Disrobed for Death Read Free Page B

“Beats the heck out of walking, doesn’t it? You have only to think where you want to go.”
    “Can we go anywhere, or are we confined to the funeral home? How long are we earthbound? Did you find out anything about a bright light? What happens after we’re buried?”
    “Whoa, slow down. I only arrived a few days ago myself. I have out-of-town relatives coming for the funeral, so they put my body in cold storage. Watching my corpse on a steel slab was a real downer, so I made the rounds of the parlors, met a few of the deceased residents.
    “Randy Mumford in Parlor C shared some of what he had learned about our new existence. After his wake, he asked to be left alone. He was only 20 years old and dropped dead cutting his grass. Too young…way too young.
    “I find it extremely sad when a young person dies and can’t help but wonder what kind of life he might have had? Whose lives would be changed by his passing? If the tears were any indication, many of the young people realized it could just as easily be them in that coffin.”
    “I felt that way after a classmate died, made me put things in perspective. Well, since the funeral home isn’t bursting at the seams with our kind, I imagine we don’t hang around long. So, where do we go, and when do we leave?”
    Jack started to answer when his attention was diverted to the sound of someone in the hallway. “Whoever it is can’t see or hear us, but old habits are hard to break.”
    The cleaning lady entered the kitchen and put the vacuum in a closet. Opening the refrigerator door, she removed trays of pastries and arranged them on a table. Then she filled a Styrofoam cup from one of the large urns and exited the kitchen, leaving behind the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
    Sweets were always Susan’s weakness, and the plate of brownies looked absolutely scrumptious. “It’s not like me to pass up a treat. So why don’t I have the urge to scoff up a brownie?”
    “We no longer have the need to eat or drink, so we’re not tempted.”
    “Now, that’s a real bummer. Well, no use hanging around here.” She closed her eyes and returned to her parlor. Jack appeared beside her, the sleeve of his suit coat brushing her arm. Standing near her casket, she heaved a sigh. “I still can’t believe I’m dead. There were so many things I wanted to do.”
    “I know the feeling.”
    The doors to the parlor closed behind them with a loud bang.
    “What’s happening?” she asked.
    “You must not have read the marque. Both of our wakes are scheduled for later today—four to eight p.m., so they’ll keep our parlors closed until then.”
    “When are our funerals? I didn’t bother to find that out either.”
    “Mine is scheduled for eleven a.m. tomorrow. Yours is set for one p.m.”
    Susan smoothed the front of her skirt, which really didn’t need it. “It’s scary to think about it. I don’t know if I want to be there. I definitely don’t want to leave my loved ones, and how do I know that light will come for me?”
    “You’re not alone, seems everyone feels that way. But I have a feeling we’ll do what’s right when the time comes. Why don’t we sit and talk, find out a little more about one another. It might help us get through this.”
    Susan remembered her hand passing through the stand and guest book. “How can I sit without falling through the pew?”
    A boyish grin crossed his lips. “Like before, you only have to visualize it.”
    She pictured herself sitting on the front row. It worked, and Jack sat next to her.
    “I still haven’t figured out how to pick up or move an object,” he said. “Thinking about it doesn’t work. Guess I’m going to have to visit a poltergeist to learn the secret behind rattling chains.”
    “Sounds like you plan to stay earthbound for a while.”
    The muscles around his mouth flinched. “At least until I figure out who shot me.”
    Susan’s mouth flew open. “You were murdered?”

    The grandfather clock in the