Dirty Money ARC by Deforest Day

Author:Deforest Day
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The funeral director carefully parted the curtains at his office window, and watched the sister and the friend converse in his parking lot. He picked up the telephone, did what he was legally required to do. It was most certainly not what he wanted to do. Chief Schmidt ran a tight ship. And the stranger, Mr. Justice, gave him a sense of unease.

Outside, in air filled with the complex smells of life, Justice stood beside her little green car, hands shoved in his trouser pockets while he studied his shoes.

She clutched the small ziplock bag in her hand and studied the furrows above his eyes. “What?”

“The good news is he didn’t kill himself.” No need to even explain autoerotic asphyxia, since it didn’t happen. “The bad news is it is possible that he was murdered.”

“Murdered! how-”

“His neck is broke. Suicides die by strangulation, not a broken neck.”

“Are you sure?”

“Naw. But the signs point to foul play, like they say in the pictures. The funeral director is also the County Coroner, and I lit a fire under him. He’ll order an autopsy.”

“Autopsy? Uck! I don’t think I-”

“I understand your feelings, but it’s out of your hands, now. As a matter of fact, I think it’s routine to order one up in any death not attended by a physician. Leastwise that’s the way they done it at Virginia Commonwealth.”

He looked back at the funeral home, caught the movement of curtains at a window, sensed eyes upon them.

She crossed her arms and hugged herself, eyes filled with confusion. He reached out to touch her, but didn’t quite know how. A hug would be too familiar, and a pat on the arm condescending. He shoved his hands back in his trousers, stayed on comfortable, medical ground. “Autopsies can be good things, even in a natural death. They can reveal all sorts of latent problems, ones that could affect the living.” He felt his ears burn. For God’s sake, Justice, quit lecturing! This ain’t some ER fatality’s Next of Kin, this is Davy’s sister.

“Oh, I know; of course you’re right. It’s just the idea of slicing him open. . .” She opened the car door, slid behind the wheel, but didn’t start the engine. She turned to Justice. “I think I’d like to stop at the church. You mind?”

“ ‘course not. I went along with Davy a couple of times. It was interesting.”

“You’re not Catholic, are you?”

“Naw, but I do know that there are a hundred-and-eight beads on a rosary and hundred-and-eight stitches on a baseball. I learned that from a Catholic. Your brother.”

“It’s from a movie, you dope! Bull Durham.”

“Well, knock me over! That sounds like Davy; a movie line for all occasions.” He paused, searching for the words. “I’m a, a, believer, I guess you could call it. I don’t believe that God created man; caint nobody that powerful be that foolish. But I do hold to the concept of the Creator. The higher power one, I mean, not the ol’ feller with the beard and the wrath.

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