Wicked Little Sins (6 page)

Everly laid out her black skirt and blouse on her bed. She was nervous and not looking forward to going to the service. Each moment that ticked closer to time to leave made her stomach hurt even worse. She had only been to two funerals in her life; funerals that made sense to her. Her Grandma was old, so it was easy to accept her passing. Her younger cousin, Lydia, had died in a car accident. She could understand that, too. As sad as it was, accidents happened, and the fact that Lydia hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident contributed to her death. But, her mom…she’d never be able to accept a crazed man had killed her.

              Vinnie came out of her bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He didn’t utter a word, just moved past her to the other side of the room to get dressed. She caught the sweet scent of his cologne as he walked by her. She’d always loved that smell. She was
a
bit put-ou
t
that he was giving her the silent treatment.

              Setting her necklace on top of her blouse, she looked up, watching him in the mirror as he hurriedly applied his deodorant. He was so vain, she thought, as she watched him watch himself in the mirror.

              “I’m sorry,” she said softly from behind him She wrapped her arms around his waist, his skin still warm and moist from his shower.

              “What exactly are you sorry for, Everly?” he asked, cold to her attempts at apologizing.

              She pressed her face against his back, breathing him in.

              “I was rude, and I know I probably hurt your feelings. I really appreciate you being here for me,” she insisted.

              “Well, you have a funny way of showing it,” he grumbled, dropping his towel. He shook her off, yanking his pants down from the hanger.

              Everly backed away, disturbed, noticing a long scratch down his back. She leaned forward to get a closer look.

              “What is that?” she asked, watching him intently.

              Vinnie turned around, shaking his head at her.

              “This house is unfamiliar to me. I was drunk, and I nearly broke my toes twice making it out of your room last night,” he snapped.

              “That doesn’t explain your back.” She shot back, a little disturbed at what appeared to look like claw marks. She knew them all too well. She was famous for putting them on him herself.

              “I’m sorry I can’t account for every mark on my body, Everly. You came home with a bruise on your leg last month. Were you fucking one of your band mates?” he threw back at her.

              Everly was furious, her rage rearing its ugly head. Without delay, she jumped at Vinnie, smacking him right across the face. He did his best to keep his cool. He realized he was out of line with that last comment, but she was getting too close to the truth.

              “I’m sick of you!” she yelled, storming to the bathroom. Finally at the end of his rope, Vinnie followed, grabbing her by the arm. She flailed around struggling to be free of his grip.

              “You’re sick of me, Everly?” he asked, backing her into a towel rack. He was furious and his heart pounded in his chest. His eyes were full of fury as he stared her down.

              “Yes, that’s what I said. Get your hands off of me!” She yelled, smacking him again, once she broke free.

              Vinnie grabbed her shoulders, pushing with all his might until she hit the opposite wall with a thump. He frantically grabbed her by the throat, pinning her in place as she did her best to get him off her.

              “You don’t ever say that to me,” he said low, waiting for her to give in and calm down.

              Everly’s heart raced with pure adrenaline as he held her in place. This wasn’t the first time they’d had a knock-down drag-out fight or the first time she’d told him she hated him. She knew he didn’t have the balls to go far enough to really rough her up. But she always pushed him, hoping he would so she’d have a bigger reason to leave him.

              “I’m stressed,” she said. He dropped his hand from her throat, pleased with the cover-up. Pulling her to him, they began kissing with a fierce intensity. She was willing to kiss him and he knew why. She was turned on by his aggressive ways of taking control.

              “That’s what I’m here for,” he said, smoothing her hair, staring into her eyes, hoping that she would believe him and accept it.

              “It’s almost time. We need to get dressed,” she said. She wasn’t in the mood to stroke his ego. She wanted to break his balls for the way he’d manhandled her—today of all days!

              Charley and Adrian had been at the coffee shop chatting for almost an hour. She knew how long it’d been because she kept checking her watch to make sure she wouldn’t be late for her mom’s service.

              “I’m glad you gave me a chance to get to know you more. I have to admit I’m sad you have to go so soon, but I totally understand,” he told her.

              She smiled, he was so sweet and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

              “Yeah, you’re a really interesting guy, Adrian. It was nice getting to know you, too.”

              “Do you ever relax?” he asked her as she looked at her watch for what he’d swear was the hundredth time already.

              “Not often, no. This trip home is probably the most relaxation I’ll get all year,” she said, feeling every bit her workaholic self. She was fine with it, but to others she probably seemed dull and boring.

              “I don’t expect an answer now, but I would like to take you out before you go home. One night of fun before you head back to the world of editing. Promise me you will think about it?” he asked, smiling his best smile He thought she was amazing and prayed she would say yes right on the spot. She shifted in her chair, and he worried he’d pushed too much.

