The Double Funeral

Looking up at the looming grey gargoyles Frankie didn't hear Ben shouting his name from the top of the church stairs. So Eli, never the one to be subtle, picked up a cold stone pebble and tossed it at Frank. The impact was light but the reaction dramatic, a flail of arms and then a regain of balance. He glared up with his dark distressed eyes at the cackling pair- who never considered any place, not even a funeral, inappropriate for a good laugh. Thank god there was only the five of us attending. 

“Well you two sure haven't changed? How have you been, cooped up in this old town", Frankie stuttered, a little more than nervous. Ben was the first one to reply, “We have been just fine, and if I’m right- not seeing us has been by your choosing. In fact the last time I talked to Shane he mentioned that you had told him you hoped to never see this town ever again. That you would rather die then come back..." I guess I should mention that brutally honest is a soft way of describing Ben. 

There was an awkward silence then, and from the corner of my eye I noticed Eli taking a Pull from his flask, and heard the hard swallow. Finally Frankie decided to defend himself with,” well time is money and I love making money. Plus this town was always too small for me anyway, Shane understood that. That is why I am here, for him."  Restraint filled my two companions; they held a love for our humble little town and a deep respect for our late friend Shane. Eli, suddenly serious looked soberly at Frank and said, “You never cared about anyone except yourself. . . And we know why you’re actually here... You" and before he went on Ben cut him off with, “Enough, let's just get this over with, welcome back Frank". He then turned away, grabbed Eli by the shoulder, and walked inside through the heavy steel doors.

Inside it was dark, but with some light leaking through the murky unwashed glass saints. We filed in, letting our shoes make the only echo. The place is empty except for the man in all black kneeling before the coffin at the front, Dale. As he heard our footsteps he stood, pulled his jacket straight and turned. "How was your trip Frankie? It’s been a long time." He almost smiled, but not a normal smile, not a good to see you smile. Frank's demeanor lightened up as he said, "Finally someone with manors, it was good Dale thank you... and yeah, how long has it been six years?" "Seven" whispered Eli. "Yeah, seven. . . “Echoed Frankie.

~~~

It had been exactly seven years actually, in this same spot. The church, only it wasn't a funeral but a wedding, Dales. We were all so much younger and full of life. Her name was Janna and she was the kind of girl that took everyone’s breath away when she entered a room. She had an inner light that made everyone around her happier just to be alive. Many people said she was the best thing to happen to Dale that was until their wedding day. We all had gathered, at least half the town, and Dale stood at the altar... but she never came. 

Dale waited a day standing in that one spot; with such a weight on him that some say it left imprints in the floorboards. We just couldn't move him. Her family hadn't seen her since the night before, and she hadn't called. A week went by, and then we got worried and started a manhunt. It wasn't until three months later that they found the body. Dale was never the same, and Eli took to drinking. She was the light of our lives, and someone had raped and mangled and stabbed and snuffed that light out.

Frankie and Shane had moved south to California the next day to start on their Hollywood dreams. The truth is those died within the year and Frank convinced Shane to move with him to Vegas. Shane had kept in touch, but Frank had changed, he thought he was too big for our town and our friendships, he was a big shot. 

~~~

"So this is going to be a closed casket huh? Too bad, he was such a good guy." Frank broke the ice, he always felt like he was closest to Shane, but that was wrong. The five of us, Dale, Eli, Ben, and me were Shane's best friends; Frank was just a kid riding on Shane coat-tail to fame and fortune." He was one of the best things to ever come out of this Town, and I think each of us owes a lot to his memory", Dale spoke as if the pews were full, and his words had an eerie ring.

"Shane was too great for this town, too great for any of us; I hope whoever did this to him rots in hell...” Ben said, then bumped me to say something. I shook my head and placed down a folded up note on top the casket. I heard a top unscrew behind me, and heard Eli drink from his flask. I turned to see him burning a hole in the back of frank's head, and then he barely whispered, “Let’s just finish this."

