Chapter 36

36

Saturday is sunny and mild—a lovely day for a funeral, Reyes thinks, straightening his tie. He and Barr will attend, as well as some officers in plain clothes, mingling with the mourners, keeping an eye on the family and those close to them. Keeping an eye on everyone.

Reyes drives to St. Brigid’s Church in Brecken Hill, where the rich people go. It’s rather grand, and he’s never been inside. He parks in the lot and walks up to the church, taking his time, looking around. He’s early, but a steady stream of people in expensive cars are entering the parking lot. He remains outside, watching mourners circulate in front of the church, arriving to pay their respects. They form little clusters, middle-aged women in dresses and hats, men in dark suits, meeting and mingling with people they know, speaking in low voices. There had been no viewing at the funeral home, at the request of the family. Just the funeral, and a private committal service for the family. In Reyes’s experience, there’s always a viewing and a wake. There will be a gathering at the golf club after the funeral.

He sees Barr arrive. She looks so different in her simple black dress and heels that, for a moment, he hadn’t recognized her.

The funeral is scheduled for two o’clock. None of the family is here yet. Then Reyes notices Audrey, with a woman in her midthirties. They look alike; it must be her daughter. He wonders if Fred’s niece hated him too. She doesn’t look particularly happy, and Reyes would bet it’s not because she’s sad about her aunt and uncle, with whom, he’s heard, she’s had little contact.

The family arrives together, in two black limousines that stop in front of the church. Catherine, Ted, and Irena alight from the first, followed by Dan, Lisa, Jenna, and Jake Brenner in the second. Reyes studies each of them closely. Dan Merton looks pale and edgy, constantly pulling at his collar; his wife, Lisa, is stiff and seems to be dreading what’s to come. Catherine is beautifully turned out in a tailored black dress, straight-backed, composed, and regal. She’s rising to the occasion, while Dan and his wife appear to be slightly overwhelmed by it. Ted stands strong and resolute beside Catherine, ready for what’s ahead. Jenna has made a small concession to the occasion and is wearing a black skirt and a subdued blouse and looks relatively conventional except for the shock of purple hair.

The family proceeds along the walk and up the steps to the church, eyes lowered, not stopping to talk to anyone. At the front door, the priest greets them and ushers them inside. Slowly, the rest of the attendees make their way into the church.

Barr comes up to stand beside him at the top of the steps.

“You look very nice,” Reyes says.

“Thank you.”

He says, “You take the left side, I’ll take the right.” As she moves away, Reyes locates the plainclothes officers mixing with the mourners, making eye contact with each. They’re not expecting anything, but it’s always good to have extra pairs of eyes. There’s another officer stationed in the parking lot and another along the street for overflow parking; both are specifically looking for a dark pickup truck with flames painted on the sides. If they spot anything, his phone is on vibrate. But he doesn’t think the truck will turn up; the driver has to know they’re looking for him.

As organ music fills the church, Reyes takes a seat close to the front on the right side, at the end of the pew next to the outer aisle. He figures there are close to three hundred people in the church by the time they are ready to start. He wonders how many of them actually knew the Mertons and how many are here simply because they were murdered.

There are two matching, gleaming mahogany coffins at the front of the church. Surrounding the coffins are plentiful flower arrangements of roses and lilies; the scent filters to where Reyes is sitting, reminding him of other funerals he has attended. But this one isn’t personal, it’s work. He keeps his eyes on the family in the front row as the service begins.

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•   •   •catherine realizes she is clenching her entire body tightly as the service proceeds toward its conclusion, and forces herself to physically relax. She’s gratified by the number of people in attendance. The flowers are lovely—Jenna chose well, she thinks. She’s happy with the coffins they selected. The service is respectful, tasteful. They’ve done a good job. It’s not easy to pull together a large, impressive funeral in a short time under such difficult extenuating circumstances. Now all they have to do is get through this and the reception afterward. By tonight, it will all be over and she can let herself collapse.

They’d had a rocky start this morning, but Lisa was able to get Dan speaking to her and Jenna again, persuading him that it would look bad if he and his sisters seemed estranged. Lisa had convinced him that they must present a united front, a family in mourning, together.

Catherine had spotted the two detectives in the crowd; they’re behind her somewhere, she can practically feel their eyes on the back of her neck. She sits at the end of the front pew, closest to the center aisle. Beside her is Ted. Next to Ted is Jenna, then Jake. She’s surprised to find that he actually owns a decent suit. Maybe he rented it. Then Dan and Lisa and Irena. She knows that Audrey is sitting with her daughter—who flew in for the funeral—at the end of the pew, and it upsets her. She wonders if Audrey has said anything to the detectives. Catherine has given her reading, and the priest is finishing up. There has been singing—a beautiful “Ave Maria.” The service is almost over when she senses a movement to her right. She glances over quickly. No, it can’t be. Dan is standing up as the priest drones on. Lisa has her hand on Dan’s forearm, tugging at it, her face looking up at him dismayed, then she whispers something. Catherine thinks she’s telling him to sit down. Dan is flushed now; he’s got that stubborn look on his face that she recognizes from when they were kids. He’s had enough hypocrisy—he wants to leave, she thinks. Then, as he stumbles past the knees of his wife, Irena, and Audrey and her daughter and reaches the end of the pew, he turns to the front of the church and Catherine realizes with horror that he is going to speak. She meets Lisa’s eyes and they show panic. Lisa is silently begging her to do something, to prevent some catastrophe. But what can she do? Should she try to stop him? Catherine turns her attention to the front of the church and watches in a terrible state of indecision as Dan approaches the lectern. She can hear the rustle of movement in the church as the mourners, half drowsy from the service, are jolted out of their boredom at the sight of Dan at the front of the church. She feels Ted’s hand pressing down on hers, steadying her.

Catherine swallows and fights the urge to interfere. Maybe it will be okay. And then the priest is finished and steps away, and Dan begins to speak.

“I wasn’t going to speak at Mom and Dad’s funeral.” He swallows. The flush on his face is more pronounced now, and he tugs nervously at his collar. “I’m not much of a public speaker, so this is difficult for me.” He pauses, looks out at the crowd, and seems to lose his nerve. Catherine prays that he does lose his nerve, that he stumbles through something short and harmless like thank you for coming and retreats to his seat. But then he seems to find his courage. “I wasn’t going to speak because as many of you might know, my father and I did not get along. But there are some things I want to say.”