California Fire And Life

34

Nicky's jaw drops to where the collar would be on his collarless shirt and Jack thinks, Well, you asked.

The minister looks frantically around to see if there are any reporters there, especially with cameras, as the woman veils again,

Stands there in front of Surf Jesus and everybody and literally points the finger at Nicky.

The other mourners freeze in their seats. They don't try to stop her or calm her down or anything because this woman is clearly intent on mayhem and no one's going to risk a ten-thousand-dollar nose job getting in her way.

Two security guys do.

Jack didn't notice them before, these two guys in black suits who come down from the back of the church to like quell the situation. They reach the woman just before Jack does.

"Get your damn hands off me!" the woman yells as one of the security guys lays a thick hand on her shoulder. She knocks his hand off her, and then both of them grab her and start to pull her into the aisle.

The woman looks at the crowd in the church, points at Nicky again, and says, "HE KILLED MY SISTER! HE KILLED PAM!"

The heavyset security guy clamps his hand over her mouth and locks his forearm across her neck.

"Let her go," Jack says to him.

"The lady needs to leave."

Guy has a Russian accent.

"She's leaving," Jack says.

The other guy – tall, thin but wired – turns to Jack. "You want to get involved here?"

Same accent.

"Whatever," Jack says.

The guy wants to stroke him one, it's in his eyes, but there's something else that's saying best behavior, so he backs down. Jack can see him memorizing his face, though, for future reference.

Jack looks at the heavyset guy and repeats, "Let her go."

First guy nods and the other muscle releases his grip. Jack says to the woman, "Come on."

"He killed Pam."

"Everybody heard you."

He reaches out his hand and takes her arm.

"Come on."

She comes with him.

Jack can still hear the children in the background yelling for their aunt. Looks down there and sees Michael in tears. Mother Valeshin's face set in stone. Nicky looking like he could kill.

So does the boss muscle guy. He gives Jack a badass look.

"Yeah, it's okay with me," Jack says.

"We'll see."

"Yeah."

Jack walks the woman out of the church.

Into the front seat of his car.

"Jesus, Letty," Jack says. "You could have told me she was your sister."

I shouldn't be telling you this but I thought someone should know, the autopsy showed no smoke in her lungs.