Chapter 40
It was black and white, gone soft around the edges, the resolution grainy with time. In it, two people sat on a low, stone bench in front of a church, smiling for the unknown photographer. They were young, both in their early twenties, and it was obvious who at least one of them was.
Mary.
She had been tall and slender, long dark legs in white shorts stretched out in front of her as she leaned back on her hands. High cheekbones, huge dark eyes, a smile as wide and inviting as Jesse had ever seen. More striking than beautiful, but even with the distance from the camera keeping the details elusive, he could see how any man would be attracted to her.
“That’s Hal sitting next to her. His family disowned him after he and Mary started up, but then again, the O’Dells never did understand just what it was he was trying to do.”