“And everything had been going smoothly?” Jack asked.
“Yes. We even applied for some assistance through an end of life company and had been approved. I didn’t even know such things existed, to be honest. We’ve always been financially well off but even with good insurance, this ordeal has sort of stripped us.”
“What can you tell us about this company?” Rachel asked. Melissa Warren had also mentioned reaching out to an end of life foundation for assistance with Polly. It would be a strange link, but a link all the same.
“Well, they call themselves a foundation, actually. They’re supposed to be able to relieve us of burdens like groceries, traveling to and from the doctor, any in-home care we need. That sort of thing.”
“What are they called?”
“Life Fulfilled. They seem to be a very nice group. They’re a non-profit that I read nothing but good things about.”
“Mrs. Wells, do you think—” Jack began. But he was interrupted by a loud, piercing wail from elsewhere in the house.
Rachel got to her feet at once, instantly reaching for a sidearm that wasn’t there. But within another second, she understood that it wasn’t a scream of alarm, but one of unhindered grief.
Mrs. Wells got to her feet, her hand going to her heart. “That’s my daughter. She…I’ve known this was coming. I’m sorry…I have to go…”
“Of course,” Jack said. “Thank you for your time.”
Mrs. Wells left the sun porch, hurrying back down the small hallway. As she did, her daughter’s wails became heartfelt screams, pleas for her father. “I want to see him! Someone take me to seeee hiiim!”
It broke Rachel’s heart to hear it. They made their way quickly out of the house but even as they excused themselves back outside, they could hear the screams of the daughter. When they were off of the porch, Rachel found herself nearly sprinting to the car because it was far too easy to layer the moment over her own life—that she was the deceased and the screams were coming from Paige.
Paige, she thought. You know she’ll be home in about half an hour, right? Don’t you think it’s time you get back home? Don’t you think it’s time to finally make her a priority?
She did, and she wanted very badly to voice it. Instead, she vowed that she would make it a point to be home to tuck her daughter into bed. But even that felt like a tear in her heart because this case was already feeling far too personal to her—almost as if she were being targeted and taunted over it.
Instead of dwelling on the work-versus-home struggle, Rachel sat down in the passenger seat and gave Jack a determined stare. “So…Life Fulfilled. I think if it’s the same foundation Melissa Warren mentioned, it’s got to be checked out.”
“I’ll make a call and find out,” he said. “You want to do some Google-Fu to see what you can find on the place?”
She pulled out her phone and typed in the name. The website she found for Life Fulfilled gave a very succinct picture of what the foundation did. As she read over the details, Rachel discovered that it was more or less the equivalent of what the Make-A-Wish Foundation was for children. It was a non-profit that did what they could to make the final days of people with terminal illnesses as enjoyable as possible. In some cases, it was exactly as Melissa Warren and Mrs. Wells had described—a way to help relieve financial and time burdens. But in some cases, they worked to help the ill achieve dreams or goals that their suddenly-shortened lifespan would not allow otherwise. They were located in Richmond and their website encouraged people to drop by for a visit if they were in need of such services.
As she looked over the website, she also listened in on Jack’s call. He was looking for a specific officer—presumably whoever he’d been working with over the past day or so. He was bounced around a few times before he finally got the officer he needed.
“I spoke with Melissa Warren today,” he said. “Yes, Polly’s sister. She mentioned an end of life foundation that they’d been working with. Do you have any information on that?” A pause and then, “Yeah, sure. Okay. And what’s the name?” He looked to Rachel and nodded as he said, “Life Fulfilled. Perfect. Thanks for your help.”
He ended the call and waited a moment, as if he was expecting her to say something.
“What?” Rachel asked.
“You need to call it a day?”
“Sort of. But this seems like a solid link. And if it’s relatively close and on the way home, I don’t see the harm in visiting.”
“You sure?”
No, she thought. No, I want to be with my daughter and I can’t for the life of me understand why I’m having such a difficult time turning away from work.
“I’m sure. But I think that may end up being the end of my little excursion for the day.”
He opened his mouth and then closed it quickly. She was pretty sure he’d almost asked once again if she was sure. Instead, he nodded and started the car. And when they pulled away from the house, Rachel wondered if it was only her imagination or if she truly could still hear Benjamin Wells’s daughter screaming.