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"Pomona, sir," the taller policeman said. "It's near Los Angeles," he explained.

"What happened? Is she all right?" My heart stopped. "Tell her what you know," Uncle Jacob said to the policeman.

The officer turned to me. "There was an accident on the freeway there, single car, car caught fire. The gentleman driving the car was thrown from the vehicle, but--"

"My mother?"

"Apparently she was trapped in the car. The man survived and is in the hospital. His name's--" He checked a note pad, "Marlin, Richard Marlin. He claims the woman who died in the car fire was Haille Ann Logan and told the police to call here. The car exploded and there wasn't much anyone could do."

"Mommy's . . . dead?"

The policeman looked at Uncle Jacob. Aunt Sara started to cry louder. Cary reached for my hand, but I pulled away. "Tell me!" I screamed. I had to have them say it.

"That's what they're saying," Uncle Jacob stated.

I shook my head. "She was having auditions. She was calling me."

The policeman turned to Uncle Jacob. "They want to know if you want the remains shipped here," he said. "Call Olivia," Aunt Sara cried.

"Aye, we'll want that," Uncle Jacob replied.

"Stop it!" I screamed. "Stop all these lies!"

I put my hands over my ears and shook my head. "Easy now," Uncle Jacob said holding out his hand. "You--"

"You're lying! Everyone just spins one lie after another!"

I looked at Cary.

He shook his head. "Melody," he said softly.

"It's not true," I begged him. I turned and ran out of the house.

"Jacob!" Aunt Sara screamed.

I nearly tripped on the steps, but I recovered my balance and went around the corner of the house. I ran as hard and as fast as I could. I needed to get away from them, away from the story, away from the policeman's eyes. When I reached the sand, I slipped and fell, catching myself with my hands and then shooting up and running harder, tears flying off my cheeks. My lungs were screaming, but I wouldn't stop. I ran up the hill and fell again, this time just lying there, sobbing.

Mommy wasn't going to call me. She wasn't going to send for me or return. I cried until my ribs ached and then I just stared out at the cranberry bog. I never heard Cary coming, but he was suddenly at my side.

"Mom's worried about you," he said and squatted. He put a blade of beach grass in his mouth. I gazed ahead, not hearing, not seeing, not feeling. "The police said they were going very fast and probably lost control. They rammed into a pole and the car turned over, spilling your mother's friend onto the road. Her door didn't open and the car rolled over and over and then just went up in flames. Nobody's lying."

I turned from him. Mommy had done a selfish thing by leaving me here and by keeping secrets, but I could never harden my heart against her enough to stop loving her. There were good times to remember, lots of soft moments. Sometimes, I would catch her looking at me with a gentle smile on her lips and I could almost hear her thinking how pleased she was with me. She had come to depend on me so much. If only I had been with them, I thought. I would have made them slow down.

"They're going to bring her back and put her in the Logan section of the cemetery," Cary said.

I spun on him, my eyes on fire. "When she was alive, they didn't want her within ten feet of them, but now that she's dead, they'll put her in the ground near them?"

He had no answer. He looked down.

"She should be sent back to Sewell and buried beside my father," I said. "It's where she belongs."

Cary shrugged. "Tell Grandma."

I thought a moment. "I will. Take me there right now."

"Right now?"

I stood up and so did he.