The Undertaking of Adam Novak Read online

  2

  KEN

  Ken arrives at the office early to get things finished before leaving for New Mexico for the weekend. He has a small office space in a shabby strip mall on Tropicana, two miles off the strip. In the small lobby is a reception desk with a phone and an old computer. Pink sticky notes are scattered all over the worn desk. The small space is overcrowded with chairs of all shapes and sizes lining two walls. The old shit-brown carpet is faded and stained. There’s a water dispenser in one corner, a dusty fake olive tree in another and a hallway leading to a trio of offices with the large one at the end. Ken’s.

  An L-shape desk sits in front of a large tinted window with a view of the street. Not the best view, thought Ken when he first moved in. But at least there’s a window. Two IKEA bookshelves flank the desk. On them are photos of himself in various stages of his life. The Works of Edgar Allen Poe, an anniversary gift from his wife, sit on a shelf along with Star Wars figurines and memorabilia.

  On his desk is a framed photo of him and Julia on their wedding day. They’d been so young and complete opposites, so the fact that they decided to marry was a mystery for most. There’s also a small framed photo; this one of the Sorensen brothers, Ken, Ralph and Eugene, no older than fifteen, with a lake for a background taken during the summer in 1987.

  As the head of the business and unable—or unwilling—to trust his partners, Ken handles most of the sales. He’s always on the phone, shouting, with an occasional burst of laughter. He dropped out of college after only one semester, but his clients don’t need to know that. Though the walls are covered with certificates and awards, don’t let that fool you. His photo-shopping skills are extraordinary. Only a handful of people know how and where the funding for his insurance business had come from.

  At five-eight—the shortest of the three boys—he’s not a handsome man but not unattractive either. His graying ash-blond hair is cut short and parted to one side and his mud color eyes hide behind rectangular glasses. He’s often told that he resembles Salman Khan, and, hey, his wife is in love with him for a reason. Also, modesty has never been his strong suit.

  Sarah, a petite redhead with porcelain skin and cherry red lips knocks on his door and pokes her head in to make an announcement. Her blue eyes dance as she speaks. “Doctor Poole is here to see you.”

  Sarah has been his only receptionist. She’s discreet and aloof, which is why he’s kept her on all these years. At twenty-six she seems eager to learn and willing to help in any way.

  “Thanks, Sarah. Please let him in.”

  Christopher Poole is Ken’s most trusted collogue, business partner and friend. Poole attended medical school back in 1993 and had been interning at Rodney Labs near Las Vegas when Ken pitched his business idea all those ago. Poole had an interest in chemistry since childhood and couldn’t refuse the offer.

  Ken puts down his coffee and stands to shake the man’s hand. Poole is a tall, lean and muscular man with bushy eyebrows and movie star ginger hair. He’s wearing a UNLV baseball cap, jeans, and a green polo. His brown eyes are sunken and slanted, making him look tired.

  Ken invites his friend to take the seat across his desk. “Sarah!” he shouts and the receptionist appears within seconds.

  “Yes?”

  “I won’t be seeing any more clients for the rest of the day. Please go ahead and take a break and when you get back shun any interruptions.”

  Sarah nods and closes the door.

  Ken gets out of his chair and goes around his desk, easing a hip on the corner.

  “All done?” he says and crosses his arms over his chest.

  With a wide grin, Poole leans back on the chair. “All done.”

  “Any problems? Anything I should know?”

  Poole shakes his head. “They took her to the hospital and pronounced dead at twelve-forty-three.”

  Ken’s grin grows wide and gives a slow nod, then walks back to his desk where he removes an envelope from the top drawer and tosses it to Poole. His friend puts it in the back pocket of his jeans and unfolds himself out of the chair.

  “Aren’t you going to count it?”

  Poole shakes his head. “No need. I know it’s all there.”

  The friends shake hands once again and Poole leaves the office, closing the door behind him.

  –

  Ken sits in his expensive chair, takes one final long sip of his coffee and tosses the empty cup into the recycle bin then pulls out his phone to make the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sexy.”

