LEFT OF SINISTER

CHAPTER SIX

He seemed to shiver as he turned around. His eyes were as wide as they could get a look of confusion about them. He looked at Earl seemingly in a quandary. Somewhat taken aback Earl now walked over and joined him very much wondering why his demeanor was suddenly shrouded in silence. "What–what is it Candy?" he asked.

"Did you hit the trunk latch when you got out of your car?" he asked. Earl thought for a moment at last realizing he wasn't really certain whether or not he had, that maybe he had done so to allow them to remove the urns the funeral home had given to them once the ceremony was over with while still in the parking lot of the establishment. But at last he was certain he hadn't.

"You were with me–did you see me do that?" he asked. "But honestly I don't recall hitting the latch." Why do you ask me anyway?" Earl now inquired.

Turning toward the window now Candy pointed indicating the outside. "Your trunk is open–wide open." he said. "Really–Jesus those urns are back there." He moved over there and looked beyond the drapes himself. "They got lids on them don't they?" he asked looking to his younger brother.

"Of course they do, but you don't want an inch of water in your trunk." Candy said now. "I sure as hell don't." Earl said once more looking out there. "I'll go out there and shut it for you." Candy now told him. Earl started waving his hands as he moved from the window. "No don't do that you just got dry. I'll go if you got an umbrella around here somewhere?" he said. "Yeah there's one in foyer closet." Candy said pointing back down the short hall.

"Great." Earl said moving toward the entrance. "You be careful it sounds like the lightning is getting worse." Candy said and then as if to give emphasis to his caution they heard the loud sound of crackling lightning and thunder roaring like the rolling noise of artillery which Candy was very much familiar with from his days in Vietnam.

Earl opened the closet donned his suit coat once more and after poking around for a moment or so at last found the umbrella lying against a corner of the space. "Eureka!" he exclaimed pulling the contraption out of the dark interior and after fumbling around with the handle spread open the plastic canopy.

"Haven't you ever heard that's bad luck?" Candy snickered as he stood there at the foyer entrance. "Yeah like this place could suffer any worse luck than what you've already experienced." Earl said with a somber tone placing his left hand on the door knob.

"You're certainly right about that." Candy said coming over and joining him at the door. Earl pulled the door open and made his way cautiously across the porch and tentatively moved down the angle of the steps. He made his way into the yard unaware that his younger brother hadn't returned inside but rather was watching him in transit toward his vehicle.

Earl moved as quickly as the wet grass allowed him his feet squishing through the inundation at moments near slipping on the slick surface of the earth's organic toupee. He moved with quick steps to his Camry whose trunk was opened to its maximum extent a sharp green angle across the environment.

The rain was intense now thumping loudly on the surface of the umbrella the sound of it loud in the wavering day and as well the noise of it on the surface of the three vehicles a cacophony of watery noise on metal.

As he cautiously made his way to the trunk he considered the idea that if he had hit the trunk latch from the inside unlocking it as they had speculated it would have simply broken the lock and it would only have come up perhaps several inches. But it was wide open, which seemed to indicate to him someone had drawn it completely open. But who could have done that–they had seen no one? Or had they–him at least?  Candy had intimated he had seen a stray dog. He on the other hand had seen a little girl. A little Asian girl that looked similar to the one in the portrait Candy had painted and was hanging on the wall over the couch where he had seated himself.