13 Mink Street

As he laughed, Karon suddenly noticed the corner of his eye was a little wet. “Heh. I really laughed myself to tears.”

He reflexively reached for tissues, only to realize there was no tissue box on the desk. He could only gently wipe the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. He then stood up, left the bedroom, and stepped outside.

When the two employees saw their boss emerge, they quickly resumed working as though they had never stopped.

Karon felt that the operation of this funeral parlor was worlds apart from the Immers family’s. His family’s business was not large, yet every detail was handled with care and refinement. Here, in contrast, things felt distinctly rough.

It was possible that in recent years, when Mr. Pavaro had taken on additional assignments wherever possible to earn church credits to pay for his daughters’ Bloodspirit Powder, he had neglected the management of the funeral home. What should have been kept clean and orderly had gained a faint film of neglect.

As for the notion that, because they were Divine Servants rather than ordinary men, the two workers were incapable of doing proper work, Karon did not agree. In certain respects, they were capable of greater diligence and discipline than ordinary people, much as Alfred and Ms. Molly had demonstrated upon entering the Immers family’s household. The premise was a sense of genuine fear of the boss.

Karon first went to the kitchen, where he found Ms. Lake washing dishes. He casually pulled the kitchen door shut. “You’re the funeral home’s mortician and makeup artist, right?”

“Yes,” Ms. Lake turned around as she answered.

“Do you know Annie?”

“The pastry shop- Oh, Annie from Maple Street?”

It seemed that Ms. Lake did know. “Yes. She’s dead.”

“Oh... I... I know her. That’s... that’s terrible news.”

“She once helped my friend investigate a case. In the end, knowing full well she would die, she still appeared and tried to save him. There were no surprises, and she ended up dying with him.”

Ms. Lake’s expression grew complicated. “I know he- No, I know you wouldn’t go to a place like that just for pastries. You must have had your reasons. I asked you about it before, but you wouldn’t tell me.”

“Yes. That was the only way to keep the family from being implicated.”

“I knew that woman, Annie, as that woman from Maple Street. I knew there was nothing between her and my husban- between her and you, but when I was angry at you, there were times when I cursed her too.”

“Annie wouldn’t be angry.”

“Yes... but I was wrong. I was wrong.”

“Her body is badly damaged.”

“I’ll restore her. I will. I can do it!” Ms. Lake struck her chest as she spoke. “I’ll apologize to her. I’ll tell her I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Hold the funeral today.”

“Isn’t that too rushed?”

“No. She likely has no close family.”

“Alright. I’ll patch her as quickly as I can. I will. We have two coffins in storage here at home. If the funeral is today, there won’t be time to order from the coffin workshop, so we’ll use ours. They’re clean.”

“Mhmm.”

“I’ll have Pike reserve a burial plot. Will we bury her tonight?”

“Yes, but make the call personally.”

“Oh, alright. I’ll follow up. I will.”

“Reserve two plots.”

“Your... your friend... will also be buried?”

“Yes.”

“I understand... I understand.”

Karon turned to leave the kitchen, then paused. “The two plots shouldn’t be too close.”

“I... I wouldn’t mind...”

“No, but I imagine Ms. Annie would prefer to be a little farther from my friend.”

“Yes. I understand.”

***

Karon returned to the storefront and spoke to Dinkom. “Give me the hearse keys.”

“Okay, Boss. A job came in?” Dinkom handed over the hearse keys while he and Pike prepared the gurney.

“Stay here and set this place up. It’s a simple order. I’m just going to pick up the guest and bring her back.”

“Okay, Boss.”

Karon got into the modified hearse that belonged to Mr. Pavaro’s business and inserted the key.

He turned his head to glance in the back compartment, then turned forward again and placed both hands on the steering wheel. It was wrapped in leather. It was a bit torn, but as soon as he closed his eyes, that familiar feeling surged back.

He had once ridden in a hearse, going with Mason and Ron to “rescue” clients.

