Chapter 2

The night was pitch dark. I parked on the dirt road outside the cemetery and followed the directions from the text to find my husband's headstone.

His name, Daniel Bennett, was carved into the black granite.

Using my phone's flashlight, I crouched down and examined the base of the headstone.

Whoever had sealed it with cement had rushed the job. A gap about a quarter inch wide remained at the bottom-right corner.

I grabbed a flathead screwdriver from the toolbox in my car, slipped it into the gap, and gave a light scrape.

A grayish-white powder leaked through the gap and fell to the ground.

I put on gloves and swept the powder into a resealable plastic bag with a small brush.

The powder was coarse and carried a sharp chemical odor. It felt nothing like cremated remains.

I tucked the resealable bag into my pocket and left the cemetery.

The moment I got back in the car, my backup phone began pinging nonstop. The family group chat was blowing up.

Daniel's aunt Carol had posted a video.

It was the footage the curly-haired woman had filmed outside Evergreen Memorial earlier that day, showing me sprawled on the ground.

Aunt Carol tagged me in the chat: Have you lost your mind from grief? Go apologize to Evergreen Memorial and stop embarrassing our family.

His cousin followed immediately: They offered you compensation and you still won't let it go. Are you trying to shake them down for more? Want the number for a psych ward? Your husband just died, and you're already out there causing a scene. How is he supposed to rest in peace?

I stared at the screen full of accusations, tapped the icon in the top-right corner, and left the group chat.

I didn't reply to a single message. I started the car and drove straight to an independent testing laboratory.

This lab had a nighttime sample drop-off window and could run expedited preliminary tests.

I slapped the resealable bag on the reception counter. "I need to know exactly what this is."

The technician looked at the bag and frowned. "The full report takes at least forty-eight hours. Preliminary results can be ready within twenty-four. Rush fee is three thousand dollars."

"I want the preliminary results. I'll pay the rush fee." I paid by credit card.

By the time I had the expedited test receipt in hand, dawn was breaking.

I drove to work. The moment I sat down, Richard Cole's assistant rapped on my desk. "Mr. Cole wants to see you."

I pushed open the office door. Cole slammed a legal letter onto his desk, his expression stormy.

"You've messed with the wrong people. The funeral home sent the public video and a legal letter to the company complaint inbox, and CC'd several of our business partners. They're accusing you of extortion and showing up with people to cause trouble."

I turned and saw three people sitting on the couch.

They were Martin Hayes, the manager of Evergreen Memorial, and two attorneys in dark suits.

Hayes had made himself at home on the couch, sipping Cole's coffee as if it belonged to him.

"We don't want to make things difficult for your company." Hayes smiled. "If she apologizes publicly and admits she was mentally unstable and made malicious false accusations, we won't take legal action."

The attorney beside him pulled out a fabricated settlement agreement and placed it on the coffee table. "Here's the agreement. Sign it, and everyone walks away with their dignity."

Cole looked at me and sighed. "Look at the mess you've made. They're a legitimate business. Why did you have to go stir things up?"

I pointed at the legal letter. "Legitimate? They filled an urn with God knows what and passed it off as cremation ash. You call that legitimate?"

The second attorney, Evan Mercer, stood, pulled a document from his briefcase, and handed it to Cole. "This is an expert advisory opinion signed by a board member of the local funeral directors association."

"The opinion states: when cremation scheduling delays occur, some establishments may first complete a symbolic interment ceremony, followed by the actual remains processing at a later date. Whether this practice constitutes misrepresentation depends on the circumstances and the extent of family notification."

"Everyone knows holiday schedules fill up. Using temporary fill for a symbolic burial is accepted industry practice."

Mercer added, "In fact, Lucy Bennett entered the gravesite without authorization. We even suspect she removed the real ashes herself and planted fake ones to frame Evergreen Memorial."

Cole took the advisory opinion and glanced at the letterhead.

He closed the document and turned to me.

"Enough. I don't want to hear another word. Until this is resolved, you're suspended and your system access is revoked. Hand over your badge and go home. We'll be in touch."

Cole would not meet my eyes. I did not argue.

"Your so-called industry procedure." I looked at Hayes and the lawyers. "It'll be evidence in an investigation very soon."

Hayes scoffed. "Bring it on."

I turned and walked out of the building. The moment I reached the ground floor, a call came in from the testing lab. "The preliminary results are in."

The technician sounded grave. "Not only is it not cremated remains, it contains high concentrations of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. It's regulated industrial hazardous waste. Where did you get it?"