Grim Reaper 01 - Embrace the Grim Reaper

face with the anti-bacterial hand cleaner.
    Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. He hesitated briefly before placing it in Yvonne’s open palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it against her stomach. “Roxie. Jabba. Down.”
    The dogs dropped to their haunches, and their growling turned into happy panting, their tongues lolling from their mouths.
    “Bed,” Yvonne said.
    The dogs trotted to the next room, where Casey could see two large doggie pillows lying side by side. The dogs curled up on the cushions, but their eyes remained on Casey. She shivered, returning her attention to Yvonne.
    “Yvonne,” Eric said. “We know about the boy.”
    Her face went blank for only a moment before her eyes widened, filling with tears. “The boy…”
    “Come on.” Eric led her gently to a chair.
    They were in the kitchen, and the closest place was at the table. Yvonne dropped her phone in front of her before laying her face in her hands.
    Eric sat next to her. “Yvonne, what happened? What has Karl done?”
    She rolled her head back and forth in her hands before jerking it up, her face inches from Eric’s. Her eyes were red, and tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “I can’t tell. I can’t tell you.”
    “But Yvonne—”
    “I can’t!” She pushed herself away from the table, sending her chair crashing backward. Her face twisted and she grabbed the chair, lifting it off the floor.
    Casey stepped forward and wrapped her hand around one of the rungs. “Don’t, Yvonne. Please.” Casey kept a hold on it, making eye contact, watching as Yvonne’s grip slackened, and then relaxed completely.
    Yvonne let go of the chair and spun away, leaning against the wall.
    “Yvonne,” Eric said.
    Casey shook her head, and he quieted.
    Yvonne’s shoulders began to shudder, and soon she was gasping for air, her body heaving. Her hand trailed down the wall as her knees buckled, and Eric jumped from his seat, grabbing her around the waist as she slipped to the floor. He went down, too, and ended up holding her on his lap, rocking her as he would a child. “Shh, Yvonne. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
    Tucking her face into his neck, her sobs gradually diminished, until she was taking deep breaths and wiping her face on his shirt.
    “Tell us,” Eric said gently. “Please.”
    Yvonne gave one last snort, then climbed to her feet, stumbling into the other room. Casey poised for flight. Eric held out his hand. The sound of Yvonne blowing her nose came from the back hallway, and they heard water running. Yvonne returned to the kitchen, her face blotchy, water spots dotting her shirt.
    “I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “Except keep my mouth shut. He told me…he told me if I didn’t, I would be arrested. Arrested . Me!” She shook her head with apparent disbelief. “Even with Jimmy being a cop, I could be… Anyway, I couldn’t say anything. It was in the contract.”
    “Why didn’t the parents file a lawsuit?” Eric asked.
    Yvonne gave a small laugh. “Why do you think? HomeMaker—well, Karl —made Mrs. Marlowe think it was her fault. That if she hadn’t neglected her son he would still be alive.”
    Casey made a sound in her throat, and Yvonne glanced at her. “I know. It’s awful.” She glanced toward the back of the house, back toward the bedrooms. “For any mother to be told that…”
    “But why did HomeMaker want that in the first place?” Eric asked. “To avoid publicity?”
    “Oh, sure. They didn’t want the world thinking they killed somebody. They just wanted it to go away quietly. To pay the Marlowes from the insurance money, sign the confidentiality contract, and have it be over with.”
    “But something happened,” Casey said.
    “Yes.” Her eyes flicked to Eric. “The Marlowes found out about Karl.”
    Eric clenched his jaw. “Found out what?”
    “That he knew about the door latches.”
    His eyes met Casey’s. So they were right.
    “There had been several complaints,” Yvonne said. “Nothing big. Just that the latches had jammed. No one had been hurt. But a consumer would put something heavy in, or too large of a load, and the next thing they knew they couldn’t open the dryer door. Karl said it was their own fault for filling the dryer too full, and ignored them.” She closed her eyes, and swayed on her feet. Eric grabbed her elbow and led her back to a chair.
    “Why did Karl trust you to type up the contracts?” Casey asked. “Why put you