Into the Light (7 page)

"Who buried her?” Liz sighed.

"Jeremiah did. Alone. He buried her under this tree because they had picnicked here once."

"Sad. So sad.” Missy was the first to start picking her way down the incline. If we stayed to the less steep side, we would make it down without injuries.

It occurred to me that we looked like a funeral procession. Because we were.

It took a few hours, but when we were sure we had all of her, I laid her bones in a beautiful pillowcase. I had found it in Margaret's linen closet and couldn't even guess what it might cost. It was buttery soft and trimmed with lace—perfect for transporting her remains.

"Let's go” I groaned. I was starting to waver, my energy completely depleted. I caught Trip studying my face, and forced a smile.

We trudged up the steep hill back toward the house. Mikey's phone kept bleeping with annoying persistence.

"It's Margaret,” he said. “Third call in an hour. She's dying to know if we'll be done in time for her big shindig tonight. Persistent little woman."

"If this works out the way I hope it will, we shouldn't be much longer.” I cradled Kimi's remains in my arms and tried not to think about what I was holding. Holding bones was bad enough, but holding the bones of a murder victim was even worse.

"I'll call her when we're done,” he said. “I can always blame it on bad reception."

We were a sad-looking group as we finally staggered into the family cemetery. There they were, six stained and weathered tombstones, crooked as bad teeth. The whole family. I stopped at each one and studied the names. I felt a pulse of rage as I stood before the stones of the murderous brothers but moved on. Finally, I stood before Jeremiah Gentry's grave and spoke aloud.

"We have her here, Jeremiah. We're finally going to let you be together. On this side and on your side.” I knew intuitively that Kimi was nearby listening. She wasn't showing herself, but was very aware of the proceedings. Her presence registered with the fine hairs along the back of my neck and arms.

I turned to the team. “Ready to break a couple dozen laws?"

My question was met with nervous laughter and sad smiles. We were. It was time.

Trip dug into the hard earth with his collapsible spade. “This is going to take until next Halloween,” he grunted. “This ground is like cinder block."

Liz took off back toward the house and returned quickly with a sturdy shovel. “Give this a try,” she said, blushing. “I saw it last night when we were poking around."

"You're the best Girl Friday ever,” I said.

After what seemed like forever, Trip hit wood. It was spongy and rotten, but still in one piece after all these years. “I'll let you do the honors,” he said with a grin.

Now that we were nearing the end, I felt a fresh burst of energy. I dropped into the now open grave and gently pried back some wood where Trip's shovel had broken through. “Here we go,” I said to myself. “Let's get you two back together."

Without letting myself think, I gently placed each bone from the pillowcase into the plain wooden coffin. Each one made a gentle clunk as it fell home. When I was finally done, I closed my eyes and sent Kimi my message.

The pain is gone now. The evil done to you is gone. Jeremiah is gone. Now you must go. If you go, you can be with him. No one can keep you apart on the other side. I make you this promise, Kimi. It's time to go home to him.

After a quick prayer and a blessing, I grabbed Trip's offered hand. He hoisted me out and pulled me into a tight embrace. Mikey set to work filling the hole and made a quick job of it with some help from Liz and Missy.

"Think it worked?” Trip asked, his face wary but hopeful. “I thought that resting of the bones business was myth."

All eyes were on me. The team was eager to be done with the case and know that it had ended well. Hopeful the right thing had been done for Kimi. I took a deep breath and stayed very still. With a quick nod and a silent prayer of thanks, I started toward the house.

"When someone peacefully passes over, I don't think they really care where the body is. In this case, I think it's more ceremonial. We're giving her what she was denied—letting them be together on this side. And, thankfully, I think it worked. I think we're done here."

On the edge of the trees, I turned for one last look at Jeremiah's grave. The one he now shared with Kimi. They appeared like a hologram, and I smiled. Oblivious to us, or their surroundings, they were locked in the kind of an embrace you would expect after countless years of separation.

Trip was staring, slack jawed, at the site.

"What?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Did you see that?” he stammered. “Or am I running on not enough sleep and too much Martee?"

"I saw it.” I laughed. “Welcome to my world."

"Shit. I need something to ... what do you call it? Ground me! I need something to ground me."

Success had me feeling playful. The rest of the team had disappeared through the grove of trees. I reached out and took hold of Trip firmly, hitting below the belt. “I think I can ground you.” I heard the huskiness in my own voice. I suddenly needed to be as close to him as possible.

"You're screwing with me, right? Messing with my addled brain?” Despite his words, his face lit up with expectation.

"Not at all. Sometimes you need an expert to help in these situations.” I sank to my knees and pulled down his zipper. In the quiet of the country, it was clearly audible.

I took his cock in my mouth, and it jumped to meet my tongue. Eager and ready, the skin was smooth as silk. He smelled like laundry detergent, outdoors, and man. I licked slowly, savoring each second of contact. Joyous at the intimacy we were allowed. The closeness we couldn't be denied.

I paused to kiss gently the insides of his thighs, his hipbones, the fine line of hair below his belly button. Allowing my hands to continue the rhythm my mouth had started.

"Dear God, you have to ground me more often,” he said softly, gently playing his hand through my hair. He traced the outline of my jaw and swept his fingertips across my closed eyelids. His touch was so light it felt like butterflies on my skin.

I didn't answer, but murmured sweet sounds of contentment as I sucked slowly on his cock. The salty taste of the beginning of his end played across my tongue. I speeded up slightly, relaxing my throat and watching his face. The deeper I took him the more beautiful he looked. When he came, I drank him in. My eyes absorbed each flicker and twitch that floated across his face. He's mine in more ways than one. That brought me a smile.

After I made him presentable again, I kissed him. I took his arm and we started back. “What are you grinning about?” he asked. The house was finally in sight, and I could see the others loading equipment into the van. Mikey was on the cell phone. Most likely telling Margaret all was clear.

"Just happy, I guess. Happy for them. Happy for us. Happy that the only ghosts Margaret will be able to offer her guests tonight will be those of legend and lore."

"All that time she wasted here.” He shook his head. “And what those boys did to her. All that pain and violence. Even though it all worked out, it's hard to believe. She died because of love."

I took his hand and told him the truth: “In the end, it all comes down to love."

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Sommer Marsden
lives in Maryland with her family and her red wiener dog. When she's not writing smut, she can be found walking the fat dog, watching movies, hanging out with her kids, baking, reading, emailing, or in the downward dog position (that would be yoga). She has been published extensively in print anthologies and online. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be contacted at [email protected]. She invites you to visit smutgirl.blogspot.com/ and www.freewebs.com/sommermarsden for updates, blogs, and general chatter. Or if you would like to be her friend, go to www.myspace.com/sommermarsden.