Contents
Chapter 12
Overview
Laurel and Paul bury Ellie’s partial remains, accepting her death. Forensics suggest a hit-and-run, dragging, and a shallow grave, but police efforts produce no leads. Laurel’s hope collapses into finality, and, a month after the funeral, she meets Floyd, hinting at a new direction in her life.
Summary
On a late-summer afternoon, Paul and Laurel bury Ellie’s partial remains—femurs, tibias, and most of her skull—formally acknowledging her death. The ceremony marks the end of years of uncertainty and the collapse of lingering hope.
Forensic findings indicate Ellie was hit by a vehicle, her body dragged through woodland, hastily buried, and later scattered by animals. Search teams and dogs scour the area but uncover nothing more.
Police investigate intensively, checking local garages for collision damage and distributing leaflets seeking sightings of a girl with a navy rucksack or a young woman matching Ellie’s age progression. They also circulate photos of Laurel’s stolen candlesticks. No credible witnesses or evidence emerge, and the inquiry stalls after twelve weeks.
Laurel is left with the finality of loss and a broken family. Then, a month after Ellie’s funeral, Laurel meets Floyd, signaling the first shift in her life since the discovery.
Who Appears
- LaurelMother who buries Ellie’s remains, accepts finality, and later meets Floyd.
- PaulLaurel’s ex-partner; helps bury Ellie’s remains during the funeral.
- EllieDaughter whose partial remains are buried; forensics outline her presumed death.
- PoliceInvestigate garages, sightings, and stolen candlesticks but find no leads.
- FloydMan Laurel meets a month after the funeral, hinting at a new chapter.