The Dying Room Read Online Free PDF Page B

you make such a conclusion? We were all there.” He looked from one man to the next. “We all reaped the same benefit. We
all
made the same promises, and we all walked away.”
    “We’re not the ones who saw that Wilson was committed to that institution,” Sam argued. “We didn’t ensure his assistant was charged with and convicted of embezzlement.”
    “No,” Robert agreed, “we didn’t. But we were there when the vote was taken. We all voted to make it happen—whatever the cost. Harmon was just the one with the means to put the necessary steps in motion. His assistant spent years at Bibb Correctional Facility. We are responsible, gentlemen.”
    No one argued with him this time.
    They all knew he was right. The only question that remained was what in the world would they do now?

 

Chapter 7
    Shook Hill Road, Mountain Brook, 9:40 p.m.
    Sylvia sat in her car outside her family home for a while. She’d grown up in this massive house. To most who visited the place, it looked more like a museum than a home, but it wasn’t like that at all. She and Nina enjoyed idyllic childhoods. Their parents doted on them and ensured they had everything they needed. Of course, need is relevant. Certainly, she and Nina had more than most, yet their upbringing had been rooted in respect for others, appreciation of all the things they had been blessed with, and their obligation to give back to society.
    That picture-perfect childhood had been shattered to some degree by Nina’s mental illness. Though Nina had stabilized sufficiently to finish her undergraduate work as well as law school, life had never really been the same. They’d all gone on, but that distinct wound had never fully healed. How could it? Each time they believed she was going to be fine, there would be a relapse and she’d fall apart again. Each time she fell apart, the family shattered a little more. Eventually, Nina had been lost to them for the most part. Would her recent astounding and ongoing recovery put those missing pieces back together? Sylvia wasn’t sure.
    Perhaps the guilt haunting her just now was prompted by watching all those around her move on with their lives while she stood absolutely still. On some level, she suspected that was the reason her mind insisted on questioning every single step she took lately. Like that ridiculous blue eagle tattoo. No matter how she attempted to dismiss it the idea of it continued to chaff like a new pair of shoes.
    Images and sounds from the night she’d spent with Buddy tried to invade her thoughts and she banished them quickly. Buddy Corlew was the last person she needed in her life aside from his ability as a private investigator. Jess had mentioned on numerous occasions how good Buddy was at his work. Sylvia trusted he was equally discreet. So far, he hadn’t fallen down in that area. She hoped her revelation didn’t change his trustworthiness. There were no doubt gossip rags that would pay well for a story about the senator’s secret granddaughter.
    She sighed, the sound hissing in the silence. How would she explain her decision to her parents? Would she? If Buddy found...
her
, Sylvia would have to make the decision about revealing herself. There were many things to take into consideration first. What if she—her daughter—was very happy in her life just as it was? She might not appreciate this sort of life-changing news. What if her adopted parents hadn’t told her she was adopted? The idea of shattering her life was one Sylvia couldn’t bear to examine.
    She shook her head. “Take it one step at a time.”
    What if her daughter was dead?
    The thought ached through Sylvia. Any time she had allowed herself to think about the baby she gave up for adoption, she’d always imagined her as having grown up in a wonderful, happy home. She’d be a junior or senior in college now. She might even be engaged or married.
    What if she hates you for what you did?
    This was the other painful question Sylvia