One year after my husband’s death, I hired a company to renovate his old office. I had just arrived at the church when the contractor called me and said, “Ma’am, I need you to come see what we found. But don’t come alone.
Bring your two sons.” My heart nearly stopped when we arrived. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel and comment where you’re watching from. The phone call came during the closing hymn.
I should have silenced it before the service began, but at 63 years old, I still sometimes forgot these small courtesies of modern life. The vibration against my palm felt insistent. Urgent.
I glanced down at the screen. Morgan, renovation. My stomach tightened.
Morgan Holbrook never called unless something was wrong. I slipped from the pew as quietly as I could manage, my joints protesting after an hour of sitting. The late September air outside Saint Andrews felt crisp against my face as I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Mrs. Golding, I’m sorry to interrupt your Sunday,” Morgan began, his voice carrying an edge I’d never heard before, “but we found something in your husband’s office. “Something you need to see immediately.”
“What kind of something?” I asked, wrapping my cardigan tighter around my shoulders.
There was a pause. When he spoke again, his words were measured. Careful.
“I can’t explain it over the phone, but ma’am, I need you to bring your sons with you. “Both of them. “Don’t come alone.”
The line went dead.
I stood there on the church steps, staring at my phone as the bells began to toll. Don’t come alone. What could possibly require both Michael and Dale to be present?
What could a contractor find that would necessitate such a warning? My hands trembled as I dialed Michael’s number. He answered on the third ring, his voice heavy with the lazy contentment of a Sunday morning.
“Mom, I’m in the middle of breakfast with Clare and the kids.”
“Michael, I need you at the house now.”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “Bring Dale.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The renovation crew found something. “The contractor says we all need to be there.”
I heard him cover the phone, muffled conversation in the background.
Clare’s voice rose sharply. I couldn’t make out the words, but I recognized the tone. Irritation.
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