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important one being that no matter how you felt on the inside, most people wouldn’t see anything you didn’t force them to. Eric always knew though, good, bad, or indifferent, he could always see. With thoughts of his brother circling his mind, Randy let himself out of the Shiner house, the only sign that he’d been there a ransacked bedroom on the second floor.

4
     
    Sam joined Bill on the porch step, the sound of far too many townsfolk inside setting her nerves on edge as a forced cackle from somewhere close to the front door seemed to shoot through her.
    “Anybody drunk yet?” she asked.
    “Yup, a few.”
    “Suppose we should go in…”
    “I’ve done my time in there.” he cocked an eyebrow at her. “So who are they?” he asked in reference to the trio of strangers they’d been wondering about at the wake. He figured they were the most likely reason she was so late in returning.
    Sam shook her head smiling softly and shrugged. “Bunch of self-important nut-jobs seriously in need of counseling. The old woman says she did business with dad years ago…” she waved her hand dismissively in frustration.
    “They say what kind of business?” he asked.
    “Don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me tonight. She said she’d call in the morning to set up a meeting so we could talk. The younger woman said she was just trying to make me sweat.”
    Bill shook his head frowning deeply, “Don’t like the sound o’that,” he mused.
    Sam patted his knee, “I don’t really care, I’m tired, these people are nothing to me, and I sincerely doubt they have anything to say that could be of interest.” She pushed herself to her feet and scrubbed her face then cast a reproachful look at the door, “See you in a bit.”
    “Mmm,” he grunted.
    As she entered the house several of her dad’s dearest friends turned and looked, a couple of them jerked toward her as if they wanted to approach, but something inside seemed to hold them back. After catching sight of her reflection, she understood. Her skin was drawn and waxy looking, and there were deep blue ghoulish hollows under her eyes that left her looking less than approachable.
    In an attempt to break the barrier between them, she greeted people as she passed, thanking them for coming, and slowly becoming part of the crowd until she too was sharing memories and stories of her dad right along with everyone else.
    For another hour and a half, people left and others came, until somewhere around ten the guests started filing out the door.
    Bill and Sam stood at the edge of the porch, joined by Sophie, as the last guest stepped onto the walkway. For a long moment she leaned against the door jamb looking at the older couple who’d served the whole of her life as surrogate grandparents.
    I’ll either sleep until noon or not at all . T hank God that’s over, dad’s gone and it’s all over. Tomorrow everyone will go back to their lives and everything will be normal, for them .
     
    --
     
    Randy stripped out of his clothes, tossing them over the chair in his room before sliding between the sheets, exhausted and numb from the trials of the day. It was bad enough having been required to even see the majority of his family, but that the Caffey’s and The Hag had shown up at the funeral was an added weight. The last thing he’d needed was to be spotted and run the risk of any of them putting two and two together. But he’d dodged that bullet and slipped out unnoticed after all, and for that he was grateful.
    Only two things made the day worthwhile, the first being that he could now be relatively certain that Sam hadn’t yet received whatever it was Cody had sent to her. And the second was the little bit of time he’d been able to spend with his brother before even that became too painful. It was great to see Eric, he looks good. Really good, the thought stirred him as he curled onto his side and with a sigh fell almost instantly to sleep where reality and fantasy swirled in