Page 15 of Hunter or Hunted

“But…” Junie shook her head. “But she wasn’t sick or anything. What happened?”

“The policemen are still trying to figure that out.” Rhiannon reached out and thumbed a tear from Junie’s cheek. “When we know, we’ll talk about that stuff then, alright?”

Junie pulled from Rhiannon’s touch and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She picked up the cookie again. Through quivering lips, she whispered, “I think she really would’ve liked this cookie.”

A lump solidified in the back of my throat. I couldn’t swallow it down.

“Come here, sweetie,” Simone said, shifting around the coffee table.

Junie met her there. She collapsed into her mother’s arms, snuggling her head close to her chest. Teary-eyed, Simone kissed her forehead.

“I think she would’ve liked it too,” Rhiannon said. Clearing her throat, she blinked fast. Probably, like the rest of us, at the tears that formed. “Were you gonna decorate it?”

Junie sniffled as she tugged from her mom’s grasp. Still wiping her eyes, she nodded.

“I think you still should.” Rhiannon managed a sad smile for her. “I was thinking about hosting a little vigil for her tomorrow. Maybe you could decorate it in her memory and bring it.”

“A vigil?” Junie asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s kind of like a little party,” Rhiannon said. “All Delilah’s friends will come, and we’ll talk about her, and all the good times we had together, and all the ways we’re going to miss her. We’ll have snacks, maybe listen to a little music, and just remember her.”

Junie thought for a moment. “And I should bring her a cookie?”

My heart swelled and ached at once.

“Sure.” Rhiannon rested one elbow on the table, still holding that smile in place for Junie. “We’ll put up a little memorial for her on Main Street. Friends might leave a picture with her there, or something that reminds them of her, and that would be a perfect place to leave her cookie.”

Junie sniffled. “Maybe that sounds nice.”

Maybe it did. Maybe it would help me too.

There’d been so many hard parts about losing my mom. One of them being the lack of closure. It was funny, because I didn’t think she would’ve given a damn about a proper funeral. But it’d taken so long for me to really grasp that she was gone, because it happened so suddenly, and I didn’t get a proper goodbye.

The vigil wouldn’t be either. But it would be something.

“I think I’ll come too,” I said.

Rhiannon looked up at me. “I think that’s a good idea. I also think it’d be a good idea for you to get some sleep. You look exhausted, Gwen.”

“Not sure how I’m still keeping my eyes open.” I rubbed them. “Couldn’t really sleep last night.”

“We’ll get you back up to your cabin,” Simone said, standing with Junie on her hip. Junie was more than half her size, but Simone held her as effortlessly as a purse. She kissed her daughter’s forehead again. “Then we’ll decorate some cookies.”

7

GWEN

After Simone dropped me off, I greeted Honey and gave her a scoop of dog food. The little crunches of her teeth through the kibble usually made me smile. Today, all I could manage was a deep breath.

Head pounding, I grabbed a joint from the drawer beside the couch. Usually, I smoked on the porch steps. Today, I worried I would pass out as soon as I sat down. A few puffs in, stiff shoulders a bit softer, heart rate slower, I stood in front of the kitchen sink.

Mouth dry, I flicked on the faucet and filled a cup to its brim. Downing it took seconds. Stomach full and bloated, but mouth still dry, I filled a second one. It only took a sip or two.

Still listening to Honey crunch her kibble on the floor, darkness clouded the edges of my vision, throbbing with every slow beat of my heart. My Jell-O limbs prepared to give way. I grasped the kitchen sink for stability. Out the window, pink and orange streaked across the blue sky. One of the prettiest sunsets I’d seen in a while. I wished I could appreciate it.

Ring ring ring!

I slid the phone from my pocket. Sebastian’s face lit up the screen.