Murder Around the Bend(Clean Mystery & Suspense) (STONE COUNTY JUSTICE Book 1) by John C. Dalglish

Author:John C. Dalglish [Dalglish, John C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The stone structure of Westrip Funeral Home sat on a large plot of land just south of Crane, surrounded by a white vinyl, split-rail fence. A large American flag flapped in the breeze, and even though I knew of no Martinez family members who lived in the area, a couple dozen vehicles packed the parking lot. We had stopped at the station and picked up the Tacoma, and eventually, I found a parking spot near the back of the lot.

A large portico held up by white pillars sheltered the entrance, and several folks mingled outside, some smoking. As we approached, a few people nodded to Liz, and she stopped to speak with a small group just inside the door. I crossed the dimly lit tan and brown foyer to the guestbook podium.

After putting both Liz’s and my names down, I turned to find Liz waiting at the entrance to the chapel, holding a pamphlet. We slid into the last row, which happened to be one of the few not already reaching capacity. I recognized very few of the attendees but did spot P-K, and one other person who stood out—Brent Allred.

I leaned over to Liz. “Big turnout.”

She nodded.

I couldn’t help my curiosity. “I didn’t think Frank had this many friends and relatives in the area.”

Her lips curled into a slight smile. “It’s the way folks are in these parts. I’ve never been to a funeral that wasn’t well attended.”

“So these folks weren’t all close to Frank?”

“Probably not, but if they knew him or had any business dealings, they would want to pay their respects.”

I had to admit I was touched. Many of the funerals I went to in St. Louis were hijacked by one political cause or another. I was often troubled by the impersonal feel it gave the ceremony.

Ten rows of white-trimmed oak pews lined either side of a center aisle. At the front, a lectern stood off to the left, and a polished wood table held Frank’s open coffin, which sat on the tiny stage overflowing with flowers. Gloria Martinez and Jennifer were standing up by the casket, holding hands and wiping at their eyes.

A gentleman wearing a Westrip blazer whispered something to Gloria and then ushered them to their seat in the front row. Behind us, someone else closed the chapel doors after pausing to let stragglers in. From speakers hidden around the sanctuary, the hymn How Great Thou Art began to play.

The service ran nearly an hour and ended with Amazing Grace playing softly in the background as people lined up to say a few words to Gloria and Jennifer. The program handed out indicated that Frank would be cremated, so there was no graveside service that day. Liz and I stayed back until the crowd had thinned to just a few.

Eventually, we made our way up front. I was ahead of Liz, and when Gloria saw me, she reached for my hand, wrapping it in both of hers.

“Oh, Detective Dan! What are we going to do?”

My heart ached as I did my best to comfort her.

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