Skein of the Crime by Maggie Sefton Page B

they’re addictive. Doctors prescribe them in small amounts. Even so, they still wind up on the street. They’re some of the most pervasive drugs out there.”
    “Which ones?”
    “Vicodin is probably the most often abused, but Percocet is right behind it, along with OxyContin. They’re called ‘oxies’ on the street.”
    Kelly stared at the design laminated into the table, unseeing. She’d never been able to understand how anyone could risk their body and their life by using illegal drugs just to get high. What would make Holly go back to that party scene and back onto the drugs when she was turning herself around?
    Then Barbara’s words came back to mind: I’ve watched Holly try to change her dangerous habits before. Unfortunately, she always falls back into those old ways after a while.
    “Have the police contacted Tommy yet?”
    Burt shook his head. “The police wouldn’t even know to contact Tommy since he’s not Holly’s relative. Dan asked me if I knew of anyone who would be a responsible party that could authorize where her body should be taken. You know, a funeral home and all that. I told him Holly had no relatives in town anymore and had lost all contact with her father. No one knows where he is. And her mother is dead. I did give him Barbara’s name and number. Maybe she will agree to do it. If not, Mimi and I will.”
    “Had you already spoken with Barbara?”
    Burt sighed. “Yes, the night before. Right after I called you. I’m sure she’s called Tommy by now.”
    Kelly stared off at a laughing couple at the corner table. Their whole lives in front of them. “This is going to break Tommy’s heart.”

Five
    A slight breeze picked up, flipping Kelly’s silky yarn scarf across her face as she stood with a small group of mourners at the cemetery gravesite. The normally bright Colorado sun was obscured by clouds this morning, making it chilly whenever the wind passed through the nearby trees.
    The open grave was covered with a bright green tarp, but Kelly could still see the raw brown earth edging the tarp that indicated the ground had been freshly turned. Kelly shivered. Whether it was the wind or the bleak view of the waiting grave, waiting for the young girl who died much too early, it gave her a chill.
    The minister’s voice droned quietly as he read a passage from the Bible. Beside him stood Tommy and Barbara, both of their faces white and drawn. Patty stood next to Barbara and was holding tissues to her face, wiping away her tears.
    Tommy’s shoulders shook repeatedly with his obvious effort to quiet his sobs. Kelly, Mimi, and Burt stood across from them, and there were clusters of college students who hovered on the edges, looking uncomfortable. Behind them were four young men and a young woman who stood tall and straight. The insignias on their sleeves indicated they were all with the Fort Connor emergency medical team and ambulance service. Tommy’s friends and colleagues.
    The minister held up his hand and said a blessing, then invited everyone to bow their heads in silent prayer. Kelly fervently wished that some of the college students in attendance would let this experience be sufficient warning to keep them from following the same path Holly had.
     
     
     
    “That’s so sad,” Lisa said, looking across the knitting table at Mimi, who was nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea.
    Kelly took a sip of coffee. “Tragic, really. How could Holly throw away her life like that?”
    Burt spoke up beside her. “I don’t think any young person consciously thinks about it. I’m afraid too many of them have this belief that death happens to other people. It could never happen to them.”
    “And in answer to your question, Kelly, it sounds like Holly’s problems started a long time ago when she was a child. It doesn’t sound like she had much guidance or even affection at home, so the poor girl probably started looking for outside substitutes for affection,” Lisa said, as her fingers