Free A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley Page A

how a kindergartner’s birthday party could be fraught with such significance.
    Back in the living room, he picked up the mandolin and tweaked the tuning to perfection. Elliott had taught him that, along with a million other things.
    A good man, Elliott Gantt. He’d had his moods, but he’d loved his family and friends. Loved them with his whole heart. Sean had envied Jess and Laura, except when Elliott’s temper got loose. But the man had never laid a hand on anybody but Dale, who’d richly deserved it. And Gary, Sean corrected himself. Just once. Gary hadn’t deserved it. He’d never been anything but a loyal and supportive friend to Elliott.
    Sean closed his eyes, turning his fingers loose on the sweet-sounding strings. A little one-man jam session. Before he knew it, he was playing one of the tunes Elliott taught him.
    Elliott had loved old songs and poems and stories. He’d often used archaic words just for the fun of it. After a while, the quaint speech had become his unconscious habit even in everyday conversation.
    As Sean started humming along, the lyrics came to him.
    Many a one for him makes moan ,
    But none shall ken where he is gone .
    O’er his white bones, when they are bare ,
    The wind shall blow forever mair .
    Sean couldn’t help but wonder how many skeletons lay at the bottom of how many deep lakes across the county, across the state, across the country.
    He returned the mandolin to its case. All the music had just gone out of the morning.

Laura and Cassie exited the convenience store, Laura with peach iced tea and Cassie with her old favorite, an orangesicle slushie. With her first sip, Laura recalled her hankering for a hot drink in the middle of the night—and the tall, lean figure sweeping across the yard in the moonlight.
    “Thanks,” Cassie said. “Next time it’s on me.”
    “You’re welcome.” Laura climbed behind the wheel and carefully fitted her plastic cup into the cup holder. “It’s great to see your face again. How long has it been since we were both home at the same time?”
    “Three or four years, probably. I don’t remember. It’s funny. Every time I come home, I remember why I was so desperate to leave. But I also remember how much I love the place.”
    “Me too.” Laura backed the car out of its space, headed for the road, and glanced over at Cassie. Her hair was lighter than it used to be. Whether it was bottle-bleached or bleached by the California sun, it would be a different shade and style in a few months. Cassie had always had fun with her hair.
    “That nail polish is a pretty color,” Laura said. “Reminds me of Sunset Boulevard Red.”
    The name didn’t seem to jog Cassie’s memory. “I don’t know what the shade’s called,” she said, examining her nails. “I borrowed it from my mom’s bathroom.”
    “Like old times. Remember the day we left Tigger by the tracks and ran off to play with nail polish and makeup?”
    “Yeah, not ten minutes after we told your dad we’d keep an eye on her. I guess he never snitched on us, because my folks didn’t come crashing down on my head.”
    “My dad threw a fit, though. Not because we left Tig—he never mentioned that part—but because I came home wearing nail polish.”
    “Parents never make sense.” Cassie fiddled with the air conditioning. “Do you mind if I crank up the air?”
    “Go ahead. I can’t believe how hot and humid it is. Yesterday was so cold and rainy.”
    “That’s north Georgia for ya.” Cassie turned the fan on, full blast, then took a slurp of her slushie.
    Once Laura was on the main road heading out of town, she stole another glance at Cassie. She looked as cheerful as could be expected for a girl who had once deserved to be called Eeyore. Maybe Sean was right and everything was fine between her and Drew, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Cassie could handle frank questions.
    “Everything okay out in California?”
    Cassie let out a little snort. “Yeah, except I got laid