All the Hidden Sins

by Marian Lanouette

  Angelo walked in. “Do you need an extra hand?”

  “Sure, help me guide it in.”

  It was heavier than even the first body she’d processed for Phil. Even without knowing I’d know there were two bodies in here. What had this one done to earn Phil’s wrath? God, she hoped someday it wasn’t her in the box. Once they had the body in the chamber, Kyra hit the close-door button and ignited the flames. She walked out of the chamber room to the break room to grab a cup of coffee. The pot’s contents reminded her of sludge. Angelo followed her into the room with the cup he’d poured minutes ago. The air smelled of burned coffee. She wished for something stronger to calm her nerves, but coffee had to do. Two and a half hours locked up with Angelo while the cremation took place unnerved her.

  To keep busy she made another pot. He dumped the contents of his cup into the sink and rinsed it out. Someone had taught him well. She approved. The smell of the brewing coffee filled the air. Angelo didn’t seem in a talkative mood today.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked. “I spoke with Phil earlier today. He was quite short with me. No social ‘how are you.’ Is he pissed at me?”

  “Yes. He doesn’t like to be shot down. Are you still seeing the cop?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed her smile. Yes I am, all of him.

  “That bothers Phil, and, if truth be told, me too.”

  “Why? One doesn’t have anything to do with the other.”

  “You can’t be that naïve. The world is interconnected.” Second person in a week who had mentioned her naiveté.

  “I can keep my business life separate from my personal life. Phil shouldn’t worry about it,” she said, annoyed.

  “He’s been burned before. He needs to be cautious. Excuse the pun.”

  “I won’t betray him. I made a deal I plan to honor.”

  “In our line of work, it’s good to be careful. It keeps you alive.”

  She accepted the veiled threat.

  They lapsed into silence. Angelo stood at attention in front of the chamber, same as the last time. The funeral director sat in his car. Kyra processed paperwork on the legitimate burials and cremations she had performed this week. A car pulling up outside had her racing to the window.

  Angelo left his post. He walked over to join her. They reached it at the same time. Angelo bumped her out of the way, forcing her to move to the next one to peer out at her unannounced visitor. Crap. Jake stood outside, studying the building. What does he want?

  “It’s the guy I’m dating. We have plans for tonight. I’ll get rid of him,” she said, nerves dancing through her stomach. Angelo placed a firm hand on her upper arm and squeezed.

  “I’m going to send Stan back here while I wait in the car. Don’t take long to get rid of him. I don’t want any trouble. Understood?”

  Oh boy, did she. “Yes.”

  Knees shaking, Kyra went to the door, unlocked it and held it open a few inches.

  “I’m glad to see you lock yourself in.” Jake leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

  “Precaution, it’s part of the job. To what do I owe this surprise?” She didn’t invite him in.

  “I was in the neighborhood and I decided to stop by instead of calling to see if you’re still going tonight .”

  “I’m glad you did.” She folded her hands together to keep them from shaking.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I mean no. I didn’t plan on going to dinner with Tom, but it’s the only way he’ll let me see Trevor today. I must see for myself that Trevor’s okay.” Excellent recovery, Kyra.

  “I’ll be there, but I’ll be late. Make sure you don’t leave with him.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Where are you meeting them?”

  “The Burger Joint, Trevor’s favorite.”

  “No bar.”

  “Nope. You’ll have to have a milkshake.” She laughed.

  “Poison, I never touch the stuff.”

  “Try it, you’ll enjoy it. Hey, I’ll see you tonight. I’ve got one cooking. The funeral director is in the back waiting for me. I’ll see you later.”

  He whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait for a repeat performance.”

  Blushing, she said, “Me either.”

  * * * *

  She walked back into the chamber room, startled when she slammed into Angelo’s chest.

  “Touching,” Angelo said.

  “You were eavesdropping?”

  “Yes, I wanted to check out your cop.”

  “He’s not my cop. I’ve had two dates with him. I don’t own him.”

  “How far have you two gone?”

  She hated her cream coloring. The heated flush spread from her head to her shoulders. Sure her skin matched the flaming red of her hair, she replied, “It’s none of your business.”

  Laughing, he said, “Relax, I didn’t mean anything by it, but now I know.”

  He reached out, gently touched her cheek. She pulled back. “Why are you taking chances, dating a cop?”

  “He’s the first man I’ve dated since being separated. The woman who introduced us didn’t tell me he was a cop.”

  Talking too much. Angelo was synonymous with danger. More so than Phil.

  “I don’t want any trouble. I’m doing the job I promised and I’d like my private life to remain private.”

  “As long as it doesn’t interfere with us, it will.”

  “Great.” She needed a shot for her frayed nerves. First Tommy and his insane actions last night. Now Angelo. What was next? If it wasn’t for Trevor, she’d run away and start over. Unless she was fired, Kyra knew she’d be doing Phil’s dirty work for the rest of her life. Did the people she burned have families? Were they looking for them?

  Were they the same kind of people as Phil or were they ordinary people like her, trapped in a mistake?

  Kyra blinked those people from her head. If she didn’t she’d go crazy.

