Chapter 2


It was going to be a long day. I pushed my way through the crowd and went to the front door, but the two men in suits had beaten me to it.

I looked between the men to see two squad cars pulling up. Duncan climbed out of the first car. Duncan was the local sergeant, and was married to my best friend, Tara. The three of us had grown up together.

Duncan nodded to me, but approached the two men. “What happened?” he asked.

There’s a body in the bathroom,” one of the suits said in hushed tones. “Murdered.”

My mother tut-tutted and shook her head. “Why would you think something like that? He probably just passed away. You shouldn’t always assume the worst.”

The police ignored my mother, and I found myself grateful that Ian was still passed out so I didn’t have to hear that sort of nonsense from two directions at once.

It looked like he was strangled,” one of the plain-clothes cops said to Duncan. “I’m going to start interviewing everyone.”

Duncan turned to me. “I’ll get your statement last. Let me get these people done, and we can send them on their way.”

I nodded. I left the police to their work, and went to find John, the brother of the deceased who had organized the funeral.

I’m so sorry,” I said, when I found John. “I know how horrible this is.”

John shook his head. “Please, this is a horrible tragedy. No one is angry with you. I think everyone can come back tomorrow for the funeral.”

Are you sure?”

Yes. I suppose the police will insist on it. It’s probably not every day you’re caught up in a mysterious death here, is it?”

I wanted to tell him that he would be surprised, but instead I shook my head. “Thanks so much. Let’s do tomorrow then, whatever time’s best for you. I think the police are going to speak with everyone if that’s okay.”

That’s fine, I’ll speak with the family and we’ll do tomorrow. Same time, if that suits?”

Yes, absolutely,” I said.

I looked back at Duncan, and I was surprised to see the two undercover officers were now wearing badges and interviewing people. They must have decided there was too much work for the three officers who had shown up, especially with two of them still in the bathroom with the body of the funeral singer.

My mother was standing in front of me, too close for comfort. “We need to discuss what’s wrong with you,” she said loudly.

Mom, I’m not possessed. I promise,” I said wearily.

She made a snorting sound and crossed her arms. “Why do you always twist my words, Laurel? Don’t be so flippant. I didn’t say you were possessed—I said there is evil around you.”

I rolled my eyes. “That sort of stuff only happens in movies, Mom.”

You can blow me off, but you can’t blow off true evil,” she said in a raised voice. “You were almost killed recently. An evil woman was drawn to you because of the evil that surrounds you.”

So I’m evil now?” I said angrily. “I can’t keep up with this. First I’m possessed, and now I’m evil?”

I never said possessed!” she yelled. “And you aren’t evil, but there is evil around you. How else could you explain it?”

Bad luck, I guess,” I said. It was true that my life since moving back home had been a little more exciting than it had been before, and a whole lot more dangerous.

Mom took a step closer to me. “You should leave here and go back to Melbourne. You should leave me to run the business.”

I frowned. “No, Mom. Dad left the business to me. I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with me and the demon within.”

She threw up her hands in a dramatic display of exasperation. “Oh, for gosh sake, Laurel, he isn’t within. I did not say you were possessed, you silly girl, just followed. Demons are attracted to immoral lifestyles.”

Immoral lifestyles?” I asked.

Yes. Unmarried, drinking…”

Mom, I have maybe one glass of wine a week, if that. I spent all last weekend in pajamas with kittens on the front reading books about pirates and the girls they love. I hardly think I’m living a decadent, immoral lifestyle.”

Well, how would I know what you do? You never speak to me about anything.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Okay, Mom. I’m going to go talk to Duncan.”

When Duncan saw me approach, he waved me over.

Can you talk?” he asked.

What’s happening with the undercover cops at the funeral?” I asked him, before he had a chance to speak.

Duncan sighed. “The deceased—the first one, the one the funeral is for—had a criminal record.”

Yes, I know that,” I said. “The hit and run was all over TV and in the papers.”

Right. He was in town visiting his brother, John, who also has a pretty respectable rap sheet. Well, if that sort of thing would be called respectable.”

I frowned. “John’s a criminal, too? He seems nice.”

Well, maybe to you,” Duncan said. “And the hit-and-run was premeditated, but keep that to yourself. The car was stolen, and eyewitnesses said the car accelerated right before it hit him. Usually, people try to stop when they realize they’re about to smash into someone with their car.”

I took a moment to process that. The news reports had not mentioned that piece of information. “Now everyone knows the police were at the funeral,” I said.

It couldn’t be helped. And besides John, no one at the funeral has a criminal lifestyle. We ran all these guys through the system when they came to town for the funeral. Besides the deceased and John, everyone came back clean, even his other brothers.”

Do you think John had something to do with his brother’s death?” I asked.

I don’t know,” Duncan said. “I hope not, because if he did, tipping our hand made him realize we were keeping an eye on him.”

Just then some people in white forensics suits wheeled out the funeral singer’s body right past us.

If everyone’s going to be here for a while, I’d better feed them,” I said. I left Duncan and went to brew pots of coffee. Just as I was filling some platters with food, Preston Kerr materialized in front of me.

I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know why I’m sticking around here.”

Do you remember anything?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “Not really. All I can remember is that I was setting up my gear behind the curtain, and someone was speaking to the dead man in the casket. Whoever it was, was apologizing for killing him. They said they had to kill him. They said there was no other way. They had to do it.”

Chills ran through my body. Whoever had killed Alec had killed Preston. That meant they had been at the funeral. And by all accounts, the killer was in the funeral home now.