The next morning, Maggie stirred and blinked the sleep out of her heavy eyes as she tried to remember where she was. She knew she was in a hotel room, as she could tell from the bland decor and simple photos hanging above the bed. But this wasn't Maggie's hotel in New York, where she should be. As the previous night's events flooded back to Maggie, she felt like a heavy weight was crushing down on her, and her head fell into her hands in despair. A gentle knock on the door made Maggie jump, and she weakly called for the knocker to come in. Light swept into the room as the door opened, and Detective Colwell entered swiftly and quietly, closing the door behind him.
"How're you feeling, Miss Thyme?" He asked, his voice full of concern for the young girl sat helpless in front of him.
Maggie's eyes instantly started welling with tears, and she tried to maintain her cool as she replied, "How do you think?" The detective sighed and moved to sit on the bottom of the bed. Instinctively, Maggie pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them as if to make a barrier.
"I know this is hard for you, Miss Thyme," the detective began, "We are here to do our best to help you and to catch the people who did this. We found some fingerprints throughout the property which we have high hopes will identify the culprits. We will need to take yours also, just to rule out the obvious, but we think we will get some promising results." Maggie tuned out the detective. She didn't want to know what the police were or were not doing. She just wanted the people who threw her life into turmoil to pay for what they had done.
"And what about my Grandmother?" Maggie asked, barely able to utter the words. "Do you know what killed her yet?" The detective looked down and nodded slowly.
"Yes, we've had the results back from the post mortem. They've confirmed your Grandmother died of a heart attack. There was no foul play." Maggie breathed, almost relieved. She hated the idea of Evelyn suffering and being terrified before she died. Although, Maggie thought to herself, whoever broke in and stole the journal still left her all alone, and maybe it was the fear of being burgled that caused Evelyn's heart to give in anyway.
A fresh wave of anger overcame Maggie. She leapt off the bed, and turned to face the detective with determination. "Those people who broke into my house are still to blame for my Grandmother's death." She spoke the words very slowly, as if to make it easier for the seasoned officer to understand. "I want them found and I want to see them pay for what they've done."
The detective cleared his throat and stood up. "Don't worry, Miss Thyme," he said, almost dismissing Maggie's demand, "we will see that justice is brought to those who deserve it. Right now, we need to worry about you. Do you have somewhere to stay?"
Maggie stopped suddenly, as she realised she hadn't thought of what was going to happen to her now. She couldn't go back to her Grandmother's manor, not now at least. Maggie wasn't sure she would ever want to go back to there anyway, not after all that had happened. She didn't have many friends that she could call, and she was pretty sure that if her mother even bothered to pick up the phone, she would be hung up on. Maggie collapsed back onto the bed, and shook her head weakly. The detective sighed as he understood, and radioed somebody to make more permanent arrangements for Maggie to stay. Maggie closed her ears as she tried to drown out the conversation going on beside her. To them, she was just a case. A file that would get shelved away and forgotten about. But for Maggie, her whole world had come crashing down around her. She'd been so sure about the way her life would go, but now, Maggie was left hopelessly worrying.
The next few days went by in a blur for Maggie. She was assigned a case worker, who helped her find somewhere to stay until she was able to move to Columbia. Someone had been in touch with the administrators office at Columbia, who of course, offered Maggie a place at the school in an instant. In the letter she received, the school insisted it was due to her "incredible knowledge and tenacity of her interest that made her an outstanding candidate" but Maggie suspected it was more of a sympathy vote, due to her place being offered as part of a full scholarship. Maggie didn't really care what the motives were. At least she had somewhere to go, to focus on. Somewhere to start fresh. She had just a few days of this nightmare, and then she could put it all behind her.
Evelyn's funeral was to be held a week after the break in, once the police were satisfied that her death was of natural causes, and they weren't looking for a murderer. Maggie had planned the entire thing on her own, denying the help of her case worker. She didn't want a stranger to interfere with her Grandmother's funeral, Maggie had thought to herself when the help was first offered. She'd faked a smile and made up some rubbish about having it all planned out already, but in reality, Maggie didn't know where to start. Somehow though, she was able to pull something together, and had even managed to get in touch with a few of her Grandmother's old contacts who all said they'd come. There wasn't a huge guest list; Evelyn had isolated herself quite some years ago, but Maggie did receive a call from a reporter who said he'd like to put something about the funeral in the paper. He had followed Evelyn's work throughout the years, he said. Maggie had given him the details, but didn't expect anyone else to come. Her own parents had ignored Maggie's calls and messages about the funeral, why would complete strangers turn up? Maggie preferred the idea of a small affair. It had always been just her and Evelyn, and she felt that having too many people there would ruin her chance to say goodbye.
Maggie's heart always clenched when she thought about having to say goodbye. She still expected Evelyn to just call her up, or walk through the door, and somehow that seemed to keep her alive in Maggie's mind. The funeral would confirm something that she didn't, or couldn't, accept yet. Still, as the days dragged on and the funeral drew closer, Maggie began to focus her mind on Columbia, and the glimmer of hope that maybe her future wasn't completely over. By the night before the funeral, Maggie almost couldn't wait for it to be over, so she could finally put this behind her, and concentrate on moving forward.
