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"Yes, we’ll fill out a report," he told her "I’ll go ahead and get an officer out here for you to do that I don’t think you’ll find that any of your coworkers took the book"

She thanked him, flustered, and they went out Lia at the funeral home He was determined to be there when Kelsey arrived

Kelsey left the house, locking it carefully as she did so, ridiculously pleased that she was leaving while it was still daylight

She thought she sain, but she was impatient with herself; she had it set in her mind that she could still srandfather, and she wasn’t going to change as set in her h at the same time, she wished that he ith her She wasn’t a scaredy-cat He was turning her into one

She walked slowly to the funeral ho she was a little bit early But that didn’t matter Liam was there when she arrived He was extremely handsome in a dark pin-striped suit, clean shaven, his hair still damp He met her at the entrance

"You’re early," he told her

"You’re earlier," she noted

He smiled "I didn’t want you to be alone"

"Thanks"

They walked on in As Liam had predicted, the hallas alive with flowers The funeral director carandfather’s was the only viewing that night, and so they had been liberal with the layout of the arrangements, which he hoped was fine with her She assured hiht here, first door to the left," the director told her

They walked into the room with its rows of chairs, ements, and, at the far end, the podium, stand and coffin

The coffin was open

Lia quickly She heard hie sound, and then he turned back to her

"Kelsey, please Letto leave it closed," he said, irritated

The funeral director, correctly solemn in his dark suit, said in quick explanation, "In such cases, ait for the faravated, she knew Yet why he didn’t want her seeing her grandfather perplexed her, and made her want to see him more

She pushed past Liaes disease could cause the human body, and in that sense, he didn’t look horrible

He was pasty and slightly plastic-looking, as she’d expected Pale Sunken She could see that his eyes had been delicately sewn shut

But his eyes were open

Tiny trails of spiderweb-thin thread clung to his eyelashes

He stared out at the world in horror, as if, even in death, he was still seeing sonant and evil

"Kelsey"

Liam was behind her; his hands rested on her shoulders

"It’s all right," she said "I’ve seen death before"

"Please, let’s close the coffin," he said softly

She nodded

She had brought a tiny cross Cutter had given her when she had been a little girl She pulled it froers

The director had called for one of his assistants As they closed the coffin, the first visitor for the evening arrived, the Episcopalian priest froreeted Kelsey with familiarity, and she remembered him from her childhood She felt oddly detached and cold, still stunned by the look in her grandfather’s eyes, open and dusted with the remnants of the stitches that had held them closed