Evanescere: Origins (14 page)

*****

In the days that followed, more officers were
coming by my home questioning us trying to gather more information about
Salome. By the end of the week we had a partial story. All we knew was that
over the course of a few months after Salome’s disappearance, bones had been
found throughout New Orleans and it was not until recently that both the bones
and her DNA had been flagged by the Louisiana State Police. The remains had sat
for two years waiting to be tested. All that was ever found of my beautiful
Salome was a femur, jaw and a few smaller bones. They concluded that her body
must have been devoured and scattered by the wildlife. We would never know what
really happened to her. Her death as of now would be considered an open
unsolved homicide until proven otherwise.

Salome’s final death and funeral had finally brought
us closure and we would begin to heal. We would begin to move forward. Life
still continued even after the certainty of her death. Now we would begin to
rebuild our life and slowly move forward.

THE FUNERAL WAS SMALL and beautiful. I was upstairs
quietly listening in. I heard the thoughts of compassion, the apologies. I
heard many ask for forgiveness for their doubt.

Chloe sat in my lap, unafraid of me. It had taken
her time to become adjusted to me. She looked after Jazz and Max for me. She
loved them for me. I gently put her on the soft bed and I jumped out of the
window onto the giant pine tree and made my way back to the car.

I had come to give them some small comfort. I feared
Jazz may have gotten a glimpse of me in the pine tree a few nights ago. I
certainly hope not. I did not know how she could be able to cope if the world
thought I was dead and she saw me alive sitting on a tree. Now that I knew they
would be okay I would stay away from them. I could not continue to torture
myself or Jack. Time no longer stood still for me. We would both go on with our
lives.