On the morning of the funeral, the sun rose early and began steadily clearing the mist that covered the grounds of Evelyn's manor, promising a warm, breezy day. Maggie had got there early to meet the funeral car that would take Maggie and the rest of the funeral procession to the cemetery. She shivered as she stepped through the front door to the large hallway, and looked around at the familiar surroundings. Maggie no longer enjoyed staying here for a great length of time; all she could see when she looked around were reminders of the night her Grandmother died. Tears clouded her view as Maggie moved slowly into the kitchen, and saw the framed articles that hung proudly on the wall, telling the stories of Evelyn's wonderous finds over the years. Blinking the tears away, Maggie slowly made her way along the wall, reading each one with awakened interest. "I'm sorry, Gran," Maggie wept quietly as she finished reading the frames. "I promise, I'll make you proud."
The doorbell rang, and Maggie tidied her tear-smudged makeup and stood tall, determined to see through on her promise. She would continue her Grandmother's work and carry on Evelyn's dream. She would do it all for her. Maggie welcomed the guests, an old professor who had worked with Evelyn briefly at the Museum a long time ago, and accepted their condolences in a calm, polite manner. "Don't cry in front of people", Maggie thought to herself, "You have to be strong. Act like she would."
Soon, the manor began to fill up with people, as more and more turned up to show their respects. Maggie was quite shocked; she hadn't expected quite so many people to show, but a few people said they'd seen the article in the paper and had wanted to pay their respects.
"She was a tough old bird," one man said, "She didn't suffer fools gladly, but she was bloody good at digging up a tomb!"
A few more people turned up, and Maggie found herself listening to stories about her Grandmother she'd never been told before. Maggie felt calmer, hearing people talk about Evelyn's old adventures. The sly old woman wasn't quite as proper as she had always led Maggie to believe. Maggie smiled to herself, that was just like her Gran, she thought fondly.
Finally the funeral cars arrived, and Maggie got into the front car alone, as everyone else organised themselves, and the procession slowly made its way to the cemetery, following Evelyn in her final ever journey. Once hidden away from outside eyes, Maggie allowed herself to shed a few final tears, before resuming the cool exterior she had developed. Once the procession made it to the cemetery, Maggie lead the way inside, and was welcomed by Reverend Brown, the priest who would be leading the service. He was a short, kind looking man, whose eyes crinkled behind his heavily magnified glasses.
"Miss Thyme, welcome" The priest greeted her as he took her hand in both of his. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I hope today will be of some comfort to you." Maggie felt her eyes begin to well up again, but she fought to keep them back, and instead smiled weakly and looked at her feet.
"Thank you." Maggie replied quietly. She excused herself quickly, and made her way to her seat at the front. Nerves began to swirl in her stomach, and her mouth became suddenly dry as she tried to remember what she wanted to say.
Once everyone was settled, a quiet piece of classical music began playing softly, and Maggie struggled to look as Evelyn was carried carefully to the front of the church. The pallbearers gently placed Evelyn down, and bowed their heads respectfully as they departed. A lump began to grow in the back of Maggie's throat, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Reverend Brown began his sermon, as he discussed how as part of the miracle of life, death also plays an important part. He talked about some of Evelyn's achievements over the years, all the things she accomplished in her long years. Maggie's thoughts trailed to some of the stories she'd been told that very morning, stories that she would have never thought possible, and smiled. Her Grandmother remained a mysterious woman until the very last.
Maggie vaguely heard her name being mentioned, and was immediately brought back to the room. She looked up at the priest, who was watching at her expectantly, and realised it was her turn to speak. She stood slowly, her heart suddenly pounding again, and made her way to the pulpit. As she turned to face the rows, her eyes caught a movement at the back. The door had just closed to, and someone was making their way to the corner when they stopped suddenly. Maggie tried to see if it was someone she recognised, but their face was just blocked from her view. She turned her focus back to the scrunched up notes she had stashed in her purse, and glanced up at the room. She didn't expect so many people to turn up, so she hadn't written much. Maggie swallowed and cleared her throat.
"My Grandmother was an inspiring woman. She was bold, and strong, and she taught me to never give up on what I wanted. She worked hard in every aspect of her life, and she was able to experience things that most people could only ever dream of. Some people saw her as strange, but she was a witty, intelligent woman and I am proud to say I am her Granddaughter. Evelyn Thyme was not someone to be taken lightly, but she was passionate and above all else, kind. She has raised and inspired me throughout my entire life, and I have made a promise that I am going to continue her legacy and name through my own endeavours. Thank you for everything, Gran. You'll never leave me."
Maggie looked out across the room, as she was met with tearful looks from her Grandmother's colleagues. She walked slowly over to her Grandmother's coffin, and gently kissed her fingers and placed them on the lid. Quietly, she whispered "Love you, Gran." and moved back to her seat.
As she turned to sit down, the priest asked if anybody else wanted to say anything, and her eyes caught a figure in the back corner of the church. A pair of shocked hazel eyes met with hers, as a young man in a faded denim jacket and dark jeans leaned against the wall. Maggie paused for a moment as she stared at the stranger, realising it must have been him who had entered late. From the brief glimpse she got, Maggie tried to remember seeing his face before, but she had no recollection. She sat down, and turned to look for him, but she couldn't find those piercing eyes anywhere amongst the faces. He must have gone. Maggie's brow furrowed as she wondered who he was. He couldn't have worked with her Grandmother, he looked about the same age as Maggie, so he would have been too young. Maybe he was a student who had been to one of her lectures? She'd given a few over the last couple of years, but had had to stop due to her health, much against her will. "But then, why did he disappear?" Maggie thought to herself. It was strange. For the rest of the service, Maggie found herself distracted with guessing who the mysterious stranger was at the back of the church.