Chapter 21
The End … For Now
Friday evening in Dogwood was chaotic, even with a block of Main Street still cordoned off and half of the businesses closed. The park was overrun with families returning from vacation to witness firsthand the devastation they’d only seen on the local news or heard about from family and friends. The townspeople watched the demolition and cleanup of the ruined building, one of Dogwood’s oldest, with morbid fascination. The bakery’s mobile cart did a roaring trade in doughnuts, coffee, and—Penny’s favorite—Elephant Ears, serving the workers and watchers alike.
The people of Dogwood watched the workmen loading construction dumpsters with rubble, speculated on which of the businesses would return and which would close for good, and retold the story of Susan a
