CHAPTER 8
Eleanor could barely stop shaking.
Emily guided her to a patio chair and wrapped her own uniform jacket around her mother’s shoulders.
Mrs. Miller brought water.
Eleanor held the glass with both hands.
“I thought you forgot me,” she whispered.
Emily knelt in front of her.
“I was trying to call every week.”
“She told me you were too busy,” Eleanor said. “She said soldiers don’t come back for old women.”
Emily closed her eyes.
Vivian looked away.
Officer Harris wrote something in his notebook.
Mrs. Miller stepped forward.
“She changed the phone settings,” the housekeeper said. “Blocked Captain Walker’s number from the home line. She told Mrs. Walker the calls stopped coming.”
Vivian hissed, “You traitor.”
Mrs. Miller’s voice broke, but she kept speaking.
“She made me bring meals outside. She said if I told anyone, she’d accuse me of stealing and have me deported from the only job reference I had.”
Emily stood.
May you like
The courtyard was silent except for Eleanor’s uneven breathing.
Vivian’s perfect red dress suddenly looked like a costume from a role she could no longer play.
