In the meantime, I sat back in my seat and tried to relax and listen to Ian. His voice was warm and melodic, but the words were lost on me. All that had happened so far in this day had left me more shaken than I wanted to admit. Now I sat with my hands clenched in my lap, feeling a tremble deep in the pit of my stomach while a dull roar vibrated inside my head.

My fingernails are dirty, I thought as I glanced at my hands in front of me. I had managed to clean my hair and my face. The fact that my nails were filled with dirt had escaped my attention. With a sort of odd fascination, I held my hands out in front of me and studied the effect. It looked like a French manicure, but with brown tips instead of white.

The funeral service ended with a prayer and then instructions on leaving the parking lot in the vehicular procession to the cemetery. The family would depart first, so we all stood at our seats as soft music played.

Marion led the way, Derek firmly supporting her arm as they headed up the aisle. She looked absolutely distraught. The black veil over her face did not hide her sorrow. I caught Derek’s eye, and he acknowledged me with a slight nod.

Next came Judith, walking with two older gentlemen who I assumed were relatives. She also noticed me as she went past, though if she felt surprised to see me, it didn’t show on her face.

Then came Alan Bennet. He headed down the aisle with the general crowd, deep in conversation with another man. As he neared me and then his eyes met mine, he seemed to visibly flinch. He stopped talking, his face suddenly pale.

Bingo.

“Callie,” he said, trying to recover, forcing a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

He reached out to shake my hand and I hesitated, feeling a strange calm sweep over me. It made things much better, knowing my enemies. I took his hand, debating whether to make some wry comment like, “Please excuse the dirt under my nails. I was doing a little digging this morning.” But I didn’t necessarily want him to know that I knew it was he. Instead, I remained silent, giving him an enigmatic smile before he moved on.

I drove myself to the cemetery, my little Saturn near the end of the procession. As I dutifully followed the car in front of me, I thought of Tom’s exhortation that I remove myself from this case at the first sign of personal danger. He should know me better than that, I thought. He should know that an attack like this would only strengthen my resolve. I’m not about to duck out on this investigation now.

I just wouldn’t mention to him what had happened.