by Sara Blaedel
“Why didn’t Jesse just keep quiet?” Artie sat with his head in his hands. “He didn’t need to admit he’d pushed the girl; he could have gotten away with it, easy.”
Thomas thought that over for a while. “He wasn’t a murderer,” he finally said. “Being rejected was what broke him. It wasn’t about getting away with it. I don’t think he thought that way. He wrote at the end of the letter that they were leaving together. Neither one of them would be left alone again.”
Artie had looked sullen. “Yeah. Two little kids and a woman get left behind instead.”
Ilka closed her eyes and took in the deep sense of peace in the room. That morning, when she and Sister Eileen were preparing for the service, they had closed the back part of the chapel off and pushed the plush sofas closer to the coffin, to create a more intimate atmosphere.
Kathy had asked to say a few words up by the coffin, and without thinking Ilka had asked if she needed a microphone. Shelby had said a few of Emma’s friends might show up too, also some of Mike’s old school buddies who had stopped by the evening before. The news about Jesse Oldham had spread through town like wildfire, and most people now knew that Mike had been innocent.
Ilka was unaware of when those attending the services had begun streaming in. At first she thought it must be Emma’s friends and Mike’s classmates she was hearing. But suddenly someone came up and introduced herself as his grade school teacher. Then some of the people he’d worked with at the Italian restaurant on the harbor walked in, then some from the shop where he’d worked afternoons. Finally, Sister Eileen suggested they open the back part of the chapel so there would be room enough for everyone.
It also took a while before Shelby discovered what was happening behind her. She was sitting on the plush sofa, a grandchild on each side of her. When the twins came in the room and saw their father, they called out his name. And they cried when he didn’t answer. Kathy hugged them for a long time, and finally they calmed down. Now they sat on the sofa, staring up at the glittering black coffin.
Finally, when Emma tapped her mother’s shoulder and pointed, Shelby turned and saw the chapel was full. Ilka had already sent the sister out to call the town’s Danish bakers, to hear if they had enough kringles for an emergency delivery. Artie was making coffee and setting out more cups.
A bewildered Shelby stood up and gazed at all the people. She began walking around, greeting everyone who had showed up to pay their respects to her son.
Ilka smiled at her. How could the entire town so quickly find out the time of the funeral service? she wondered. Apart from the family, only the police had known. Maybe this was Officer Thomas’s way of apologizing to Mike. She was a bit upset that they weren’t better prepared; there were no hors d’oeuvres or bouquets of flowers on the round table in the foyer. The fireplace in the chapel wasn’t even lit.
Fortunately, the people attending didn’t notice much other than the elegant coffin. After they greeted the family, they filed past the coffin and took their seats.
From the snatches of conversation Ilka overheard, it seemed Artie had done well. She shut out all thoughts and enjoyed the peace in the room as the voices died down. It was like sitting in a church just before a pastor began the sermon. And it occurred to Ilka that she hadn’t thought much about her father the past few days. Suddenly, though, he was here again, like an almost physical presence.
Quietly she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. Then she walked upstairs and lay down on the bed.
The mood of the funeral service had moved her deeply, and now she felt closer to her father than she had ever before. She tried to imagine the version of him she’d never known. And she realized it was too early for her to go home, with so many facts that didn’t add up, so much left unsaid, so many things still a mystery to her.
Another letter had arrived, at the bottom of the pile of advertisements, bills, and an offer for washing windows. A white envelope with the same feminine handwriting as some of the letters her father had hidden in the desk drawer. Ilka hadn’t read the older letters yet, but she had opened the new one after recognizing the handwriting.
“You have a week to pay, otherwise the truth will come out.”
To be continued…
Acknowledgments
The Undertaker’s Daughter is a work of fiction. Some of the places in this book are real, and certain people have been sources of inspiration. But the story comes from my imagination.
The idea for the book came to me in 2013. My parents died within three days of each other, and six weeks later, my beloved Aunt Kirsten followed them. Throughout my entire life, these three people have been my closest family.
All three funerals were handled by the same undertaker. I’d known nothing about her or her funeral home before then, and it surprised me when a young, smiling, and very sweet woman stood at my door.
In the chaos of all my sorrow, I felt that she picked me up. She took care of everything in the most caring and professional manner. Even when I called three days after meeting her and asked her to delay my mother’s funeral, because my father had also died. And after I hung up, after we had planned all the practical details for the funeral of both my parents, it was clear to me that my next main character would be an undertaker.
Therefore, a special thank-you goes out to Christina Gauguin from Elholm Funeral Home. First and foremost, because of the perfect farewells arranged for my parents and Aunt Kirsten. But also, because you, Lone, Marianne, and Victor kept your doors open to me, answered all my questions, and allowed me to take an apprenticeship in undertaking. You are the greatest inspiration for The Undertaker’s Daughter.
