"Me too," Adam said. "But I didn't know that Jared's family went to church."
"Yeah," Conner replied. "Remember, when we were younger, his family used to go every Sunday? But he didn't go much anymore after he got older."
"I don't really remember that."
"Oh. Well, he did." Conner scanned the parking lot. "I think I see their car parked over there."
Trevor peered out the windshield. "Yeah, that's Mr. Smith's car. So, they're already here."
"Duh." Adam chuckled. "Like they'd be late to their son's service."
Trevor grabbed his phone from the dashboard. "We should just walk through the front door, right?"
"I guess." Conner stepped out of the car and zipped up his jacket. "Man, it's cold out. I should have worn a coat instead."
The three briskly walked against the wintery breeze, then slowed their steps closer to the church's entrance. An older woman in black attire and a purple lace hat opened the door wide enough to slip through the gap.
"Think she's here for the funeral?" Conner asked as they stationed themselves on the steps under a navy-blue awning, the edges gently flapping in the wind as icy rain pelleted the fabric.
"Maybe," Adam said. "Let's just go in. We're gonna look like idiots just standing out here. And it's starting to rain again."
Conner pulled the oversized door open. Instantly greeted by the warm temperature and bright lights inside, he ushered Trevor and Adam through the entrance and allowed the door to close on its own. The lobby was empty, but the murmurs of people could be heard behind a set of closed doors. He'd expected to immediately see a small group of people—including Jared's family. Yet there was nothing but muted voices, bright lighting, and the smell of new carpeting.
"Where do you think we should go?" he asked.
Trevor shrugged. "Maybe there's a sign or something."
Adam gestured to the end of the lobby. "I hear people down there."
As the three stepped forward, a door to their right opened. Jared's sister, Leah, walked into the lobby and then suddenly stopped at the sight of them. She wore a black short-sleeved dress and a silver crucifix around her neck. For a moment, Conner was surprised by her appearance. Her blonde hair was carefully styled. Her makeup looked as though a professional had selected the perfect colors to enhance her features. She looked prettier than Conner had ever seen her.
Then he recognized the fatigue in her eyes and the droop of her defeated posture.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
Conner was at a loss for words, and he was grateful when Adam blurted out, "We came for Jared."
"My parents didn't want anyone here," she said.
"Yeah, we know," Conner replied. "But we thought we should come and pay our respects."
She glanced nervously down the hall. "You should go."
"Really?" Trevor asked. "It's us. I mean, I thought it would be okay that we came."
"You guys stopped coming to the house a long time ago." She moved as if she intended to push them to the entrance. "But I guess I don't blame you guys."
"What happened?" Conner asked.
She looked offended. "What do you mean? Jared died."
"Well, yeah. I'm sorry. But have you heard what some people have been saying?"
"About how he died," Adam added.
She crossed her arms. Her eyes appeared watery. She bit her lip.
Conner felt bad for possibly upsetting her.
"Yeah, I heard some of the stories."
He didn't want to make direct eye contact. "Is it true?"
A tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't wanna talk about that."
"But—"
The door behind her opened, and Mr. Smith appeared. The hint of a smile on his face vanished. He rested his hand on Leah's shoulder.
"Hey, boys," he said. "It's nice of you to show up, but this is a private service."
Conner stared at the carpeted floor. "You want us to leave?"
"I'm afraid so," Mr. Smith said, stepping forward. "This is for close family. Mrs. Smith is very emotional right now. I think seeing Jared's friends might be too much for her. Especially after last night's stunt."
Adam muttered, "But we were like family."
Nodding, Mr. Smith replied, "We'll be in touch with you soon. But let us get on with our day here, okay?" He turned to Leah. "Honey, will you please see your friends outside? I need to get your mother. The service is going to start soon."
Leah escorted the three to the door. "So, like my dad said, you guys need to go now."
"We're really sorry," Trevor said. "About Jared and everything."
"Yeah, thanks."
Adam pushed the door open and then pivoted. "You moved away already. So, are we ever gonna see you again?"
She shrugged. "Probably not."
Conner leaned against the door. "Can you just tell us if the stories are true? We want to put an end to all these rumors."
"You could just ignore it," she said, clearly irritated.
Trevor shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Before we go, it would be nice if we had something to go on. We want to . . . I don't know . . . clear his name or whatever."
"Which story did you hear?" she asked.
"He died of cardiac arrest," Adam said, "because he was possessed by the devil."
Teary-eyed, she appeared as if she would turn on her heel without responding. But she said, "It's true." Then she hurried away to rejoin her parents behind closed doors.
Stunned, Conner stood on the steps, fixated on the building across the street. His eyes traveled skyward past fiery orange and red leaves to the powdery white-gray clouds.
Somehow the confirmation that Jared had suffered a terrible ordeal that led to his death caused Conner to shed tears. When he looked at Adam and Trevor, they both wiped at their eyes.
"Oh, my God," Conner said. "This is really, really horrible."
"I feel so bad for him," Adam said.
Trevor rushed down the steps to the asphalt. "I wish we could have helped him. But maybe there was nothing we could do."
"Deny everything," Conner said.
"What?" Trevor asked.
"We need to deny everything. Don't let people talk crap about him. They're going
