gathered around two freshly dug graves. Two polished wooden caskets sat beside

vid and Mary Miller, about what good people they were, what a tragic loss it was

s to the earth," the minister conc

was m

, numb and weeping, as they lower

o of Alex' s hand

ith calculated hysteria. "Stop! I

abbed my arms, tryi

down!" one of

on the performance of a lifetime. "Somethi

were staring, whispering. My aunt Susan rushed to

g a scene! Stop this r

face. They looked real enough. "They' re my parents! I

the air, shocking e

named Mr. Henderson, stepped

highly irregular. The

y voice cracking. "I know y

t. I saw a flicker of panic in his

o the crowd. "Grief has broken her

king finger at the caskets. "If there' s noth

ice officer who had been standing at the edge of the crowd started to walk forward. I recognized him from my p

" Officer Davis asked, hi

matter, officer," my unc

" Davis replied calmly. He turned to me.

just... I have a terrible feeling. That it' s no

so broken. It was

request, but under the circumstances, it might be best to give

e with a police officer in front of everyone. Mr. Henderson, sweating prof

cked open. The

ent through the cro

ket was

eavy, coarse, brown sandbags, crudely shaped

ared in stu

faces pale, moved to the s

san

f frantic whispers. The lie was expo

y had meticulously planned this. They probably paid Mr. Henderson a hefty sum to sign a death certificate

is face a mixture of fury and f

pretense of sympathy gone. "After everything your parents did

ony was so thick I co

let out a heart-wrenching sob. It was part of the act

"I just had a dream... a horrible dream that the

phan, the innocent vict

on serious. "Miss Miller, this is no longe

g his. I saw suspicion, but

n had

ad fallen. And I h