He had once laid down inside a coffin in the back of a hearse, getting a comfortable ride home from the hospital.

He had once driven a hearse to take Eunice out to the countryside for a picnic date.

The reason people feel nostalgia is not because of the object itself, but the memories the object calls back.

He started the engine and drove the hearse out. When he passed Alfred’s car parked by the road, he tapped the horn and waved to Alfred.

“I’m coming, Young Master,” Alfred called out. He then started his car and quickly followed behind.

When the hearse pulled in at the apartment complex, security stopped it at the gate. Karon did not get out, and instead Alfred parked and stepped out to speak to the guards. Soon enough, Karon was let through.

After parking, he went upstairs and entered his home.

Ciri was in the process of chopping up some fruit. When she saw Karon walk in, her face stiffened. “Hello, Mr. Pavaro.”

“Mhmm.” Karon responded as he went to the first floor washroom. Alfred followed him right into the washroom. Alfred then emerged again with Annie on his back. He went straight out the door and down the stairs.

Ciri continued cutting the fruit. She then saw “Mr. Pavaro” carry Mr. Pavaro out of the bathroom on his back.

Her eyes went wide. Her gaze shifted back down and she resumed cutting the fruit. However, there were no longer chunks, but little, fine pieces.

Alfred returned and immediately took Mr. Pavaro from Karon and carried the man downstairs.

Annie was placed in the hearse, while Mr. Pavaro was settled into the back seat of the car Alfred drove.

The two cars pulled out of the complex, one behind the other, and returned to Pavaro’s Funeral Home. Alfred parked at the curb. He took out a blanket and covered Mr. Pavaro in the back seat to conceal him and prevent passersby from noticing anything strange.

After that, Alfred sat back in the driver’s seat. He took out his little notebook, and wrote, I don’t know why, but when I saw Young Master driving a hearse again, I felt a surge of emotion for no reason.

***

The hearse pulled into the funeral home. Ms. Lake, who had been waiting, climbed into the vehicle first. After covering Annie’s remains with a white cloth, she called Pike and Dinkom over to receive their “guest.”

Annie, still covered with the white cloth, was pushed into Ms. Lake’s workroom in the back.

“You two go set up the mourning hall up front.”

“Okay, madam.” After sending Pike and Dinkom away, Ms. Lake lifted the white cloth. Seeing the multiple holes piercing Annie’s forehead and body, the woman sucked in a cold breath.

“How long do you need?” Karon asked.

“The remains are well preserved. I only need to patch the hole on her forehead before I can do her makeup. The other parts can be covered with clothing. During the viewing, she’ll be lying in a coffin, and from the outside, she’ll look normal.”

“Good.”

“Where are you going now?”

“I should wait here.”

“I’ve already sorted the books you used to read and your other things. They’re on the bedroom desk. I’m no longer sleeping in that room, but will sleep in the guest room. That room will serve as your study from now on. Of course, if you want to renovate it, you can. I’ll make the arrangements.”

“There’s no rush. I’ll go back to the study.”

“Okay.”

Karon left the workroom and closed the door behind him for Ms. Lake. He then walked into his study, which had originally been the master bedroom.

The desk that had been in the corner had been moved to the center of the room., while the bed had been pushed against a wall to serve as a rest bed within the study. Just swapping the two pieces of furniture had completely changed the room’s nature.

A pile of books and document folders sat on the desk. Karon sat down and began flipping through them one by one. He quickly found several of Mr. Pavaro’s work notebooks. For Karon, these were extremely important. He needed work experience and a deeper understanding of the Church of Order at the grassroots level.

Mr. Pavaro had been a rigorous man. His notes were detailed, and he had kept them from the time he had been a Divine Servant. Karon read page after page. Most of the entries were written in a self narrative style, so as he read, he felt as though Mr. Pavaro were standing in front of him, recounting his past experiences.