              Digging in her purse, she pulled out her business card--one he was already familiar with, but he wouldn’t tell
her
that.

              “This is my cell, the others are my work. Call me before I leave and I will do my best to meet up,” she said.

              She was proud of herself for taking the initiative and going for it. She genuinely liked him. He was cute, he had a great smile, he was charming, and he was easy to talk to. The best part, however, was he hadn’t tried flirting with her in the vulgar way most men flirted with her.

              “Go pay your respects to your mother. I really hope I see you again,” he said. Charley stood up, giving him another handshake. He wanted to hug her.

              Taking a chance, he extended his arms and went for it. She nervously hugged him back. Her hair, smelling of expensive shampoo and perfume, grazed his face. She gave him a quick smile then headed out of the coffee shop, floating on cloud nine.

              Charley sped away in surprisingly good spirits, considering she was on her way to say goodbye to her mother. She really liked Adrian and hoped she’d see him again. It had been a long time since she’d had male companionship.

Charley entered the funeral home in a daze. She hadn’t liked funeral homes since her grandma died. They smelled peculiar and held a still eeriness that left her unnerved. Plus, her sisters had their boyfriends to lean on for support. Charley didn’t have that and she felt so alone. She pleaded with herself silently to keep it together.

              More and more people filled the small waiting area. She tucked her legs in further, gripping her purse tightly. It was obvious to everyone filing in that the pretty blonde felt detached from all the activity going on around her. 

              Ethan immediately made his way to Charley when he saw her sitting amongst the clutter of people.

              “Hey,” he said, touching her arm. She broke free from her thoughts and saw her brother standing there.

              “Hey,” she said back. She felt sick and couldn’t understand how her brother appeared to be so calm. She was trying to keep it together, but she feared her legs wouldn’t be steady enough for her to get up and walk over to her mother’s casket.

              “Who
are
all these people? I barely see any family,” Ethan asked, studying the large crowd. Charley shrugged her shoulders, going back to staring at the ground. He felt for his sister, and he wouldn’t let her suffer alone. He took a seat next to her. Charley perked up as Ethan sat by her and just…talked. 

              “She loved you, Ethan. Anything you do to say goodbye would mean the world to her,” she said, reaching her shaky hand out to touch his hand.

              “And she loved you, too. I say since we are both the single ones in the family we go up there together. What do you say?” he asked, placing his other hand on hers. Charley nodded, letting him pull her up. She was thankful her legs didn’t give out as they made their way through the crowd of people, a sad sea of black. Each person’s head turned to watch the two siblings making their way to their dead mother’s coffin, the rest of his family was already sitting in the front. Their dad stood next to their mom’s casket.

              The casket was a dark, redwood with a tan lining. Ethan’s stomach turned when he caught sight of his mother. He kept telling himself it’s as if she’s sleeping. Ned was watching him closely as they finally came to a stop in front of the casket.

              “She looks beautiful, don’t you think, Ethan?” Ned asked, his large hand meeting up with Ethan’s back. He couldn’t look at her face, he let his hands find a spot, her wedding ring, and he stayed focused on that. He knew if he looked at her he would lose it, and he wasn’t going to do that.

              Charley felt Ethan’s silent freak-out in the form of his fingernails digging into her skin. She felt so bad for him, but she was in a state of total panic herself. She couldn’t stop staring at her mother’s face. The amount of makeup caked on her mom’s face was shocking.

              “Why is there so much stuff on her face, Dad?” She asked panicked. Her mother had always been a fair-skinned woman, with delicate veins that lined her smooth forehead. Her strawberry blonde hair had lost its luster. This was not how her mother looked…ever, except her full lips remained.

              “Honey,” her dad said, in a tone that was meant to pacify. Charley looked at her dad wondering why he wouldn’t explain. She started to lose her breath, her heart pounding a hard and heavy rhythm, her ears buzzing.

              “No, Dad…why does she look like that?” she pressed. “This is not how mom looks!” She was frantic. Everly stood up, quickly making her way to Charley and Ethan, followed by Quinn and Vinnie. Jordan remained seated, a little uncomfortable with the events unfolding in front of this room full of people.

              “Charley,” Quinn said, reaching for her hand, but Charley pulled away.

              “Somebody get the staff. I want to talk to someone,” she ordered. She didn’t care if the whole parlor thought she was losing it.

              A tiny Asian man came walking up quickly. He studied the blonde, knowing all too well what he was getting into. The family would often freak out the first time they viewed their loved one in a casket—especially those whose untimely death was the result of a brutal murder.  He preferred a closed casket, but it was written as clear as day on the paperwork, “Open casket.”

