Take a Dive for Murder Read Free Page A

family thinks of me now, I think I’ll fit in nicely when I join them in this spot.”
    Carrie shook off a chill as she turned into the main entrance of the cemetery.
    The Faraday procession wasn’t hard to find. A snake of dark luxury cars were parked around a circle, with the tail of the snake backing down the hill. Carrie’s blue sports car made a colorful end to the snake’s tail.
    She used the mirror in her sun visor to check her makeup. She applied a fresh coat of lipstick and checked her hair. That was the one nice thing about her short , naturally curly hair: a quick run of her fingers through her hair would straighten the stray locks. Not bad for a woman in her late forties. She thought.
    The burial site was located at the highest point in the cemetery. By the time Carrie walked up the hill, a crowd was formed tightly around the gravesite. But that was okay with her. This was one time when having a front-row view held no attraction for her.
    Carrie positioned herself to see between the heads of the crowd. On the opposite side from where she was standing were four people seated on folding chairs. She recognized Jamie’s mother, Geraldine Faraday. She sat up straight in her chair. She looked frail, unlike the formidable woman Carrie remembered. Next to her was a young boy. As she was able to position herself to get a better look at the boy, Carrie let out a slight gasp. The boy was a younger image of how she remembered Jamie: the same square cut of the jaw and the soft-brown, wavy hair that fell across his forehead. There was no doubt in her mind this was Christopher. On the other side of Geraldine was a tall, distinguished, good-looking man with silver hair. Despite all the thick, silver hair, the man had a young face. Once more, Carrie angled her position. Could it be Charles, Jamie’s older brother? She wondered. That silver hair gives him a distinguished look… Her thought trailed. She wondered if Jamie had silver hair. What was she thinking? Her hair was probably silver if it weren’t for the number ten hair color she periodically applied to her own curls.
    Seated next to Charles was a wispy blonde. It was hard to determine her age since the brim of a large black hat covered most of her face. Maybe this is Charles’s wife , thought Carrie. While the family showed no emotion, this woman was openly crying and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. I don’t believe Charles’s wife would be this emotional. Wait! Could this be Suzanne, Jamie’s assistant? Carrie couldn’t bring herself to think the word “fiancée.”
    Carrie looked around and surveyed the other attendees. She spotted a man in the second row who she was sure was Joel. Next to Joel were two other men who were extremely well tailored and looked like they might be lawyers, In fact most of the men were older with gray hair and looked like they could be lawyers. She didn’t recognize anyone else, but she did notice one other man. Not because she knew him, but because of where he was standing. He stood away from the group on an incline that led to the next section of plots. The man was tall and lanky and probably in his late thirties. He wore a black all-weather coat, unbuttoned, with a dark blue suit beneath it. He had a dark hat, but she noticed no hair showed below it.
    “ Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
    T here was a slight hum as the motorized mechanism started to lower the casket. Mrs. Faraday, Christopher, Charles, and Suzanne approached the opening in the earth, and each placed a rose on the lowering casket.
    Moments later , the entire ceremony was over. The crowd began to disperse as the cemetery crew drew closer, waiting to do their final work. Carrie turned and moved with the rest of the crowd toward the parked cars.
    “Carrie, Carrie, wait a moment.” She turned to face a man hurrying after her. As he drew closer, she knew it was Joel Wheeler. Aside from his hair, which was cut short with gray at the temples, and about thirty