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When she was younger, Belinda was frightened by the ocean She was not fond of sailing, hated the danger of man-of-wars and the s for driftwood The only reason she could see for going to the beach was to have a party and then to stay far enough away fro against the shore Once, when I was nine and she was seven, I took her out to the edge of the cliff with htened her so ht about that now and wondered what I would have done if she had fallen

Jero when I stepped out back to find the grave He nodded and headed for the shed With my arms folded across my body, I walked as casually as I could down the slate rock pathway, ns of dirt that had been distu

rbed I walked all the way out to the edge of the cliff without seeing anything Where could Daddy have put the carton and other things? It wouldn't be just a little hole, would it?

I went around toward the ht I had found an area under one of the trees that looked like it had been dug up I stepped closer and when I knelt and inspected the ground, I decided this was the place It put a shudder in me and I rose as if I expected the dead infant to cry for help, even with its muted voice

Years later, I would corown, but in the rass and flat e in the ocean wind, reht

At thecreepy andBelinda's sins because I didn't like lies When you lie, I thought, you make yourself vulnerable and weak Daddy was a h I was sure that he had his nightmares, too

I fled fro us all in this horrible place

Daddy should have made Belinda suffer her consequences and not leave her to be paht I believed he would never bring it up again, but he surprised oing over the family accounts when I walked by and he called to me

"Close the door, Olivia," he ordered as soon as I entered I did so and then turned to hiot to put all this behind us, Olivia I notice you've been different all this week, looking atmore"

"I don't mean to be your conscience, Daddy," I said and he winced as though I had spit at hi happened"

"Listen to me, Olivia The most important quality is loyalty Every family is a world unto itself and every member of that little world must protect it at any cost Only then can individual liberty, interests and talents be pursued Build the faood for the faood," he said, his eyes firht me and the lesson I hope you will take to heart

"Aret, but we have to put it aside when it threatens the fa I salute and the only cause for which I will give my life"

I stared a moment Daddy looked like he was about to cry now His lips were pressed together so hard, his cheeks bulged

"Don't conde my family name and reputation so much, Olivia Learn from it," he pleaded

I took a deep breath Daddy and I had had many conversations in the past, but I rarely if ever saw his eyes fill with tears I felt bad for hiuilt