              “Ma’am, I am in charge of your mother. Would you like to come with me, and we can talk in private?” he asked.

              Charley nodded, feeling her feet moving and Ethan following close behindas they made their wa
y
t
o
the office. The man closed the door, extending his head toward the chairs in the room, offering them a seat. He sat at the edge of the desk, crossing his arms, a serious look on his face.

              “Your mother was a victim of blunt force trauma. A lot of damage to the body. In order to show the body, our staff has to cover up these things, so it’s a much more pleasant viewing,” he said, nodding his head to her.

              “It doesn’t look like her, our mom was a beautiful woman,” she insisted, looking at Ethan who just sat with no reaction other than a blank stare.

              “Miss, your Mom suffered significant trauma to the face. It was the best we could do to display her for your family,” he told her as he stood up, signaling an unspoken dismissal of the siblings.

              “What was the cause of death? What happened?” Ethan spit out crossly. Charley was shocked at the venom in her brother’s voice.

              The man stopped in his tracks, letting out a long sigh. These kids weren’t giving up. He went back to his desk typing something into his computer. After staring at a computer screen for a couple minutes, he looked at Charley and Ethan.

              “Look, I’m not the coroner, but reading over her information, blunt force trauma,” he said, hoping this was sufficient.

              “This guy beat her to death?” Ethan asked.

              “Yes, that would be correct.” he said, with a nod.

              “And she looks like that because someone bashed her head in?”               Ethan asked, hearing those awful words come out of his mouth.

              The door opened, and Ned walked in. Charley immediately jumped up, not wanting to be a part of it. Ethan stayed where he was, still letting it sink in. The papers never stated how she had died. This new information was becoming harder to understand.

              “Ethan and Charley, I want us all to gather with your mom,” Ned said, reaching out for Ethan. Charley made her way to her father, letting him put his arm around her.

              “Dad, where did they find her?” Ethan asked.

              “Ethan,” Charley said.

              “It’s ok, Charley. Ethan, she was in her car in her office parking garage,” Ned said. His response was hurried, indicating his willingness to give out that information in exchange for returning to the service.

              Ethan studied his dad’s face. He decided he’d accept his dad’s answer, and they headed out of the office. Maybe there were some things he just didn’t want to know.

              Vinnie sat waiting for Charley and Ethan to come back. This was turning into quite the freak show, he thought to himself. He prayed it would end soon. He was tired and being anywhere near dead people just gave him the creeps. Hearing Charley go on about how it didn’t look like her mother pushed it all to horror show morbid level. He’d been to enough funerals to know that when someone died tragically, they rarely looked like they had in life.

              He held Everly close, stroking her shoulder. He was surprised that out of all the kids, she was doing holding it together the best.

              Ned motioned for his children to gather for one final goodbye. He knew if he stayed there any longer, he was going to break. With the trauma his children had experienced due to their mother’s death, he needed to hold it together for them.

              “Your mother would be glad to know we all showed up today to see her off. And I just want to say she loved you all more than anything. She may be gone, but I don’t want to forget all the good times we had with her. She was a good woman, let’s not forget that, ok?” he asked, looking to each of them, awaiting a reply.

              Charley cleared her throat, Everly took her hand. She pursed her lips, trying to force words out.

              “Missed but not forgotten,” she said, hardly able to speak. Quinn nodded in agreement, followed by Everly and then Ethan. Ned appeared satisfied and relieved to have it over.

              Quinn collected her jacket as they all headed out of the service. They didn’t stick around like grieving families typically did. They’d had enough and didn’t think they could tolerate more.

              “Your aunt said she would stay with your dad,” Jordan told Quinn. She just nodded, then pushed the door to let herself out.

              Jordan was nervous, and he had no idea what he could say to her. He’d never attended such a strange showing in all his life. Not one tear was shed. This family—this dysfunctional family appeared to have no emotion at all, and he found it hard to believe that was the case.

              Charley followed her brother outside, watching Quinn and Jordan as they made their way across the parking lot. She could finally breathe again and was relieved she’d made it through without breaking down. All that was left was a simple cemetery prayer and she would be at peace.

              “Dad said Mom is to be cremated,” Everly said in passing. She looked slightly irritated and in a hurry, Charley thought. She wondered why the hurry?

              Ethan ran to catch up with Everly. This was the point where Charley was beginning to think the whole family was nutty. Dad hadn’t said a single word about cremation until now. Why?

              She stopped in her tracks, then turned and walked back into the funeral home to find out.