Hellcat

Chapter Twenty-One

Ben Urich is dead. He was murdered. We knew who did it, Matt and I. Fisk did it. Fisk killed Ben. It was a cloudy, dry day. Cold, overcast, and as dismal as the event. Father Lantom presided over the service, speaking softly and clear. The crowd that had gathered all wore black, holding single pink roses in their hand. I stood beside Matt, who was as stoic as ever. Karen had tears down her cheeks. She'd been closer to Ben than the rest of us, but I knew it was his dealing with us that got him killed. Foggy was nowhere to be seen.

"Give me a minute, okay?" Karen muttered after a sniffle, the service over. "Sure," I nodded before she headed towards a woman in a wheelchair who I knew was Ben's widow. Slowly, I watched as people started putting roses on the casket. The crowd began to disperse after that, and I took my turn leaving a rose. "Sorry, Ben. Shouldn't have happened like this," I muttered when I put the rose down.

Then I returned to Matt. He was turned away from the grave, Father Lantom at his side. "How are you holding up?" I heard Father Lantom ask. Deciding to give them a moment, I stayed back but listened to what they said. "Like a good Catholic boy," Matt replied somberly. "That bad, huh?" Father Lantom attempted at teasing. I doubted Matt smiled, but I did; just the corners of my mouth turning up.

"He was a good man. And he's gone... because I haven't stopped what's happening to this city," Matt growled, disappointment clear in his voice. "Can't put that on yourself, Matthew. You've done everything you can. A lot you probably shouldn't have," Lantom spoke softly. "And here we are," was Matt's bitter reply before he turned back towards the casket. As he did, I stepped up to him.

"It's not just on you," I whispered, hand reaching up to touch his arm. He tilted his head slightly in my direction, listening carefully. "We're in this together. We'll finish it, together," I insisted, nodding firmly to reassure myself of the words. I was going to help Matt take down Fisk. He wouldn't be alone in this, not any more. Matt just turned his face completely towards mine. It was almost like he was staring, searching my features for any sign of hesitation. But I knew he was more-likely to be listening to my heart.

Then he gave a curt nod. I felt eyes on us from behind and glanced back to see Karen watching us from beside the casket. She quickly pulled her eyes away before coming over to us. "Ready?" I asked her softly. She sniffled and gave a small nod, another tear slipping down her red cheeks. Offering a sad smile, I reached up and brushed the tear away before linking my arm with hers. Then, my other hand on Matt's elbow, we left the cemetery.

"He just stood there, like he was his friend," Karen grumbled as she unlocked the door to the office. She was talking about Ellison, the editor at The Bulletin. "Like he had nothing to do with what happened," Karen continued to accuse, leaving the door wide open. Matt stepped into the office and I followed, closing the door behind us. "I thought Ben said he didn't have any evidence Ellison was taking money from Fisk," Matt reminded her clinically. "No, but it makes sense. I mean, it explains..." she cut herself off, sighing heavily as Matt hung up his coat and I, mine.

"Do you know what makes this worse?" Karen asked us, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Foggy. Didn't even show up," she grumbled. "You said he left a message," Matt reminded her softly. "Yeah, he left a message... saying he had something more important to do than come to Ben's funeral," she continued to gripe. "Come on, he wouldn't say that," I tried to tell her. "Yeah, well, it's what he meant," she snapped back, earning a heavy sigh from Matt.

"It's my fault, Karen..." he muttered as she took a seat in her chair. "...all of this with Foggy," he tried to tell her. "No, everyone shares the blame in a relationship. That's... just the way that it works," she sighed, resting her chin on her hands. "No, not always," I huffed out a sigh, leaning against the wall.