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Chapter 8 Funeral Arrangements

Ryan stepped out into the midday sun and covered his eyes. He looked around and noticed off in the distance, the press trucks, waiting for their statement about the funeral for the recently departed Meranda Cross. Looking toward the other side of the parking lot, he noticed Colette’s car. Walking towards it he noticed that Colette still sat inside. Tapping on the window, he watched as the young woman jumped and looked at him. Rolling down the window she sighed.
“Sorry, I was going to come in really I was.”
“I know, it’s hard without her here.”
“It is, and with the press right out there breathing down our backs, looking for answers.”
“Looking for the truth, and some don’t even know that the killer is watching, waiting for us to mess up.”
“We wont.” Colette said climbing from the car and following Ryan back to the building. Ryan knew that the funeral had to look as real as possible, so if that meant burying someone without a name as Meranda Cross then so be it.
“Do we have someone to bury?”
“Yep, but it will be a closed casket funeral. The woman was badly burned and even if she wasn’t she looks nothing like Meranda. We will have the funeral tomorrow. I have to release the time and place to the local news crews and the paper. So that everyone will attend.”
“Your going all out on this one?”
“She will remain safe and secure until she’s better and the bastard that did this to her is in jail.”
“Yes sir. I will make sure that James is notified. He hasn’t left her side since they moved her.”
“I think Agent Williams likes her. And because of that, he will keep her safe.”
“I agree.” Colette said, she had been having that feeling long before Meranda had been hurt, the feeling that something good was to happen between James and Meranda. But it was up to the two of them to bring their troubled hearts together. But what troubled Colette was she saw the shooting of Meranda in a vision and did nothing to stop it, she knew that things in the future couldn’t be changed just contained. She just wished that she had contained it better and was able to warn Meranda enough to save her from the pain she would live for the rest of her life.
“What is on your mind?” Ryan asked seeing the look on Colette’s face.
“A lot, and nothing.” Colette said looking at him.
“Wrong, what is going on?”
“I saw Meranda getting shot, long before it happened. I should have warned her.”
“Meranda has the same gift.”
“She can’t see her own undoing, none of us can. But I saw it and should have warned her. But I left it and thought that it was wrong. And instead she lays in the hospital near death.”
“And none of this was your fault. Even if you would have warned her, do you really think that would have stopped her from going?”
“Not really, but she would have known the danger and would have been ready for it.”
“Being ready for your own death is not the way any agent wants to live. Believe me, her father didn’t live that way and I don’t see Meranda wanting to do it either. Death is something none of us can hide from. Death is the result, we just have to change the factors that get us there.”
“This is true. I guess even without the gift, you understand this.”
“Yeah I do. And as an FBI agent I also know that death is part of the job. Don’t let what happened to Meranda change the fact that we have a killer to catch.” Ryan pointed out. Colette nodded and sighed as they walked further down the hallway. She looked around, at this point everyone in the building could have been the one that shot Meranda. All of the agents were told Meranda was dead. Only James, Colette and Ryan knew that she wasn’t. With James remaining at the hospital as security, many agents were getting suspicious. But one seemed the most interested in why James had yet to return.
“Where is Agent Williams?”
“Still at the hospital. He is finishing up with the investigation there, and then is to meet us at the funeral. Is there a problem Agent?” Ryan asked looking at George.
“No problem at all sir, I was just wondering why he had yet to return.”
“Just finishing up what I asked him. It was his partner after all.” Ryan said. He watched as George shifted restlessly from one foot to the other.
“Why don’t you meet us at the funeral home. Many of the Agents and local Police are already starting to arrive there. You were her father’s partner at one time. Why don’t you make sure that everything is set?” Colette suggested.
“Good idea.” Ryan replied looking at the uneasy man. George nodded and nearly bolted from the building. Colette looked toward Ryan and then she too headed out of the building, she had no intention on allowing that man to get anywhere near that hospital. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket she quickly dialed the hospital number and asked to have James paged.
“James?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Have someone take over for you. We’ve told the press that all agents and local authorities will be at the funeral. We need you to get out of that hospital now.”
“Why what’s wrong?”