Without realizing it, Karon sank into that atmosphere. Mr. Pavaro was like an old master craftsman, leading Karon through the door. However, in this case, the master had already handed his own position to Karon.

Starting from Divine Servant to Divine Seeker, then to Divine Shepherd, and then finally to Inquisitor, at that point, the content of the notes only covered about half of the rank. This indicated that after becoming an Inquisitor, what one had to face and handle immediately grew far more complex.

It also meant that Mr. Pavaro had served as an Inquisitor for a very long time, yet had always remained a Seventh-Class Inquisitor, and could only receive the lowest stipend an Inquisitor was due.

When he turned the page, Karon noticed a black circle drawn on the paper. He initially assumed that it marked something important, but after reading the passage carefully, he found nothing in it that stood out from the surrounding text.

“Oh...” Karon understood. It was only because when Mr. Pavaro wrote here, the ash from the cigarette in his mouth had fallen onto the page and burned a small mark. Karon had been getting suspicious over nothing.

On the desk sat cigarettes, a lighter, and an ashtray. They had not been there before, because in the past, Mr. Pavaro had not enjoyed the privilege of being able to smoke in the bedroom.

Karon took out a cigarette, held it between his teeth, lit it with the lighter, then placed it directly into the ashtray. “I’ll light one for you. Keep talking.”

Karon continued reading the notebooks and silently memorized the names of certain people who were mentioned. Before he knew it, the hands of the clock had reached four in the afternoon.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Ms. Lake entered with a tray and set a cup of ice water and some sort of sandwich-like food down in front of Karon. Unlike a regular sandwich, this had a black sauce spread over it.

Karon picked up the cup and drank deeply. He looked at the sandwich and maintained a smile while saying, “I’m not hungry.”

“Everything outside has been prepared. Would you like to take a look?”

“Oh, is it?” Karon looked up at the clock. He had been reading for so long. “Sorry. I forgot the time while reading.”

“We were supposed to finish and then inform you.”

“Mm.” Karon stretched.

“Do you need me to massage your shoulders? I used to massage them for you quite often, though usually after the girls had soaked in Bloodspirit Powder.”

“There’s no need.”

“I’m sorry. I- I can’t always help myself.”

“The one who should be sorry is me. Perhaps we both need a little time to adapt to this new way of getting along.”

“Yes. Yes. But please rest assured, I will adapt quickly.”

“No, madam. You’re already doing quite well. It’s only that I can’t fully step into my own role. After some time, I’ll recruit a new clerk.”

“Is that so? That would be good.”

“Mhmm. That should allow you and the new employee to be able to talk more comfortably.”

“Yes. I understand.” Ms. Lake understood what was actually being said.

Karon stood up and left the bedroom. He walked to the front hall, which served as the mourning hall.

A dark red coffin sat on the viewing platform. It looked elegant. Back when he had been at home, Karon had enjoyed flipping through the house’s coffin catalogs, so he knew that the coffin in front of him was not cheap.

The hall was quiet, which meant that Pike and Dinkom chatting while enjoying a bottle of soda could be heard very clearly. “It’s actually Ms. Annie. I was startled so badly when I set the coffin down. The boss is really bold.”

Dinkom replied, “Even though the missus used to curse the boss at home and would even curse Ms. Annie in passing, saying the boss could die on Ms. Annie’s bed and never come home, the missus never actually saw Ms. Annie.”

Pike said, “What’s even funnier is that the missus actually did Ms. Annie’s funeral makeup. If the missus knew that today’s guest is the same Ms. Annie she always curses, who knows how furious she’d be.”

Dinkom said, “What, you want to go tattle?”

“Pfft! I’d never do that!”

Karon’s footsteps alerted the two of them. They immediately turned to look at him ,their expressions growing awkward.

Karon did not intend to scold them. When his real self came to the funeral home later, there would be time to train them properly.

