3

The phone jolted Jennifer awake the next morning. It was Anne, her twin sister.

After the usual catching up about Anne’s work as a journalist in Ottawa, Jennifer told Anne about the graveside service. The usually reticent Anne exploded with laughter. Jennifer was a bit miffed, she didn’t see a speck of humour in the situation.

“What’s funny about that?” she said crossly. Anne composed herself.

“You and Marcia are taking yourselves far too seriously. I—”

“It’s a serious business. What do you mean too seriously? The family lost someone they loved and you see the humour in it?”

“You’re not listening. That is not what I said,” Anne responded calmly. “Losing someone is serious, grief is hard work. I am talking about you and Marcia and the events at the graveside. You can’t repair the world Jennifer. You did your best, it fell apart, it’s not your fault. Even if it was your fault, you’d own up to it. You have integrity.”

“But—”

“No but. The Detective and Althea have more life experience than you and Marcia. They see the humour in this situation because it is humorous. They see the sad in life, and the bad, and the horrible, and the unspeakable that goes on around them every day because life isn’t linear, nor is it fair. All I’m saying is don’t take yourself so seriously. I’ve said this to you before: you can’t change other people, you can only change yourself. Mr. Whitney on the other hand ...” Anne started to laugh again. “Mr. Whitney sounds like he needs an attitude adjustment.”

Anne had a point. Jennifer knew she was right. She just wasn’t quite ready to admit it.

“I gotta run,” said Jennifer. Anne would understand she wasn’t in the mood to continue the conversation.

Over coffee, Jennifer thought about the events of the previous day. Peter had Angel’s mom and his mom, Marcia had found a friend (maybe more) in Ryan, Althea had Dimitri, Elaine had her husband, Gwen had her family. She wondered if she would have a partner some day. She knew she didn’t want children—she and Anne both felt the same way. The majority of the time she enjoyed being single, but once in a while, like today, she had doubts. What if she was injured on the job? Who would look after her? Would it be different if she had chosen another career?

Her cat sat watching her from his favourite spot on the back of the couch. “Grimsby, there is no right or wrong to wanting to be alone, is there?”

He ignored her. “All right Grimsby, I get it, I’m having a bit of a pity party and I need to snap out of it. Let’s see if Dimitri signed the management agreement.”

The document felt a bit thick for a letter, she hadn’t noticed it earlier. Dimitri, as owner of Williams Funeral Home, was to have signed a letter giving Marcia and Jennifer full permission to manage his funeral home during his illness. There was a covering letter addressed to her and Anne and copied to their lawyer Mr. Duncan.

It took a few minutes to take it all in. In his letter, Dimitri outlined the offer by the corporation that wanted to purchase his funeral home. He clearly stated his intent to refuse it. He mentioned that his heirs were not interested in a funeral home, leaving him with two choices: put the funeral home on the market or offer it to Jennifer and Anne. He was giving them first right of refusal.

Jennifer was stunned. She sucked in her breath when she saw the asking price.

I have to call Anne, she thought. Jennifer looked around for her phone. It was not under the paperwork. She rose, checked the last few places she had been and found it on the couch starting to work its way between the cushions. I have to stop putting it there, she told herself. One of these days it’ll disappear inside and I won’t hear it ring.

Jennifer reached Anne’s voicemail. She left a detailed message about the offer and the meeting. If she was reading the financial statements correctly, Williams Funeral Home was making twice as much as Spencer’s. Her heart pounded with fear and anticipation. Could she and Anne come to an agreement? She wondered why Anne hadn’t mentioned it when they talked earlier.

With two days to go before she had to make a decision about whether or not to accept Dimitri’s offer and interview Brent Vaughn, she decided to take a long walk before she opened the funeral home for the day. If I leave now I’ll have plenty of time to get back to the funeral home by nine, she thought as she headed to her car and drove to the falls.

