Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
For one impossible second, nobody inside the funeral hall moved.
Ethan Parker stood beside the shattered white coffin with the hammer still trembling in both hands.
Through the jagged opening in the lid, he could see his mother’s terrified blue eyes staring back at him.
Claire Parker was alive.
Silver duct tape covered her mouth.
Her wrists were bound tightly against her body.
Her face was pale from lack of air.
And the man who had spent the past four days accepting condolences over her death was pointing a handgun toward the crowd.
Richard Hale’s face had changed completely.
The grieving husband was gone.
The calm stepfather was gone.
The polite man who had shaken hands with neighbors and thanked them for their flowers had vanished.
What remained was someone Ethan had never seen before.
Richard’s eyes were wild.
Sweat ran down the side of his face.
His hand shook around the gun.
“EVERYONE STEP BACK!”
Several guests screamed.
A woman dropped behind a row of chairs.
Someone near the back shouted that they were calling the police.
Richard swung the weapon toward the voice.
“No phones!”
His shout echoed beneath the high ceiling.
“Everybody put your phones on the floor!”
Ethan barely heard him.
He could only see Claire.
His mother’s fingers were moving weakly beneath the broken coffin lid.
She was trying to reach him.
“Mom.”
Claire made a muffled sound behind the tape.
Ethan dropped the hammer.
The heavy metal tool struck the floor with a loud clang.
Richard snapped his attention toward him.
“Ethan, step away from the coffin.”
Ethan did not move.
Richard raised the gun slightly.
“I said step away.”
Ethan stared at him.
“You knew.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“You knew she was alive.”
A murmur swept through the room.
Richard glanced at the guests as if calculating how many witnesses were now standing between him and escape.
“You don’t understand what you’re seeing.”
Ethan almost laughed.
His mother was bound inside a coffin.
Richard was holding a gun.
There was nothing complicated about it.
Claire suddenly struck the inside of the casket with both heels.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Three knocks.
Ethan’s eyes filled with tears.
Three knocks still meant the same thing.
I love you.
Richard heard them too.
Something cold crossed his face.
He stepped toward the coffin.
Ethan moved in front of it.
“You’re not touching her.”
Richard gave him a look that made Ethan’s stomach tighten.
“You’re twelve years old.”
“I’m still not moving.”
Richard’s expression hardened.
“Then you’re going to get someone killed.”
A voice came from the left side of the room.
“No, Richard.”
Everyone turned.
A gray-haired man in a dark suit had risen slowly from his chair.
Ethan recognized him as Daniel Mercer, one of his mother’s oldest friends.
Daniel owned a pharmacy downtown and had known Claire since high school.
His face was white with anger.
“You’re the one holding the gun.”
Richard pointed it toward him.
“Sit down.”
Daniel remained standing.
“You told us Claire died in a private clinic.”
Richard said nothing.
“You told us the body had already been prepared because the doctor advised against an open casket.”
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
Daniel continued.
“You personally arranged the funeral.”
“Daniel.”
“You refused to let her sister identify the body.”
“Sit down.”
“And now Claire is inside that coffin alive.”
Richard took another step.
“I said sit down.”
Daniel finally lifted his hands.
“All right.”
But while Richard watched him, Ethan saw movement behind the last row of chairs.
A teenage funeral attendant was crawling toward a side door.
Richard noticed him a second later.
“STOP!”
The boy froze.
Richard turned the gun.
That distraction was enough.
Ethan grabbed the broken coffin lid and pulled with everything he had.
The cracked wood tore away from one hinge.
Claire rolled toward the opening.
Richard spun back.
“ETHAN!”
Ethan reached inside.
Claire’s fingers closed around his wrist.
For the first time in four days, he felt his mother touch him.
Then Richard grabbed the back of Ethan’s jacket.
Ethan screamed.
Claire made a desperate muffled cry.
Richard dragged him backward.
Ethan kicked.
“LET ME GO!”
Richard pulled him against his chest.
The gun pressed dangerously close to Ethan’s shoulder.
Half the room gasped.
Claire began thrashing inside the coffin.
Richard wrapped one arm around Ethan’s neck.
“Everybody stay where you are.”
Ethan could feel Richard’s breath against his hair.
“You were supposed to listen to me.”
Ethan struggled.
“You were going to bury her.”
Richard tightened his arm.
“You should have stayed with your grandmother.”
