I ran up the steps to another door, which opened easily to the display room illuminated by the moon through several windows. At the far end, several open coffins were already on display. The newly arrived ten or so coffins were stacked over to the right of the room. I hurried toward them. “They’re shrink wrapped.” I knocked loudly on the nearest one.
Nothing.
Clark went for the next one, which looked like a light hazel in the soft moonlight. He knocked gently. “Hello. Is there anybody inside? We’re here to help you.”
I held my breath, trying to listen for any sound.
He leaned over and pressed his ear to the top. “Hello?”
A bump echoed from an open door that I thought led to the reception and gathering area, and then a sleek black cat wound its way toward us.
Clark stood straight and then moved closer to me. “There’s a black cat in a fucking funeral home.”
It was the first time I’d heard him swear, and I had to bite back a laugh. The cat looked at us with bright green eyes. I shivered. So we’d heard a cat? That wasn’t justification for breaking and entering. We had to get out of there. “Um, we should probably—”
“I forgot to feed Romeo,” Krissy was saying clearly from the loading area. “Hey. I thought we locked this door.”
Clark grabbed my arm, his entire body going stiff.
I looked wildly around and jumped for a door right beyond the stacked coffins. “Here. Closet.” I opened it, dragged him inside, and shut the door as quietly as I could. The room was dark and smelled musty. Definitely a closet.
“We did lock it,” Rich was saying outside. A light flipped on and filtered between the bottom of the door to my feet. “I know we did.”
“Obviously not,” Krissy said. “Romeo?” she called out.
The cat meowed loudly as if ratting us out.
Clark sucked in air.
I glanced over at him, but it was too dark in the closet. My nose tickled from all the dust.
“Need…sneeze,” he whispered, the sound muffled.
Oh, God. “No,” I hissed as quietly as I could, turning toward him and grabbing what turned out to be his arm.
His body bunched and he lifted his arm, sneezing into it.
“What the hell was that?” Rich said.
Darn it. I froze in place, but my heart started beating so fast I could barely breathe. We were so trespassing right now. There was no way out. Well, we had thought we’d heard a noise that might be a body in a coffin? That would never hold up in court.
“I’m ready. Let’s get out of here and deal with the mess tomorrow,” Krissy said, her voice becoming louder as if she was moving back into the room from the reception area.
I prayed silently in my head and promised God I’d never break and enter again if He helped us out of this. Krissy wanted to leave, so hopefully Rich would go along.
“I thought I heard something,” Rich said clearly.
Nope. Nothing. I tried to mentally send reassurances to Rich, just in case that worked. I doubted it, but this would be so bad if we got caught. All they had to do was leave, and I’d never do anything like this again. Ever. In fact, I’d start going to church twice a week. For a while, anyway.
Clark sucked in air, vibrated in place, and then sneezed so hard he fell sideways. Something clattered and I turned to grab for it, my hands raking across a wooden shelf. I stopped the clattering and held a ceramic…urn? “It’s an urn,” I whispered. We must be in a storage room for them.
He sneezed again, going into a wild fit of continuous sneezes. He fell back and hit the shelf. Something dropped, and dust flew all around us. Thick dust. He coughed. “Shit. Is that?”
“Huh?” I tried to hold still.
The door opened, and the light flicked on.
I caught sight of Clark just as he saw me, and dust covered him. No. Ashes with a couple of very small bone fragments on his shoulder. He looked down, sneezed again, and then let out a girly scream I’d only heard on roller coasters. He pivoted back and hit the shelves on the other side of the small room. Boxes holding remains and old urns rained down, crashing into each other and breaking apart.
