J.T. Warren: Remains

The announcement of the identity of the remains came the day I checked out. It brought reporters from all over to the state. Everyone wanted to know where Sheriff Aiken had gone. No one knew. Suspicion fell on him. I never asked Bud what they’d done with the body or the car, and he never volunteered the information.

I stayed with Kevin. We packed everything he considered essential into one suitcase. While we did, I thought about how fast things had gotten. Days were passing where I didn’t say a word. Time slipped past me.

At the funeral, the pastor spoke, but I couldn’t hear him. All I could do was look at the tiny casket and think ‘he’s there’. I knew he finally was. Dr. Gantner had brought Mrs. McPherson, who smiled to herself the whole time, and kept her hands on her belly, fingers splayed open. He stood near her. She met my eyes, once, and I thought for a second she might wink. It was as if she and I were the only ones who got some huge joke. She didn’t, though. Kevin stood by me the whole time.

I wanted the moment to last longer, but it didn’t. I can barely remember it; not like I remember the rest. They lowered the casket down and I stayed until the men were finally shoveling dirt onto the lid. Kevin took my hand and lead me back to the car. Dr. Gantner drove up; he’d taken Mrs. McPherson back to the hospital.

“Sorry to see you go,” He said, shaking my hand.

“No offense meant, but I’m not,” I said. He smiled and shook my hand one last time, then let go. He looked over at Kevin, and they hugged.

“You remember what I told you, young man,” Bud said.

Kevin nodded. “I’ll try.”

On the drive to the airport, I asked. “He said ‘your body is just flesh, son; no matter what people have done to it, it is still possible to remain pure.’”

I smiled to myself, and looked out the window, “He’s a smart man.”

“Yeah. I think he is.”

As we climbed above the clouds, the sun blazed from behind what was left of a storm front. The warmth came in through the window, tinting it orange and gold. I put my hand on top of Kevin’s, and smiled at him. His fingers gripped mine back. The warmth settled on my shoulder and my chest, and I wondered just how long it had been since I felt anything like it.

Copyright © 2016 J. Warren. All rights reserved. Publication history of individual stories can be found at the beginning of this volume.

No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in 2016 by Lethe Press, Inc.

www.lethepressbooks.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-59021-606-4

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously.

Cover design: Inkspiral Design