In fact, anything would be fine. Any retribution would be welcomed. Anything except this silence. The silence that was etching at my heart and exacerb...ting the guilt I felt.Aunt Mary hadn't said a thing to me since Rowan went into the room to examine Laura. Except for the four words - Laura, Time to go. The words were cold and indifferent, as if she was saying it because she didn't have any other choice.When the driver's door opened, I heard the crumpling noise of polystyrene bag. I didn't turn. Melissa had spoken to them on several occasions, reminding them of what happened to me after our attack when I was younger. So I assured them that I was fine and Amy and I would be returning for the day, before looking for our first home together in Chicago. I agreed to take them out with Amy for a special dinner, to celebrate our marriage, escape and to moving on with my life. I even got my brother and Claire a ticket to fly back for the night to join, Melissa making all the arrangements and. ”I said, “With all due respect sir, I believe we can fix it—make it much safer than it is at present.”He began to scan through my ideas and seemed to be thinking the matter through before he said, “I’m afraid it just isn’t in the budget to build this. The cost is…”I cut him off and said, “The cost, sir? Does it cost more than the life of a seven year old girl—and her mother? What about the costs of all those before them? Exactly how many people have to be hurt or killed here before ‘cost’. Anna’s petite frame appeared in the darkness of their room, her shoulders squared off as she grasped her sides across her stomach, the moonlight making her blond hair ghostly pale. Her brown eyes went over to the nightstand that stood next to the couple’s California King and her body soon followed.Her small hands opened the drawers and proceeded to search through the junk. She was so preoccupied with finding the matches that she failed to hear the soft creeks of footsteps coming up the.