eight to get Toby ready.”
“Does Toby have clothes?” The shirt and pants the boy had been wearing had been bloodied and torn.
The man stared at her, as if he hadn’t comprehended her question.
“Toby hasn’t had any clothes since he arrived and we cut off his bloody ones. He’ll need clothes for the trip.”
With a weary sigh, the man said, “Of course. It’ll take a little while because I’ve got to get my mother back to the hotel. But then I’ll go to his house and pack his clothes.”
Molly knew she was a sucker for the weary and downtrodden, but she couldn’t help herself. “If you want, I could meet you there and help you pack up his things. It would save you a trip back to the hospital.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Richard Anderson nodded. “I’ll take that offer. Thank you.” He looked at his watch. “Can you meet me there at eight o’clock?”
“Yes, but I don’t know the address.”
He pulled a card and a pen out of his pocket and wrote an address on the back of the card. “Do you know where this is?”
Molly nodded. The address was actually close to her apartment. How strange. She’d lived just a few blocks from Toby. “Yes, I do.”
“Then I’ll see you there at eight o’clock.”
Molly heard a warning in his voice not to be late. But she was always on time. With a nod, the man took his mother’s arm and left Toby’s room.
That was when Molly realized the older woman had remained in the back of the room the entire time. She hadn’t taken a seat nor uttered a word to her grandson. Instantly Molly felt good about her decision. How could she have let this sweet boy go with these cold-hearted people?
Molly came back to Toby’s side. “Was the ice cream good?”
“Yes. Are you really going to go with me tomorrow?” the little boy asked anxiously.
“Yes, I told you I would. And I’ll be there all through Christmas. I’ve never been to Dallas. Have you?”
“No. I never met my uncle and my grandmother before.”
How could that be? Molly wondered. They were family. But for Toby’s sake, she tried to put a positive spin on it. “Well, you’ll get a chance to know them now.” She grinned. “I have to go if I’m going to be ready to leave in the morning. Ellen will come in and see you before you go to sleep. Okay?”
“Okay. You really are going with me?”
“Yes, Toby. I’ll be here in the morning, I promise.”
Richard Anderson pulled up to his sister’s home in a nice neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. He dreaded going in the house. He’d missed Susan after her move to Florida. He’d talked to her on the phone some, but it hadn’t been the same.
Nine years ago his father had been furious with his daughter. He’d blown up at her and had refused any consideration of reconciliation. Now it was too late for both of them. James Anderson had been a brilliant man, but when it came to his daughter he had been foolish. He’d lost her because of his anger, long before either of them had died.
When another car pulled up behind him, Richard automatically checked his watch. Good. The nurse was on time. It would be easier to enter the house with a stranger.
He got out of his car and waited until the nurse joined him. “I appreciate you coming, Ms. Soderling.”
“Please call me Molly, and I’m glad I can be of assistance.”
“My mother would’ve come, but the past few days have been hard on her.”
“Of course. Shall we go in?”
Richard pulled the keys from his pocket. They had been handed to him by the funeral director, along with other items found in the clothing. He selected one that he hoped would open the door.
He’d guessed right. The door swung open and he followed the nurse into the house. He was hit almost at once with a wave of grief. The house showed so much of Susan. It was warm and cozy, a home where a family shared and loved.
He turned to the nurse, hoping to control his grief, and he saw the same reaction on her face. She hadn’t even known Susan.
“Poor Toby,” she muttered.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I can see what he’s lost,” she said quietly, and he saw the sheen of moisture in her eyes.
Before he could think of anything to say, she said, “We’d better get started. Do you know where Toby’s bedroom is?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never been here.”
“Oh. Then I’ll go look for it.”
Richard decided he should remove any valuables his sister and her husband had before he hired someone to come pack up the house. What would he do with everything? What would Toby want to keep? Hard decisions to make on the spur of the moment.
He entered the master bedroom, neat and tidy, like Susan. And hard for him to enter. He looked in the closet and found his sister’s jewelry box. Then he found a folder of their financial papers on her husband’s side of the closet, and some cuff links and things in a small leather box. He assumed Toby would one day want them.
“Mr. Anderson?”
Molly appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. “Yes? And please, call me Richard.”
“Am I packing everything Toby has or just enough for the trip?”
“Have you found any luggage?”
“Yes, it’s stored in the third bedroom closet.”
“Then please take everything you can, packing the immediate needs in the smallest bag. I’ll be there to help you in a moment.”
After she left the room, Richard realized how extraordinarily kind she had been to come with him and do the grisly task. It was like sorting through the bones. A very personal experience.
As soon as he’d gathered anything valuable, he carried it all to Toby’s room. It was a perfect bedroom for a little boy.
Susan had loved her child. It showed in so many ways.
He stood there, not wanting to enter. Molly was folding clothes and putting them in the bags. He had to force himself to join her. “I need to put these things in one of the larger bags,” he said, nodding down to the articles he held.
“Of course. If it’s anything valuable, you should put them in a carry-on bag so you can keep them safe.”
He frowned. “I guess you’re right.”
She pointed out a small bag he could use. When he got to the hotel, he could transfer it to his
