Drop Dead Gorgeous

  She remembered they were there for a funeral, one of their own. Ellie lay in that box, sewn back together the best the mortician could manage. There had been viewing hours the night before, but her coffin had never been open. Lori turned back to look toward the altar. A picture of Ellie in life, bright and laughing, sat atop the coffin. Somehow, it made it all the sadder.

  The priest left the pew with Ellie’s family and headed for the pulpet. He folded his hands together. “Let us pray,” he invited the gathering, and they all rose.

  Sometime during the service, she became aware that Ricky, Ted, Michael, and Sean sat in the pew behind them. Before mass, one of Ellie’s workers gave the eulogy, and broke down in the middle. One of Ellie’s exes rose and finished, saying that she was full of life, giving, warm, and generous, and that her friends would all miss her very much. He left it to the priest to tell the gathering that they must somehow try to understand God’s will, and that there was an eternal justice—her murderer would surely be caught, and in truth, Ellie now rested in a better place than this earth.

  The coffin was taken from the church. The congregation rose, and exited.

  Lori was somberly leaving when she felt a touch on her shoulder. “Lori! Lori Kelly, oh, my God, it’s so good to see you!”

  She turned to find Susan Nichols staring at her, trying to smile despite her blotchy cheeks and tearstained eyes.

  “Susan,” Lori said.

  Susan threw her arms around Lori’s neck, still in a highly emotional state. Lori hugged her back tightly.

  “Ladies, we should move on out, shouldn’t we?” Josh suggested.

  Her cousin’s hand at her back, Lori started on out from the church.

  “Are you going to the graveside?” Susan asked Lori.

  “I—” Lori began.

  “Yeah, sure, of course, Sue,” Andrew answered for her.

  “Good. We’ll talk after,” Susan said.

  Ellie was buried at Woodlawn. The drive from the church to the graveyard wasn’t long, but Josh decided to ride with Andrew and Lori, explaining as they rode that Susan was especially upset because she might have joined Ellie and her friends the evening she was killed, but backed out at the last minute because of a headache.

  At Woodlawn Andrew led her toward the graveside. Somehow, their old crowd formed a group toward the right of the coffin and tent. They greeted one another discreetly, Andrew and Josh shaking hands with Michael and Sean, Susan kissing Sean, and Jeff Olin coming up to offer Lori a warm hug. Jan and Brad arrived together, and the handshakes and kisses went around again.

  The graveyard service began; it was brief and bittersweet. One of Ellie’s exes tossed the first handful of dirt into the grave, and then family members tossed flowers into the grave. The company had been invited to the home of one of Ellie’s cousins; her folks having died in the last few years and her exes now living out of town.

  Lori didn’t know Ellie’s cousins; at the graveside she offered her condolences, and went to the car to wait for Andrew. Jeff Olin found her there. He reached for her hands. His smile was warm and confident, though duly somber for the occasion.

  “Lori. Lori Kelly. You look like a million bucks! What brings you home—not that it isn’t wonderful that you’re here.”

  “Thanks, Jeff. Gramps is really sick, that’s why I’m home. You look great, of course. But I’m sorry to see you under these circumstances…”

  “I know, this is really bad, isn’t it?”

  She nodded glumly. “Had you seen much of Ellie lately?”

  He shook his head. “Not a lot. Now and then, in passing. I cared about her, though. She’d been Mandy’s best friend. It’s funny, though. Seems we all have some kind of bond from way back when, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she said softly, then hesitated. “How have you been, really, Jeff? What happened with Mandy was tough on everyone, but in a way, the rest of us were just bystanders, you were the one really hurt, you and—” She broke off, realizing that not just Jeff, Mandy’s brother, but Sean, Mandy’s accused killer, were both attending this funeral.

  “Yes, I was hurt. Mandy was my sister. And yes, you’re right, Sean was hurt, too, wasn’t he?”

  “You didn’t think that he killed her, did you?” she asked, dismayed at the anxiety she heard in her voice.

