Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [41]
Later, with the festivities in full gear, Tony found Alex and said, “Okay, Bro, are we ready to get this farewell started?”
Alex looked over to find his brother standing nearby as he took in the crowds that had come to say good-bye.
“We might as well. Let me go talk to the band.” A quartet from town had set up at the base of the lighthouse under blinking white lights Vernum had strung up in the trees. They looked like starlight up there, casting a gentle glow over the festivities. Alex had to admit, it was a good turnout, especially for a funeral. The buffet table was a hit, and several couples were dancing under the real stars.
Shantara Robinson, a friend from town who ran the general store, had asked Alex to dance, but he told her the same thing he’d told Sandra; he was there to say good-bye to Jase. Alex smiled grimly, wondering if he would have refused if Elise had asked him. He’d only seen her a couple of times since the party had started. Both times, she’d been standing close to Peter.
Alex approached the band, gave the bandleader the signal they’d agreed on earlier, and they stopped as soon as the song was over.
Alex said into the microphone, “May I have your attention please?”
Tony had deferred to him when it came to making the announcement, and Alex had reluctantly accepted. He wasn’t a big fan of speaking in public—it normally petrified him—but he’d do the best he could in honor of Jase.
“First, I want to thank you all for coming out to remember my uncle Jase. Some of you might find all this a little unusual”—there were more than a few nods in the crowd— “but anyone who knew Jase understands. He was a law unto himself in many ways.” There were even more nods now.
Alex gestured around him as he said, “This party was his idea, a way of saying good-bye. Thank you all for sharing it with us.”
At that moment, Tony walked forward, carrying the urn that housed Jase’s last remains, and all eyes were on him. As he joined Alex on the bandstand, Alex announced, “Per Jase’s last request, we’ll scatter the ashes from atop the lighthouse, and the lens will be turned on, one minute for every year of Jase’s life.”
Alex felt his knees tremble as he walked inside the lighthouse’s base.
Tony cradled the urn in one arm and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Nicely put, Alex. You did a good job out there.”
“Thanks,” he said as the two men walked up the steps together, Tony carrying the urn and Alex manning the powerful flashlight that lit up the interior.
When they got to the top, Alex asked, “Do you want to scatter the ashes or light the lens?”
“Why don’t we do them both together,” Tony suggested. “For old times’ sake.”
Alex said, “Think how dramatic it will be when the light starts rotating and catches a glint of his ashes as we release them.”
Tony agreed. ‘Tell you what, you turn on the torch all the time. I haven’t done it since we were kids. You can release the ashes, and then I’ll flip the switch.”
Alex agreed and walked to the rail. He glanced back to be sure that Tony was at his post, then shouted to the folks clustered below a variation on Taps, “To the lakes, to the hills, to the sky,” and started slowly emptying the urn as the lens came on above him. The wind gusted, shooting the flecks of gray into the night as the lens slowly started to rotate.
Alex walked quickly back inside and found Tony headed toward him. “Aren’t you going to hang around and enjoy the view?”
Alex said, “No, I think it’s a lot more dramatic on the ground, and we’ll have the light on for over an hour this time. I want to enjoy it from the ground.”
Tony said, “Suit yourself,” as he brushed past Alex and went out on the deck.
Alex hurried down the steps, and Elise met him at the door, a handkerchief pressed in her hand. “Alex, that was beautiful.” She studied his face, then asked, “It’s hard saying good-bye, isn’t it?