“George is on his way your direction. Maybe if he sees you exiting the parking lot he’ll believe the story that your there finishing up the investigation into the death of Agent Cross.”
“All right, the security is here, I am on my way out.” James said hanging up. Colette sighed as she followed behind George at a safe distance but made sure not to lose sight of him. The afternoon rush hour traffic was going to be hard to move through. Colette watched as James’s car pulled out of the hospital lot and was quickly followed by George’s car. Colette smiled, knowing that meant that Meranda was safe for one more day.

Colette parked her car and started the long walk toward the church where the funeral was to be held. The church was filled with police, FBI agents and political official’s from all over the city. She could hardly believe that Meranda was this well liked. She walked through the door and stopped near the large guest book, there it was already on the fifth page and she noticed that many signatures had been from the local officials. Meranda would have thought it nice to see so many there, but was it right that all these people thought she was dead?
James made his way into the church and looked around, standing near the doorway was George. He seemed to be deep in conversation with one of the politicians that came from another district. Moving closer, he tried to hear what they were saying.
“I guess it’s true, that’s one less agent we have to deal with.”
“I am sure that there will be a lot more. Meranda was a well liked agent within the agency, and I know with this death. They will look into it more.”
“Why?”
“Because her partner was killed only two weeks before she was. They will assume that there was something or someone behind it. I don’t know about you Senator but we can’t keep killing the agents.”
“You will do as your told, and like it.”
“Senator Kelly, we can’t be doing this.”
“Meranda Cross and her father were a thorn in my side, now that both are out of the way. We can continue with the job at hand.”
“Yes sir.” George said looking toward the front of the church.
There under the lights sat a dark oak coffin, the lid closed and a picture of Meranda Cross sitting on top. Flowers adorned the coffin from one end to the other. Soft crying could be heard from the front of the church. All eyes now lay upon the coffin and the man that now stood dressed in white in front of it. Raising his hands he spoke softly.
“Now we pray.” He said. Everyone in the room bowed their heads. James made his way to Colette’s side and had her sit down toward the back.
“What’s wrong?” She whispered, trying to not draw attention to them.
“I know why Meranda was killed.”
“What?”
“We’ll discuss this after the service.” He replied looking toward the front of the church. Many people stood and spoke about how much they had admired Meranda, how much of a good friend she was even if she barely had time for herself; she always found time for her friends. Some spoke of the early years of Meranda’s time with the FBI, her time learning how to cope with what was going on around her. Learning to understand that things were not always personal. James listened intently and knew that his turn was coming up. He had told Ryan that he’d speak for their division and speak of how much Meranda meant to them. Slowly standing, James made his way to the front of the church. Standing in front of the podium he waited and looked toward the casket.
“Meranda was a wonderful woman. I first met her when we had gone through college together. I was a clumsy young man fresh out of high school. Meranda was the teachers pet, or so she seemed. Always having the answers but I found out the only reason she had so many answers was because she was the daughter of a former agent. Her life was that many had dreamed, the daughter of a secret agent. But she was more into her schooling than she was talking about her father. I learned rather quickly that she was just as hard into her studies as she was into her training. Meranda took and taught Karate on the side, plus took several other martial arts, I was shocked she even had time to study. But when we graduated from collage. It was a great experience to learn she had graduated top of the class. I lost contact with her for a while before I too joined the FBI, once I had joined I learned that she was assigned here in Boston, I wanted to hook up with her again. I just never expected it to be for such a short time. I never got to really tell her how I felt. How many of us felt about her. But we will as the FBI, Police and other officials we will bring those to justice that did this to her. Meranda will not have died for no reason.” James finished his speech and stopped in front of the casket.
“Goodbye my friend.” He said, placing his hand on the casket he then turned and walked down the isle back to his seat next to Colette.
“You really liked her.”
“Yes I did. And I will never get the chance to tell her that.”
“I know.” Colette said, she looked up as the priest finished the service and several officers stood to carry the casket to the waiting hearse. James and Colette where the last to exit the church, both watching George closely. James remembered what he had heard earlier and knew that George had ordered Meranda killed, and the Senator was the reason for that. He needed to find time to inform Ryan of this information.