Dead Lies by Lisa Deneal

Author:Lisa Deneal [DeNeal, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: United States, Mystery, African American, Thriller & Suspense, Literature & Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense
Amazon: B00UAX3S88
Publisher: Lisa D. DeNeal
Published: 2015-03-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The two days prior to Stephen’s funeral seem to go fast. Through the pain-staking hours Maci put on a brave, calm face as long absentee relatives frequent the house, offering sympathies and bringing pans of comfort food. Friends of Stephen’s and co-workers also visited briefly, not wanting to overstay their welcome. Not knowing Maci well enough also served as a reason, but she appreciated the kind gestures. However, she kept her radar up for a particular group of visitors; the one with that big mouth bitch she encountered last weekend. As of late no one resembling them rang the doorbell, which was a good thing, Maci thought. The last thing she needed was another confrontation hours before the funeral. Still Maci wondered who they were and what did they want? Do they know about the money? Is there something in the basement belonging to them? Detective Rowling took a stack of papers with him; is that a connection? An elderly woman holding a steaming casserole dish filled with peach cobbler brought Maci back to the present. “Oh my goodness thank you so much, Mrs. Jones!” She accepted the dish and kisses the neighbor on the cheek. The elderly neighbor gently placed her hand on Maci’s arm, patting it as a sign of comfort. “Your brother was a sweet young man. He would always carry my groceries in the house when I got home,” Jones said, smiling at the memory. “Yes ma’am, we will all miss him.” Maci placed the cobbler on a cooling rack on the kitchen counter. The sounds of a house filled with people reminded her of childhood holidays and teenage family reunions. She wishes this was another, more pleasant reason for a crowd. In a couple of hours, the same crowd will gather at the funeral parlor for the visitation. “I just need this part to be over with,” she mumbles under her breath.

”Do you think you could stop by the funeral home tonight for the visitation of Stephen Ames?” Adam stands over his chief editor’s desk, flipping through press releases as if they were papers from the CIA. He is half listening, yet heard Jeri’s request to crash a stranger’s wake. Jeri does not know that he purchased a sympathy card earlier that day with a plan to stop by the funeral home and leave it at the front desk before viewing Ames’ body. He’d plan to slip in and slip out without running into members of the family, particularly Maci. Now with his boss’ request he is about to be a pain. “Adam!” Jeri snaps and he jerks his eyes from the press releases. “Huh…oh, I’m sorry, Jeri. You want the visitation covered?” “Yes. Maybe you can get some comments from his sister. Check out the crowd and the mood, talk to some people who knew him. Max is already getting comments from the detectives as to what leads they have.” Seeing he really has no way out of the situation, Adam nodded while placing the releases on Jeri’s desk.

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