  And why wasn’t she willing to throw Jake away—was he her new addiction? He was special, someone she wanted a long-term relationship with. One of a kind. She understood he slid from gentle to hard in a matter of seconds when a situation called for it. If she continued to work for Phil, why continue to date Jake? She stepped into her office to get away from Angelo, saying she had to finish up the paperwork on today’s burials.

  The timer went off at six o’clock, signaling it was time to process the remains. Kyra headed back into the chamber room and started emptying the oven.

  “Do you have an urn with you, Angelo, or do you want me to put the remains in one of the plastic ones?”

  “I have one with me. I’ll get it. How much longer before you’re finished here?”

  “Another half hour. I still have to remove any metal before I run them through the processor.”

  “You mean the grinder.” He smiled.

  “No, the processor.” She forced a smile.

  “Right. I’ll get the urn.”

  * * * *

  Jake sat in The Burger Joint parking lot waiting on Kyra. At the crematorium, she hadn’t invited him in. In fact, she kept the door at an angle to block his view. Who was she hiding? Though he liked her, more things had started to bother him. Another piece of the puzzle didn’t fit. After they finished with dinner with her ex, he’d ask her straight out who was at the crematorium today.

  A car pulled into the parking lot too fast. Jake started to climb out of his car to give the driver a warning when he realized it was Kyra. He took a few moments to study her. Harried, both this afternoon and now and she’d lost weight this week. No matter how he dissected it, he kept coming back to her affiliation with Phil Lucci. How had she wound up on a date with him in the first place? And who had introduced them? He was going to get answers tonight, one way or another.

  He knocked
on her window and smiled when she jumped.

  “Thanks for meeting here,” she said.

  “No problem.”

  “I need to get inside. I’m late.”

  * * * *

  “Not a word, Tom. I’m here to see Trevor.” She gave her son a kiss.

  “I want to apologize…”

  “Not here, not now. I promised Trevor dinner. That’s why I’m here.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes. To ensure that nothing happens, Tom, my friend Jake is with me.”

  “For Pete’s sake, I was drunk.”

  “No excuse. If you start in I’ll leave. But we will have this discussion at a later date.” She turned to Trevor. “Wow, look at you. You’re almost finished.”

  “I was hungry. Can I play in the ball pit?”

  “Yes.”

  Trevor stayed in place and stared at both his parents. Russell stared, tried to intimidate Jake. Jake stared him down until Tom looked away first. He took a seat at a nearby table.

  “We’ll talk later,” Tom demanded.

  What an idiot Tom was using that tone on Kyra. But Jake noted time and place of the threat to add to the file.

  “I have plans later. We’ll talk when it’s convenient for both of us.”

  Russell grabbed Kyra by the wrist, Jake stood but sat again as Kyra waved him down.

  “Your little stunt last night isn’t going to gain you custody.”

  Kyra dropped her voice to a whisper, but Jake heard every word. “You mean your stunt, don’t you? Remove your hand, and the charges stand. You will not ruin our son’s life with your petty grievances. Act like a man for once in your life. Take responsibility for your actions. You can’t rely on your parents forever.”

  Russell’s face flamed cerise. It looked as if he’d explode on the spot. Jake relaxed as Tom let go of her wrist. Kyra put her burger down to rub her wrist.

  “Are you ready, Trev?” Russell stood and grabbed Trevor by the arm.

  “Ouch, you’re hurting me, Daddy.” Trev tried to pull his arm away from Tom’s grip. This time Jake walked over and sat beside Kyra.

  “Tom, let him go.” Kyra’s tone brooked no room for argument. People were looking their way.

  “Sorry, buddy. I didn’t realize how strong I am.”

  “I’ll take Trevor home when he finishes his dinner. He needs to play awhile longer. It’s why he likes it here,” Kyra said.

  Tom looked down at her then at Jake. “I don’t want him near my son.”

  “Shut up,” Kyra said. “Trev, why don’t you go play in the ball thingy while Mommy talks to her friend for a minute? You can finish eating when you come back.”

  Children aren’t stupid and Trevor’s no exception. Trevor looked from his mother to his father then at Jake before he left them to their fight.

  “Well, aren’t we good parents?” she said.

  “If you’d control that snide tongue of yours we’d be in a better place.”

  Jake watched daggers shoot from Kyra’s eyes. “You’re a fool, and an arrogant bastard. You started this the minute I walked in. It’s neither the time or the place…but we’ll have this out when it’s convenient for me.”

  “Oh, you bet. Have him home in an hour or I call the police.” He stormed out.

  An hour later they took Trevor home. Jake drove with Kyra in her car but didn’t get out when she went to the door. He listened through the open car window as Kyra and Tom spoke. Russell seemed subdued.

  “Can we please talk, Kyra?”

  “I won’t be alone with you, not after last night. You’ve changed.”

  Good girl. Jake was glad Kyra stood at the door and didn’t go in.

  “You make me crazy, you always have.”

  “Oh come on. Stop the bullshit and grow up. We’re divorcing. Remember, going to the casino was another one of your bright ideas. Accept responsibility for your actions. Isn’t that what you said to me before you kicked me out and left me with nothing?”

