Cemetery Club

Cemetery Club by J. G. Faherty

Book: Cemetery Club by J. G. Faherty Read Free Book Online
Authors: J. G. Faherty
trunk.”
    “You’re sure you didn’t screw up the order when you loaded them into the machine?”
    “I didn’t screw anything up. As long as they were labeled correctly...” She let the implication hang.
    “My fucking guys didn’t fuck this up!” Travers shouted. Then he took a deep breath before continuing in a more normal tone. “All right. So we’ve got something weird going on. We knew that already. At least now we know Foster and Harris drove out of the cemetery. Maybe...maybe Webster attacked them and they subdued him. They put him in the back seat, and—”
    “And what?” a new voice interrupted.
    Marisol and the others turned as Deputy Mayor Jack Smith entered the Chief’s office. Marisol gave a silent groan. Oh great. This day just keeps getting better.
    “The Mayor doesn’t want maybes Chief. He wants answers. Now.” Smith glanced at Marisol, his handsome face twisting into a sneer. “Hello, Ms. Flores. I should have guessed you’d be involved in this mess somehow.”
    Marisol felt her face flush. “This isn’t the time Jack.”
    “Marisol performed the tests correctly Mr. Smith,” Corish said.
    Jack turned towards the Coroner. “Tell it to the Mayor, Doctor. He wants to see you and Chief Travers right now.”
    “I’ll go too,” Marisol said. If someone was going to question her work, she wanted to be there to defend herself.
    Jack gave her one of his oozing, fake smiles, the same one he used when schmoozing potential campaign contributors. It’d taken Marisol years to see the supercilious attitude hiding behind it. “I don’t think that’s necessary. If the ME vouches for your work, that’s good enough for us. I believe the Mayor is more interested in discussing the...ramifications of your findings. Of course, if it turns out there were any problems with the tests, well...Wal-Mart is always hiring.”
    Her ex-husband turned and exited the office, putting his back to her before she could respond.
    “Don’t worry Marisol,” Corish said. “We both know the data is correct. He’s just being an ass. Go home and get some rest.”
    “If you want I can go back to the lab and—”
    “Go home.” Corish escorted her to the door. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped to a whisper. “This is a situation that calls for diplomacy Marisol. You’re great in the lab. That’s why I hired you. But when it comes to placating an irate mayor...”
    Marisol sighed. “Yeah. I’d probably end up getting us both fired. Thanks Chief.”
    He nodded and went back inside Travers’ office. As the door shut, she heard the police chief say, “I sure hope that techie of yours didn’t fuck this up.”
    Asshole. She walked away, not wanting to hear any more. Each insult, each insinuation that her skills weren’t up to par, was a knife in her stomach. She’d worked her ass off to be the best at what she did. In the short time she’d been at the ME’s office she’d already earned two promotions. But a life of being told she was worthless, first by her father and then by her shitbag of a husband, had succeeded in eroding her self-esteem until only a thin crust remained. A dangerously thin layer of ice over a seemingly bottomless lake of insecurity.
    Fuck them all. She looked at her watch. She had an hour to get home, shower and drive over to Todd’s house.
    I’m going to forget about work and enjoy my night. Catch up with old friends, especially one in particular.
    Then she remembered Cory’s odd, serious tone when he’d asked her to join them.
    I hope this doesn’t turn out to be worse than staying at the lab.
     

Chapter 9
     
     
     
    John Boyd tossed and turned on the bed in Todd’s guest room. At one point, he cried out and opened his eyes, dimly aware of clanking pans downstairs and someone humming a gentle tune.
    Then the nightmare took hold again, another variation on the same theme that had haunted him for twenty years.
    They were hanging out inside that old crypt, like always.

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