  Jeff smiled, shaking his head. Age had done wonders for him. He was really handsome, with a smooth, warm charm. “I couldn’t think that, could I? If I did, I wouldn’t have shook his hand, I’d be over there trying to strangle him now. I can’t begin to tell you how bad it was at first, my mother crying night after night, my father praying constantly, trying to soothe my mother. I guess, in a way, it’s good they’re both gone.”

  “Gone? They left the area?”

  He shook his head. “Gone, passed away. They were in a car crash, just a few years after Mandy died.”

  Lori clamped her hand over her mouth, stunned, then drew it away and managed to stutter out an apology. “Oh, God, Jeff, I’m so sorry. Your sister, and then your folks like that, together… I am sorry, I didn’t know, my folks never told me… Andrew didn’t…”

  “They might not have known, Lori. I went away to school, and only came back summers. They died right after one of my school breaks, and if your family didn’t read the name in the obits, they wouldn’t have known. I wasn’t really talking to anyone back then.”

  “It’s really amazing that you’re talking to us now.”

  He smiled. “I need friends,” he told her.

  She offered her hand. “Well, I am your friend, you know.”

  “Thanks, Lori. And you can call on me anytime you need me, too.”

  “You’re an attorney now, right?”

  “Right. A good one. I defend rich crooks, but only the ones who go out and commit white-collar crimes. I admit to keeping them out of jail, but since our jails don’t have room for the violent offenders, I can do my work well and feel entirely guilt free.”

  “I thought you were a corporate attorney.”

  He grinned dryly. “I am.”

  “Ah!” Lori murmured, looking past him to where her brother and cousin stood with Sean and Michael, Brad and Jan, Ricky Garcia, Ted Neeson—and Susan Nichols.

  “Susan has taken this really hard,” Jeff commented.

  “Well, she and Ellie were still rather close, I take it.”

  He nodded, then looked at her. “And she’s scared. She’s divorced and alone.”

  “It’s scary enough out there these days without something like this,” Lori murmured.

  He nodded. “I know, it is. It’s really a shame that folks just don’t seem able to stay together in our society. I hear you have a son.”

  She smiled. “Yep.”

  “Congratulations. A little late.”

  Her smiled deepened. “Thanks, it’s never too late.”

  “But your husband…?”

  “He passed away.”

  “Oh. Now it’s my turn to be sorry.”

  “Thanks. He was very sick, and we knew it was just a matter of time, and…”

  “And?” he inquired.

  “And I think we made the time we had together a whole lot easier for one another,” Lori finished. “Anyway, Ian Corcoran has been gone a long time now, so you needn’t be sorry. Brendan and I do very well, and it seems like coming home has actually been good.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He sighed softly, glancing at the others. “Listen, I’m going to go and see if I can give Sue a ride home, ease her mind a bit, let her know she has friends around.”

  “That would be nice, Jeff.”

  “Hey, don’t you go forgetting that you have friends around.”

  “I won’t.”

  Jeff left her, walking over to join the group. She was glad to see him talking to Sean, as if nothing in the past had ever come between them. Sean was wearing dark glasses, but he grinned at something Jeff said. Maybe time did heal wounds. And maybe Jeff really thought that what was done to
Sean was just as much a crime as his sister’s death.

  Someone in the group laughed, then she heard her brother say, “I don’t know. Let me check with Lori.”

  Andrew strode toward her. “Lori, we all thought we’d slip over to the old Italian place on Coral Way and have coffee, food, alcohol, whatever. Have you got a little time? What’s the story with Brendan?”

  “Brendan’s all right—he’s got a number for the folks if he has any problems.”

  “You up to lunch?”

  Was she? Sure.

  It was strange. Damned strange. The last time he’d been together with this group it had been in the courthouse, Sean realized as they were brought to a table and took their seats.

  He was at one end, Susan on one side, Ricky on the other. Lori was down at the other side. Somehow, Michael wound up next to her on the one side, Ted Neeson on the other. She seemed comfortable enough between them.