  “We can’t get past it, can we?”

  “No.” She turned to leave.

  “Kyra, I am sorry. I assumed you’d stop gambling and come to your senses. I screwed up.”

  “Yeah, you did.” Shoulders slumped, she returned to the car. Jake pushed open her door. Kyra drove around the block then pulled to the curb and stopped the car. Jake took her in his arms while she cried it out.

  “Why don’t you drop me back at my car then I’ll follow you home?”

  She pulled into her condo parking lot a little before he did. Jake opened her car door, helped her out. “Come on, I’ll fix you a drink.”

  “I warned you about baggage. Remember, it’s your own fault for hanging around,” she said, trying for humor, but missed her mark.

  “Yes you did, but I told you last night I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

  “It seems like a lifetime away right now.”

  Arm in arm, they walked up the stairs to the condo. Once inside, Kyra started toward the kitchen but Jake stopped her.

  “Sit down and relax. I’ll get it. What do you want to drink?”

  “You don’t have to wait on me. I’m not injured.”

  “I want to wait on you. Say thank you and sit down.”

  “Thank you, I’ll have—”

  “I know—a rum and coke.”

  “Okeydokey… I’ll sit right here.”

  It cut right through him when Kyra sat and propped her feet on the coffee table, as she dropped her head on the back of the sofa. Her eyes closed, her mouth drooped.

  Jake walked to the doorway between the living room and kitchen with drinks in hand and a compress for her head, but stopped short. Helpless, he stood and observed her try to deal with it all. The agony on Kyra’s face ripped at his heart. Never had he seen a more pathetic expression.

  He’d heard every word she and Tom exchanged, but more, the hurt in Kyra’s voice resounded in his head. Jake gave her credit for controlling her temper and emotions in the restaurant. In the same situation, he’d have been all over Russell, unable to hold back his temper. He walked farther into the room, talking as not to startle her.

  “Here’s your drink. No, don’t get up.” He sat on the edge of the couch and pressed the cold compress on her head.

  “Thanks you make a good nurse.” She smiled

  “Don’t insult me. I’m a doctor. Want to play?”

  “Insult you… You just set back an entire profession, though playing doctor does sound good.”

  “Rest.”

  “Lord, Jake, you spend more time trying not to get laid.” She smiled into his shocked face. “What?”

  “I’d never have guessed you had such a gutter mouth. I like it.”

  “Good, I’m trying it out.”

  “Smart-ass.”

  “That’s me.” Kyra sat up, kissed him.

  “How did I rate a kiss?”

  “For being there and not judging me.”

  “Lie back down and rest for a bit. It’s been a tough night. Do you want anything?”

  “Only you,” she said, as she circled her arms around his waist. Jake hugged back as he leaned his forehead on hers.

  “Not going to rest, are you?”

  “You rest your way. I’ll rest mine.” She snuggled into him, nestling her lips to his neck under his jaw.

  “I won’t be responsible for my actions. You’re making me crazy.”

  “Promises, promises.” She laughed.

  He pushed off the couch, started to walk from the room.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  He came back and looked down at her. “Hay? What am I, a horse?”

  “Sorry. Where are you going, Jake?” She exaggerated every word.

  He picked her up off the couch, and carried
her into the bedroom. “I’m off to do battle. I pray I’ll survive.”

  “We can only hope.”

  “Oh, you’ll have to do your part to make sure I do. But you might be the death of me yet.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Unceremoniously, he dropped her on the bed and dove in after her.

  Chapter 20

  After a harrowing day, Jake rang the doorbell. He’d promised Kyra he’d stop by when his shift was over. When she opened the door she looked sexy as hell, all tossed from sleep.

  “I woke you, didn’t I?”

  “That’s okay. I must’ve dozed off.”

  He leaned over and gave her a kiss as he snugged her to his body.

  “Do you want coffee?”

  “Do you have a beer?”

  “Yes, sit down.”

  He followed her into the kitchen. “You should have told me you were tired.”

  “I’m good, it was a busy week and…” She reached into the refrigerator, moved things around until she found the beer.

  Jake took the bottle she offered. They walked back into the living room. He caught a glimpse of the paperwork as she turned the pile over. He’d spotted cremation forms, spreadsheets, and a bank statement. It wasn’t the content that bothered him, it was the way she did it. And damn, it wasn’t any of his business, but she had piqued his curiosity.

  “I haven’t told you that I’ve been assigned to the Missing Persons Department along with Homicide until they find another lieutenant. The brass isn’t in a hurry to replace him either. Which sticks in my gut, but that’s another story.”

  “You don’t seem happy about it.”

  “It’s more work, not more money or recognition.”

  She tucked her legs up under her and pulled the afghan off the back of the couch as she smoothed it down. He wished her hands were roaming over him like they did over the blanket.

  Distracted, the drawn look around her eyes had him changing tactics.

  “I should leave and let you sleep. After our week I bet you’re exhausted.”

  “No, I was looking forward to your company. Tell me about this new department.”