Death Notes Omnibus by James Hunt

Author:James Hunt [Hunt, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Published: 2016-06-05T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 2 – Baltimore – Present Day

The headstones that surrounded the crowd were just as solemn and stoic as the sea of bodies dressed in black. Sniffles and quiet sobs dotted the priest’s eulogy as heads bowed. But one face remained lifted, and Detective Adila Cooper squinted from the glare of the sunlight off the casket.

Scabs had formed over Cooper’s knuckles, the wounds nearly healed, but with the tight grip with which she held onto her detective’s badge, they looked ready to burst and bleed once more. She stood off to the side, away from the rest of the family per Tim’s wishes, which had been the only instructions he’d given her after Beth’s passing. The fact that her will stated she be buried in Baltimore didn’t help things either. Despite Tim’s rant with the lawyer, there wasn’t anything he could do. However, when Beth had made the arrangements, she probably didn’t think she would die so young. No one did.

Cooper’s eyes drifted from the casket to her nieces. Mary, the youngest, cried into her father’s leg, while Sarah had her head bowed but her eyes open.

It should be me in that box. Beth was the one with a family. She still had people that cared about her, loved her, needed her. Cooper looked to Hart, who stood by her side, the only other officer in attendance besides herself. It’d been a while since she’d had anyone to lean on, and over the past few weeks, the rookie had proved himself.

“And the dead in Christ will rise first,” the pastor said, crossing himself. “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with him.” He bowed his head and tossed dirt onto the casket.

Tim led the girls to the casket, and each of them placed a rose on top, though Mary had to give hers to Tim because she couldn’t reach over far enough on the casket to get the rose to stick. The seats emptied, and the line started for each person to throw in a handful of dirt. But while the sea of black hurried into line, Cooper remained frozen.

Hart nudged her arm, keeping his voice low. “Hey, you all right?”

But Cooper was transfixed on the casket and the lifeless body inside. She would never hear Beth’s voice again, never have the opportunity to right all of the past mistakes. Their mother had died nearly a year ago, and their father had left before she was old enough to remember him. With Beth in the ground, she knew Tim wouldn’t allow her to see the girls anymore. She was alone.

“Cooper,” Hart said, nudging her arm again.

“We should head back to the precinct.” Cooper watched the dirt sprinkle onto the curved top of the casket and roll down the sides. “We need to find out what Hemsworth knows.”

“The case is the last thing you should be thinking about,” Hart replied.

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