  Sean remembered suddenly how he had met Lori the very first time, how she’d been this angelic waif, lost to the harassment of Ted and Ricky. He’d thought her the most fragile and delicate creature he’d ever seen. She’d hated both Ricky and Ted for years—then she’d decided they were just jerks. She’d told him that the night she’d stayed by his side when he’d learned that Daniel had been killed. The worst night of his life. Not even sitting in jail, listening to the cops tell him that the D.A.’s office meant to throw a murder one rap at him and he’d fry in the electric chair had been as bad as learning that Daniel had been killed. She’d been there for him then. Not so fragile. He’d discovered his angel had an inner core of steel.

  Then again, none of them were kids now. The 4F Club was far behind them all. Ted and Ricky were both working cops, and they seemed to have their heads glued on right, something Lori couldn’t help but notice.

  Next to him, Susan inhaled on a shaky breath.

  “All right?” he asked her.

  She squeezed his hand, her fingers delicate on his. “Sean, I just can’t believe it! Something so awful. I mean, I’ve seen stories like this on the news, in the papers, but for something like this to happen to Ellie… oh, God! I read an article that talked about her wild lifestyle, as if she was asking to get killed because she went to clubs. Can you imagine!”

  He shook his head. “Susan, people know that stuff like that is a bunch of crap. Ellie was single, Ellie went out. She didn’t owe anybody any explanations.”

  “She just wanted to be happy, Sean. She was looking for the right guy, And having a little fun. She wasn’t doing drugs, she was honest, hardworking… oh, God, I’m so scared!”

  “Don’t be scared. If you’re really worried, just lay low for a while—”

  “It wasn’t a bad club she was hanging out at. I’ve been there—”

  “I went there, too. You’re right. There was nothing wrong with the place. She just met the wrong guy there.”

  “God, Sean, it’s really good to see you.”

  “Thanks, Sue.”

  “If you get the urge to move in with me, let me know, will you?”

  He smiled. “You know what? It’s a tempting offer, but you’re a special friend, and I want to keep it that way.”

  “Don’t want to sleep with me, huh?”

  “You’re as sexy as they come. But no. I’ve had lots of women, Sue, and not many friends. I value my friends.”

  “Think I should buy a gun? Or a Doberman?”

  “I think you should keep your door locked and be smart.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.” The waitress went by, and Sue lifted her glass. “Excuse me, I’ll have another Merlot, please.” She smiled at Sean.

  It was her third glass of wine.

  “Sue, where’s your car?”

  ‘‘Don’t worry, I took a cab to the funeral— my eyes were too red for me to drive. You can get me home.”

  “Ricky brought me. He, Ted, Michael, and I came together.”

  “Good. I can get driven home by two cops and two hunks.”

  “You got it.”

  Smiled. Looked into her wine, and started crying again. Sean set his hand on hers, and looked down the length of the table. Lori was listening to Michael, watching him. He wondered what his brother was saying.

  Lori enjoyed lunch. She felt guilty, enjoying the occasion when they had just buried Ellie, but her brother and Ted were fun and pleasant, and they were both as interested as she in what Michael was telling him about his work.

  After high school he’d followed Sean to California, where his brother had told him they were both going to pull up out of the muck, make lives for themselves, and take care of their father. They’d taken jobs in restaurants, and gotten into UCLA. Following Sean to a biology class one day, Michael had developed a crush on a marine biology major. The affair with Sara lasted only six months, but his love for the water became a lifelong thing. He was now working at a place called Anderson’s Cay, just south of Islamorada. His main work was with dolphins, though he did a lot of work with manatees as well, since they were endangered. People killed them with boat propellers, or maimed them and left them to die under horrible circumstances.

  He was earnest, passionate about his work. Lori found herself watching him, thinking that he was a lot like his brother, his eyes so intense, dark hair unruly and prone to fall over his forehead.

  “Michael, man, it’s great that you’ve done so well,” Andrew told him. “Remember the rap sheet you had as a kid?”

  “I was a punk,” Michael said flatly. He shrugged and looked down the table. “But after Sean went to court over Mandy’s death… well, the world got pretty serious. Turned me around.”

