He pulled me into the adjoining kitchen just before a troop of armed military police filed into the living room.
"What is this?" the pastor complained.
"There has been a warrant issued for the immediate detention of Morgan Hall, Ashley Young, and Reginald Wisloo. If any of these individuals is present on these premises, make yourself known."
I turned to Bryce. "They're after you now, too?"
He whispered, frightened, "What do they think I have to do with any of this?"
Thankfully, my dad had the wherewithal to lie to them. "I've never heard of any Reginald whoever," he said in the other room. "But Ashley Young's my daughter, and she's not here. You know where she is? She's out looking for her husband. Her husband who you people detained without any God damn good reason."
"Sir," the military police officer said. "You'll need to cooperate. If arrests are necessary, we won't hesitate to make them." He shouted, "Everybody out! One line in the driveway! Single file. Any personal identification you can provide at this time, have it ready."
We kept as quiet as we could in the kitchen while the living room emptied.
But now another squad of military police appeared at the back door. One peered in through the kitchen window. We had nowhere to flee other than back into the living room.
It had been mostly emptied to make space for the rows of plastic chairs. Otherwise, the coffin was the only object in the room.
We had barely a few seconds to figure out what to do before the military police finished searching the kitchen and pantry and then came into the living room.
Suddenly I flashed on something Ian had said before he'd been taken away. He'd said that he'd had to "take care" of Mr. Hershel's body.
I still didn't really understand what that meant, but on a desperate hunch I lifted the coffin's lid.
It was empty.
My hunch had been right. Ian must have hidden the body for some reason. But who was he trying to keep it from? And why? For now, I couldn't waste time wondering.
"In here," I said to Bryce, holding the coffin's lid open.
This was our only choice. We were surrounded. The only other option was to give ourselves up.
"No way!" Bryce stepped away from the strangely empty coffin.
At any moment the military police would be in the living room. . .
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