked his way down, comforting each one of the Fraley children in turn, taking several minutes with each of them while the line of mourners backed up.

“I think that’s Zachary Sutton,” Josie said. “Colette’s old boss. Laura’s current boss.”

“So the boss comes to the funeral but not her ex-husband—the father of her children?” Gretchen asked.

Josie said nothing. She’d just had the same exact thought. However, she also knew how contentious divorces could be. She wasn’t sure that Lance Fraley’s absence was that much of a red flag.

Once the line thinned out, Gretchen stood and made her way over to the Fraley children to offer her condolences. Josie noticed several members of Denton PD filing in, including Chief Chitwood. By the time the viewing period was over, it was standing-room only. The warmth of so many bodies combined with collective sadness made what little air was left in the room heavy and cloying. Josie took off the bolero sweater she’d worn over her black sheath dress and shifted her dark hair on her shoulders, trying to cool off. Several people spoke about what a kind and generous person Colette was; how devoted she had been to her children and the church. Then Theo gave a rousing eulogy, and when Josie looked around toward the end of his speech she saw that most attendees were quietly crying.

By the time all the prayers had been said and hymns had been sung, Josie was exhausted, and she hadn’t done anything all morning but sit dutifully in her seat. She kept her hand between Noah’s shoulder blades as she walked with him out to the chain of cars that would take Colette’s body to its final resting place. Laura, Grady and Theo drove in Laura’s SUV and Josie drove Noah in her own vehicle. At least there was no bickering over Josie’s position in the line of cars. The mood was somber at the cemetery and didn’t improve at the post-service luncheon which the family hosted at a nearby restaurant.

Back at Noah’s house, Josie followed him up to his bedroom where he collapsed into bed fully clothed. She made a few attempts at conversation, but he told her he was tired and just wanted to close his eyes. She sat beside him in the bed, stroking his hair until he fell asleep. Josie’s own exhaustion was bone-deep. She, too, tried to sleep but couldn’t settle. Giving up, she got her laptop from her overnight bag and booted it up.

She knew that both Gretchen and Mettner would do everything humanly possible to bring Colette’s killer to justice, but still Josie couldn’t help but satisfy her curiosity about Drew Pratt. The details she remembered about his disappearance were foggy. Several times during the week she’d started to research it using the browser on her phone but then stopped herself, not wanting to seem rude and insensitive toward Noah and his siblings. After Noah’s remarks about wanting her to just be his girlfriend, she didn’t want him to feel neglected by her when he needed her most. Even though it was true that she longed to go after Colette’s killer, the main reason was that it broke her heart seeing Noah in such pain. She couldn’t bear being on the sidelines and itched to get out there and deliver justice to the person who had caused that pain.

Now the funeral was over and Noah was passed out, it wouldn’t hurt to have a look.