CHAPTER 21

Ten Days Later

The young woman’s heels tick on the polished marble floor of the church. She climbs up the wide, round staircase and stops at the microphone behind the bookrack. She stares at the coffin from the altar, her eyes are reddened.

That coffin covered with red and white roses.

She’s wearing a black dress and black velvet gloves. Her red hair makes an incredible contrast with the paleness of her skin.

She clears her voice a little and stands up straight, her eyes sad but still dry.

“He was a good man. He was kind, benevolent, generous and strong. He was honest and loved his job. I am sure that, wherever he is, he is happy to see that he has so many friends”.

She pauses for a few seconds, giving a sniff and taking a long breath. It must be so difficult, for her. I am sure it is.

“He had so much life left to live. Violence took him away from us, abruptly and unexpectedly, and nothing will bring him back. The world has lost one of those people who are always there to help, in a fatherly, brotherly, friendly way. In a honest way”.

She flips a strand of her long hair behind her ear and clears her voice again.

“I will miss him. I already miss him so much. But he left so many things behind him that I am sure I’ll find him in everything I will lay my eyes on. I love you, daddy”.

Evelyn DeNardo stares at the people sitting on the pews. They all look back at her. Her mother cries silently a few feet away from the coffin.

Evelyn’s eyes are just like Marshall’s. That same light blue iris that seems to say that everything is going to be alright, even when it’s not.

And now, my God, nothing is alright.

The twenty-year-old girl steps away from the bookrack and joins her mother on the pew.

”There are twenty years to go
And twenty ways to know
Who’ll wear, who’ll wear the hat
There are twenty years to go
The best of all I hope
Enjoy the ride
The medicine show
Them’s the breaks
For we designer fakes
We need to concentrate on more than meets the eye…”