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through the maze of
roads as though he knew them well.
    Maybe he was from the funeral
home. They had been so thorough but maybe they had overlooked something. She
couldn’t imagine what. Someone had paid for her mom’s funeral but they wouldn’t
tell her who. Or why.
    That hit Bailey hard. Her mom had
known she was dying. And someone else had known too, the person who had forked
out a lot of money so that her mom had the best funeral and ceremony. Could
that have been the guy? But why would he? Why would anyone? Her mom wasn’t
close to anyone. She’d told her there was no family. Who was this mystery
person? Did her mom have a boyfriend she hadn’t told her about? He’s kind of
young, Mom but wow.
    For a brief second that
brightened her mood. It would be cool if her mom hadn’t been alone. Bailey
sighed. Her mom hadn’t dated and never would she have even looked at a younger
man. No, if she’d been going to find a man, she’d always said he’d be eighty
and too darn weak to lift his arms.
    So who was that then? Did he pay the
invoice? But why would he do that? She grabbed the car door handle. I just
want to go home.
    Her mind wouldn’t stop though.
She was curious as to who had paid the bill. Could it have been the couple with
the daughter? No, because they couldn’t have known her mom, she’d never let
Bailey near dance. They had wanted to thank Donna for helping their daughter
with her ballet. They’d be embarrassed when they realize the mistake they’d
made.
    Bailey’s headache pounded through
her skull with jackhammer precision. She pressed her fingertips against her
temples. The wind whipped up, letting its presence be known as it wound its way
through the trees and gravesites. Fear came from nowhere and landed with a
punch to the gut and then spidered its way throughout her body. It wasn’t the
noise so much as the absence of it. Someone was watching her. She knew it. It
was a feeling that had served her well in the past. Looking around, she noted
the rows upon rows of granite, etched with names, dates and loving memories that
surrounded her. The flowers dotting the graves and the shrubs and pine trees
broke up the uniformity but it was still deserted. She couldn’t help but
shudder at what all that meant. For a brief second she had a vision of all the
bodies rising up from the graves, with arms held forward, walking towards her.
    All of a sudden the breeze which
had been like a gentle caress blew with a howling force. She staggered at the
impact of it.
    Struggling to stand upright, she
looked up. Big drops of rain hit her in the face. Heavy gray clouds encased the
sky. She scrambled for the door handle. Grabbing it, she yanked it open and
dove in, just as the downpour started. She sat there for several minutes
staring at the bleak sight. Sheets of rain obliterated her view. Fumbling around
in the unfamiliar car, she managed to get it started and then found the
windshield wiper switch. She flipped it on to high speed. The deluge hit her
window like a waterfall. The wipers were flipping as fast as possible and still
weren’t able to clear it for more than a second.
    A chill scooted down her spine
like a colony of ants. Shivering, it wasn’t clear to her if it was from the
cold and rain or the sense of dread that the cemetery had evoked in her, or all
that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge. She eased the Hyundai forward, straining
to try and see through the curtain of water. Puddles the size of mini lakes
formed. The poorly graveled road had turned into a child’s dream muck fest. Out
of respect for the place, she was trying to drive slow but her car kept losing
traction. Fed up with absolutely everything, she sped up, ignoring the mud
packs being flung from her tires.
    As she reached the main street,
she sagged over the steering wheel as she peered out at the fast moving traffic
that didn’t seem fazed by the poor weather. The worst part was that she
shouldn’t be either. This was normal weather