Haunting-Adeline

Surprisingly, Mom doesn't have a snarky reply. "I imagine so, Adeline.
That's a heavy weight to carry, especially because she was only sixteen
years old when it happened. She was probably very trauma zed."
I frown harder. "It amazes me that she was always so happy."
"Some mes the happiest people are the saddest," she says, reci ng a
common quote.
"Then what are the miserable people in the world?"
"Tired."
"Sounds miserable."
She huffs out a dry laugh. "I have a showing soon. I have to go. I'll see
you in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving."
“Hey, Mom? I have one last ques on,” I rush out, the words burs ng out
of me. Something has been bothering me about this case, and the pressing
need to ask is unbearable.
She sighs but stays on the line, silently urging me on.
“Did you happen to send me a black envelope full of pictures and a
note?”
She’s silent, and my heart thumps in my chest. “Mom?” I prompt.
She clears her throat. “I guess your Nana and I are more alike than you
thought.”
My eyes widen as realiza on dawns, hi ng me directly in the chest. She
did send me the envelope. Which means she knew all along about Gigi’s
murder and Nana’s role in it.
Un-fucking-believable.
“You kept her secret,” I whisper.
“I have to go now, Addie. I have a house showing in five minutes.”
“Okay,” I murmur, but the line has already gone dead.
There’s no way of knowing when exactly Mom found out about Nana
covering up the murder—I doubt she’ll ever tell me—but I imagine it was
some me before I was born, considering I have no memories of those two
ever ge ng along.
Mom’s bi erness and dislike for Nana suddenly make more sense.
Nana covered up her mother’s murder, and in return, her daughter
covered up her involvement.
My brain gets clogged with all that informa on, and the u er shock that
my mother also played a hand in covering up Gigi’s murder. It’s too much.