Pentimento

Epilogue

"Isn't this park lovely? I love walking here at night!"

"It is really lovely. Are we close?"

"It's behind those trees."

Marjorie took Rose's hand and yelled at Connie to come with. Laughing, the three women made it to the majestic steps of the Base museum. Rose sighed, looking up to the entrance.

"Are you okay?" Connie asked.

"For sure! Just look at those steps. Aren't they just the best?"

Marjorie rolled her eyes, "can we go inside now? I've been waiting years for this!"

"You've only known me that single year!" Rose laughed. Marjorie ignored her and sprinted up the steps.

Connie put her arm around Rose. "I'm really glad you are showing us this part of your life." Her words were soft, full of love. Rose smiled. Connie had always been a loyal friend, but this past year she had proved she was worth so much more. She'd helped her through all the police investigations, media interviews and court hearings. She was there when they got the news that Headley and his crew would serve lifelong prison sentences. Together with Marjorie, they had danced until they couldn't stand anymore.

Marjorie had canceled her apartment in England and had moved into Rose's guest bedroom permanently. Rose hoped she would never have to wake up to a kitchen island that wasn't covered in books and papers.

"There it is!" Marjorie waved them over. Breathless, they looked at eleven poplars. Rose took in the colors. The pink contrasted the green, but almost seemed to hug the purple and blue shades. She sighed, which made Connie smile. She didn't have the same love for art that Rose and Marjorie had, but in her heart she was proud that she had worked to get these paintings to a place where they could be looked at with such adoration as Marjorie and Rose did now.

"Well, as the new head of the art department, I will just have to show this to my students," whispered Rose.

Connie quickly turned to her, "what? Did you just say...?"

Rose did a step backwards, looked at the excited faces of her friends, and nodded, "I've been hired to be the head of the art department at the university. I start this week!"

Rose smiled, James would have loved this.