saying mass and Kathleen Murdoch is all set to sing,â Rose said. âShe has such a lovely voice.â She poured the crackers onto a plate. âMerry loved to listen to her on Sundays.â
âGood. And everything is as I arranged it at the funeral parlor?â
Rose hesitated, seemingly busy arranging the crackers. Birdie leaned forward so her face was close to hers. âPlease, Rose, tell me. What did you do now?â
âNothing major. Itâs all taken care of.â
âWhat?â
Rose raised her head, flinching at the pair of eyes trained on her. There was nothing left for her to do now but jump right in. âI ordered a different casket, okay? I saved a great deal of money by shopping on the Internet.â
Hannahâs hand stopped midair en route to delivering a cracker to her mouth. âYou shopped on the Internetâ¦for a casket?â
Birdie looked stunned. âYouâve got to be kidding.â When Rose didnât respond Birdieâs eyes widened further. âYouâre killing me, Rose. I spent hours on this! I had everything ordered at Krauseâs Funeral Home. Why did you have to change it?â
âBirdie, I donât know why youâre so upset just because everything is not exactly the way you ordered it.â Roseâs voicewas clipped. âYou never once asked me what I wanted to do for the funeral. You just called up and told me what to do. I went along with it, as I usually do. But for heavenâs sake, this isnât a change as much as, well, a better deal.â
Birdie put her face in her palms. âPlease tell me thereâs a casket for my sister tomorrow.â
âOf course there is. You ordered an oak casket, and though it was lovely, it cost two thousand dollars. I found one almost identical for nine hundred dollars.â Her pride couldnât be disguised.
âMom,â Hannah said in that teenage know-it-all voice, âyou can buy anything on the Internet these days.â
Rose shrugged. âIâm on the computer a lot for my word processing job. When I need a break I surf the Net. Itâs fun, relaxing. In fact, itâs how I keep in touch with the world out there. I find it absolutely fascinating. When Iâm on the Net, I feel so connected.â
Hannah waggled her brows. âAre you doing those chat rooms?â
Rose didnât answer, but she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.
âOh, no,â Birdie groaned. âYou are, arenât you.â
âWhat if I am?â Rose laughed lightly but her color heightened.
âYou do know there are a lot of creeps out there that prey on lonely women like yourself.â
âTheyâre not all creeps. There are some very nice people looking for someone to talk to.â
Birdie released a short, sarcastic laugh.
âLots of people are in chat rooms,â Hannah said in Roseâs defense.
âNot you, too, I hope,â Birdie replied with narrowed eyes.
âSure I am.â
Birdie leaned back against the counter. âGood God, is there anything else I donât know? My sister and my child are hanging out in chat rooms, weâve got some casket coming in the mail and, as far as Iâm concerned, weâre having a damn picnic in the house tomorrow.â
Dennis stuck his head around the corner. âHey, in case youâre interested, thereâs a chauffeur at the door.â
3
B IRDIE AND R OSE LOOKED AT each other for a brief instant, then in a flash, Rose darted from the table and tore off to open the front door as eager as a nine-year-old girl. A tall, blond man with a bodybuilderâs physique squeezed into a black suit smiled uncertainly.
âExcuse me, maâam, but is this the Season residence?â
Rose looked beyond the manâs massive shoulders into the darkness but didnât see her sister. Only the sleek red lights that trimmed the limo were visible along the curb. A