Page 102 of Wedding Crasher

‘They were very kind,’ Ivan said, shaking his head. ‘You know what she said to me recently? She said she wanted me to go first, because she didn’t like to think of me having to cope without her.’

Marla and Emily’s eyes met over Ivan’s head. They understood Dora’s sentiments exactly. They didn’t know how he’d go on either.

‘But she was wrong,’ he said, surprising them both. ‘I’m glad it was this way. I never wanted to leave her on her own.’ His wavering voice broke, and Marla rubbed his shoulder as Emily held tight to his hand.

‘And you didn’t,’ Marla said. ‘Not for one day. You did her proud, Ivan.’

Everyone stood silently to watch the funeral cortège leave slowly for the cemetery: Gabe travelled with Dan in the front of the hearse, Emily and Tom escorting Ivan in the car behind.

It was only as the hearse disappeared around the corner that someone in the lingering crowd glanced towards the funeral parlour.

‘Fire!’

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

A collective shriek went up around the group assembled on the grass, and several of the younger men sprang into action and dashed to see what was happening.

Marla, who had been about to drive herself and her mother to the cemetery, stared in horror at the orange glow inside the front window of the parlour.

‘I’ll call the fire brigade,’ she yelled over the racket and ducked back into the chapel to grab her mobile.

By the time she ran back outside again several minutes later, the glow had grown into a blaze, and the crowd had at least doubled, if not tripled.

The flames had really taken hold in the reception area, and as the wail of sirens came down the High Street, the front window of the funeral parlour exploded outwards with an ear-splitting crack.

Within minutes, firefighters spilled out of an engine from all sides. They set up a cordon to keep the crowds safe, as others unreeled hosepipes at lightning speed.

‘Poor Gabriel,’ Cecilia muttered, as she clutched on to Marla’s arm.

All around her, Marla could hear snippets of conversation from the overexcited crowd.

‘He’ll be ruined,’ said one.

‘I’ll bet it was arson!’ speculated another.

‘Insurance job. Funeral was the perfect cover,’ a sly voice chimed in.

Marla’s head swum with all of the theories.

Why was it human nature to automatically assume the worst of people?

‘I can smell pork!’ someone yelled, hysterically. ‘It’ll be the stiffs in there cooking!’

Marla swung around to face a gang of teenage boys that had gathered behind her.

‘Don’t be so bloody disrespectful!’ she spat, but all the same, the words struck fear into her heart.

Werethere bodies in there? It was too horrific to contemplate.

‘I’m going back into the chapel,’ she murmured to her mother. ‘Someone should try to get hold of Gabe.’

Back inside the quiet confines of the chapel, the enormity of the situation hit her. All of those people outside were right. Gabewouldbe ruined, and peoplewouldjump to conclusions. Jesus, she’d wanted him gone, but not like this.

She sat down at her desk in the office. Thankfully it looked as if the fire service were winning their battle to tame the fire; it was less inferno-like now and more of a drenched, smoking mess.

She dialled Emily’s mobile number as she stared out of the window, but after a couple of rings it clicked through to answerphone.Crap.

‘Emily, it’s Marla. Listen. There’s been a fire at the funeral parlour. The fire service is here now, but it’s bad, Em. It’s really bad. Tell Gabe to get back here straight …’ She trailed off, dumbstruck, as one of the firemen stumbled from the funeral parlour with a burned and blackened form in his arms.

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