the same box were snapshots of her and Cliff—and photos of her mother that still made Megan cry when she snuck a look at them.
And she’d saved a couple of Chicago Tribune clippings from when Lisa Swann had disappeared.
But there were no photographs of Dr. Glenn Swann. She’d left all those behind.
Megan used Sean’s image to fill the role of her fictional late husband because she and Sean looked so happy together in those photos—maybe even in love, if someone didn’t know better. In truth, she’d gone to these vacation spots with Sean and her brother, Cliff—all the time feeling like a bit of a third wheel.
For the Caribbean cruise where the framed photo had been taken, Cliff and Sean had paid for her room, and even tried to set her up with another passenger—but she hadn’t felt any spark. Cliff and Sean were partners in business as well as in life. The business was a successful dot-com.
In the end, a big chunk of money Sean might have inherited when Cliff died had secretly gone to Mrs. Glenn Swann.
It had allowed Megan Keeslar to start her life in Seattle, supporting her and Josh for two years. Her relationship with Sean had been a bit strained toward the end. Now that the dot-com business was hurting, she wondered if he knew about the money and regretted letting it slip through his fingers. Perhaps he resented her for taking it. She wondered just how much her late brother had told his partner.
With Sean Hurley’s photo always on display in her living room, Megan never stopped wondering. Yet at the same time, she liked having the picture there. It was a link to her past—and she still remembered how her brother had cracked jokes and sung “Sea Cruise” while snapping the photograph.
“Did you and Daddy catch any fishes while you were on the boat?” Josh asked, pointing to the framed picture.
Megan prodded him toward the bathroom. “It wasn’t that kind of boat, honey,” she said. “It was a big, big cruise ship—as big as our whole block… .”
She stood in the bathroom doorway and told him about the luxury liner—its pool, movie theater, and game room. He obviously stopped listening as soon as he finished peeing. He was so fascinated with the toilet’s flush handle lately—and worked the thing as if it were the lever of a dollar slot machine. Mesmerized, he watched the toilet flush and fill up again.
Megan got him back into bed and tucked in. Then she switched off the Big Bird lamp.
He yawned, and clutched his Teletubby. “Mommy, could you look out the window again?” he asked in a soft voice.
Megan kissed him on the forehead. “Sure thing, kiddo.” She started toward the window, but hesitated as she gazed at the closed red curtain. For some reason, she imagined seeing a stranger crouched down on the other side of it, trying to peek in at her little boy. She could envision the man’s ugly hatchet face just inches away from the glass.
Megan told herself she was being silly. She took a deep breath, and then pushed aside the curtain.
“See?” she managed to say. “Nobody, just the same old rosebush. You know, those flowers will be blooming pretty soon.” She pulled the curtain closed again. “Now, you get some sleep, okay?”
“ ’Kay,” he murmured.
Megan gave him another kiss on the forehead. She left his door half open so he’d get a bit of light from the living room. She paused outside, and listened to him sleepily talking to himself—or Dipsy. It was a nightly ritual lately. “Mommy and Daddy watched a movie on the boat, and they swimmed in the pool, but they didn’t catch any fishes. Daddy’s gone to heaven, but he still watches us… .”
Her arms folded, Megan listened outside his door. She could tell Josh was drifting off to sleep. She glanced at the photo of her and Sean on the living room table. She wondered what had happened to him—and what had happened to that lavender dress. With a sigh, she headed back into the bathroom.
She rinsed out the last
And she’d saved a couple of Chicago Tribune clippings from when Lisa Swann had disappeared.
But there were no photographs of Dr. Glenn Swann. She’d left all those behind.
Megan used Sean’s image to fill the role of her fictional late husband because she and Sean looked so happy together in those photos—maybe even in love, if someone didn’t know better. In truth, she’d gone to these vacation spots with Sean and her brother, Cliff—all the time feeling like a bit of a third wheel.
For the Caribbean cruise where the framed photo had been taken, Cliff and Sean had paid for her room, and even tried to set her up with another passenger—but she hadn’t felt any spark. Cliff and Sean were partners in business as well as in life. The business was a successful dot-com.
In the end, a big chunk of money Sean might have inherited when Cliff died had secretly gone to Mrs. Glenn Swann.
It had allowed Megan Keeslar to start her life in Seattle, supporting her and Josh for two years. Her relationship with Sean had been a bit strained toward the end. Now that the dot-com business was hurting, she wondered if he knew about the money and regretted letting it slip through his fingers. Perhaps he resented her for taking it. She wondered just how much her late brother had told his partner.
With Sean Hurley’s photo always on display in her living room, Megan never stopped wondering. Yet at the same time, she liked having the picture there. It was a link to her past—and she still remembered how her brother had cracked jokes and sung “Sea Cruise” while snapping the photograph.
“Did you and Daddy catch any fishes while you were on the boat?” Josh asked, pointing to the framed picture.
Megan prodded him toward the bathroom. “It wasn’t that kind of boat, honey,” she said. “It was a big, big cruise ship—as big as our whole block… .”
She stood in the bathroom doorway and told him about the luxury liner—its pool, movie theater, and game room. He obviously stopped listening as soon as he finished peeing. He was so fascinated with the toilet’s flush handle lately—and worked the thing as if it were the lever of a dollar slot machine. Mesmerized, he watched the toilet flush and fill up again.
Megan got him back into bed and tucked in. Then she switched off the Big Bird lamp.
He yawned, and clutched his Teletubby. “Mommy, could you look out the window again?” he asked in a soft voice.
Megan kissed him on the forehead. “Sure thing, kiddo.” She started toward the window, but hesitated as she gazed at the closed red curtain. For some reason, she imagined seeing a stranger crouched down on the other side of it, trying to peek in at her little boy. She could envision the man’s ugly hatchet face just inches away from the glass.
Megan told herself she was being silly. She took a deep breath, and then pushed aside the curtain.
“See?” she managed to say. “Nobody, just the same old rosebush. You know, those flowers will be blooming pretty soon.” She pulled the curtain closed again. “Now, you get some sleep, okay?”
“ ’Kay,” he murmured.
Megan gave him another kiss on the forehead. She left his door half open so he’d get a bit of light from the living room. She paused outside, and listened to him sleepily talking to himself—or Dipsy. It was a nightly ritual lately. “Mommy and Daddy watched a movie on the boat, and they swimmed in the pool, but they didn’t catch any fishes. Daddy’s gone to heaven, but he still watches us… .”
Her arms folded, Megan listened outside his door. She could tell Josh was drifting off to sleep. She glanced at the photo of her and Sean on the living room table. She wondered what had happened to him—and what had happened to that lavender dress. With a sigh, she headed back into the bathroom.
She rinsed out the last
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