“It took a while, but when they saw my parents living out the message they preached, they embraced that message as their own. They started putting their trust in Jesus. And after that, their mourning for the dead changed. They still mourned, because they missed them. But they didn’t mourn without hope. They knew their loved one was in a better place.”

Sabin shifted his body toward Abby. “So…I guess I’m not getting it. What does that have to do with this funeral?”

She gestured back toward the gathering. “That woman’s message…There is no hope there. To say we’re alive and then our molecules simply return to be elements in the physical universe—what does that say, not only about death, but about life? It takes away the meaning. If we are simply collections of atoms.”

“I don’t know if she—”

“And then when that little boy got up and said essentially the same thing—to hear such a hopeless message about life coming from a young boy. He doesn’t even realize how hopeless it is. This is what life is here now—even for children.” She paused, shaking her head slowly. How could people live like this? “After everything I grew up believing about America, it’s just so depressing. So frustrating.”

“I’m…I’m sorry it upset you.”

They were silent for a moment. Abby looked back at the creek. “My grandfather’s funeral wasn’t like this, was it?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

Abby was surprised. “You weren’t? What did Lauren say about it?”

“She wasn’t there, either. Some overseas trip suddenly came up.”

Again Abby felt a pang for her grandfather. She couldn’t help being unavailable for him, but she wished it had been different. “Who was there?”

“I can find out.”

“Do you know if they produced a visual of the funeral? If they did, I’d like to see it.”

Sabin shook his head. “We never received one. Not that Lauren asked, I’m sure. She did get an inheritance check, though.”

“An inheritance check?”

“All the heirs got…but I suppose you couldn’t have gotten one.”

“No.”

“I wonder if you were in the will.”

Abby shrugged. She knew money would be helpful if any had been willed to her, but the thought of her grandfather’s lonely service still occupied her.

Sabin stood and motioned for her to follow him. They walked back to Lauren, who was concluding a brief interview with a local reporter. Sabin waited for the man to walk away.

“Picking up a few votes, Lauren?”

She shot him an exaggerated scowl. “The other side takes advantage of dead folks. Why can’t I?”

“Abby and I were talking about Ray’s death.”

“Who?”

“Your uncle Ray.”

“Oh yes. Him.”

Abby felt like shaking her cousin. What was wrong with Lauren that she couldn’t show basic respect for her own uncle?