I smooth down my ankle-length, black skirt and slip my phone into one of the deep pockets. It's too hot for this heavy material, but my only other black skirt is above the knee with pink paw prints. Dad said it and shorts are disrespectful, so I'll just sweat all over the coffin. I turn to my roommate.
Linzy's seated in the middle of my bed, her expression animated. "What do you think it'll be like?"
I shrug, not getting her rabid appeal for her funeral.
It's been three days since I learned Linzy was murdered. Three days of her flitting around but not giving me any new information. Three days of being cooped up in this house with only a television and the internet for entertainment. Three days of not speaking to or seeing Troy, and the texts between me and Kinley have been weird one-liners about the weather and what we had for dinner. We've become…old people.
And now I'm going to watch them lower Linzy's body into the ground, knowing I'll come home to talk to her. It's the weirdest.
"Don't forget to take pictures," she says.
My stockings already chaff my inner thighs. I reach up my skirt and rip them off. It's not like anyone will see my legs anyway. "I'm not taking pics at a funeral. They'll throw me out. Plus, it's uncool."
She lets out a melodramatic sigh. "Fine, but I want every single detail." She pouts. "I wish I could go with."
Me too. It would be easier than being interrogated later.
"Actually I will be there. Technically." She giggles, but it sounds forced.
"Gotta go." I head downstairs. I don't feel like joking about her death today.
Dad's pacing by the front door. He looks up and gives a grim smile. When I'm beside him, he scrunches up his brows. "Are you sure you want to go?"
I give the most reassuring smile I can come up with. "Yes. I…I feel like I have to."
He opens the door, and we leave.
Saint Michael's Church is only a few blocks away, on Hibiscus Avenue. It isn't that big, looking like a small white barn, but the parking lot is packed with cars. My stomach flips and flops like a dying fish as we enter the building. There's an old, round woman in front of us. She dips her fingers in some type of ornate holder attached to the wall and touches her forehead and chest.
I glance at Dad, who gives me a single nod and waits for the woman to move on before saying, "That's called a Font. It holds the Holy Water for members to bless themselves with."
I peek inside, and sure enough there's water.
Dad's not a religious person. I don't think Mom was either. When I was little, I asked about his faith. He said he's not a church goer, and God doesn't mind because God knows what's in Dad's heart. I doubt the most devout people would agree, but Dad's at peace with it, so that's all that matters.
Me, I'm not sure what I believe in. Dad always gave me the right to follow my own path. I haven't found it yet.
We enter the main room, and I immediately want to strip down to my undies. Probably not something I should contemplate in church, but, with all the bodies, it's ridiculously hot. Several fans are set up in the far aisles, plus there are the ceiling ones, but everyone still fans themselves with the paper programs. I feel like I'm seeing a play.
I fold one and stick it in my pocket. I don't want to look, but Linzy will want to see it.
Dad leads me to a pew toward the back. In my nervousness to look the part, I didn't wear my plastic-framed, purple glasses, or any of my other accessories. I won't be able to see anything at this distance, and I say so.
"It's not a movie," he whispers.
I'm aware I don't need a front-row view, but I can't look for suspiciousness if everyone is a giant blur either. I strain my neck to look for space closer, and I spot Troy and his mother. Yikes. Not exactly what I wanted to happen.
But he smiles, and it makes him look endearing, not disgusted with me, so I take that as a good sign.
I motion from my eyes to the front of the room.
It takes him a second to understand, but then he nods and waves us over.
I stand and say to Dad, "come on." I move toward Troy before Dad can refuse.
Troy scoots over, creating a wide gap between him and his mom, who's seated at the end, by the middle aisle.
"Hi," I say to the chief then tip-toe past her, careful to not step on her pointy black high-heels.
Dad gives me a raised brow when he squeezes in between the chief and me.
I just flash him a smile then turn to Troy. "Thanks."
"No problem."
A man beside him asks a question, and I try not to press up against Troy too much. Don't want him to get the wrong idea.
I tell myself to relax, even though I know there's a higher chance of harp-playing angels descending from the steeple ceiling, and take in this side of the room. We're only two rows behind the Quinns. The parents sit huddled together, while Shayla is alone. Their heads are bent, and the mom's body shakes. She must be crying.
My chest tightens, so I look away.
Linzy's coffin is white and gold and closed. Dozens of orchids line the area, and a bigger than life-size picture of her is displayed on an easel. She's smiling wide in the photo. It isn't one from online, or one of her publicity shots. She has no makeup on, a smattering of freckles covers her nose, and she looks genuinely happy. This is a personal photo. This is how she should be remembered. Who picked it out? Based on Linzy's descriptions of her family, I have a feeling it wasn't Mrs. Quinn.
I glance away and look for Kinley, but I don't see her or her folks. I'm not even sure if they planned on coming. Maybe the Abbotts feel it's too much for Kinley. April and her family are on the other side of us. She's not crying like half the room is. She looks straight ahead, stone-like. Darn, I need to find out what happened between her and Linzy.
I whisper to Troy, "Any idea why Linzy and April were fighting?"
He shrugs and shakes his head.
