Buried Evidence by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg Read Free Book Online

who resided within these walls. She was still punishing herself, coming home alone every night, depriving herself of any chance of finding happiness.
    “Can I use your bathroom?” Lily pointed toward the door.
    After he had relieved himself, Richard shook his fists in the air. He blamed himself for staying away this long, for not helping her. Now that he’d seen her, he realized he had to take action, but he also knew he had to do it without frightening her. When he exited the bathroom, she was standing in front of a mirror in the living area, staring at her reflection. “You’re beautiful.”
    “Not hardly,” Lily said, patting down her windblown hair. She hung up her jacket in the closet. Underneath, she was wearing a beige blouse and a matching skirt. The fabric of her blouse was thin, a silk and cotton blend. Without her jacket, her breasts were visible through her lightweight nylon bra. Because of her shape, finding clothes was difficult. If the skirt wasn’t several inches too large in the waist, then it pulled across her hips. She solved the problem by wearing long jackets, unaware how provocative she looked without them.
    “I wanted to buy a house,” she told him, “but the real estate is too expensive.”
    “I grew up here, remember?” Richard said. “Of course, the market has skyrocketed since those days. The beach you took me to tonight is where I taught Greg how to surf. My parents’ house was over by the railroad tracks.” He paused, fond memories surfacing. “The train used to wake me up every morning. Small price to pay for living near the beach, don’t you think? I was never late to school.”
    “How is your mother?”
    “She’s gone, Lily,” he replied. “Mother passed away around this time last year. I guess you could say both of my parents are still residents of Santa Barbara, though, for whatever that’s worth.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “They’re buried in that beautiful cemetery behind the music academy,” Richard told her. “Before Middleton’s arraignment I drove over and visited their graves. My father purchased the family plots twenty years ago, or I wouldn’t have been able to bury my mother next to him. Trust me, even the underground real estate is expensive up here. Of course, most cemeteries don’t overlook the ocean.”
    “Your father was a doctor, wasn’t he?”
    “A surgeon,” he said, rubbing his forehead.
    “I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”
    “She had a good life, Lily.”
    “Have you ever thought of moving back?”
    “Not really,” Richard said. “I’m still living in the same housein Ventura. I added a second story, though. It came out pretty nice.”
    Lily felt some of her uneasiness abating. “I’d offer you a drink,” she said, “but all I have is Diet Coke.”
    “I’m driving anyway,” he said, trailing his fingers over the top of the sofa. “Where’s Shana?”
    “She moved back in with John.”
    “I thought you said she was in college.”
    “She is,” Lily told him, walking over to the kitchen to prepare their drinks. “Most kids would give their right arm to attend the university here.”
    “And Shana?”
    “She insisted on going to UCLA.” She paused, the subject of her daughter obviously a painful one. “I might not be able to afford a house in Santa Barbara, but I could have bought something in Goleta, Summerland, maybe even Carpenteria.”
    “What happened?”
    “Once Shana was accepted at UCLA,” Lily continued, “John talked her into sharing a duplex with him in North Hollywood. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why she didn’t want to go to college here. She wants to go to law school, so in that respect we both know UCLA is a better choice.”
    “Santa Barbara is a party school, Lily,” Richard told her. “Not only that, kids are supposed to move out when they go to college. That’s how they mature.”
    “Didn’t you hear me?” she said, raising her voice. “She’s living with