Snakes in the Grass

“Oh, hell...” Sadie scoffed. A wave of murmurs floated through the sniffles and black trench coats gathered around an oak coffin. Her eyes followed like lasers as Adrian slithered through the crowd and settled in next to her. “Are you trying to broadcast it?” She muttered, setting her gaze forward.

“What?” He asked. Sadie scanned through her peripheral vision her colleague’s walnut loafers, pressed khakis and leather belt with the floral-printed azul Hawaiian blouse tucked in loosely. She pursed her lips.

“You could at least look like you are grieving,” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t be good at my job if I grieved my assignments,” he replied.

“But he was the Prime Minister. There are...expectations for paying respects,” she said, snidely eyeing his outfit once more.

Adrian critiqued his appearance with a glance, noting the stares from the bereaved, and shoved his hands into his pockets. “But, it’s just so…” His voice trailed off, replaced by a grimace.

“It’s one hour,” Sadie grumbled. Adrian tilted his head and gave her a look of disgust.

An elderly woman with tight, white curls framing her face approached them. “Helen Stinton,” she said.

“AdrianVidal, ma’am. My condolences for your loss,” he replied, extending his hand. Helen eyed his palm then raised her gaze back to him.

“Were you a friend of my grandson?”

“You could say that,” Sadie interjected, smiling.

“More like brothers,” he blurted, earning a chortle from Sadie and a befuddled expression from Helen. Helen then seized him into a tight embrace.

“I was hoping to meet you!” she exclaimed.

“Excuse me?” When they separated, Helen was beaming.

“None of these people knew my sweet boy, nor do they care, but I knew who you were the moment you arrived. Only his one true love would know how to honor his disdain for these dreary affairs with such flair.” Adrian’s eyes ballooned at the woman’s words.

“Oh. Ma’am, I think…”

“Just tell me you will come to dinner this evening. I want to celebrate his life with those who actually meant something to him,” she responded. Adrian gulped, while Sadie clamped a hand over her mouth to avoid guffawing during the eulogy. “I’ll see you then,” Helen said, cupping his cheek before walking away to her family.

After the service, Sadie and Adrian strolled to his lemony Ferrari 812 GTS. “Are you going to go?” Sadie asked.

“It would be rude to stand up such a sweet woman.” He opened the car door. From across the parking lot, he saw Helen Stinton wave to him as she was escorted to her limo. The two exchanged a smile before Helen ducked out of view and the limo slowly careened down the winding path to the exit of the cemetery. As the limo disappeared down the street, the clouds darkened above Adrian and Sadie.

“I don’t know,” Sadie said. “There is something messed up about this. I think you should stay away.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, doll,” Adrian chuckled as the pair closed their doors. He cranked the ignition and smiled as the engine roared to life. With a sly smirk, he turned to face Sadie while shifting into first gear. “What could possibly happen by sharing dinner with a lonely old woman?” With that, Adrian shifted his foot from clutch to gas pedal and sped off from the cemetery.

Helen leaned into the backseat of the limo and sighed. She looked over to a man sitting next to her. She gripped his clammy hand and wiped away a tear from his cheek. “You were right. That was him.”

“He stole my greatest love away from me,” the man sobbed.

“Tonight, we repay the favor.”