She found a parking spot in an empty lot on the parkway and walked towards the glorious rushing water. It was cold and blustery, the wind whipped her hair threatening to destroy her carefully crafted bun. Jennifer found it exhilarating. She stood at the railing listening to the roar of the falls, her eyes closed, revelling in the chill of the mist on her face.

There were few tourists out and as she walked farther down the parkway she found herself alone. Claiming a bench, she sat down and considered her options. For over twenty minutes she mentally examined every inch of Dimitri’s offer and her own abilities to run one funeral home, let alone two.

Checking the time, she started the long walk back to her car. The weather worsened: the wind had picked up, and the rain stung her face. She flipped up her hood, lost in thought.

Approaching her vehicle in the empty parking lot, she thought she heard a cry and stopped to listen. It was like a keening. Must just be the wind, she surmised but it repeated. Jennifer looked around to see if an injured animal lay nearby. She didn’t see anything. She flipped her hood off and listened intently.

She heard it again, then once more. Now oriented, she walked in the direction of the sound. As she got closer to the end of the parking lot, battling through the elements, she was shocked to see a young woman dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. The girl knelt on the ground near a tree, rocking back and forth, wailing and sobbing. Jennifer hesitated, quietly observing for a minute to assess the situation, then tentatively, she approached. The young woman didn’t notice her.

“Excuse me, are you OK?”

The girl continued to rock back and forth. Jennifer studied her closely, guessing she might be in her early twenties. Her long dark hair glistened in the wet. Her hazel eyes looked through Jennifer as Jen’s gaze calculated cheeks flushed with the cold, a red nose, and violent shivers. She seemed oblivious to the weather, her t-shirt and jeans were soaked through. Water ran down her face and arms in little rivets.

“Do you need help?”

No response.

Jennifer moved up beside her carefully. “I’m Jennifer. It’s awfully cold, can I give you a lift somewhere?” The woman seemed unaware of Jennifer’s presence. Jen was stymied. She couldn’t leave the girl here in the driving rain.

Removing her coat, Jennifer placed it gently around the girl’s thin shoulder’s and looked around. There was no one else to be seen.

“Come on. Let’s get you warmed up.” The young woman didn’t seem to mind that she was being helped to her to her feet. She didn’t look at the mud and grass clinging to her soggy clothing. As Jennifer tried to direct her to the car, the young girl turned back to the tree. Only then did Jennifer notice initials carved in the trunk. Pulling away from Jennifer, the girl sank back down onto the wet ground. Once again Jennifer tried to get her to come, placing her arm around frail shoulders in an attempt to lift the woman. Under her wet coat, Jennifer felt her shiver or tremble ... or both.

“What’s your name?”

Still no response.

“Do you live in the Falls?”

Silence.

Jennifer worried about the girl. She also felt the chill from the wind and rain, her suit jacket now soaked through. She crouched down in front of the young woman whose eyes seemed empty, almost lifeless, as if her soul had left her body.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Jennifer asked gently, hoping the question would garner a response. The situation was not resolving, it required action.

“I’m just going to reach into my coat pocket for my phone.” She retrieved her phone. Protecting it from the rain as best as she could, she dialed 911. The young woman didn’t move. She said nothing during the five minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive. The entire wait, Jen held the quivering girl whose tears mingled with the icy rain.

As the ambulance pulled away Jennifer debated whether or not to go to the hospital. She knew they wouldn’t let her sit with the young woman if she wasn’t a relative and wondered if there was a way around it. She’d given the paramedics her contact information, perhaps the hospital would call her. At any rate, she could phone later.

The theme from Jaws interrupted her train of thought. It was Elaine, calling from her cell phone.

“Hi Jennifer. Desta and I are at William’s with Marcia. Are you able to join us?”

“On my way,” said Jennifer, feeling a little guilty. In her concern for the young woman she’d put Desta out of her mind. Time had gotten away from her. She dumped her drenched coat across the back seat and turned up the heat in the car, trying to warm up and dry out her wet clothing.

