To Love and to Perish (20 page)

I read the words on Erica's pillow again. “I smile because you're my sister. I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.”

Such a stupid gift shop saying. But it made me feel better. As her surrogate mother, I had taken every one of her failures and setbacks to heart, wondering what I could have done or what I should have done. In the end, did she really turn out so bad?

Soft sobs filtered through Danny's door. Although my heart broke, what more could I say to him? Words, in this case, were worthless.

Danny needed to know he was loved, that he'd come first always. Ray put him second when he did his job and arrested Mr. Phillips. He wasn't wrong to do his job. He just wasn't right. Mr. Phillips had done the right thing by changing his plea to guilty and put himself at risk for it. Danny had felt lost after the arrest, pulled between us and his loyalty and love for his father. Now he felt afraid for his father's safety. It wasn't right.

Another one of the stupid gift shop sayings popped into my head. While Erica's chosen saying showed up on pillows and plaques, this one usually appeared on wall hangings with seagulls and beach scenes and read something like, “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it was meant to be.”

Stupid. Yet profound.

All night I tossed and turned in bed, sleepless. Ray threw his arm over me again around three a.m. He muttered, “Don't worry about Isabelle. Everything will be all right. Go to sleep.”

But I wasn't worried about Isabelle. I was a little worried about
him and me—and whether he'd forgive me. Or if he'd even need to.

———

In the morning, I got in my Lexus and drove to the bank, where I withdrew five thousand dollars. Half an hour later at the county jail, I laid it on the counter to pay Mr. Phillips' bail.

And I set Danny free.

THE END

Book Discussion Questions

1. Jolene and Ray had different approaches to dealing with Danny. Do you agree with one more than the other? What did you think of Jolene's final decision to bail out Danny's father? What do you think will happen to Danny and his father?

2. Both Isabelle and Cory investigate their partners. What do you think of snooping and spying on a partner?

3. In the end, Jolene and Ray believe Isabelle knew about her husband's cheating. What would you do if you were Isabelle? What did you think of her husband throwing a grand anniversary party for her?

4. What did you think of Brennan's father's reported behavior?

5. Gossip and innuendo swirled around Brennan Rowe, most of it painting him in a negative, false light. Have you ever experienced or witnessed the same? How should it be handled? Why do people generate gossip and innuendo?

6. What do you think of Jolene's and Ray's marriage? Erica's and Maury's? How are the two marriages alike and different? What do you think their futures hold?

7. Some murder mystery readers prefer the dead body to appear in the first chapter. Some expect two bodies per story. Some enjoy a mystery that delves into the past and reveals secrets. What elements of a murder mystery appeal to you most?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Bork lives in western New York and loves to spend time in
the Finger Lakes region. Married and the mother of two children
, she worked in human resources and marketing before becoming a writer. Bork belongs to her neighborhood book club, the
Thursday Evening Literary Society. Her debut novel,
For Better
,
For Murder
,
was a 2009 Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. The second book in her Broken Vows mystery series,
For Richer, For
Danger
, was released in September 2010, and the third book,
In Sickness and in Death
, was released in September 2011. For more information, please visit her website at www.LisaBork.com.