“You were going to bury my mom alive.”
“She ruined everything.”
The room went silent.
Richard realized too late what he had said.
Daniel stared at him.
“What did Claire ruin?”
Richard’s face twitched.
“Nothing.”
“You just said she ruined everything.”
“Shut up.”
Daniel looked at Ethan.
Then at the coffin.
Then back at Richard.
“What happened four nights ago?”
Richard’s gun moved toward him again.
“I told you to shut up.”
Claire struck the coffin hard.
THUD.
Daniel suddenly smiled.
It was not a friendly smile.
It was the smile of a man who had understood something.
“You don’t have control anymore.”
Richard’s hand tightened.
Daniel nodded toward the ceiling.
“You forgot where you are.”
Richard looked upward.
Small black security cameras were mounted above both entrances.
For the first time, Richard looked afraid.
Then a voice came from outside.
“POLICE!”
Chaos erupted.
Richard jerked Ethan backward.
Guests dropped behind chairs.
Someone screamed.
The side doors flew open.
Two officers entered with weapons drawn.
“DROP THE GUN!”
Richard fired.
The gunshot exploded through the hall.
A chandelier trembled.
People screamed and scattered.
The bullet struck the wall above the officers.
Richard dragged Ethan toward the rear corridor.
“MOVE!”
Ethan dug his shoes into the carpet.
“No!”
Richard pressed the gun against Ethan’s side.
“MOVE!”
Claire screamed behind the duct tape.
Ethan saw officers rush toward the coffin.
Daniel moved to help them.
Relief shot through Ethan.
His mother was finally going to get out.
Then Richard pulled him through a service door.
The bright funeral hall vanished behind them.
They entered a narrow hallway leading toward the preparation rooms.
Ethan smelled chemicals.
Richard slammed the door and locked it.
“You destroyed everything.”
Ethan’s voice shook.
“You tried to kill my mom.”
Richard dragged him farther down the corridor.
“I didn’t want it to happen this way.”
“You put her in a coffin.”
Richard stopped.
For a moment, Ethan saw something close to panic in his face.
Then it disappeared.
“You don’t know what your mother did.”
Ethan stared back at him.
“She found something.”
Richard froze.
Ethan had guessed.
But Richard’s reaction confirmed it.
Ethan continued.
“She found out something about you.”
Richard pulled him forward again.
“Stop talking.”
“That’s why you wanted her gone.”
“Stop.”
“What did she find?”
Richard shoved open a metal door.
Cold air hit Ethan’s face.
They entered a loading bay behind the funeral home.
A black SUV waited with its engine running.
Ethan stared at it.
Someone was sitting behind the wheel.
The driver stepped out.
Ethan knew him.
Dr. Malcolm Voss.
The physician who had signed Claire Parker’s death certificate.
Ethan’s blood turned cold.
Malcolm stared at Richard.
“What happened?”
Richard shoved Ethan toward the vehicle.
“The boy heard her.”
Malcolm went pale.
“You told me the sedative would last.”
“It did.”
“Then how—”
“She woke up early.”
Malcolm looked toward the funeral home.
Sirens were approaching.
“We have to leave.”
Richard opened the rear door.
Ethan twisted away.
Richard caught him.
“Get in.”
Ethan looked at Dr. Voss.
“You said my mom was dead.”
Malcolm would not meet his eyes.
“You lied.”
“Get in the car, Ethan.”
“You helped him.”
Richard shoved Ethan into the back seat.
Then another voice came from the darkness beyond the loading bay.
“Richard.”
All three turned.
A woman stepped from behind a delivery van.
Ethan’s heart stopped for the second time that morning.
He had seen her only once before.
Her photograph had been hidden inside his mother’s desk.
Underneath it, Claire had written one name.
Laura.
Richard stared at the woman as though he were looking at a ghost.
“You.”
Laura raised a phone.
Its camera was pointed directly at them.
“Yes.”
Richard lifted the gun.
Laura did not flinch.
“You should know something before you shoot me.”
Sirens grew louder.
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
Laura smiled.
“This video is already being uploaded.”
For the first time since Ethan had broken open the coffin, Richard Hale looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
Then Laura looked at Ethan.
“Your mother was right.”
Ethan could barely breathe.
“About what?”
Laura’s gaze returned to Richard.
“About all of it.”
Richard fired.
May you like
And the loading bay went dark.
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