She parked at the back of Williams Funeral Home fifteen minutes later. Pulling down her visor, Jennifer tidied her messy hair, pushing the wet tendrils back into place. She felt messy and bedraggled but did her best to return to her professional self.

In spite of the heat in the car she felt cold inside. Her contact with the woman on the escarpment had left her feeling helpless. Jennifer had seen much grief in her short life, but somehow this frail young women’s pain had wrapped its tendrils around her heart and clung to her soul. She couldn’t shake it off. She wanted to help make her pain go away.

Locking the car, she walked around to the front of the building. Marcia had been keeping the back door locked for security reasons and had a buzzer installed. Jeff and the other two part-time staff had keys; Jennifer’s key was for the front door only. The funeral home was due to open at nine, she had a half hour to meet Desta and then open Spencer’s.

Letting herself in, she entered the lobby and heard Elaine and Marcia’s chatter. Elaine heard the door open and poked her head out of the office.

“Hi Jennifer! Come meet Desta,” she said happily.

As Elaine made the introductions, Jennifer almost did a double-take. Desta’s large brown eyes, aquiline nose, and bow-shaped mouth were perfectly-balanced. Her dark skin seemed to glow. As she walked gracefully across the office and extended her arm to shake Jennifer’s hand, Jennifer couldn’t help but think this was one of the most stunning women she’d ever seen. She was nearly a foot taller than Jennifer. Then she remembered her own slightly rumpled and dampened appearance in contrast.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” her cultured accent was warm and friendly.

“You too Desta. We’re pleased to have you join our staff.” She chose her words carefully. If Anne was on board with the purchase, and financing wasn’t a problem, then Desta was part of her staff.

After a few minutes of small talk, Jennifer excused herself, explaining she had to get back to Spencer’s. Marcia walked her to the door.

“Can you believe Desta? Beautiful, intelligent, graceful, gracious ... the adjectives just keep coming,” Marcia said.

Jennifer smiled. “Desta is going to be a valuable employee. Do you have time to get away for a bit?”

“Sure. I can leave Elaine and Desta to get started and meet you in about half an hour.”

“OK, I’ll make the coffee.”

Back at Spencer’s Jennifer hung her coat up to finish drying. She’d brush off the mud later. Her first order of business was to call Chaplain Regina Salinas at the hospital. She answered on the first ring.

“Hi Regina, it’s Jennifer Spencer. How are you?”

“Jennifer! Good to hear from you—I’m fine thanks. You?”

“Not too bad. I have a request. Do you have time to talk?” Jennifer had worked with Regina on one of her first calls when she took over the funeral home. The Chaplain had called her to work with a young couple who had a stillbirth.

“Absolutely. What can I do for you?”

Jennifer told the Chaplain about finding the young woman at the tree on her walk, and asked Regina if she could check on her and keep track of her. A shudder rippled over her skin. From the lingering damp or the situation, she wondered.

“I don’t want to see her put out on the street in the state of mind she is in,” said Jennifer as she finished the story.

“Goodness no, I’m glad you called. I have some time. I’ll check on her immediately and let you know.”

“Thank you. It is a huge weight off my mind knowing she’s in your capable hands. Talk to you later.”

“Take care,” said Regina.

As she disconnected, Jennifer felt a tug of sadness in her heart for the young woman. Forcing herself to push the emotion aside, she ran down her mental list of phone calls she still needed to make. Some days it felt as if most of her time was spent on the phone, not exactly how she had pictured her job as a funeral home owner. She felt married to her cell, it demanded so much of her time.

Putting the coffee on, she sat in her favourite club chair. Her next call was to Peter’s house. Angel answered.

“I’m just on my way to the hospital,” she said. “Peter’s doing great. The surgery went well. He has asked for his laptop and tablet.”

“That’s a huge relief. Anything we can do for you or Peter?”

