Lexington And Fifth

Chapter 8: The Funeral

Ella sat with Nina and her fiancée, Connor, in the home of one Chrissy Davis, the owner of the diner Kate worked at and Kate's best friend for these past few years. Kate's parents had refused to attend or host the funeral, saying that they're decision to denounce Kate from the family applied even in death, and they couldn't afford the negative publicity from the murder investigation. A week after her death, and after several interviews from police, Ella and Connor had planned the service with Chrissy after speaking with her, and after Ella's cremation, they had brought the few people Kate had left in her life.

Thinking about the path that had taken Kate to her brutal end broke Ella's heart. Chrissy had talked at length about how well Kate had adjusted to her new life, and how hard she worked to make her life productive. She also told Ella about her struggle to atone for that fateful night with Andrew, and how she hoped one day to reach out to Ella and make amends somehow. Ella had cried when she heard that, and her emotions had carried over into this service.

About twenty people total made it to the service. Nina, Ella and Connor were there together, holding each other as they stood in the living room of Chrissy Davis. About fifteen people from the diner had shown up, some to pay their respects, others to gossip about the "dead girl", which had quickly replaced Kate's actual name to some of the patrons of the service. Then, two men stood in the corner, one with a somber look on his face and the other drowning himself in a constant stream of alcohol.

She'd seen Raymond once or twice in the years following the Andrew incident. He'd gone on to become a musician, and his career had recently begun to take a more prominent step into the spotlight. He'd approached Ella years ago to apologize for not stopping the incident sooner, and although she hadn't been in a place to hear his apology at first, their second encounter at a party in Hollywood had gone better. She'd accepted his apology, noting it was sincere and not wanting to hold malice in her heart forever. They hadn't spoken in a couple years, but were on better terms.

Greg was a different case. She hadn't spoken to Greg once since that fateful night, and he'd never once attempted to make amends for his actions. His unkempt appearance at the service and his drunken demeanor disgusted her, and after hearing how he'd treated Kate and left her behind after they'd been stripped of their money made her loath him even more. Ella held no warm feelings for this man, and the way he stared at her sent chills down her spine, as if he were still a horn-dog college student hoping to hop in the sack with her.

"Hon, you ok?" Connor asked, drawing Ella's attention from staring at Greg and back towards their little group.

"I'm...I'm ok. Just need to catch some fresh air. I'll be right back," Ella replied, squeezing his hand lovingly before giving Nina a hug and making her way to the front door. Closing it behind her and listening to the muffled voices of the people inside speaking, Ella took a deep gasping breath of cold air, a winter storm making its way into Southern California.

As she stood on the porch, cursing herself for not bringing a pair of leggings, boots and a jacket to put on after the funeral was over, Ella spotted movement across the street from the home. Located on the corner of a suburban neighborhood in Riverside, the house was across the street from a small park, with a miniature pond, a few trees and a playground for children. Standing near the pond's edge, a tall, gaunt man stared at her, scraggly hair flying around his head as a breeze rolled in through the area. She squinted, trying to get a better look at the man, but he lurked in the shadow of a tree, staring at her and making her uncomfortable.

Before she could step closer to the street to take a closer look, she thought she spotted a large shape dart from the corner of her eye. A trashcan near an alley by the house had tipped over, making Ella jump and laugh at herself for not recognizing the wind's work in knocking it over. She turned back towards the park, but the man was gone, leaving Ella alone and feeling exposed on the front porch of the house. Wrapping her arms around herself and looking around, she shook her head, chalking the incident up to being frazzled during this whole process of the funeral, and went back inside, joining Nina and Conner as they continued to pay their respects to Kate. Unbeknownst to them, the strange man had remained, taking up a closer position to the house's front windows to look in on the service, and grinning with a wicked look in his eyes.

"One down," the man said hoarsely, before disappearing into the alleyway along the house.