Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
Duke settled in next to her and laid a messenger bag between them. “How are you feeling? You going to be okay driving all the way to Cody right after this?”
She nodded. If she didn’t talk about it, she wouldn’t cry.
In the front, Maddie gently fixed the fake flower arrangements the funeral home provided for occasions where family couldn’t buy any.
She then went to the casket and laid a hand over the closed top.
When they’d arrived, she expressed how sorry she was that she couldn’t fix the damage the anchor had done, preventing an open-casket funeral.
“She really cares.” Ferd sniffled and dug a tissue from her pocket.
“Yeah, she does. Her family has owned this place for two generations. I don’t think she ever wanted to be anything else, not that I’ve talked to her that much about it.”
Kelly arrived and glanced all around before heading to the front. She said a few mumbled words to Bailey’s photo, displayed atop his casket, and quickly left. Heath and Kevin came next, Heath with a bandage over one eye, and took seats next to Duke.
Maddie came over and whispered to Ferd. “The officiant is running a little behind. I hope more people come, but it’s possible they won’t. Short notice.” She frowned. “I’ll go out front and make sure anyone out there comes to the right room.” She squeezed Ferd’s shoulder gently and left.
How could someone who wore such loud clothes be so quiet?
“Are you nervous about talking to your boss?” Duke leaned closer to her.
“Incredibly. I’m thankful Connor is driving.” She massaged the knot in her leg. Would the thing ever heal?
The service was over almost before it began. The officiant hadn't known Bailey, and without family or lifelong friends, there wasn't much left to say. Only Samantha, Paul, Heath, and Kevin came. Surprising. Or not. Bailey hadn’t let anyone but those few people know who he really was.
After Samantha and Paul left, Ferd went up front to have a moment with the man who’d unknowingly changed her life. “Bailey,” she whispered. “I hope you’ve found peace now.”
Duke stood at her side. “He deserved better than he got.”
“That was a lot nicer than the one for Abe,” Heath said as he came to stand behind her. “I still feel bad about that.”
Abe. The man Connor had told her owned the ranch where Heath and Kevin had been hiding. “You called in his death?” she asked.
“We had to. We scoped the place out since we needed somewhere near the lake. It looked empty, so we hoped no one would notice squatters. When we went inside, we got a surprise.” Heath grimaced. “Wasn’t our finest moment. But we called it in, then made sure he was taken care of properly.”
“You did well.” Maddie appeared behind them. Her suit seemed to almost glow in the odd yellow light. “Everyone deserves to have dignity at the end. Maybe next time you'll need a funeral director undercover.” Her eyes shone with a calm that made no sense given what she did.
“I’ll keep in mind that you’re open to that, should we ever need to,” Duke said.
She shook Kevin’s and Heath’s hands. “Don’t be strangers.”
Kevin said, “We’re heading back to the field office in Denver tomorrow. Our time in Piper’s Ridge is done.”
Maddie’s lips went flat. “All good things must come to an end.”
Ferd backed away from the conversation. It hit a little too close to home. Which good thing would be coming to an end for her?