Symphony of Bones by L.T. Ryan (little bear else holmelund minarik .txt) 📕

joints popped. “To go back to California and sunshine and far fewer murders? Definitely.”

“Sorry about the murders.” Cassie smirked. “Occupational hazard.”

Laura pulled out her phone. “Mom’s calling.” She put it on speaker.

“Hi, girls.” It was their dad. “You make it okay?”

“Just pulled in at the airport,” Cassie said. “How’s mom?”

“She’s right here.”

There was a rustling of the phone, and then her mom’s voice was there, so close to the speaker it was slightly distorted. “Hi. How was the trip?”

“It was good.” Laura was smiling. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good. Exhausted.” She sounded like she could sleep for a month and still want to take another nap. “They’ve got some good drugs here. Can’t feel a thing.”

“That’s good.” The sisters had stayed through the surgery and got to say hi to her afterwards. Then they went home with their father, had a good dinner, and went to sleep. They were on the road by the time the sun had crested the horizon. “I’m sure you’ll feel pretty good for a while.”

“Yeah. How was the trip?”

Cassie giggled. “It was good. Thanks for asking again.”

Laura laughed. “Hey, I gotta catch my plane. Don’t get into any trouble while I’m in the air, okay?”

“No promises.”

There was more rustling, and Walter took the phone back. “Be careful, okay? Call us when you land.”

“I will. Love you guys.”

“Love you, too. Both of you. Stay safe.”

The girls answered in unison. “Bye!”

Laura tucked her phone away. “I do have to get going, though.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the drop off area?”

“No, no. I need the walk to dry the tears.” Her voice caught. “I’m really glad I came, Cassie.”

“Me too.” Cassie felt tears pricking her eyes. “Thank you for everything. Maybe I can visit you soon?”

“Yes, you have to. As soon as you get some more vacation time, okay?”

“Okay.” Cassie leaned forward and wrapped her sister in a tight hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She cleared her throat. “Is he still here?”

Cassie looked in the backseat. Sebastian was sitting there, tucked between suitcases, waiting patiently. “Yeah. He’s still here.”

Laura turned to the backseat. She blushed. “Thank you, Sebastian. For your help. For Sarah. And for Cassie.” She turned back to her sister. “Do you think he understood?”

Sebastian was looking directly at Laura. He didn’t smile, but his glow seemed a little brighter.

“Yeah, I think he understood.”

“Good.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and popped open her door, but she didn’t get out yet. “You think you’re ready to talk to her?”

Cassie took a deep breath. Yesterday, Agent Viotto had texted her a name. Sherry Miller. As in, Ethan Miller’s mother. After the death of her son, she couldn’t hold down a job. She had no other kids, but she used to hang around schools and parks, watching them. The community knew who she was, what had happened to her, but police got complaints, regardless. Her record showed she was in and out of mental hospitals from that point on.

Cassie understood why. She’d lost her child. Her world. She was never the same again.

Viotto had given her Sherry’s last-known address: Orchard Hills in Savannah, Georgia. It was a long-term mental care facility. He couldn’t promise what kind of mental state she was in, but it didn’t matter. Cassie would pay her a visit.

“Not really.” She didn’t think she’d ever be ready to talk to her, but she didn’t have many other options at this point. “I hope she can point me in the right direction.”

“Call me tonight, okay? I should be settled in by then.”

“Text me when you land.”

Laura grabbed her suitcase out of the back. She didn’t look back as she walked toward the airport. Cassie was glad. Tears were falling down her cheeks now. This was the happiest, most fulfilled she’d felt in a while, but that made the pain of separation hurt that much more. If Laura turned back now, Cassie was afraid she’d never let her go.

Instead, she looked in the rearview mirror. Sebastian was staring back at her.

“You ready?”

He didn’t answer, but Cassie knew he was. As soon as they had crossed back into Georgia, he’d appeared in the backseat. He knew Cassie’s next stop after the airport was Orchard Hills, the psychiatric ward where Sherry Miller was living out the rest of her days.

It wasn’t far from the airport, and Cassie was walking up to the front of the building within twenty minutes. Her palms were sweaty, but she didn’t hesitate to pull the door open and walk right up to the front desk. She was so close to the truth, she could reach out and touch it.

The older woman behind the desk smiled as she looked up at her. “Good morning. What can I do for you today?”

“I’m here to visit Sherry Miller.”

“Are you a member of her family?”

“No.” This was the part Cassie wasn’t sure would work. “I knew her when I was a little girl. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her, and I was hoping I could talk to her.”

The woman’s smile was sad. “Ms. Miller isn’t in the best of health, dear. There’s a good chance she won’t remember you.”

“I figured there was a chance of that. Would it be okay if I tried?”

“Let me go see how she’s feeling today first, okay?”

Cassie nodded and watched as the woman disappeared through a set of double doors. Five minutes later, she returned with a smile on her face. “I can take you back to her.”

“Thank you so much.” Cassie’s heart fluttered at the same time her stomach dropped. “Could you tell me a bit of what she’s like these days?”

“She’s quiet.” The woman held the door open for her. “But she’ll get talking when she wants to. She’s heavily medicated, so she suffers from a little brain fog. She’s had a rough life.”

“I’m aware of her arrest record. Is she ever violent?”

“Oh no, not at all. She gets frustrated some days, but she couldn’t hurt a fly. She spends most of