Lost at Sea

The divorce was a mere formality. Meredith might no longer be legally dead, but she would be spending the next twelve years of her life in Arrendale State Prison.

International Marketing Corporation, of course, demanded that Frank return not only Meredith's life insurance but also the bulk of her 401K, since it had been funded based on bonuses she had not earned. As an innocent party, Frank might have had a case for keeping some of the funds, but he wanted nothing to do with any portion of the money from his ex-wife.

Instead, he began an urgent search for a job, since his family's savings were all but exhausted. The offer he got from a major aerospace company was a welcome one, not only because it would ensure the means to provide for his family, but also because it meant a relocation across the country. There were too many reminders of Meredith in Atlanta and too many questions from friends and others that he and his children couldn't answer. Finding a new place to live and work seemed like the best solution for all of them. Frank hated to leave the state where he and his children were born, but he was ready to embrace the Pacific Northwest and start a new life.

They'd gotten lucky on the sale of their Atlanta home and were able to buy a nice, if somewhat smaller house in Seattle. Meredith had always wanted to live in a showplace; Frank was happy with something cozier. The kids seemed to like it too, and they were already making friends at their new school.

He came in off the deck and looked around for his car keys. Finding them, he stuck his head in the kitchen to look for his wife. "Come on, Angel, let's go pick up our kids." Celia smiled happily at him.