For a reporter-to-be, he really knows nothing.
The service begins with a priest standing in front of the coffin, holding a microphone. He talks about Linzy finding her place in heaven and being with God. Unfortunately I know that's not true. At least not yet. She's probably sitting on my bed inspecting her ever-lasting manicure. Never needing a touch-up is kinda cool, even if the death part isn't.
The priest then asks others to speak, and one-by-one various town members get up to tell stories about how sweet and kind and generous Linzy was. They have to be lies. Not one person speaks of the girl I've come to know. No one mentions her snarky attitude or how she and her mom didn't get along.
Then Shayla stands up. Her mother grabs her hand and tries to yank her back down, but Shayla jerks away. She goes up front and takes the microphone.
She breathes heavy into it, and it looks like she's going to break down and return to her seat, but she doesn't. She lifts her head toward the ceiling and opens her mouth.
"Linzy was an awful sister, and we hated each other."
People gasp. Then the room grows silent. Mrs. Quinn whimpers. Mr. Quinn shushes his wife.
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. Not only am I glad to hear one honest portrayal, but I'm impressed Shayla has the balls.
"She was either stealing my things, making up lies about me, or posting private pictures of me on the internet. She. Was. Mean."
Linzy's right. Shayla has a motive for murder. I consider taking out my phone and taping this to show Linzy later, but Dad would kill me.
Shayla looks to her parents. "And so spoiled. She got whatever she wanted because she was a star." She does air quotes with one hand.
There's no mistaking the venom in her voice. People begin to shift uncomfortably and whisper among themselves. The priest looks to the crowd and back to Shayla. He touches his collar, as if he wishes he could loosen it.
Troy leans into me. "I can't believe she's saying this. Good for her."
I watch him watch her. Does he still have feelings for her? Has this stirred things back up?
Shayla takes a deep breath. "Despite all of it, I loved her. Mostly because it was expected of me, but I will miss her. Rest in peace, Linz."
She hands the mike to the very relieved looking priest and heads back to her seat. Just before sitting, she catches my eye and does a double take. I can't read her expression before she sits, but I'm pretty sure she's disgusted by seeing me next to Troy.
The service continues then several men step forward to carry the coffin outside.
As people follow out, Troy says, "See you at the cemetery?"
I nod, slightly confused by it all. This is my first funeral. I expected singing and going up to the coffin to pay our respects. I say this to Dad in the car.
"Some families don't like having an open casket. Some have wakes, which are a couple of days before the actual burial. It varies."
I stare out my window. We're directly behind the chief's car.
"Did you want to say good-bye to her?" Dad asks.
I think of the girl in the river, the ghost on my bed, and the body in the coffin. "No. Just wondering."
At the burial site, I stand between Dad and Troy and stare at the giant hole in the ground. The coffin is held up by a crane over it. My stomach clenches, and I suddenly feel a bit dizzy. The sun's tucked away behind clouds, but it's still Hades hot. I look up and see Kinley and her folks across from us. I smile. Maybe they didn't go to the service.
Kinley smiles back, but it looks fake and forced. Definitely not the expression one friend gives another.
I push our dying friendship aside though. I can't think about that now.
Before long, people step forward and toss roses onto the casket, then back away to allow others room. I pass. The idea of teetering over that hole is not appealing, and soon Dad ushers me away.
I strain a peek, wanting to see them lower her into the ground, but we're at his car before anything happens.
The chief asks, "You'll be at the Quinn's?"
Dad looks uneasy.
I say, "Yes, we'll be there," and suffer Dad's glare.
I can't not show up. This is where I'll be able to mingle, overhear snippets of conversation, maybe figure out a motive or two, and most importantly, sneak into Linzy's room.
* * *
The Quinn house is stuffed with people. Everyone from the church must be here. Dad keeps muttering something about sardines. It smells like stinky cheese and stinkier perfume. But at least they have glorious central air. I scarf down a plate of mini meatballs, mini quiche, and stuffed mushrooms before shaking free of Dad so I can ease in and out of conversations.
While he thinks I'm looking for a bathroom, I spot April across the living room. She's standing and talking to the man she sat beside at the church—probably her dad. Will she be more or less likely to talk to me here? She won't be able to cause a scene. I hope.
I circle around Mr. and Mrs. Friedman arguing about money.
"You take great care of the garden. We can fire Dinesh. You don't need him to prune your bush…"
I step away before he finishes his sentence.
I'm about ten feet from April when I spot the chair beside her begin to shake. It looks like an earthquake is happening only in that spot of the house. No one around seems to notice. It jerks to the side, almost knocking into the back of April's knees. Then it jerks back.
I know Linzy is next to it, making it move, but she's not showing herself. I mean, it has to be Linzy. Who else is invisible, can move a chair, and hates April?
The chair lifts a couple of inches off the ground, and I can't help but grin. Linzy would be great at a séance. Too bad I didn't have any friends to freak out.
The chair wobbles. Linzy is trying to hit her with it. For some reason, Linzy isn't as strong or determined today as she was with Eli. That doesn't mean she can't hurt April though.
As the chair swings at April, I race forward.