Chapter 12
What remained of Rory O’Connor was buried in the family plot above the mill, along the Martins Way River. At Mary’s request, there was no formal church service; just a gathering at the gravesite for his entombment. Like all the O’Connors and Harpers before him, Rory was wrapped in linen and lowered into the ground in a plain pine box. Out of compassion for both the family and the populace of Harper's Landing, Rory’s remains had been laid to rest in the grave before the service. Most if not all of them knew that not all of Rory rested in that grave. Nevertheless, they had dug a full-sized grave, and built a regular pine casket. Then Arthur Willingham started to deliver Rory’s eulogy.
"How do you speak for a man you barely knew," he began. "Rory was a friend to many of you, a beloved brother to Mary and Bull, and a hero to everyone. He served his country with honor and returned to the comfort of family and friends when the horrors of war overtook him. He will live on in our memories, in our love, and in our compassion for his family."
The Army had provided an honor guard, as was his due, though at Mary’s request they refrained from the usual rifle salute. The head of the guard handed Mary the carefully folded American flag, Rory’s purple heart placed on top. She clutched it to her chest as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Arthur then invited others to speak if they wished. They spoke of Rory’s humor, of his skill as a fisherman, of his love of family. No one spoke of his terrors, his retreat when the Fourth of July came around, his inability to find love or companionship after war had left him emotionally and spiritually shattered. Instead they talked of the Rory they wanted to remember, the man they would entomb in their memories as well as the grave.
When "Taps" was played, Mary collapsed into Bull’s arms. The grief of everyone involved was palpable. Life cut short is never easy, no matter the cause. But life cut short without cause or explanation is unbearable and soul bending.
Jim Burch stood next to Linda Collier, and although both had strong feelings and rich memories about Rory, neither spoke. They shared a silent grief for a friend taken too soon. Nor did they attend the wake afterward at Morey’s. Instead, without being asked, Linda followed Jim to his office where they shared the better part of a bottle of well-aged scotch in silence.
The Missouri State Police lab had been unable to identify any DNA other than Rory’s after swabbing both the neck and ankle. Reluctantly, they had released the remains for burial and marked the file "unsolved; no further investigation requested." It was not the usual means for handling what appeared to be a homicide, but without other evidence they had no choice.
Things in Harper's Landing slipped back to normal, with only an occasional discussion about what had happened to Rory. One of the more popular stories was that someone had released baby alligators into the MartinsWay, and they had found their way into the underground waterways. Despite the lack of alligator or any predator DNA, the story gained popularity. Some wanted to introduce poison into the wells, to do away with the critters, while others favored placing traps or blocking side passages in the hope of catching or starving them to death. Jim had to warn folks off the poison route, which never really gained popularity anyway. He didn’t have to worry about people trying to close off the passages from the waterways to the Martins Way. People were honestly too frightened to be willing to go into the river to place traps or other means of blocking things off.
Gradually, fishermen returned to Big Bass Pool, and by the time tourist season was in full swing the stories had died down. This was a great relief to the few townsfolk who made a significant portion of their living off the tourist trade. Even Mary was able to set aside her grief enough to deal with the influx of customers seeking local yarns and unusual cottons from her well stocked shop.
Summer was just around the corner, and things in Harper's Landing appeared to be back to normal.