Page 62 of Soul

I laughed as Ham stared at the coffins in delight while Maci wrinkled her nose.

“And dead bodies go inside them?” Maci exclaimed.

“Yup, it’s called a final resting place.”

“I don’t like this,” Maci stated and crossed her arms.

“Can I get in one?” Ham demanded, and Trevor snorted from the other side of the room.

“Sure,” I said, wondering how ghoulish Ham was. He’d been fascinated by everything ever since we arrived this morning. Bryony had needed to concentrate on a book she was editing, and it was important. I offered to take the kids, which they both agreed to before Bryony could utter a word.

Ham had inspected the crematorium first and the furnace we used to burn the bodies. Weirdly, he had even laid in it while Maci freaked out at him. I’d allowed him and wondered if I had a serial killer in the making. Then he’d looked at the urns and gravestones and had picked out his own. Maci had enjoyed looking at the pretty flowers, even though they’re for dead people.

And now we were down in the casket area, and Ham was doing his best vampire impression.

I chuckled as he rose with his arms crossed and hissed at Maci, who squealed.

“I wonder if Mom would let me have one of these as a bed. It’s quite comfortable,” Ham said, and I choked at the look on Maci’s face. She looked horrified.

“I don’t think so, bud,” I answered before Maci freaked out.

“Where are the bodies kept?” Ham asked, and Maci began shaking her head.

“Too far! Too much, no!” Maci cried.

“Cold storage is off limits, dude,” I replied as Maci looked at me with relief in her eyes.

“Okay. I want to see the makeup lady,” Ham demanded next.

I hoped Mariah liked kids. Because she was about to get dumped with one.

Maci was quiet as we walked to where the horse and carriages were kept. It was at the far back of the cemetery, about a fifteen-minute walk. We’d purchased our own rather than rent off someone, and it worked well for us. The club owned four black stallions, which pulled one of four carriages we had.

“Is something wrong, Maci?” I asked.

“No. Yes. I messed up,” she whispered.

“How?”

“We’re not at school, and Ham is angry because he’s lost mates again. It is my fault,” Maci explained.

“No, it’s not! You didn’t ask for that little asswipe to hurt you. What happened, Maci, was on Toby’s head and not yours,” I stated firmly.

“Ham said his friends are frightened to talk to him now in case the police are called on them.”

“Why would they be scared of the cops if they are doing nothing wrong? Only bad people need to be worried. Seems to me they’re not real friends,” I replied.

“Ham wants buddies,” Maci mused.

“What about you? Don’t you?”

“No, because even friends lie. And I hate liars,” Maci hissed.

“I understand that, sweetness.”

“Yeah, because you’re special, like me!”

“Exactly, Maci!”

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