Stolen Lives: A Detective Mystery Series SuperBoxset
Page 57
***
Bodies dressed in black stood between the rows of headstones in the cemetery. Lacy veils covered faces, and heads were downturned in respect and grief. The casket was raised above the open grave below, and a rifle team fired off twenty-one rounds as an American flag was folded over the coffin. Shoulders shuddered at the gunfire, and hundreds of white-gloved hands were raised in respect to the picture of Cooper, dressed in her blues, with a green wreath draped over the frame that sat perched next to her grave.
And in the front row of seats near the grave, with his hands folded in his lap, Tim sat with his daughters, both of whom wore small black dresses, their cheeks red from crying. He put his arms around both of them, whispering into Sarah’s ear. His oldest nodded, and when the officer walked over with the folded flag and handed it to her, she clutched it tight to her chest.
The ceremony was quick, the priest’s words moving but succinct. The hundreds who’d attended the funeral were mostly in uniform, showing up either because of orders from the chief or to finally pay their long-overdue respects to a colleague.
Tim and the girls each grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it over the casket as it was lowered into the ground. Condolences were offered as the crowds dispersed, and Tim shook the hands of people he’d never met and would never see again. When it was over, he walked the girls back to their car, Sarah still pressing the folded flag tight to her chest.
With the girls buckled up in the back seat, Tim glanced in the rearview mirror. It was a lot for them to take in. They’d barely just put their mother in the ground, and now they’d lost an aunt. “Are you guys hungry at all?” Both shook their heads, and Tim started the car. “Well, if you get—” A knock on the driver’s window startled him, and he reached for the electronic lever and triggered the glass to roll down. “Can I help you?”
The young man fiddled with his hands uncomfortably, twisting the wedding band around his finger in quick turns. “Mr. Hamilton, I’m Jason Hart. I was Cooper’s partner.”
Tim shook his head and extended his hand through the window. “Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”
“No, it’s all right.” Hart smoothed out the tie on his chest and stomach then tucked his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to express my condolences. I didn’t work with her for very long, but Cooper was a hell of a detective.” He tossed a quick glance into the back window at the girls. “How are you holding up?”
“It’s been a lot to process.” Despite the prickly relationship he’d shared with his sister-in-law, he was surprised at the grief he’d felt when he was told about her death. “But I think we’re doing the best we can.”
Hart cleared his throat and then reached into his jacket pocket. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that the department is starting a fund in Cooper’s honor. All of the money received will be transferred to you.” He extended a business card through the window. “That’s my contact information so we can set up a time to chat later.”
Tim placed the card in the cup holder and gave a curt nod. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”
“And if there’s anything you ever need, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Will do.” Tim reached through the open window, and the two shook hands once more. As he drove off, Hart remained frozen in place, growing smaller in the rearview mirror.
“Daddy?” Mary asked. “Is Aunt Addy with Mommy now?”
Sarah started crying, and the leather of the steering wheel groaned from Tim’s grip. “Yeah, sweetie.” His voice grew thick with phlegm, and his eyes watered. “She’s with Mommy now.”
***
The groundskeeper packed in the last bit of dirt on the gravesite long after the crowds had disappeared. All that remained now was the headstone and the picture of Cooper in her dress blues. Hart stood at the foot of the grave, staring at the stone, entranced. “I’m so sorry, Cooper.”
Hart removed his hand from his pocket and wiped his eye, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t have had to do it alone.” He cracked a half smile. “Though I’m not sure that’s what you wanted in the first place.” He knelt, flattening his palm into the cool, freshly turned dirt. “You were the best cop I’d ever met. You walked the line as far as you could take it. You didn’t fail the law. The law failed you.” He fisted the dirt, the soil squeezing through the cracks of his fingers. “But I won’t let the law fail again.”
Hart pushed himself off the ground and rested his hand on the headstone. “Thank you, Cooper. For everything.” A gust of wind brushed across his face and then carried away the dirt he slowly sifted from his fist. He returned to the car, where Katie was waiting, clutching her massive belly with both hands.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Hart leaned over and kissed her lips, lacing his fingers over hers and feeling the light kick of their daughter, and smiled. “I will be.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!
Writing has always been a passion of mine and it’s incredibly gratifying and rewarding whenever you give me an opportunity to let you escape from your everyday surroundings and entertain the world that is your imagination.
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Again, thank you so much for letting me into your world. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it!
Take care,
James Hunt
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Stolen Lives Super Boxset
The Abducted: A Race Against Time
Discovery
Crime Scene
A New Friend
Interrogation
Released
Deadly Exchange
Teamwork
Remembrance
Showdown
The Abducted: Vengeance
Escape
Breathe
Painful Reunion
Six Months Later
The Informant
Search for Sarah
Duplex
Captured
Holding Cell
Purgatory
Last Stand
Death Notes: The Beginning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Death Notes Bloodied Words
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Death Notes: Obituary
Chapter 1 – Baltimore 30 years ago
Chapter 2 – Baltimore – Present Day
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
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