Pearl River Remains: Chapter 22

Fran says goodbye. And finally, gently makes sure her father knows the truth.

Fran puts it all together, Noble and the dogs at her side, through the woods, at the riverside, as we move back and forth in time, and a memory becomes present and very much alive. Until that life can finally let go.

Fran Boden and Sheriff Cass Noble go to a family gathering. And find warmth and comfort, a little truth and confrontation, and a woman who might not be a woman at all. Fran's mission and her commitment to it is renewed in the face of terror and confusion.

Fran goes to the church where she grew up, to talk about a funeral, but instead meets a ghost. Possibly two. And is pulled back in time, into a terrifying day she forgot with a woman she lost. 

As they drive home from the prison, Matilda gives Fran her fully-fleshed-out history with John, with herself, and how Gabe came to be. While the raven perches on the side view mirror. It is both harrowing and heart-full. As is the moment when they arrive back in Oka, and Fran walks...all the way Home and braces herself for what's to come.

Fran, Matilda, Gabe, and Surly drive to the Mississippi State Penitentiary to see an unwell John who turns out to have things to say. They aren't alone on the drive. They aren't alone inside the prison, in which chaos, sickness, and rage reign, while Fran, in the parking lot, has a close raven encounter.

Gabriel visits Fran in a dream. And she comes to realize she needs his help. And he needs hers.

Fran returns to Matilda's after a harrowing afternoon and with new information. She prods her aunt for more facts as they alternate eating with truth-hunting. Later, while on a phone call with Noble about emerging details, Fran sees her mother in the window of the kitchen and is again pulled under water.

Fran goes to visit her daddy, Walter, at the care home and is possessed completely by her mother, Robbie, who, dripping with shame and purgatory, has something urgent and painful to tell her ailing and confused husband.

Fran is stoned, trying to stop the pain in her head. So of course. Lamar calls. Then Noble calls. Then she sleeps and dreams of Mother and realizes it's more than a dream, it's a...possession. Who was this woman anyway?