Page 58 of Grave Danger

“Don’t know if I’d go that far, but I will say they don’t make ‘em like this anymore.”

Lawson & Brannon Funeral Home was a converted Victorian house a couple of blocks off Main Street. The asphalt lot surrounding the building was full, and a man in a black suit with a yellow safety vest over it stood in the street directing new arrivals to park in a large, fenced-in lot on the opposite side. He looked startled at the sight of the Cadillac, but waved them into the lot. The car was so long, Cody had to take up two spots.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having two keys for a car,” he said, bouncing the keys in his palm.

“Again, sounds like you want to drive this car more often than you’ve been alluding to.”

“It’s a good ride. And I’ve got a lot of leg room, too.”

“God knows you need that.”

Cody gave him a side-eye as he pocketed the keys. “Got something to say about my legs?”

“Yep. I like when they’re hanging over my shoulders.”

Cody made a choking sound, and Demetrius smiled at the man in the black suit and safety vest. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Are you here to pay your respects to JoAnn Monroe?” the man said.

“Yes, we are.”

“Pardon my asking, but that car you came in…” The man nodded toward the Cadillac as he waved another car into the overflow lot. “Is that the same model as the one she was known to drive?”

Cody let out a quiet huff of a laugh. “It’s her car. For some crazy reason, she left it to me.”

“Oh my, what an honor.”

Demetrius exchanged a quick look with Cody. “Pretty much what we said ourselves.”

A sudden influx of arrivals forced the man to return to his waving duties and gave them the opportunity to continue across the street. Inside, people stood in small groups in the foyer, talking quietly and laughing. Demetrius heard more than one person say something along the lines of, “…sure as hell won’t miss that yellow bubble light and her causing a traffic jam,” as Cody took the lead, forging a path. Demetrius followed close behind, smiling and nodding to the people they passed.

The funeral director had wisely set her service up in the Sunset Serenity room, the largest space Lawson & Brannon had to offer. A sizable crowd had already gathered, giving Demetrius an idea why so many people were out in the foyer. The attendees stood in groups, some holding plastic cups of punch or cookies wrapped in napkins. Demetrius wondered if it was a good idea to pump a funeral crowd full of sugar, then decided it didn’t really matter. He smiled and nodded to those he recognized as he followed Cody on a slow circuit around the edges of the room, avoiding the front where the open casket was flanked by two large floral arrangements. The arrangements consisted mostly of lilies, and their cloying perfume hung heavy in the overly warm air, mixing with the various colognes and perfumes.

Cody cleared his throat. “Jesus, it’s hard to breathe in here.”

“The air’s a bit thick, isn’t it?” Demetrius saw Jugs waving over the heads of other attendees, and he waved back. “I see Jugs in the back corner.”

They wound their way through the crowd, smiling and nodding again as they went. Finally, they stepped past a group of people and came upon Jugs, Agatha, Amelia, Otis, Oliver, Dave, Eileen, and Margie. Eileen and Amelia sat in two floral-patterned armchairs, and the others stood around them.

“Quite a turnout, isn’t it?” Amelia said.

“Yeah,” Cody said. “Think everyone came out to make sure she’s really gone?”

Eileen laughed, and Amelia waved at him and said quietly, “Oh, elm trees. They’re here to pay their respects.”

“You know, I just realized,” Oliver said. “Her funeral procession is going to be the last time she holds up traffic.”

That got to Demetrius. He felt a hard lump of emotion high in his chest. It felt both hot and cold, and tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Eileen said. She wiped a tear from beneath her eye. The big white bandage on her forehead had been replaced by a smaller Band-Aid, her hair styled to cover it. She wore a black pantsuit with a white blouse, and had even put on a bit of makeup. Demetrius thought she looked better than he’d ever seen her, and he wondered how much of it was because of Amelia and how much Oliver.

“I know you’re going to miss her,” Amelia said. She leaned forward to pat Eileen’s knee. “You can come and spend time with Otis and me whenever you want.”

“Maybe within reason,” Otis added, and Eileen chuckled as Amelia shot him a look over her shoulder.

“Did you go by the casket yet?” Agatha asked.

“Nope.” Cody shook his head. “Not planning on it.”