He walked over to the viewing platform and looked at Annie lying there in the coffin. She looked like she was asleep, slumbering deeply and soundly. Her clothes were not new, but were not neglected. It seemed likely that Ms. Lake had taken some of her own clothes and dressed Annie in them.

After looking at her, Karon stepped down from the platform. He picked up a chair, wanting to sit by the door for a while. There was a signboard by the door. It should announce whose memorial service was being held, but for the moment, it was blank.

Karon pointed at the signboard. “Write it.”

“We really have to write it, Boss?” Pike glanced inside, hinting that his question was really about whether or not his boss really wanted his wife to know who the day’s guest was.

“Write it.”

“Yes, Boss.” Pike ran over and began writing on the signboard.

Dinkom approached with a cigarette. He was about to offer it to his boss, but Karon shook his head. “Because of this merit, in a bit, I’ll receive a promotion. When that happens, we’ll receive another slot here, and I’ll recruit a Divine Servant.”

“Boss, will it be a candidate assigned from above?”

“No.”

“Then, Boss, you already have someone in mind?”

“Mhmm. Next I’ll keep accepting jobs to earn additional credits. I may frequently be away for ten days or even half a month at a time, so the household matters and the daily work...”

“Don’t worry, Boss. Leave it all to me. I’ll train the newcomer and finish all the daily work.”

Karon looked at Dinkom and smiled, who grinned back. He felt that his boss was giving his approval.

“Yes, yes. I’m writing it right here. Yes. Please come in, please come in.” Pike pointed to two ladies who came up to ask and directed them inside.

Two women, who were dressed very conservatively, walked over. Dinkom stepped forward, puzzled. “You’re here to...”

“To pay our respects to Sister Annie.”

“Yes. We’re here to pay respects to Annie.”

“Dinkom, go prepare tea,” Karon ordered.

“Okay, Boss.”

In a funeral home mourning hall, it might be acceptable to skip most refreshments, but tea was an absolute necessity.

The two women walked over to Karon, and they each offered him an envelope of condolence money. “We don’t know who prepared this funeral for Sister Annie, so please pass this along.”

Karon reached out for the envelope and nodded.

The two women went to the viewing platform and proceeded to pay their respects to Annie’s face. More women arrived at the door. Karon sat there and continued to collect condolence money.

More and more people came, all women, and of all ages, yet they were all dressed conservatively. Quite a few seemed to recognize him. When they handed condolence money to him, they called him Mr. Pavaro.

Gradually, the not very large mourning hall was nearly filled. After paying their respects in order, everyone stood below, as though offering their final companionship.

At that moment, Ms. Lake arrived behind Karon. He asked, “Did you notify them?”

“You said she had no family. I didn’t want her departure to be too lonely, so I reached out to a few people. I didn’t expect so many to come. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize.” Karon handed the stack of condolence envelopes he held to Ms. Lake. He then turned to face the room and look at the women who stood there to pay their respects to Annie.

Everyone was observing silence in their own habitual way. The poses were different, but the devotion and the tear tracks that could be clearly at the corners of their eyes remained the same.

Karon had truly not expected Annie to be so well respected on that pastry street. She had been the big sister who had sheltered the women on that street who made their living selling pastries.

She had not proselytized, as Karon did not see anyone praying or performing any sort of religious rites.

Even so, she had been a true believer of the Goddess Mios, and had always practiced the teachings the goddess had left behind, treating the goddess as her example.

A funeral was, in fact, the clearest and most just place to summarize a person’s life.

“She was a remarkable woman,” Ms. Lake said. “I feel honored for your friend, honored that he could become her friend.”

In Karon’s mind, the image of Annie in her cubicle appeared, a cigarette between her fingers. He then silently took money from his pocket and placed it into Ms. Lake’s hand that held the condolence envelopes. “Forty rels. That is my condolence offering.”

Karon added, “She was worth that.”

“Understood.”

That night, every pastry shop on Maple Street stayed closed.