Cold Dead Past by John Curtis Read Free Book Online

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    "Meg!  Gary!  Over here!"
    They stopped. Jay saw their heads cock, pausing for that awkward moment when they tried to figure out if they actually knew this person calling their names, trying to recall who the hell he was.
    That moment was awkward for Jay, too, because of Gary.  Meg had been with Gary after she and Jay broke up.  If they were back together now, any slight fantasy he might have had about her could pretty much screech to a halt.
    Meg beamed a smile back at him almost immediately. Jay could see her tugging on Gary’s arm and engaging him in an animated conversation.  When Gary turned his face toward him, what Jay saw was a sort of surprised, tight-lipped grimace.  An observant man knew right away that the ball was still in play. It was confirmed by the way Meg had to practically drag Gary over to where Jay was standing.
    As Meg got closer, he could see that she’d been crying.  Still, she was beautiful, with her sparkling deep blue eyes framed by rosy cheeks and jet black hair.  The word he’d come up with as a description was "striking".  He found himself smitten all over again. Before he could say a word she was upon him.  Her arms enfolded him in a tight hug.  As she released Jay, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
    "I’m so glad that you could come."
    Meg sniffled and pulled a handkerchief from deep in one of the pockets of her black wool coat.
    "I’m sorry that I’m so late," he replied. "I should have left earlier.  I wasn’t expecting the weather I hit on the way up here."
    Gary grunted and offered his hand to Jay. When Jay took it, Gary took it tightly in his and gave it a firm, single pump.  That and the way he positioned himself up close to Meg, with his arm protectively around her, told more about his personality than the deputy sheriff’s uniform he wore.
    "Why, you old son of a gun.  How are you doing?" Gary asked.
    "Not too bad.  There wasn’t much of a turnout, was there?"
    Meg shook her head and sniffled.
    "Like I said on the phone, there aren’t a lot of us left around here.  Most of our school friends have moved away."
    Jay took another look at the line of cars as they began to pull away and nodded his head.
    "I wish I could have made it to the service, but I forgot how the roads can be up here this time of year."
    "It’s the thought that counts, I guess," said Gary. "Jack didn’t have a whole lot of people he was close to."
    "I stopped at the gas station when I got into town and the way Gene talked about him, he must have turned into a real prick."
    "Oh, that bastard Gene," snorted Meg. "Don’t pay attention to anything he told you.  Jack just kept to himself.  For some reason, he and Gene didn’t get along.  Something happened over the last few months, but we could never get either one of them to talk about it."
    Gary interrupted, "I know what it was about.  Well, not totally, but I heard them arguing outside the hardware store one day.  Something about Gene’s brother.  If it were a murder, I’d have put Gene number one on my list.  There was a lot of hate."
    "What did happen?" asked Jay.
    "Well…" Gary thought for a moment before continuing. "We think he fell from his hayloft.  When we found him-" Gary was interrupted by a high-pitched, squeaky voice coming from behind Jay.
    "When they found him, he’d been gnawed on by just about any animal that came by.  Couldn’t even have an open casket at the funeral.  Really nice mess."
    It was Tommy.  Meg turned on him and slapped his arm.  He gave her a surprised look.
    "You know it’s true, Meg."
    Jay appraised him.  Tommy was basically an older version of the chubby, freckled, red-head that he remembered from their school days.  He turned from Meg and offered a hammy hand to Jay. When he took it, it felt damp, clammy, and soft, as if Tommy used a lot of lotion.
    Meg continued, angrily, "You don’t have to talk about it.  No one should die alone like that."
    Tommy ignored her last