Page 7 of Yankee in the Wind

“I found his ID,” she pressed on. “I have questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

“How he died, and why he was cremated.”

“I’m afraid that information is classified, Miss Davis.”

“So he did work for the CIA?”

Sheppard cleared his throat. “I can’t give you any information about Thomas Reed.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a matter of national security.”

“At least tell me what he died of. I tried to find his death certificate, but it appears none was ever sent to his father. I need to see the death certificate.”

“Miss Davis, I suggest you let this go. Your cousin is dead, and nothing good will come of you sticking your nose into government business.”

“This is not government business. This is about my family. My cousin is dead, and he was cremated against his wishes. I think I’m owed an explanation.”

There was a pause, and Lilly wondered if Sheppard had hung up on her.

“Mr. Sheppard?”

“Your cousin died during a training exercise. It was a tragic accident.”

She needed to know more. “What happened?”

“The details are classified. I’ve already told you more than I should.”

“And his death certificate? Do you have it?”

“I’m afraid that’s outside of my area of responsibility. I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Davis. Have a good day.”

He disconnected the call, before she could say anything else.

Frustrated, she tossed her cell phone on the desk. “Damn it!”

She wasn’t satisfied with the answers Sheppard had given her. A training exercise? That could mean anything. Besides, it wasn’t consistent with what Deja had mentioned—that an infectious disease might have been the cause. In either case, it didn’t tell her how Thomas had died, and why he was cremated. She needed to find his death certificate. It would give her at least his cause of death, and also where he’d died.

Lilly did a quick Google search to find the information for the DC Vital Records Division. She called the number for records requests. A recording played.

“You have reached DC Vital Records Division. Your wait time is forty-five minutes. If you want to request a document, please visit our website at dchealth.dc.gov/vital-records and fill in the request form together with the applicable fee, proof of identity, and proof of relationship to the person whose record you are requesting. A copy of the record will be sent to you within four weeks. Thank you for contacting DC Vital Records Division.”

Lilly disconnected the call. “Four weeks? Are you kidding me?” she ground out.

Not having a choice, she saved the link to the online form. She would fill it out after work and find whatever supporting documentation she needed to upload with it. She looked at the folder she’d put together. It contained everything she had on Thomas’s death. She leafed through it once more, looking at everything with fresh eyes. There was a cremation certificate. She looked at it more closely. It was issued by a funeral home named Peaceful Rest not too far from the laboratory.

Lilly glanced at the clock. It was almost midday. She took off her lab coat and grabbed the file and her handbag. As she walked out of her office, she said to one of her lab technicians, “Andrew, I’m taking a long lunch.”

Andrew looked up from his work. “See you later.”

Outside, she walked across the small parking lot attached to the four-story building where Delta Labs was located and headed for the parking garage. She preferred parking in the five-story garage because it meant her car wouldn’t feel like a sauna in the summer months. Lilly jumped in her car and drove to the funeral home. She parked in the large parking lot. There was no cemetery attached to the funeral home. She knew with certainty that the cemetery where Thomas’s ashes had been laid to rest had a funeral home attached to it, even though she hadn’t actually visited his grave yet. There hadn’t been time since her return. So why had Thomas been cremated at Peaceful Rest and not at the funeral home associated with the cemetery where his ashes had been interred? Why not do everything at the same place?

Lilly entered the Victorian building that housed Peaceful Rest through the double door that led into a large foyer. To her left she saw a large room, where dozens of people dressed in dark colors were assembled. She spotted a coffin with flowers draped over it. Solemn music came from the room.

Lilly looked around, when a man in a dark suit approached her.