Disrobed for Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

loved them. Randy said he could have sworn by their reaction that some of them heard him. That’s when the bright light appeared. An expression of pure bliss radiated from Samuel’s face as he walked with outstretched arms into that pulsating glow. Then he and the light vanished.
    “If that was two weeks ago, why was the Mumford fellow still here?”
    Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t ready to find out what was behind Door Number One. Or maybe, like me, he had issues to resolve. I’m guessing he went home or back to where he died, because I haven’t seen him since then.”
    Susan chewed on her bottom lip and pondered his reasoning. “That would explain stories about century-old ghosts.”
    “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you could be right.”
    While family and friends gathered around, Susan kept searching for the light. Sure enough, it appeared in the distance and floated slowly toward Jack. Even though it wasn’t meant for her, beautiful pastoral images and the sounds of ethereal choirs filled her mind. When her time came, she didn’t know if she’d have the strength to resist its allure.
    “No, not yet,” Jack said and walked away from the beckoning light and service. He stopped several rows back and motioned to Susan.
    She willed herself beside him. “How did you manage to resist the light?”
    “It wasn’t easy.”
    “No regrets.”
    “None.”
    After Jack’s burial, they returned to the funeral home. At one o’clock, they followed her procession to the graveside. Her brother and father had to support her mother who all but stumbled toward her casket. The blanket of flowers might ease the minds of the mourners, but not Susan. She knew that beneath it lay a deep, dark hole.
    Maybe the light did offer a better place, but right now, she was still trapped by her earthbound feelings. When Wesley laid his boutonniere on her casket, when her mother cried out in grief, when her friends wept openly, Susan knew she couldn’t leave them. Right or wrong, she was determined to stay. Given time, maybe she would come to accept her fate, but right now, she had no desire to gamble with the unknown.
    Jack stood a good distance back, watching her. Maybe by helping him, she would come to peace with herself then she might be willing to leave behind all that was dear to her.
    “Okay, I’m going to do it—I’m going to stay and help Jack,” she said, anticipating the arrival of the light. But to her surprise, the light didn’t come the way it had for Jack.
    What happened next was totally unexpected. It was as though someone had flipped on a light switch. Not one, but a million bulbs exploded in a flash of brilliance. She saw no beautiful scenes, heard no heavenly choirs. Blinded, she lost all sense of direction. Only the words of the preacher resonated in her mind.
    “We are gathered here today…”
    Susan stumbled backwards waving her arms, hoping Jack would come and help her. “Where are you,” she shouted. “This isn’t what happened to you. Why don’t you answer me?”
    The preacher’s voice began to fade, as if someone was turning down the volume. Soon, there was only silence…then darkness. It was then she realized she was no longer standing. Something soft and cushiony held her body. Gathering a handful of cloth in her hand, she panicked. Was she lying in her casket?
    “Please, don’t leave me here,” she prayed.
    The silence gave way to sounds—the rustle of paper, the whoosh of air coming through a vent, muffled conversations. For the past two days she had been surrounded by flowers, but the sweet, floral scent no longer lingered. Instead, the smell of disinfectant hung in the air. When she gathered enough courage to open her eyes, she was relieved to find she wasn’t buried in darkness. “Thank you,” she mumbled as her eyes welled with tears.
    Wait a minute. Can the dead cry?
    At that moment, the drummer in her head returned. With each pounding beat, the memory of