THE MAN I WAS PAID TO FORGET

t to close the coffin. At first, she thought it was just another f

nds we

now those eyes anywhere. Steel-gre

as

s hand. He paid her to vanish. Now here was his photograph-

la

ed her out of the unea

all r

flipped the

m f

r as long as she could remember. People wan

o her black dress pocket, gla

parents died, her grandmother took her in, gave her patience, discipline

home fe

now what she was supposed to

rs stepped forward to say a few words, othe

he grave. She jus

g at the ground, "you promised y

trees. She swallowe

ld enough to understand. Well

photograph hidde

ially

swer

wooden gate squeaked, and the garden smelled faintly of lavender-her

o an unfinished crossword. Porcelain mug on

ered in th

ut the door

y her grandmother kep

battered and soft around the edges, with a split along the spi

the Bible

note sl

Her grandmother's script

arest

hat happened five years ago. I wanted to tell you everything, b

thing you mus

arents. He knows what happened to Adrian Vale. And he k

opped br

pare

ad it

ar accident, at least that's what everyone sa

las Veyr kno

d on the l

im unless you hav

you, don't

shook in

n sound

ced at t

hen she returned from the cemetery, but she hadn't pa

ng the

w, but the glass was too d

buzzed in

number flashed

t about ig

red the photogra

el

nothing. J

a man

la

fr

de. Memories blur. But not Silas Veyr's.

d the phon

is

et br

ars, that's ho

slammed in

il

ed if you'd for

hotograph lyin

u get thi

ndmother

mind wen

ha

fice a few weeks ago

ut w

e had someth

at the hand

this p

N

n wh

le

five years ago, standing in darkn

ou call?"

d about

rush

dn't kn

about her tha

jaw ti

y from my

have li

why

he didn'

eath ties back to something t

om got

ared at

ying she wa

rcumstances nee

uld I tr

shoul

ttled her more

d for the

he keep yo

n't k

re ly

ay

d her lips

oy making people

e giving answers

ed, though none

t what she saw. Now here he was, tal

grandmother is finished,

kno

e me

Veyr Grand Ho

wa

ething you

ed anything

ndmother

losed h

he number. Burn the photograph

use. Not fear. Not guilt. Just certain

ive you?" Elara

thi

at are y

xplan

om

saw something she

omach

. Of course h

e whispered, "you pa

emem

a dead man, gu

mber th

t me to come to yo

Ela

ice so

want the truth en

hun

at her phon

ll she heard was the

e arrived-from the

ph

open

ide the Veyr Grand Hotel a few

illed her w

he recognized him from old ne

ld have died f

photo were

her wasn't th