Turn to Stone by Brian Freeman Read Free Book Online Page A

I would have done without him this past year. I’ve had Mya to care for, and Tom used to do everything around the house for us. Percy was kind enough to help me whenever he could.” Her face darkened, and her mouth pinched together. “By the way, I know what people say about us. The rumors aren’t true. There was no affair. Percy wasn’t that kind of man, and I’m not that kind of woman.”
    Stride waited without saying anything. Anna put down her tea and smoothed her skirt. She got up from the sofa and went and picked up a photograph of her husband. Her mouth bent into a sad smile.
    “You look for someone to blame when cancer strikes,” she murmured.
    “Yes, I know.”
    “God, yourself, the universe.”
    “Absolutely,” he said.
    “It happened so quickly. In a few months, Tom went from this strong man, full of life, to a skeleton, a fraction of what he was. He was so weak. We had to move him to the first floor, because he couldn’t go up the stairs anymore. I’d listen to him on the baby monitor, and I would hear him labor to breathe. I don’t know if it’s more agonizing on the victim or the survivor.”
    “It’s awful for both,” Stride said.
    Anna stared at her husband’s smiling face in the photograph. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Tom thought the cancer was a curse. Like he’d sold his soul or something. Like he was being punished.”
    “For what?”
    “He wouldn’t say, but I think he felt guilty about his relationship with Percy. There was kind of a shadow between them in the last few years. They still hung out together, but it wasn’t the same. I think when Tom got sick, it helped the two of them get past some things. You know, you get pretty focused on what really matters when you’re staring death in the face.”
    “What was the problem between them?” Stride asked.
    Anna hesitated. “Kelli.”
    “How so?”
    “Tom—well, I’m not sure Tom approved of Percy marrying her.”
    “Why not?” Stride asked.
    “Kelli’s very pretty, very sweet, but Tom wasn’t sure if her feelings for Percy were genuine. A terrible experience can bond people together, but I don’t know if you can build a lifetime on it. Percy and Tom argued, and they agreed to put it aside, but I don’t think Percy ever completely forgave Tom for how he felt.”
    “What about you? How did you feel about it?”
    “Me? Well, I like Kelli, but I don’t know her very well. We’re not exactly cut from the same cloth. She’s much bolder, more out there, more New Age. I have to say, I’m not keen on the work she does with abusers, either. If it were up to me, we’d string them all up, but I guess we need people like Kelli who can try to help them. Which is frankly amazing to me, after what happened to her. I couldn’t be alone with men like that after what she experienced. Percy didn’t like it, either.”
    “Did Percy and Tom reconcile before he died?” Stride asked.
    “I think so,” Anna said. “Percy was there on Tom’s last day. I went for a walk and gave them space. Tom seemed more at peace after that. He was gone a few hours later. I was holding his hand right to the end.”
    Stride got up from the sofa. The conversation had awakened his own memories of Cindy, and when the flood started, it was hard to hold it back. He knew exactly what Anna had gone through. “Can you think of anything in these past few weeks that might explain why Percy did what he did?”
    Anna shook her head. “I can’t. I really can’t.”
    “Had you seen a lot of him recently?”
    “No, he was here briefly a couple weeks ago to fix a leaking faucet, but that’s all. He looked upset and distracted. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t talk about it. I guess I should have pushed him harder. Frankly, I assumed it was something between him and Kelli. Marriages have their ups and downs.”
    “Did he mention the disappearance of Greg Hamlin?” Stride asked. “That was the last case he was working on.”
    “He