Chapter 24

On the passenger side of the car, I pull up the handle and Caitlin reaches over to unlock the door. When I slide into the seat and slam the door shut, she asks, “Do you think Aunt Jessie will be there?”

I’m not in the mood to talk. I stare out the side mirror at Dan’s reflection and tell her, “No.”

She digests that for a moment as she fiddles with her Walkman. Tinny music blares through her headphones, I can hear it from here. Then she turns the volume down a little and says, “Mom told me it was heart failure.” She means what killed Aunt Evie. I look at her in the rearview mirror and see tears shining in her eyes. “She seemed okay in August.”

“Yeah, well,” I say, my voice gruff with sudden emotion. “Sometimes things like that just happen.” Caitlin studies the Walkman in her hands and nods, her chin crumpling as she struggles not to cry. Hoping to cheer her up, I add, “Aunt Evie’s a big lady.”