Cedar Woman (137 page)

“
Le
n
a,
I
am a
b
o
u
t
to
read
t
h
e
last
will
a
n
d
testa
m
e
n
t
o
f
Vic
k
i C
o
m
p
t
on
,
b
u
t first, I’d
li
k
e
f
o
r
you
to
rea
d
a
n
o
t
e
w
h
ic
h
s
he
p
a
rtic
u
larly
want
e
d
m
e to
s
h
ow
y
o
u.”

Larry
lean
e
d
forward
and
h
a
nd
e
d
L
e
na a
piece
of
p
a
per.
As
if
in
a trance,
L
e
na
a
ccepted
the
h
e
avy,
v
e
llum
docu
m
ent,
and
beg
a
n
to
re
a
d
, her e
y
es
w
i
de
ni
ng
w
it
h
e
v
e
ry
sen
t
ence:

My Dearest L
e
na,

I
h
a
ve
c
o
m
e
to
love
yo
u
as
I
w
o
uld
l
o
ve
m
y
o
w
n
d
au
ghte
r
.
Pe
r
h
a
p
s
t
h
is
i
s
w
h
y
I
fe
l
t
i
t
s
o
ap
p
r
o
p
r
iat
e w
h
e
n
y
o
u
r
g
r
a
nd
m
o
t
h
e
r
,
you
r
un
c
i
,
ado
p
ted
me as
h
er
d
a
ug
h
ter.
It
j
u
st seemed
to fit.

You
h
a
v
e
br
o
u
gh
t
m
e
gr
eat
j
o
y.
Knowing
y
o
u
h
as
filled
my
spirit
with s
u
ch
h
a
p
p
i
n
ess,
t
h
at
I
can
no
t e
x
press
t
o
you
h
o
w
w
on
d
erf
u
l
b
e
i
n
g
a
p
a
rt of
y
o
u
r
li
fe h
a
s
be
e
n
.
Fr
om
t
h
e
m
o
m
ent
y
ou
wa
l
k
ed
i
n
t
o
m
y
res
t
aurant,
y
ou
h
a
ve been
a
b
l
ess
in
g
t
o
m
e.

A
n
d
s
o
,
s
weet da
ug
h
ter,
I
b
eq
u
eath
to
y
o
u
m
y
oth
e
r
c
h
il
d
.
I
want
yo
u
to
h
a
v
e
Vic
k
i’s.
It’s
y
o
urs,
with all
o
f
m
y l
ov
e.

Vicki

Lena
was
s
tun
n
e
d
!
S
h
e
k
n
e
w
t
h
at
V
i
cki
l
ov
e
d
he
r
,
b
u
t
i
t
had
n
o
t occ
u
rr
e
d
to h
e
r
t
h
at she
w
o
u
ld
inh
e
rit
the restaurant.
Her
a
m
az
e
ment i
n
creased
as
Larry
b
e
g
a
n
to
read
t
h
e
will.
Le
n
a
was
Vic
k
i’s
s
o
le
h
eir; Lena
was
a
w
e
althy wo
m
an.

C
h
apter
S
e
v
e
nteen

There
is
no de
a
th, only a
c
h
an
ge of
w
o
r
l
ds.

C
h
ief Seattle

The
rest
a
u
r
a
nt was
clos
e
d
to
t
h
e
public
for
the
first
ti
m
e
since
L
e
na
and Michael’s
wedding,
but
it
was
not
a
happy
occasion
this
ti
m
e.
Tonight was
t
h
e
on
e
-year
a
nn
i
vers
a
ry
of the
deaths
of Vi
c
k
i
a
n
d Michael.

O
f
f
i
ciat
i
ng
i
n
t
h
e
W
i
p
in
g
of Tears
Ce
r
e
m
ony
was
B
o
y
Lad
d
, c
h
il
d
ho
o
d f
r
iend
o
f Son
n
y a
n
d Mic
h
ael.

B
o
y S
t
ands
W
ith
W
i
n
g
s
Ladd
s
to
od 5
’
6”
a
nd wei
g
hed
13
0
p
o
un
d
s so
a
k
in
g
we
t
.
Qu
i
et
a
n
d
k
i
n
d
,
he
w
a
s
of
t
en
ask
e
d
t
o
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
cere
m
on
i
es

wh
e
r
e
c
o
m
p
assion
an
d
del
i
cacy
were
r
e
qu
i
red.
He was
a
s
ked by Michael’s
fa
m
i
ly
to
officiate
a
t the
W
ip
i
ng of
Tears
cere
m
ony
becau
s
e
of t
h
ese
qu
alities.