Dead Inside
Bart arrived at the morgue late that afternoon, after the family had come and gone. They’d done all of the things families do at a time like this--picked out a casket, flowers, all of those things. He imagined there had been tears and confessions of regret, but any lamentations Ella’s father was having, he fully deserved.
Ella was dressed in a lovely red gown, and her hair was styled as if she were going to an award show. Looking at her lying there on a table in the back of the home, where the embalming was typically done, it was hard to believe she was actually alive. The sedative had essentially put her in a death-like state where all of her bodily functions were operating at a minimum. It was sort of like a computer that was asleep, waiting for the mouse to be jiggled. For Ella, animation would resume once the sedative began to wear off in another two days.
Despite what he knew of the drug he’d given her, Bart wanted his friend Jeff, the embalmer, to ensure she was alive. The two of them hovered over her, studying the stillness in her chest. She definitely looked like a corpse.
Jeff was an odd guy, but then, Bart wasn’t surprised considering his chosen profession. “I can’t believe you brought me a body that looks like it’s dead, but it’s not,” he said with a creepy smile.
“Yeah, I know. She is alive, though, right?”
“Oh, yeah. She’d have to be. If she was dead, rigor mortis would’ve set in by now. She’s totally great at acting dead, though. Like an opossum.”
“Right. Okay--so you’re sure no one else is going to embalm her or anything, aren’t you?”
“I’m sure. I’m going to get her in the casket. No one will mess with her there. They’ll know she’s done already once she’s in there.”
“Can I sit with her overnight to make sure that she’s all right?”
Jeff shrugged. “Sure, if you want to. But there are other bodies in the building, dude. All the living people will go home in an hour or so. They don’t come back until eight in the morning. She’ll be fine overnight.”
“I’d still feel better if I can stay here.”
“Okay.” Jeff shrugged again, like he didn’t quite get it, but then he knew and trusted his coworkers more than Bart did. “I’m surprised this hasn’t hit the news yet.”
“Well, it helps when you use fake police. No one heard the call for them. And the coroner didn’t get a call over the dispatch either. But you're right. That reminds me, I’ve gotta make a phone call.”
“Cool. I’ll go ahead and get her loaded up.”
Bart raised an eyebrow at Jeff and then walked a few steps away. The guy spoke about Ella as if she was a bag of dry goods going to a grocery store via an eighteen-wheeler.
It was 3:00AM in Italy, so he knew Antonio wouldn’t answer. “Hey, man,” he said into his friend’s voicemail. “I have a very important task I need you to do. Give me a call the moment you get this. It’s vital you call me back ASAP. Thanks.”
He put his phone back in his pocket and went back to watch Jeff move Ella to the casket. He needed Antonio to go to Verona, to Rome’s house, and find a way to let Rome know Ella wasn’t actually dead. While Bart didn’t think Rome would do anything drastic if he got the news that she’d killed herself, he didn’t know for sure. Rome could be overly dramatic at times, and it was possible he could react before he stopped to think. Surely, he knew Ella wouldn’t actually kill herself, didn’t he?
Just in case, he planned to have Antonio go tell him that all was well. As soon as they got to Italy, Bart, Mary, and Ella would go to Rome’s house and find a way to get him out.
The only problem would be if Antonio couldn’t find a way to reach Rome. While Bart was certain he’d be under lock and key, with any luck, Antonio, who was a mutual friend of theirs, would know which door was his and how he could get word to him without getting caught by the guards or whatever else Rome’s father had put in place to make sure his son didn’t escape.
Jeff had Ella inside of the casket. She looked lovely, just like she was sleeping. “She’ll be able to get out by herself, right?”
“Yes. The door on the casket won’t lock, and we’ll make sure the mausoleum is open when we are done. You’ll be waiting outside?”
Bart nodded. “We’ll be there. I just don’t know how I’ll know she’s awake if she can’t just walk out.”
“We’ll make sure she can.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Bart shook hands with him. It wasn’t as if Jeff hadn’t gotten a large sum of money for his help, as had the others involved, but still, if he hadn’t agreed to help, all of this would be much more difficult.
“No worries. Glad to help bring two people who love each other back together.”
Jeff wheeled Ella’s casket into a viewing room. The benches facing the casket were uncomfortable looking, but Bart picked one and did his best to settle in for the next several hours. Jeff assured him he’d come in first in the morning so Bart could go home and take a shower, etc. The funeral wasn’t scheduled yet, but they’d been talking about having it quickly, possibly the next day, so that there was a chance the media wouldn’t find out. If they did, chances were they’d show up at the funeral home, and Mr. Sinders wanted to avoid that. The media was still talking about the situation with Rome, and the last thing they wanted was speculation that Ella’s death had to do with Rome’s potential involvement with her cousin’s death.
Once Jeff left, Bart made sure that no one had messed with the money he’d transferred out of Ella’s account to a Swiss bank account and found it was all still there. He also had control of Rome’s accounts, thanks to a deal they’d made a few years ago when they’d both set out on their own. Neither of them had wanted their parents to have any control over their money, so they’d looked to each other for help. He’d transferred that money as well, all but a few hundred bucks in case Rome needed it. That way, none of their family members would be able to benefit from the situation, and when Rome and Ella were back together, they’d have their money.
Bart took a few deep breaths and did his best to calm his nerves. So far, everything was going as planned, but there was a good chance that something could go wrong. He wasn’t even exactly sure where Rome was. While they had a family home in Verona, they also had an apartment in Milan, so it was possible they might be there instead. He would have to mention that to Antonio when he called.
Even though it wasn’t late, Bart decided to try to get some sleep. He had no idea how much time he’d have to do so in the next few days, so he might as well take advantage of the opportunity while he had it. It wasn’t as if Ella would be going anywhere anytime soon….
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