  “And Sean,” Josh murmured.

  Michael shook his head. “Sean never needed turning around. He was always on the straight and narrow. Life’s funny, though. He might not have been such a popular commercial success as an author if things hadn’t happened the way they did. I thought he’d go into law, after what happened—a way to get back at the system. But he went into forensics instead. Then he started with the writing… damn, it’s good to have him here, though. Hope he stays awhile.”

  “How long does he intend to stay?” Lori heard herself asking.

  “I don’t know. Probably long enough to do some research. I can’t see him coming back for good, can you? To a place that all but crucified him?”

  An hour later they paid the bill and rose. Outside in the parking lot, they hugged one another, saying good-bye, agreeing to get together again. Lori was alarmed to realize that she was trying to keep her distance from Sean. “We need to have a party,” Jan said.

  Brad sighed softly. “Jan, we’ve just been to a funeral—”

  “I know. And that’s what happens when people get old and drift away. It’s like families— people only get together for weddings and funerals, and funerals are sad and terrible and I don’t want the next time we get together again to be another funeral.”

  “You have a point there,” Lori said, defending Jan.

  “The ex-women in my life!” Brad said, and groaned.

  “Very, very ex on my part,” Lori reminded him. She inadvertently glanced at Sean and flushed when she realized he was studying her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was wearing the RayBans again. “I should get home. Check on Brendan,” she said.

  Andrew slipped a brotherly arm around her. “We’ll get you right home, sis.”

  “I think a party is a great idea, too,” Jeff Olin said.

  “Why not?” Andrew murmured. He glanced at Sean. “Would our visiting celebrity attend?”

  Sean nodded behind the RayBans. “Yeah, sure.”

  “We’d have our own cops on the scene,” Ricky supplied.

  “And attorneys—should we decide to sue one another,” Andrew said.

  “My house, Friday night,” Jan said.

  Lori glanced at Sean. It eased her out of a private dinner for him on Friday night.

  He was watching her. He was thinking the same thing,
but he didn’t protest. He seemed amused.

  “I’d love a party!” Susan said wistfully. “I’m so scared now, it’s probably the only time I’ll have any fun in the next year!”

  “Then, it’s settled. Jan’s house, and you’re all invited,” Brad said.

  “Wait a minute, if it’s my house, I should be doing the inviting,” Jan said.

  “Not when I’m still making the payments,” Brad told her.

  “I love it when you talk alimony,” Jan murmured sexily.

  “Cute, isn’t she? And they call women the weaker sex,” Brad moaned.

  He had his hand on his ex-wife’s back and was propelling her toward his car. Lori had the feeling that they’d be together for the next hour or so, even if they did both have to get to work later.

  They should just remarry, she thought. It was the nicest divorce she’d ever seen.

  “Party, Friday night! Eight o’clock!” Jan called.

  “Let’s get going, shall we?” Andrew said.

  Lori nodded, wondering if Sean was going to say good-bye.

  But he was already gone, seated next to Ricky in his Mercury Cougar.

  Tina Jackson wasn’t supposed to be in the Grove alone. But she was there, after school, determined on her plan of action. Her friend, Bobby Sue, had copped out on the shopping mission, and with the excitement of a very special new guy in her life, Tina had to have some new clothes. She’d gotten a ride from a school friend’s mom, and she figured if worse came to worse, she’d have to splurge on her spending money and take a taxi home. Her mom and dad both had the funeral that morning, so they’d probably hang out together for a while in the afternoon—nostalgia and all— and then, her mom had clients scheduled from four o’clock until seven. It was unlikely that she could get caught.

  In a funky store just off Main Street, she found the perfect jeans, and the perfect top. The jeans hung stylishly low. The top hugged her growing breasts. Seeing herself in the mirror, she was excited by her image. She looked at least sixteen. Maybe seventeen, since she would be fourteen almost any day now. If she only had a pierced navel! Of course, that wasn’t happening, but a delicate little ring would look just fantastic…