Page 10 of In Cold Blood
“Noah, I really don’t want to get between you and him today so I’m not saying anything. I’m just the messenger. But, well, with his sway in town and it being a police funeral, it is what it is.”
He sighed. “Well then when does it start?”
“It’s already begun.” He heard what sounded like his eldest brother Ray call out, telling her to come quickly. “Burial is after. Just hurry,” she muttered.
Noah ground his teeth as she hung up.
It was just like Hugh to pull something like this. This was just a way to make him look bad. To give him another reason to hold a grudge. Had the funeral started at the time he’d been given, Noah wouldn’t have been late. In fact, he would have been early. He was always on time. But no, this was just another jab, a way to get back and show him he shouldn’t have returned. Petty. Sure. But that had been the history of his relationship with his father. Then again, maybe his father was uncomfortable. Even when their mother passed, the whole thing seemed rushed. They’d wanted to have a wake before the funeral, but he said no, they wanted to gather at the family home after, but his father refused. Instead, they had to arrange it at his auntie’s. Of course, his father wasn’t in attendance. As soon as the funeral was over, he’d gone straight home. It wasn’t like anyone could argue with him. Funerals at the best of times were awkward. No one wanted to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or offend anyone.
And once again, Hugh Sutherland would have his way.
Noah bowed his head and spoke quietly, a few words that he hoped Luke would hear, before returning to the truck. Noah slammed the stick into drive. A surge of panic, fueled by the possibility that he might miss the funeral, caused him to spin the tires as he peeled away.
3
He couldn’t be angry.
The years had taught him that everyone was a product of their childhood, culture, upbringing, and the accumulation of experiences. Despite their strained relationship, Hugh was a good father. A man who worked hard in the community. He valued family but more than that he valued tradition. Any deviation from either just didn’t make sense to him. How could it? His father had been sheriff, and his father before that, and so on for four generations. It was reasonable that he would expect the same of his offspring. Except Noah had no interest in following the same worn path. He wanted to forge his own way, not live in the shadow of another or have his actions measured by those that had gone before him. Working for the State Bureau of Investigation had given him that chance. A clean slate. No name to live up to.
For him, it made sense.
For his father, not so much.
In the years after their mother’s death, Hugh struggled with symptoms of early Alzheimer’s and was forced to resign. That didn’t help. Noah knew that burned him deeply. His identity andworld were wrapped up in serving the community and those in the Sheriff’s Office.
The truck blasted past a large green welcome sign for High Peaks.
What should have taken thirty-five minutes was reduced to fifteen as Noah pushed the speed limit. As he eased off the gas, his gaze roamed the street, taking in the sight of new businesses, and old ones that had closed. It was unfortunate but that was progress.
American flags flapped gently in the breeze, attached to vintage-style lampposts. Couples rode by on bicycles. Canoes and kayaks lined the edge of a shimmering lake. Teens and adults alike bathed along the banks of the river while summer tourists clogged up the main stretch.
If he was honest, he missed it.
The truck rolled past art and craft shops. Mom-and-pop stores were plentiful, selling unique upstate New York gifts. Noah smiled at the memory of taking an old girlfriend to the Castle, a vintage theater that had been running movies on four screens since 1926.
Beyond that was a small breakfast diner his parents would take them to every month, and then beyond that was Dominoes, the quirky bar he’d had his first beer in.
For a moment he forgot the reasons why he left.
Eight years since his last visit, twenty since he left home. A lot had changed and some things remained the same. The picturesque town was nestled in the tri-lakes region, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains, and perched on the edge of High Peaks Lake close to Mirror Lake. It was every bit a tourist town, a perfect place for young and old to escape the hustle and bustle of overcrowded city life.
It couldn’t be said that it was a blue-collar community, as the people were as varied as the shades of gold and red that adornedthe northern hardwood forest in the fall. Although many visited for the lakes or mountains, others stayed for the people, the culture, and the all-season outdoor lifestyle.
With his eyes covered by Ray-Ban sunglasses and a dark baseball cap set low on his head, no one gave him a second look, but they would, when he arrived at the large Calvary Pentecostal Church. His stomach sank and his pulse sped up just thinking about it.
The closer he got, the wider his eyes grew.
Luke would have been stunned at the turnout.
Cars and trucks lined either side of the street. Hundreds lingered outside the church, unable to squeeze in. The building was a low-slung, one-story white structure with wide siding and a huge cross on the top. It was traditional. Another reason Hugh picked it.
Several police officers from neighboring counties were there to offer their support and give Luke the sendoff he deserved. It touched his heart so much to see such a response that Noah felt himself becoming choked up as he slowed. It was becoming all too real now. Solidifying. It was more than a message delivered by a colleague. More than a media snippet. This was really happening.
County deputies redirected traffic, waving to get him to slow down.
With the sheer number of those that had filled the lot, he was unsure of where he could or should park. He brought his window down as he got closer to an officer giving him directions.
Noah removed his sunglasses.