  “About time! I’m a ball of nerves here, Ken. What happened?”

  “How about lunch?”

  “Sure. Usual spot?”

  “Yeah, see you in a bit,” he says and ends the call then turns off his computer before leaving the office.

  Sarah is in Ralph’s office filing away while chewing gum and singing an off-key version of Lorde’s Royals.

  “Sarah!” Ken shouts.

  She removes an earbud and looks at him like he has a third eye. “Ye-es?”

  “I’m leaving for the day. Ralph will be in after lunch. Will you please see that his office is clean by then?”

  She nods and replaces the earbud.

  –

  Ken hates the location of his office. He hates the neighborhood. Hell, he hates the entire state of Nevada. He especially hates Las Vegas; with its stupid tourists and their stupid selfie-sticks. He hates how dirty the streets are and the constant motion of the place. Soon, he thinks now, as he walks to his white Chevy Malibu. Soon I’ll be outta this fucking hell hole. He promised himself long ago—too long now—that his current location was only temporary.

  He’s lived in Las Vegas his entire life and knows the streets well; the shortcuts and detours, secret roads, and everything between. He drives the fifteen minutes to Redd’s Grill on Boulder Hwy. Once in the parking lot, he scans the area to make sure he wasn’t followed. He’s been paranoid ever since the day a few weeks back when he thought he was being followed by an unmarked police car. Satisfied that everything appears to be clear, he turns off his car and steps out to the cloudy day.

  –

  He enters the restaurant and is immediately greeted by Redd, a heavy man with a red face, long white beard, and his trademark Hawaiian shirt. During the holidays Redd volunteers at Kindred Children’s Hospital dressed as Santa Claus. His choice of the day is a black shirt with bright yellow smiling suns and khaki shorts.

  “Mr. Sorensen!” says the big man, extending his hand for a handshake while holding his cigar in the other. “Good to see you, my friend.” The man orders the hostess to take Ken to his favorite table in a private area near the back.

  The restaurant is beach-themed complete with the sound of the ocean emitting from the speakers above. Artificial palm trees decorate the space and hammocks are suspended from the ceiling. Behind the bar is a display of photos of Redd on his boat holding different types and sizes of fish.

  Ken’s waitress arrives—an attractive brunette with glorious breasts. “Good afternoon!” she says, cheerfully. “Can I get you started with a beverage?”

  Ken smiles at her friendliness and is pretty sure she knows how generous he is with his tips.

  “Rum and Coke,” he tells the girl. “And I’m waiting for someone, so take your time.”

  “Coming up!”

  Irene arrives moments later. A tall woman with a long, pale face, narrow nose and her green eyes search for him. Her long blond hair is down, which is unusual. Most of the time she wears it in a long ponytail pulled back from her face. She’s dressed for him, Ken notes. She’s wearing a blue summer dress with thin yellow stripes at the shoulders. She’s gained some pounds over the years, but he thinks she still looks stunning.

  Ken stands to greet her and attempts to kiss her on the lips, but she turns away, then he looks around to make sure no one saw the awkward moment. Not a second later the waitress returns with his drink.

  “Rum and Coke,” she says,
placing the drink on a coaster in front of Ken and proceeds to take their order. “May I interest you in our special of the day?” She presents their menus.

  “Two club sandwiches and two side salads, please,” says Ken without bothering with the menu.

  Once Irene orders a drink, the friendly waitress leaves with their order.

  “So,” she says. “What’s the news?”

  3

  AARON

  Aaron is ten. A good kid, who knows how important school is and who wants to be a professional baseball player when he grows up. He was named after Hank Aaron so he’s very proud of his name and hopes to follow in the baseball legend’s footsteps.

  He’s funny, caring, loyal and wise beyond his years. He’s a bit short for his age, but a big heart to make up for it.

