Twenty-Five Years Ago Today Read Online Free PDF Page B

bride, Rosalie, a young small-boned woman with flowing
dark curls and a sheer veil. They'd been married seven years before
her death. Kris often wondered whether her mother would've been
different if she'd had a feminine influence growing up.
    Her mother leaned against the bay window.
"How could we forget? You left a well-paying job, with growth
potential, in a New York high-rise. Now you're typing obits till
midnight, like some kid out of college, maybe even high school.
I've told my friends that you're a copyeditor. At least that sounds
better."
    Kris stared at the gold-fixtured fan on the
cathedral ceiling. "I wouldn't spread that story too far. If I run
into any of your 'friends,' I'll tell them exactly what I do."
    "Kristine, they wouldn't understand. Who
would? You're not a kid. You-"
    "Hey, it never hurts to have a newspaper
contact," her father cut in. "I'm sure your pals will take
advantage of that. It'll be useful for us when we announce the
birth of our first grandchild."
    "Oh, Daddy," Holly groaned.
    Their mother turned the disapproving look on
him. He crossed his arms over the Michigan State sweatshirt that
concealed his soft paunch. After a few long seconds, she smiled.
"Always thinking, aren't you?"
    "You should bring Kris to that outlet store
you and Holly found," Kris's father said. "She can get decorations
for her apartment."
    Her mother lifted her glass off the window
ledge and pushed the lemon crescent deeper into the ice water.
"She's been on her own for years. She doesn't need anything."
    "What about curtains, or-"
    "They don't sell many curtains. I'm sure Kris
would be bored. R.J., how's that little boy with diabetes?" She
strolled over to her son-in-law, ice cubes clicking against the
sides of her glass.
    Kris dumped the wedding album back into its
box. God forbid, her mother should spend time with her. The
shopping trip would've been hell, anyway. She joined her father on
the sofa. Gray dusted his sideburns, but as he joked behind Holly's
back, at least he had a heck of a lot more hair than R.J.
    Her dad pulled off his bifocals. "Don't mind
your mom. We're thrilled to have you home. I missed you, Kid. I
worried about you in New York."
    Kris felt a painful and unexpected jolt. How
empty her life would be if she lost her father. When she’d lived in
the city, they had e-mailed each other daily and spoken weekly. "I
missed you, too, Dad. I know you're glad to have me back, but I'm
not sure about Mom."
    "She's your mother. Of course she's glad.
Mom's just concerned whether you made the right decision. As long
as you enjoy the newspaper, nothing else is important."
    "It is interesting. A newsroom is a whole
different environment from an office. My editor, Dex, says if
reporters sit at their computers all day, they're not out finding
news."
    Her father patted her shoulder. "Sounds
exciting. Maybe you've found your calling."
    "I'll have to pay my dues, but that's okay.
The obit page is the most important section of the paper. One typo
can compound a family's grief. I do my best to make the obits
flawless. I'm in a unique position to protect the survivors." Kris
gnawed her lower lip. "That probably sounds strange."
    "Strange? Do you know how proud I am of
you?"
    "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot." Her mind
jumped to her library trip of the previous afternoon. "Hey, do you
remember reading about a girl who was murdered twenty-five years
ago? Diana Ferguson? I came across a story on the microfilm."
    "Diana Ferguson," her father repeated. "Is
she the poor girl they found in the woods?"
    "You do remember her?"
    "Vaguely. What was she, a bartender?"
    "Cocktail waitress."
    "Right." Her father pondered a moment. "The
consensus was that she brought it on herself by working in a sleazy
place like that."
    "You're kidding. That's ridiculous." Kris sat
up straighter. The pretty, sober face of Diana flashed through her
mind. "It's terrible to die so young, and disgusting that people
said she deserved it."
    "Blaming her made