Chapter Two
As Bug's Jeep coasted onto the street, Lily asked, "So what is the stop you have to make?"
"Oh, it's just identification. When I notified the next of kin on the phone, they refused to come to the morgue, so I arranged to make an appearance and get it over with," he said, semi-cheerfully. His job helped him to get his mind off of Lily and her future. He motioned to a manila envelope between the driver's seat and the console.
Lily nodded, saying compassionately, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Well, there's a grieving family indoors but judging from the way they didn't really want anything to do with anybody else. I'll only be gone for a few minutes. If you want, you can stay here," he suggested, worried more about inconveniencing her.
She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, "Come on, Bug, when has a morgue employee ever 'stayed in the car'?"
Bug chuckled, "I suppose you're right." He was glad that she still referred to herself as a 'morgue employee'.
He pulled up beside the curb in a very suburban looking neighborhood. Nearly every lawn was trimmed to a precise length, children played joyously outside. Bug could hear birds chirping and the springs of a trampoline working overtime. Lily smiled at the sound of people laughing. They could smell the scent of tangy barbeque sauce marinating meat on an outdoor grill.
The grey two storey house they stood in front of was similar to all of the others on the street. The Victorian styled house was kept in good exterior condition; its white trim and dark faux shutters looked freshly painted. The windows gleamed; the hedges and lawn in the yard were kept neatly trimmed. However, it had obvious differences as well.
No children graced the driveway with basketballs or bicycles. No happy parents watched their offspring from the porch as they played. All of the curtains on the house were drawn tight. The windows and door shut, preventing the refreshing spring air from making its way inside.
Bug and Lily thought nothing of it. The family had already been informed of the death. Their grief prevented them from acting like their neighbors.
A light breeze rustled the new leaves on the tall trees bordering the property line. Lily pulled the collar up on her coat feeling a shiver down her spine. Bug used the golden knocker on the door.
While waiting for an answer, he prepared the contents of the manila envelope. They waited in silence.
And waited.
"Knock again?" Lily suggested. Her voice was almost a whisper, afraid to disturb the peacefulness of the house.
A second, louder, knock echoed through the neighborhood.
"Maybe they don't hear the knocker," she said, pressing the bell. She could hear its haunting ring inside the house.
Bug stepped out onto the lawn to view the upper level of the house. He didn't know what he expected to see, a flicker of the drapes to signify that somebody was home perhaps. The situation was odd. He had spoken to a woman on the phone hardly an hour before who told him it would be fine for him to stop by before seven.
As if their brains were on the same wavelength, Lily checked her watch, "6:15."
Bug had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Furrowing his brow he said, "I don't like this." He decided to explore around the house, like a door to door salesman adamant on making a sale.
A black sheet was draped over the window on the rear door. Bug knocked on this door as Lily followed him around the corner.
"This place gives me the creeps because it's so normal."
"But it's not normal. Who drapes black sheets over back door windows?"
"People have their reasons—"
Suddenly the door opened a crack. Startled, Lily let out a yelp.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Vijay from the Massachusetts Coroner's office. This is my colleague, Ms. Lebowski. I called earlier and spoke to a woman in regards to her husband, Mr. Campbell. May we come in?"
From what little they could see of his face, they could tell he was glowering at them. He didn't say anything. He just stood there for a moment trying to see through them. It made Lily feel uncomfortable.
"It will only take a few moments for a positive identification of the deceased. And, if the family wishes, Ms. Lebowski could speak with them, she is a certified grief counselor.
"Good for her," the man spat harshly. He opened the door a little wider, but still blocking their entrance. He wore only black, a thin turtleneck sweater, casual dress pants, and polished shoes. He had a thick head of salt and pepper hair. However, it wasn't his attire that caught their attention. His face was badly scarred, perhaps from a severe burn. His once handsome features were contorted into a roadmap of horror.
After looking them over, he let them step ahead of him. They noticed the change immediately as they stepped from light into darkness. Their eyes were blinded momentarily as the door was shut and locked behind them. Lily paused for a moment, pondering the extra security.
With the drapes closed, the house was dark, like being indoors on a stormy day. They were led from the kitchen into the front portion of the house where a young blonde woman and a small boy were on a couch. The woman was slumped over the arm of the sofa, unconscious. The boy clung to her, visibly shaken and whimpering.
Lily ran to their side and took the woman's cold hand. Kneeling at her feet, she noticed that the woman's blood on her hands was also caked in her hair; she had suffered a blow to the head. "Bug!" Lily screamed.
"Not so fast," the scarred man said as Bug stepped to Lily's side. He lifted a shotgun that had been concealed behind the wall. He aimed it at Bug with a wild grin on his face. He looked like a nightmare.
Bug nearly lost his step. His head swam as he stared down the loaded weapon and he wondered what kind of situation he had brought Lily into.