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Chapter 81

Bryn had never seen Jared’s headstone, but he knew it when he found it. Big, black, and bold, there was a silhouette of a male dancer in arabesque. Below the engraved image was a simple message: Jared Michael Tuttle. Beloved son.

“So this is him,” Ellis said. Then he whispered, “Is he here?”

The wind stirred the heat, which only served to increase the humidity’s stranglehold. Bryn and Ellis had shed their suit jackets and dress shirts and borrowed T-shirts from Gus. Bryn was already sweating through his.

“He’s here,” Ellis said, as though Bryn’s silence had confirmed it for him. He shivered and tried to hug Bryn around the crutches. Bryn shook his head and hobbled closer to Jared’s headstone. The bugs called from the bushes and the trees. Bryn knew if he turned around, Jared would be there. He’d be listening. All ears. Waiting.

Bryn cleared his throat. “Hi, Jared.”