Frankie was sweating, but tried to hide it in his clenched fists. "Why would it be my fault, you think I did it? The fucking guy shot him; the business was going down the Shitter." "Yes Frank we think you did it, come clean and tell the truth you bastard" Ben spoke like the bad cop from some movie, except in this scene the good cop is nowhere to be found. "I didn't do it! Dale please back me up here", Frankie pleaded almost in tears. Then Dale, breaking his own code of silence looked up at Frankie and said, "if it’s true, look in that casket, at that boy, our friend Shane, that corpse. Then tell me you didn't do it."

Frank froze; he didn't expect this, "Fine. If that’s what will prove it". His steps were slow, creeping towards the big dark coffin, like something out of a vampire movie that Shane never got to star in. Then he lifts the lid, and gasped. It was then he understood, and even behind him I could see the blood drain from his face. I heard a metallic click, not the same as a flask, harder and colder.Dale held his 9mm like a cowboy, the barrel right at the back of Frankie's Head and said," Turn around Frankie, I want to look you in the eyes and hear you  say it." Frankie, now in tears, turned slowly to face us and said the words, "I did it." Then Bang, Dale shot Frank, It was over.We all breathed deeply the smell of Iron, wood and dust.

Inside the coffin were the pictures of the thirty-seven dead girls that Shane had sent to me with a note explaining what to do. One of them was Janna, the first; the others were missing girls all the way from Santé Fe to Reno. Shane wrote a letter to Dale and the police explaining what he had found and sent the pictures to us as proof. We told Sheriff Barton that Frankie confessed and then shot himself. Most of the Town Knew the truth but never spoke a word. The good thing about small towns is their ability to keep secrets.

The next day was when Shane's real funeral took place; We then talked before a crowd, how great our dead friend really was, how his light was so suddenly taken from us. We quoted him many times, for he was the brightest and best of us. He was loved by many, and disliked by few. I quoted Janna, who had said one time that ,"It is not the wolfs in the wood to be most afraid of but the one's wearing the wool." She was right, then again, she was always right. 

Shane had once said ," Some times to right a wrong, a wrong has to be done. But do that wrong only if you know that it is the right thing. Do that thing knowing that it will not fix anything, it won’t make the world a better place." I can’t say that I feel bad about what we did; I won’t say that it was right. I will say that Franklin Lee Jones was a terribly evil man, and that we stopped his evil. 

After the funeral I saw Dale kneeling in front of Janna's grave. I heard Eli and Ben laughing in the background at something, no flask, back to themselves again. I walked up next to dale and placed a sunflower on top of Janna's gravestone, Dale looked up at me and smiled. Not the normal kind of smile, but something different, something better. The kind of smile that makes everyone else smile. My friend Dale had finally found Peace.


 Finally after all the others had left, After all the tears had been cried, I got to say goodbye to my friend Shane in peace and quite. I opened the letter he sent me, and read again what he had said. 

~~~

Dear Sam,

       I am sorry to take my own life, but I cannot bear the weight of my crimes any longer. Frank and me have become monsters in these last seven years. He and I have killed many girls. . . Janna was the first. I need to bring it to an end. I have already sent the evidence to the FBI, and a letter to Dale. Frank will be in town for my funeral next week. I am so sorry, I know this won’t fix things, I know this can’t bring her back. We cant undo the things we have done. But at least we can stop Frank from killing any more. Tell dale to do what must be done. He won’t fail, I know him. It won’t make the world a better place, but I hope it will stop it from getting darker. I don't expect to be remembered as anything more then a monster created by Frank. But maybe you guys cane remember the better days, when we all were so young and pure, before that light died.

Your old friend, 

                       -Shane

~~~

I took out my lighter and set the note aflame. I don't know if it was right or wrong to do, but I did it. His secret will die with me, In this small silent town by the river. Just maybe doing this can make the world a better place. I hope I can stop it from getting any darker.  Sometimes doing the right thing just means doing something. I think Right and wrong are only matters of opinion anyway.