Read Online Bone Dust White by Karin Salvalaggio - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karin Salvalaggio
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shut.
But her aunt snaps right back.
“Don’t you dare,” she says, shaking Grace back into the room. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
Grace barely moves her lips. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Then why were you so eager to get me out of the house?”
“No reason. I just thought you could use a break.”
“Grace, your mother died. The police are going to want to question you.”
Grace fumbles with the call button sitting next to her on the bed, twisting the cord around her fingers like she always does. “Why would they want to talk to me? I don’t know anything.”
“On the phone you said that you saw it happen. You must know what he looks like.”
Grace tries to remember.
“Well, can you describe him?”
“It happened so fast.”
Elizabeth squeezes her niece’s arm but her short fingernails gain no purchase. “You have a good eye, Grace, a memory for detail. I know you can help in some small way.”
Grace stares down at her aunt’s swollen knuckles. Last spring the doctors cut off the wedding ring she’d worn for forty-three years. Her aunt had it mended so she could hang it on a chain around her neck. Grace keeps forgetting to ask her why she doesn’t wear it anymore.
Distracted, Grace asks her aunt if her hands hurt.
“Grace, I’ve got more important things on my mind than my arthritis.” Elizabeth strokes Grace’s arm gently with an outstretched hand. “They had to do a biopsy on your heart to check if everything is okay. Because of the stress you were under they were worried about rejection.”
On impulse, Grace reaches up and puts her hand to her new heart. All she knew about the donor was that he’d been young and healthy when he’d died in a hunting accident. Dr. Gibson had looked sad when Grace had asked about sending a card to the family. Apparently they didn’t want to know Grace.
Elizabeth tries to reassure her niece. “It was just a precaution. Everything is fine.”
“I’d been thinking about her a lot lately.”
“Your mother?”
Grace gazes outside the windows into the fading afternoon light. “I’ve been remembering more about when I lived with her.”
Elizabeth stiffens. “Well, you’ve had a tough time lately. It’s to be expected that you’d be thinking of her.”
Grace picks at her raw cuticles. Her face reddens when her aunt puts out a hand to stop her. “Had you heard from her?”
Elizabeth tears at the rim of her paper cup. “No, sweetheart. Why would you ask such a thing?”
Grace’s eyes slide in her aunt’s direction. “You’d tell me?”
“Of course I’d tell you.”
“I’m sorry.”
There’s a knock at the door and Elizabeth looks up and smiles. “Dustin Ash, how long have you been standing there?”
Dustin brushes back a strand of graying hair that has fallen from his ponytail and steps in the room. Tall and slim, he has a habit of stooping. He smiles apologetically and holds up a pink teddy bear that has a bandage wrapped around its head. It wears a T-shirt that says GET WELL SOON .
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I had to see for myself that Grace was okay.”
Elizabeth peers beyond Dustin toward the door. “I’m surprised you got past security. I hope someone is still out there.”
“Don’t worry, Grace is well protected.”
Elizabeth is close to tears. “You’ve always been so good about looking after us.”
“Old habits die hard.”
Elizabeth turns to her niece. “Do you remember when you got lost out at Darby Lake? You must have been seven or eight at the time.”
“No, I don’t think so.” A few days earlier Grace told Dustin she was too old for stuffed animals but he seems to have forgotten already. She takes a quick glance up at him. He doesn’t look as angry as she thought he might be.
“Of course you remember,” Elizabeth insists. “We searched for hours. The sheriff even came out to help.”
Dustin raises his deep-set eyes. “It was pitch-dark when I found you asleep under
But her aunt snaps right back.
“Don’t you dare,” she says, shaking Grace back into the room. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
Grace barely moves her lips. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Then why were you so eager to get me out of the house?”
“No reason. I just thought you could use a break.”
“Grace, your mother died. The police are going to want to question you.”
Grace fumbles with the call button sitting next to her on the bed, twisting the cord around her fingers like she always does. “Why would they want to talk to me? I don’t know anything.”
“On the phone you said that you saw it happen. You must know what he looks like.”
Grace tries to remember.
“Well, can you describe him?”
“It happened so fast.”
Elizabeth squeezes her niece’s arm but her short fingernails gain no purchase. “You have a good eye, Grace, a memory for detail. I know you can help in some small way.”
Grace stares down at her aunt’s swollen knuckles. Last spring the doctors cut off the wedding ring she’d worn for forty-three years. Her aunt had it mended so she could hang it on a chain around her neck. Grace keeps forgetting to ask her why she doesn’t wear it anymore.
Distracted, Grace asks her aunt if her hands hurt.
“Grace, I’ve got more important things on my mind than my arthritis.” Elizabeth strokes Grace’s arm gently with an outstretched hand. “They had to do a biopsy on your heart to check if everything is okay. Because of the stress you were under they were worried about rejection.”
On impulse, Grace reaches up and puts her hand to her new heart. All she knew about the donor was that he’d been young and healthy when he’d died in a hunting accident. Dr. Gibson had looked sad when Grace had asked about sending a card to the family. Apparently they didn’t want to know Grace.
Elizabeth tries to reassure her niece. “It was just a precaution. Everything is fine.”
“I’d been thinking about her a lot lately.”
“Your mother?”
Grace gazes outside the windows into the fading afternoon light. “I’ve been remembering more about when I lived with her.”
Elizabeth stiffens. “Well, you’ve had a tough time lately. It’s to be expected that you’d be thinking of her.”
Grace picks at her raw cuticles. Her face reddens when her aunt puts out a hand to stop her. “Had you heard from her?”
Elizabeth tears at the rim of her paper cup. “No, sweetheart. Why would you ask such a thing?”
Grace’s eyes slide in her aunt’s direction. “You’d tell me?”
“Of course I’d tell you.”
“I’m sorry.”
There’s a knock at the door and Elizabeth looks up and smiles. “Dustin Ash, how long have you been standing there?”
Dustin brushes back a strand of graying hair that has fallen from his ponytail and steps in the room. Tall and slim, he has a habit of stooping. He smiles apologetically and holds up a pink teddy bear that has a bandage wrapped around its head. It wears a T-shirt that says GET WELL SOON .
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I had to see for myself that Grace was okay.”
Elizabeth peers beyond Dustin toward the door. “I’m surprised you got past security. I hope someone is still out there.”
“Don’t worry, Grace is well protected.”
Elizabeth is close to tears. “You’ve always been so good about looking after us.”
“Old habits die hard.”
Elizabeth turns to her niece. “Do you remember when you got lost out at Darby Lake? You must have been seven or eight at the time.”
“No, I don’t think so.” A few days earlier Grace told Dustin she was too old for stuffed animals but he seems to have forgotten already. She takes a quick glance up at him. He doesn’t look as angry as she thought he might be.
“Of course you remember,” Elizabeth insists. “We searched for hours. The sheriff even came out to help.”
Dustin raises his deep-set eyes. “It was pitch-dark when I found you asleep under
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