“Not at all, we’re just fine. Elaine called earlier to say she’ll bring the insurance forms to Peter to sign.”

“Then I’ll let you go. Give Peter a hug from all of us.”

“Will do,” said Angel. “Bye.”

Jennifer’s next call was to her lawyer, Mr. Duncan.

His secretary greeted Jennifer warmly. “I was just about to call you,” she said. “Mr. Duncan would like to set up a conference call with you and Anne. I left a voicemail for Anne.”

“Then let’s set it up around Anne and Mr. Duncan’s schedule, I’m quite flexible. Let me amend that,” she chuckled. “I am quite flexible at the moment.”

“Then I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear anything. Of course, scheduling depends on how flexible Mr. Duncan and Anne are. The meeting is in two days. I’ll do my best to get everyone on board for tonight or tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” said Jennifer. “Talk to you soon.” Remembering the envelope Althea had given her, she half-ran down the hall to the back of the funeral home and upstairs to her apartment to get it—wanting to keep it on hand just in case. Walking over to the couch, Jennifer gave Grimsby a quick scratch behind his ears. He stretched and purred and yawned.

“See you later,” Jennifer whispered into his ear. Her trips up and down from her apartment over the funeral home during the day were therapeutic. Grimsby therapy, she thought.

She went down to her office off the lounge to wait for Marcia. They had a lot to discuss. She’d barely checked off her list of completed phone calls when Marcia breezed through the door, tossing her coat on a chair in the lounge. She poured herself a coffee.

“What’s up Jen?”

Jennifer smiled at her friend. “Couple of things, both major. First, can you join me for an interview tomorrow? I have a funeral director coming in at 10 a.m. He applied for the position at Williams’.”

“I will do my best,” said Marcia. “Tell me about him.”

As Jennifer related the details of her call with Brent Vaughn and ran down his list of qualifications, Marcia listened intently.

“He sounds like a good fit for Dimitri and William’s Funeral Home.”

“Well, that kind of brings me to the second part of the discussion ... I am telling you this in the strictest confidence. Nothing is carved in stone.” Jennifer put her coffee down and crossed her legs. Telling Marcia about the potential sale was making it feel real and a bit more intimidating.

“Mum’s the word.”

“I still have to discuss this with Anne. Mr. Duncan sent her the information. Dimitri and Althea and Mr. Duncan and I will be meeting in Dimitri’s room at the hospital.”

Marcia cocked her head.

“Dimitri is selling Williams’ Funeral Home. He turned down a corporate offer.” She took a deep breath. “He gave me and Anne first right of refusal.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means if Anne is on board, and the financing works out, we’ll own another funeral home.”

“Oh my gosh,” said Marcia, her eyes widening. “You’re joking, right?” She leaned forward, eager to hear more.

“No joke. There are more than a few considerations and negotiations, and Anne has to be one-hundred percent committed. I’ve taken some time to consider the impact, maybe not the consequences, but I’d like to go ahead. If it should work out, how to you feel about it?” Jennifer and Marcia had worked together for several years but Marcia only recently accepted the job of Director at Spenser’s. They were a tight team and Jennifer wanted her approval to continue with the purchase.

Marcia let out a long breath. She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. I don’t know.”

She and Jennifer sat quietly while Marcia pondered the situation.

“I’m really happy for you Jen,” Marcia started. “I like Williams’ Funeral Home. I have enjoyed the challenge of bringing it back up to standard, but ...” She paused and looked at Jennifer, a small frown creasing her forehead.

“But?” prompted Jennifer, her heart pounding. She didn’t want to lose Marcia.

“I’d rather work here with you.” She looked Jennifer straight in the eye. “We make a good team. Well, other than yesterday’s mess, we are a pretty good team.”

“The best,” said Jennifer. Her relief at Marcia’s open attitude to the change washed over her. “If Brent Vaughn accepts the offer, we can look for another director for Williams. Desta and Elaine can be co-administrators of the two businesses.”