I would also like to thank the Wilson Funeral Home and Ann Meredith from the Meredith Funeral Home, both in Racine, for allowing me to come in and ask my many questions. Thank you for showing me around and teaching me about an undertaking tradition very much unlike that in Denmark.
Thanks go out to Steen Holger Hansen, a forensic pathologist who throughout my writing career has taken time to explain how my fictional ideas would take place in the real world.
Thank you, Trine Busch. You were the first person I shared my new idea with, and you believed in it right from the start. Thanks for accompanying me to Racine and helping me find my bearings in this area so new to me.
My publisher, People’s Press, also deserves my heartfelt thanks. You were immediately receptive to the idea of a new series. It’s so enjoyable working with all of you. And thanks to Rasmus Funder, who once again succeeded in designing the perfect book cover.
Thank you, Ditte Degner, for continuing as my social media manager, even though as a law student you have more than enough on your plate. I simply would have hated to see you go. I appreciate you staying on the team.
My editor, Lisbeth Møller-Madsen, is my better half when it comes to my books. We constantly remind each other that it must be fun, and I thank my lucky stars that it was this time, too. Dear Lisbeth, thank you so much for so quickly agreeing to take care of Ilka and my new world. Working with you has truly been a gift to me.
It’s also been fun working with Malene Kirkegaard Nielsen from the Plot Workshop, who helped form the framework for my undertaker universe. You’re the best sparring partner I could have asked for, Malene. Thank you.
Also, thanks to my fantastic PR agent, Elisa Lykke. You know me very well, and you have an incredibly sharp eye for knowing what’s in my best interest. Thank you for your wholehearted support.
There are four people who mean so very, very much to me, not only because they ensure that my books are published throughout the world but also because they are always there for me, backing me up in every way. Thank you, Victoria Sanders, my wonderful agent, Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Chris Kepner, and Jessica Spivey from Victoria Sanders & Associates, for such a tremendous team effort.
Benee Knauer helped me greatly with research for this book. She answered tons of questions and dug things up every time there was something I
couldn’t find myself. Thank you for making Racine and my American world familiar to me.
A special thanks goes out to Karin Slaughter, for sharing a story with me when I told her about my new venture. I would never have come up with the story myself. Thank you for your ability to shake me up with bizarre stories from the real world. But most of all, thank you for being my friend.
My greatest thank-you goes out to my son, Adam. You were the first one to read the initial draft of The Undertaker’s Daughter, and you told me at once to keep on working because you wanted to read more. You’re the best.
And finally, to my fantastic readers and my followers on Facebook—thank you so very much! You are my greatest incentive. Thank you for always trusting me to come up with what you want to read. It means all the world to me.
—Sara Blaedel
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About the Author
Sara Blaedel’s suspense novels have enjoyed incredible success around the world: fantastic acclaim, multiple awards, and runaway #1 bestselling success internationally. In her native Denmark, Sara was voted most popular novelist for the fourth time in 2014. She is also a recipient of the Golden Laurel, Denmark’s most prestigious literary award. Her books are published in thirty-seven countries. Her series featuring police detective Louise Rick is adored the world over, and Sara is excited for the launch of her new Undertaker’s Daughter suspense series in the United States.
Sara Blaedel’s interest in story, writing, and especially crime fiction was nurtured from a young age. The daughter of a renowned Danish journalist and an actress whose career included roles in theater, radio, TV, and movies, Sara grew up surrounded by a constant flow of professional writers and performers visiting the Blaedel home. Despite a struggle with dyslexia, books gave Sara a world in which to escape when her introverted nature demanded an exit from the hustle and bustle of life.
Sara tried a number of careers, from a restaurant apprenticeship to graphic design, before she started a publishing company called Sara B, where she published Danish translations of American crime fiction.
Publishing ultimately led Sara to journalism, and she covered a wide range of stories, from criminal trials to the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I. It was during this time—and while skiing in Norway—that Sara started brewing the ideas for her first novel. In 2004 Louise and Camilla were introduced in Grønt Støv (“Green Dust”), and Sara won the Danish Academy for Crime Fiction’s debut prize.
Today Sara lives in New York City, and when she isn’t busy committing brutal murders on the page, she is an ambassador with Save the Children and serves on the jury of a documentary film competition.
Books by Sara Blaedel
THE LOUISE RICK SERIES
The Missing Persons Trilogy
The Forgotten Girls
The Killing Forest
The Lost Woman
The Camilla Trilogy
The Night Women
The Running Girl
The Stolen Angel
THE UNDERTAKER SERIES
The Undertaker’s Daughter