Strangers (Strangers - Book 1) by Candace Adams

Author:Candace Adams [Adams, Candace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Monreaux Publications LLC
Published: 2020-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

You’re Never Alone

Jack was silent on the way home from the church, seething in his anger. The windows were down, letting the smell of rot pass through the open portholes. Elle couldn’t stand the thought of Bruce's body lying in the back, wrapped like garbage. At least they had him back.

The sun was setting as they arrived home. The sky was painted red, and the splash of color across the horizon reminded Elle of her daughters’ car. She reached across the console and placed her hand on her husband’s, resting on his thigh. Clearing his throat, he pulled it away and put his hand back on the steering wheel.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and frowned. “I’m really not in the mood.” He turned into the driveway and didn’t look at her again.

He didn’t change out of his nice clothes before heading off to the shed to get his shovel, just rolled up his sleeves to just below his elbows. The spot he chose was at the rear of the yard, beneath a large elm tree where Bruce loved to lay during the heat of a summer day. Elle retrieved the blanket that previously adorned Bruce’s dog bed in the living room and brought it outside. The thought of laying him to rest in the garbage bags disgusted her and she wanted to leave him in something familiar.

She peeled the black plastic off his decomposed body, struggling not to vomit when a yellow fluid ran over her hands, coating them in a sticky, smelly substance that felt like egg yolks. The smell coming off him was a mixture of rotten milk and hot garbage. There were maggots covering the gaping wound at his throat.

“My poor sweet boy,” Elle dipped her head, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you.” The stiff husk didn’t resemble a beagle any more. The only way she was sure it was her dog was the collar and tags around his neck. She started to unbuckle the clip to keep it to remember him by but changed her mind. She fastened it back up and left it in place.

“Hole is done.” Jack stuck the shovel in the ground by its sharp tip, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. His dress shoes were ruined, coated in mud, and scratched from rocks.

Elle pulled the edges of the blanket around the dog tightly, kissed her fingers, and pressed them to the bundle before Jack picked it up and laid it gingerly in the hole. “I’m going to miss that dog. He was the first one to greet me when I came home from work, and he was always happy to lay by my feet when I watched TV. It’s not the same around here without him.” He wiped away a tear that escaped the corner of his eye.

“I’m happy he is home again,” Elle added as Jack began to shovel the dirt back into the hole. Jack grumbled an incoherent response.

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