Free Angels in Pink: Holly's Story (Lurlene McDaniel (Mass Market)) by Lurlene McDaniel Page A

days.”
    “Holly . . . I’m really sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
    “You aren’t alone. Nobody knows what to say.”
    “If you ever want to talk . . . you know . . . just talk . . .”
    She let the silence lengthen. “That’s nice of you,” she said finally. “I don’t know what I want right now.”
    “Can I call you again? E-mail you?”
    “I guess.” She regretted not being nicer to him and added, “Thank you for calling. I—I know I have to start talking to people again. This was good practice.”
    “Anytime. My number’s in your cell phone’s memory now.”
    For reasons she couldn’t explain, Holly did feel better after talking to Chad and Kathleen. She remembered what Kathleen had said about the videotape being shown on the news and went downstairs. The noon news was about to air. She turned on the TV, turned the volume down low and waited. Within the first few minutes of the broadcast, the tape ran. Her heart hammered as she watched the grainy footage, shown once in real time, then again in slow motion.
    The image of a male wearing a torn T-shirt and jeans, with a baseball cap pulled low over his face, filled the television screen. The camera zoomed in on him, freeze-framing his head. Holly couldn’t make out any of his features. How could anyone ever identify him? How could the cops ever find him if they had no better pictures than that?
    “Turn it off.”
    Holly whirled and saw her mother standing in the doorway, her face an ashen, stony mask. Holly scrambled to turn off the set. “I—I . . .”
    Her mother said nothing more, just turned on her heel and left the room.
    Holly’s face burned with shame, as if she’d been caught doing something awful. Tears threatened. She hadn’t meant to hurt her mother. She’d only wanted to look at the force of evil that had destroyed her brother and devastated her family. She sank onto the sofa, buried her face in her hands and cried silently.
    On Thursday, the coroner’s office called to say that Hunter’s body had been released to the funeral home for burial.

eleven

    FOR RAINA, ALL light had gone out of the world. Everything that had once been familiar and friendly loomed like treacherous icebergs, pulling her deep into waters that were icy cold and dark. She felt great gratitude toward the pills she was taking. They kept her brain foggy, her body languid and relaxed, just hovering on the verge of consciousness. If one dose began to wear off before it was time for another, she wept.
    “These are just temporary,” Vicki warned her as she gave Raina another dose. “Tomorrow you will taper off. One every eight hours. After that, one sleeping pill only at night. Then none.”
    Raina was too fractured to plead, but she was certain that she couldn’t keep it together without the lovely little pills. By Friday morning, the prescription was finished and her retreat from reality was over. She was left to face her life without Hunter. Forever.
    Vicki made her come down to breakfast, which she couldn’t eat. Vicki spread honey on a sliver of toast and handed it to Raina. “Eat it.”
    “I can’t.”
    “You must. You’ll need strength. Hunter’s funeral is this afternoon. I assume you’ll want to go. Naturally I’ll go with you.”
    “Today?” Raina felt dismayed. She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready.
    “Mike Harrison called last night to tell me. Only family and close friends are being invited to the graveside service. There will be a memorial service at the Harrisons’ church afterward, and the whole community is expected to show up. Reporters will be there, I’m sure. If anyone shoves a mike in your face, kick them where it will hurt the most.”
    Raina nodded. She forced down the toast, went upstairs, took a long, hot shower, washed her hair and put on light makeup. She dressed in a soft floral-print dress that Hunter had loved. She brushed her hair until it shone like spun gold. She put on sunglasses. She did it all for Hunter