Chapter Thirteen

                                    

                                          
Dinner that night turned out to be a true treat. Matt had made a detour to the local grocery store Heb before heading back to the Walton house. He had all the fixings for what turned out to be a heavenly smoky barbecue pizza with thin crust. He added to the menu a colorful fruit salad and triple fudge brownies. All in all there were no leftovers that night on the enormous Walton family dining room table. The assorted Walton/ Fisher/ Van Owens and their guests around the table and the kids at the smaller children table were practically groaning  in culinary ecstacy. 
Grace gathered her family to leave after dinner along with Reed's mother Cynthia but not before Grace gave Theo The Look. And yes he knew what the look meant. He would get to it. He just wasn't looking forward to it. At all. Matt shooed everyone out the kitchen but Saint and they started to wash the dishes while whispering and giggling to each other. Winnie had volunteered to put both Livvie and Benji to bed. 
Cassandra was in the living room with Reed watching a old grainy home video of Theo and Grace's fifth birthday party. The one where he had given her a kiss on the cheek and she bit him. Reed had been quiet during dinner and he then decided to go to bed early. He said he had a headache. At Theo's look of sudden concern , he had pulled Theo in his arms for a quick kiss and hug , whispering," I'm fine , darling. It's just too much Texas sun today. We've been away too long. "
Which left him alone with his mother. Time for the talk about the autopsy.
They went to sit in his father's study because they felt closer to him there. It still smelled like his musky pipe smoke and spearmint gum. He explained that he and Grace believed that their father's death needed looked into and that they wanted her to consent to an autopsy. 
Cassandra had not taken it well at all.
She had reared back and slapped her only son in the face for the first time ever. 
She retorted sharply with tears glistening in her eyes," Nobody is cutting into my husband! Nobody! He is my husband. You tend to your own. And leave mine alone. "
Then the openly crying woman stood and departed upstairs to her and Malcolm's bedroom.
Leaving her son stunned on the sofa in his father's study. He wondered what had just happened. It was where he fell asleep.