“I could come back here?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Then damn the torpedoes, it’s full steam ahead.” Marcia’s smile said it all. “I can’t imagine the initial learning curve and workload, but if you want to do it, I fully support whatever decision you make.”

“Thanks, it means the world to me to have your approval.” Jennifer changed the subject as she worried a wrinkle from the hem of her suit jacket. “How was dinner last night?” Now that Marcia knew the stakes and was on board with the decision, the relief she felt was huge. She wanted Marcia to work with her at Spencer’s and was thrilled her friend felt the same way, but they could discuss the details after the sale.

Marcia’s face softened. Watching her, Jennifer realized her friend was in love.

“I think, no, I know I’ve found someone I want to spend my life with,” said Marcia. “I’m in no hurry. Ryan will be across the hall. We have lots of time to be together.”

“Across the hall? Did your condo offer go through?”

Marcia laughed. “I’m pretty sure it did. Ryan was talking to the owner last night and she said she’d accepted it. The formalities have yet to happen, but it looks like I’ll be moving out of your cottage and into my condo in about four weeks or less.”

“I’m so excited! That is great news. And you and Ryan, that’s even better news. The first time the two of you met I had a feeling it would go places.”

“It was the last thing I expected. I hadn’t planned to move to Niagara and fall in love. It’s been so fast. He’s so kind and funny and attentive, and not too much older than me. I always thought my prince would be tall, dark and handsome, not tall and blond and average.” She laughed happily. “Did you hear anything more about Peter?”

“The surgery went well. Angel said he wants his laptop. Elaine will go to the hospital later today with the insurance forms and settle that up.”

Marcia’s phone rang, a second later the funeral landline rang. Jennifer rose and went into her office. It was a death call. The family wanted to come by in about an hour. She confirmed she was available and, seeing that Marcia was still on her call, got a file ready. At least she’d been able to give Marcia the information about the sale of Williams Funeral Home, even it was a little rushed.

Marcia rose to leave. “Gotta run, got an inquiry.”

“So did I. What’s the family’s name?”

“Gordon.”

“So’s mine. Sounds like they’re shopping. If the purchase of Williams goes through we’ll have to make sure we disclose ownership of both funeral homes.”

Marcia chuckled. In the meantime, it’s game on. They’ll choose the best one for their needs and I’ll ensure it’s Williams. They’re waiting for me now. Ta-ta.” She waved dramatically, swept up her coat and left.

Jennifer was pleased. It wasn’t every day one had the inside scoop on what their competition was up to. She’d have to make sure there was nothing more than friendly competition between the two funeral homes if she did purchase Williams. Families first, no exceptions.

The land-line rang again. This time it was Chaplain Regina Salinas.

“I checked on the young lady,” said Regina. “She was dehydrated, malnourished and has not said a word to anyone. The nurse said they won’t be able to put her on the psychiatric ward, there are no beds. The only other option is a women’s shelter. They are usually pretty full too, but if the hospital social worker calls they can usually make room.”

“Did you talk to the social worker?”

“No, I left a message at the office.”

“Would I be allowed to see her?”

“Probably not, but you are the only contact listed and I made sure to note on the chart I had been in. Between us we can get her settled somewhere. Once she’s out of hospital you and I will go and see her. Even if she doesn’t respond, she’ll have a sense of our presence.”

“Thank you so much, Regina. I wish there was more I could do.”

“Oh, one more thing. She’s pregnant.”

The revelation caught Jennifer off guard. The girl seemed so frail and lost.

“I appreciate you telling me, talk to you soon,” said Jennifer.

“Bye.”

Regina’s news about the pregnancy left Jennifer shaken and saddened. A grieving young woman, pregnant and seemingly alone—it was a mystery and she’d do all she could to solve it. Something about this situation haunted her. Although she couldn’t get a handle on her discomfort, she was determined to everything within her power to help the young woman.