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To Stephanie’s areater a There were no marks on her flesh Her face was reposed; it alentle smile teased her lips

"They must have the world’s best htly

As they stood back respectfully, Maria’s hter’s face, and a keening wail ca her away from the coffin

"Let’s say a little prayer," Grant ether and went to their knees on the little pew in front of the girl They bowed their heads, closed their eyes

Stephanie knew she should be asking God to welcoasp formed in her throat

Maria was looking at her

Stephanie blinked

The girl was as she had been, eyes closed They were sewn closed, of course She was dead, eed her He hadn’t seen what Stephanie had seen Or iined, she told herself ruefully It had to have been a trick of her mind because Maria looked so very beautiful, and not at all dead

They rose, walking to the side of the coffin Grant nodded to people in acknowledgeht they

Carlo Ponti was there He walked over and shook Grant’s hand, and kissed Stephanie on the cheek "It was good of you to coet a chance to reply

Maria’s ht agony to every heart there

But then, she broke free fro to the coffin Her purse fell as she drew soe knife

Before anyone could stop her, she pulled her daughter’s hair, drawing her head up

And she proceeded to saay at Maria’s neck,to sever the head from the shoulders

Chapter 10

Stephanie had never seen anything more horrible in her life

Lucretia Britto didn’t just slice at her daughter’s throat; she hacked at it viciously

Neither had Stephanie ever iined what it took to rey and effort the woman displayed was insane And at first, everyone there was apparently so shocked that they didn’tas the wohter’s head

At last, three men raced to the coffin

By then, sweat had popped out all over Lucretia’s face, and the oddest thing was that she was covered in blood Stephanie didn’t know a great deal about e, but she had always believed that the blood was removed from the veins and fluid put in

What spouted from Maria Britto was definitely blood That, or the town used thefluid known to , stupefied; then it see

Lucretia, dripping red, was hysterical, screa as the , tossing holy water upon the now nearly decapitated deceased, and thewith one another

The priest called out sharply; he walked to the two ently She slumped suddenly into the aran to sob softly

Stephanie felt that she was at a total loss She felt terribly aard as well, as if she had intervened in sorief She knew sorrow for the girl, and a tremendous sympathy for the wo she could do

Apparently, Grant was feeling the saently They didn’t need to speak They turned, and as the chaos continued around the roo, listening, shaking his head

"Most unusual," he muttered

"We feel we’re in the way, like intruders," Grant said to him

Carlo nodded "Yes, even I feel this way When a hter… she is beside herself, superstitious, and there is anger between the doctors, the mortician, and the police--she was not eainst the law, and yet, their concern was for Lucretia, the living, and no one i… yet how unusual"

Stephanie wondered to just what Carlo referred since the entire scene had been, and still was, unusual to say the least

"The blood spurted," he said "No heart to pump it, and it spurted This entire situation just becoave theood of you to come Please think of us as people who love too deeply, not as lunatics"

"Carlo! Please, we’ve seen the anguish," Grant said softly "Goodnight"