Vivian’s funeral was held the following Saturday. It was less intimate
than her wedding. I put a notice in the paper and made an announcement about it
at the town meeting. What I didn’t expect was for everyone to treat my
announcement as a command. Most of the town showed up for the former
librarian’s funeral. Leroy even stood near the front.
It was held at the cemetery. I covered the cost of the funeral as well
as the burial. I made sure she was buried near my family crypt so I could pass
her when I went to visit my father. Ashley and Marco were grateful that I took
care of this.
I began yesterday morning in my office as I normally do. Trying to find
that sense of normalcy after someone you care about has passed can be difficult,
but you know what you’re supposed to do and you do it. I placed my mail from
the lobby on my desk (no one enters my office when I’m not here). I hung my
coat up. I made myself a cup of coffee. I sat down to read my mail. And then I
spilled coffee all over myself when I saw the second envelope.
It was from Vivian. The address for my office was in her handwriting, as
well as her return address on the back.
I left it sitting face-up on my desk while I grabbed a napkin to clean
myself off, but never took my eyes off it. Who sent it? Marco? Ashley? My
clothes weren’t getting any cleaner, but they were dry. I ran over and looked
at the post-date. It was the day before. So it was after Vivian’s funeral. I
opened the envelope and unfolded her letter.
Majesty,
I have
not been completely honest with you. It is my desire to die knowing that you
know the truth. I did not hide the book that woke me up in the library. Once I
knew what it could do, I took it home. Later, I gave it to Mary Margaret with
the hope that it will someday help the savior. Fear not, for it was not the
book alone that woke me up, but a combination of things. It is my deepest wish
that you will prove to the people what a benev—
I can’t tell you what else it said, because I tore the rest of it up.
All of that talk about redemption and winning the people over was just to
prepare me for her betrayal! This is what happens when I trust someone. She
wooed me with talk of understanding and helping me understand the curse—as
though it was a living thing! Only to double-cross me by sending the book that
woke her up to my enemy. No wonder she wanted me to befriend everyone—she aimed
to wake up the whole town!
I rushed to Storybrooke Elementary. The students were all over the
grounds at recess. I ran past them and into the school. Mary Margaret’s door
was open. She was erasing mathematical equations off the board.
“Miss Blanchard.” I was in her face before she had a chance to put down
her eraser. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Vivian Boyd has passed away.”
“Yes, she was so nice. I saw her in the hospital. Were you friends?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Mary Margaret tried to take a step back to
make more space between us, but I countered.
“You haven’t known her long then?”
“No.”
“Good. I received a note from her saying she gave you a book. Perhaps
her mind was going, but she meant to give that book to me. Do you have it?”
“I don’t remember her giving me anything.”
“Are you sure? The book is very dear to me. We became friends over it
and I want it to remember our friendship.”
The bell rang. Miss Blanchard’s students began walking into her class
with less enthusiasm than they just had outside.
“I’m sorry, Madam Mayor, but she never gave me a book in the brief time
I knew her.” She looked at her students and then back at me, silently asking me
to step back. I didn’t oblige. “But if it turns up I’ll certainly give it to
you.”
“Be sure that you do.” I walked out, but my search for the book wasn’t
over. If she had the book and read it, how could I be sure she wasn’t really
Snow White pretending to be Mary Margaret? She could be lying. Still, it’s
possible she was telling the truth. Maybe Vivian wrote the letter to me
prematurely? Maybe she never gave the book to Mary Margaret? I headed straight
for Vivian’s house.
I used my skeleton keys to open the door but only got into Vivian’s
living room before Ashley walked in from the kitchen. She screamed before she
saw it was me.
“I’m sorry, it was open.” My explanation calmed her down.
“Of course it was.” She believed me. “I’ve been so out of it lately.
W-why are you here, Madam Mayor?”
“I received a letter from Vivian today.” I looked around. The room was
empty. My guess was the whole house had been cleared of everything, from the
furniture to the bacon.
“Oh, yeah.” Ashley looked exhausted but there was no place for her to
sit. “I sent those out yesterday. I was supposed to give them out at the
funeral but I forgot.”
“Of course.” I said. “Were there many?”
“She only wrote them to her family. And you.”
“Did you read any of them?”
“No.”
“In mine, she said she gave away something that I thought she was going
to give to me.”
“She asked for a lot of things to be given away.”
“Do you know where it all went? Maybe where her books went?”
“She never owned any books. Weird, right? For a librarian? But there
hasn’t been a book in here for as long as I can remember. But all of the other
things in the house were sold or donated.”
“But don’t you need furniture? Vivian said you were supposed to inherit
the house.”
“Did she? Well, my sisters decided to sell it.” Ashley didn’t sound
upset, just not surprised. “I’m going to live with one of them. I’m just
waiting for them to pick me up.”
Once I got the answers I wanted, I had no desire to wait with Ashley. I
left as politely as I could, but I was tired of being nice to this family. I
went to Marco’s garage, but he was still so overcome with grief that I couldn’t
hold a conversation with him. I decided he probably didn’t know about the book
if Ashley didn’t and left him alone. My next stop was Mary Margaret’s
apartment.
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