Chapter 19: A Fitting Send Off

In true Luke fashion, he’d snuck up on me and scared me half to death. He stood there with his hat and coat still on and a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. He must have come in while I was showering.

“Damnit! You really like to sneak up on people, don’t you?” I laughed.

“Just you.” He smiled.

“My mother took that picture? How do you know?” I asked, pleased that he no longer seemed angry with me.

“Bev gave me the original before she left today, asked me to give it to you… she’s the one who had it enlarged for the wake.” He opened the small table drawer that was next to Bill’s recliner.

“Bev? Why did Bev have the original?” I wondered, confused.

“She said your mom used to sell her prints to make a little extra money, and that she was pretty good. She and Bill were close, so she bought a few prints from your mom to help them out. She has some real nice pictures of my dad too.”

“Bev knew your dad?” I questioned.

“She’s my aunt… his younger sister.”