Page 11 of In Cold Blood
The officer paused and looked like he had seen a ghost.
“I’m not him,” Noah said quickly. “I’m his brother.”
“Right. Um.” The poor guy looked at a loss for words. “If youwant to head into the lot over there, I’ll have one of our guys pull out.”
“Are you sure? I can always park down the road.”
“No. No. Seriously, it’s fine. You’ll get in faster. Just wait a second.”
The officer looked disturbed as he got on the radio and turned his shoulder. “Got a family member. Can you pull out one of the cruisers to make way?”
Immediately after, he gave a strained smile as he waved Noah in.
Noah thanked him and followed his directions into the lot. The cop must have told the one who was pulling out who he was, as the officer slowed and looked out the driver’s side window at Noah.
Of course, some knew Luke had a twin but not everyone.
Killing the engine, Noah tossed his ballcap and ran both hands through his thick black hair, smoothing it back before he exhaled hard, took a second, then got out and collected a dark suit jacket from the rear. As he was donning it, people gawked as they strolled by. “Brother,” he said, shaking his head and then mouthing the word multiple times. Whether they understood or not, didn’t seem to matter. He had a feeling he would be doing a lot of that today.
Swallowing nervous tension, he crossed the parking lot and headed for the main doors. Double. Hardwood. Closed. They were manned by two officers. Although his brother may have mentioned him, he’d left High Peaks long before any of these cops had been hired. So again, they had that deer-in-the-headlights expression as one of them opened the door and the other handed him a white pamphlet with the funeral program.
The lobby was packed with those who weren’t able to fit into the main auditorium. He recognized a few faces but most were strangers. They wore uniforms from multiple counties. LocalPD. Sheriff’s Office, State Police. It was a mixed bag. Heads turned; mouths widened. Noah felt warm beads of sweat trickle down his back. The sudden sense that he was under the glare of bright lights and confused eyes only added to the unease. He couldn’t possibly explain to them all so he kept his chin low and made a beeline through the crowd. His shoulder brushed up against strangers who looked on, startled.
Fortunately, Madeline had anticipated what now most would deem his late arrival and was waiting for him across the foyer. A hand went up, but no smile formed. Her face was full of anguish and anxiety. Her eyes were red from crying. The two of them shouldered their way through the sweaty mass until she looped her arm around his. “I’m glad you made it.”
He replied only with a nod.
From outside the main sanctuary, he could hear a muffled voice speaking over a mic. A door opened before them, and it became clear.
The room was divided and shaped into a half circle with rows of chairs and three aisles. Right up the middle near the front was a coffin draped in an American flag. Behind that, a dark brown carpeted platform with musical equipment, a glass podium, and several members of the Adirondack Sheriff’s Office seated on chairs to the left.
Noah figured Madeline would have saved a seat nearer the back, somewhere he could slip into without being noticed. Nope. As they moved up the center aisle, heads turned and eyes bore into him. There were a few gasps. Murmurs spread. Keeping his eyes ahead, he and Madeline hurried to the front where they took a seat beside Ray and Luke’s wife, Kerri, and the kids, Willow and Austin.
He couldn’t imagine what was going through their minds. He’d only seen his brother’s children once when they were younger, long before they could remember him. Their eyes wentas wide as dollar coins and Kerri leaned into them and whispered something, no doubt explaining again. He could only assume she’d already had the conversation but seeing him in the flesh beyond a photo must have been odd. As he took his seat, Ray leaned over and patted Noah’s leg, and winked.
Ray was wearing his local PD uniform.
He was an imposing man, two years his senior, hair receding but tidy.
Noah scanned faces, looking for his pops. It didn’t take long. He saw his father on the far side of the stage, sipping on a bottle of water. Hugh offered back that familiar look of disappointment. He now realized why he’d sped up the time of the funeral. According to the program, it was only meant to last an hour. Perhaps he was hoping Noah wouldn’t make it, or maybe this was exactly what he wanted — an entire community seeing his late arrival.
Rubbing sweaty palms across his pants, Noah cleared his throat and looked down at the program to get a sense of where they were while at the same time trying to distract his mind from the awkwardness.
He eventually lifted his eyes to the casket and an enlarged, up-to-date photo of his brother in uniform. It was only then the emotion rose to the surface and a few tears streamed down his cheeks. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and listened to the speaker, a close friend of Luke’s, recount his time serving alongside him. A few tales lightened the mood for but a moment then as quickly as laughter slipped out, it faded. One by one different people stepped up to the microphone, neighbors, colleagues, police academy teachers, a minister, family members, and even those whose lives had been changed by their interaction with Luke. Prayers were recited, songs were sung, and kind words of appreciation were shared.
At some point over the next thirty minutes, an officerbrought in Luke’s K-9, Axel. The German shepherd was a beauty. Slim, dark-haired, wearing a leather muzzle. His whining caught the attention of everyone as he clawed forward.
Restrained and kept to one side of the room, Axel eventually gave up the fight and dropped to the floor. Suddenly his demeanor changed, the whining stopped and his eyes were no longer fixed on the casket but on Noah. Was he confused? Waiting to be called to his side the way Luke might have? Noah wasn’t the only one that noticed, a few cops smiled, chatted among themselves, and looked over. He caught their eye for but a second before glancing away and pondering what effect Luke’s death might have on the dog.
The bond between any dog and its owner was strong, but how much more when they spent hours upon hours together in the same vehicle?
Each time Noah looked his way, the dog wagged his tail ever so slightly.
As the funeral came to an end and final words and a prayer were spoken over the community and family by the minister, the auditorium thinned out.
“You staying long?” Ray asked, rising from his seat.
“A couple of days.”