  He grew up surrounded by loving people, but only three years before, his grandparents died in a car accident when they were returning home from a retreat in Utah. Those were sad times and he still misses them a lot. And even though they were not linked by blood they had loved and protected both Aaron and his mom until the day they died. It is now Uncle Adam who looks after them and makes sure they are okay.

  The Novaks are the only family Aaron has ever known and loves them more than anything. He’s closest to his uncle Jaycob and despite their ten-year difference, they do a lot together. They play video games—after homework, of course—and eat pizza for dinner and play catch before bed. Jaycob always goes to Aaron’s little league games and even taught him how to throw a strike! Aaron also enjoys spending time with Uncle Adam who used to be in the Air Force and now works with awesome engines and stuff. It’s usually a lot of fun being around him, except when Irene is around. Irene is Uncle Adam’s wife and Aaron thinks she isn’t very nice. He doesn’t understand why she doesn’t like him and he feels weird when she’s around. She gives him the creeps and he doesn’t understand why his uncle likes her, but that’s none of his business.

  –

  Friday is here! Aaron is super excited because he and his mom are going away for the weekend and he’s been telling his best friend Sal all about it for weeks! This will be the first time they’ll be traveling alone, only the two of them, longer than a few minutes and more than four hundred miles and he can’t wait. He’s sitting at his desk waiting for the bell to ring and when it does all the kids go spilling out of the classroom. Aaron gathers his things and walks out of the room.

  Uncle Adam is picking him up today like he does every Friday. Before walking out of the building he puts on his hoodie knowing his mom will appreciate it. He loves his mom so much and he’ll tell you that she is the best mom in the world. Well, except when she makes him read. He only likes to read a little bit because he can’t concentrate on the story unless it’s super exciting. But his mom wants him to read more, so he tries. For her. His favorite books are the Magic Tree House series. He can read those for hours!

  He walks out and is glad to be wearing his hoodie because it’s a little cold outside. Sal catches up and together they walk to the front of the school.

  “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

  “My mom said early, like at five in the morning!”

  Sam’s blue eyes grow wide. “Holy crap! That’s early.”

  “I know! I’ll have to go to sleep early tonight.”

  Sal always walks home so they say their goodbyes at the gate and go their separate ways. Aaron knows Uncle Adam will be waiting at their secret spot. Only his uncle knows about their secret spot. Aaron pretends that they are secret spies meeting at their secret yellow bunker.

  He makes his way through the sea of kids; some are getting in their parents’ cars or walking home while others only stand around. He waits for the crossing guard to give the go-ahead and crosses the street along with dozens of other children. He scans the battlefield for Uncle Adam and spots him at the secret spot. But… something’s different. Someone’s with him. He doesn’t recognize her at first and worries it may be Irene but that girl there has red hair and he only knows one person with red hair. Well, he’s seen lots, but only knows one.

  He runs to meet them because he can’t contain his excitement. As he approaches the bench, he slows down because he wants to surprise them. That’s when he notices that Rita is crying. He goes around the bench to face them and wonders what’s going on. Rita glances at him and smiles, but her smile looks out of place.

  “Hi, Rita,” says Aaron, uncertain if he should return the smile.

  “Hey, little man,” she says and gives him a hug.

  Uncle Adam joins in and Aaron can see that something is wrong. His uncle is usually hyper and joking and pretending he’s a spy but not now. Something is definitely not right.

  “Hey, buddy. Ready to go?” says Uncle Adam.

  Aaron isn’t sure what’s going on but he sure is ready. “Yep, gotta get ready for tomorrow!”

  He notices a glance pass between Rita and Uncle Adam, who steps close and stands in front of Aaron with his hands on the boy’s shoulders. His uncle is very tall, way taller than Jaycob who is nearly six feet tall. He has short hair the color of wet sand with a spiked up top like a small mountain. He has stubble that is always trimmed in a neat way. His eyes, the color of honey, are clouded by something. In fact, Aaron recalls seeing this same look in his uncle’s eyes after grandma and grandpa died. Aaron is now very scared and his chest feels like it’s on fire.

  “Listen, buddy.” Uncle Adam starts to talk and swallows hard. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Aaron’s heart is thumping in his chest. There are kids running around, yelling, laughing but Aaron tunes them out. Something bad is happening. He is super sure of it, but what?

  “What is it?”

  Rita starts to cry. Why isn’t she saying anything? Why is she here anyway? He turns his attention back to Uncle Adam.

  “I need you to be brave, okay?”

  Aaron nods.

  “It’s about your mom. She um… She had a heart attack this morning.”

  Aaron feels his legs go weak. He knows that a heart attack can kill, just look at what happened to his friend Sal’s Granddad.

  “Is she gonna be okay?”

  Uncle Adam pulls him in for a hug and holds him tight. He smells of aftershave and soap.

  “She’s not okay, Aaron. She, uh… She’s with grandma and grandpa now.”

  Silence.

  The world around Aaron slows down like when a home run replays on the TV. The sound of the kids laughing magnifies and all the sounds around him are deafening, making him want to cover his ears. Why are they so loud? He thinks. Don’t they know that Aaron needs silence? Don’t they care that his mom is dead? Tears start to fall. He wants to speak, but no words come. How can this be happening? Only this morning they had breakfast and she dropped him off at school and said, “See you later.” How can she be gone?

  Rita stands next to Uncle Adam, who’s holding onto Aaron as if he may slip through his arms. It’s hard to breathe, but Aaron is too afraid to let go.

  Rita lost her best friend, Uncle Adam lost his sister and Aaron… he lost his mom. They both are much older than he, but right now the three of them are as fragile and broken. Why is life so unfair? Aaron closes his eyes, wanting to wake from the nightmare, but he can still hear the kids. He can still hear Rita crying and his uncle won’t let go. Little by little the noise subsides as kids start to leave and the rustling of the wind in the trees remains. Everything else has stopped. Life as Aaron knew it has changed forever.

  4

  IRENE

  Irene is in a pleasant mood, and who can blame her? After all, she just received fantastic news. She arrives home after lunch with Ken and hopes to get a call from Adam very soon or at least a text letting her know that Tianna is dead. At last.

  Jordyn, her daughter, won’t be home from school for another hour or two so Irene is going to enjoy her time alone. She pulls in the driveway on Pines Place to a two-story brown ranch in horrible shape.
The paint is peeling off; there are loose shingles on the roof and a fence that needs mending. The front yard has spots of green mixed with dried grass and a Laurel tree in the center. She gets out of her car and walks up to the small porch, which is filled with cardboard boxes and pieces of old furniture.

  She hates the fact that Adam no longer pays attention to the house as he did when he first moved in. Her house isn’t as pleasant as Tianna’s thanks to the amount of time Adam spends over there. She is certain that will all change now that Tianna’s dead.

  –

  She opens the door, picks up the mail off the floor and walks into the house. The inside is no better off. She stops in the foyer, puts her bag down on the floor and takes off her sandals. To the right is the dining room turned home office where Adam spends endless hours. She drops the mail there which is most likely bills—and not her responsibility. She’ll leave those for Adam to deal with later. To the left, divided by a half wall is the family room where it has become rare for them to spend time together. Not that she cares much. All she wants—and ever wanted—is to have Adam by her side.

  –

  From the day Adam walked into Dalton Aircraft Service she knew she wanted him. She was the receptionist at the time when Adam walked in for an interview on a Tuesday afternoon and was hired on the spot—that’s how amazing he is. She found him extremely attractive with his brown hair; cut military style, brown eyes, and broad shoulders. He wore a pink button-down shirt which highlighted his defined physique. The instant his eyes met hers, that was it. Love at first sight.

  They soon became friends and small talk led to big talk, to bigger talk and eventually a date. Irene had been persistent if anything else. When she discovered that Adam was in love with Tianna she changed strategies. After meeting her children, Jordyn, who was two at the time and Colin, four, Adam fell in love with them and they became Irene’s secret weapon. Her kids were his weak spot.