The Edge

“Fred, what are you doing?” she said in a weak voice.

He didn’t appear to hear her.

“Fred!”

He turned and walked over to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Why are you doing this?”

He touched her arm gently with one hand and adjusted his glasses with the other. “I’m sorry but there’s no other way.”

As soon as he touched her Alex flinched, as though burned by his grip. She closed her eyes, her head pounded, and she suddenly started to gyrate, as though she were having a seizure.

Bing didn’t react to this at all. He just stood there in silent acknowledgment of what was happening. She finally stopped moving, her breathing moderating. She opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at him. And this time she remembered all. And from her look, Bing understood this as well.

“I never meant to hurt you back then, Alex.”

“You raped me and then tried to kill me.”

“Things got out of hand and I didn’t know what to do. I hope you can believe that.”

“You were my friend. You knew my sister. You taught me in high school.”

“And I loved you. From the first time I saw you, I loved you. And I never stopped.”

“Then how could you do that to me?”

“I saw you on your bike riding along. You were so beautiful. And I was in the police car. I felt... wonderful. So free. I wanted to take you for a ride. But you didn’t want to go. I believed you loved me too, so I insisted. You slapped me. That made me angry, very angry, because all I wanted to do was take you for a ride.”

“So then you raped me!”

“I really thought you wanted to, Alex. But afterward you were so furious that—”

“—that you tried to kill me. You left me for dead!”

“I love you.”

“If you love me, you’ll let me go. Now.”

He drew nearer. “I can’t do that. Deep down you know that.”

“You killed my sister!” she screamed.

He said hurriedly, “No, no, I didn’t. My uncle—”

“Fuck you and your uncle!”

He took a step back and looked down. “I know that you’re upset.”

“Yes, I’m upset,” she cried out. “Because now you’re going to kill me.”

“I wasn’t going to, even if you did remember.”

“What are you talking about?”

“But then you betrayed me.”

“What!?”

He drew closer and studied her. “You were going to let your idiot brother sell your home. You were going to move away. Well, I took care of that, or I tried to. But that wasn’t your worst betrayal.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you in your art studio with... him.”

“Who?” she said defiantly.

“Travis Devine. I saw how you both were looking at each other. You kissed him! You went to the house together. I know what you did. I know.” He shook his head in disappointment. “I thought you would have known better.”

“Just stop it. Stop it and let me go.”

Bing just kept shaking his head. “I would have kept the faith, Alex, if you had.”

“Just stop it. Stop it!”

“If there was any other way—”

“There is a way. You let me go and turn yourself in.”

“But I’d go to prison.”

“Where exactly do you think I’ve been all these years?” she screamed at him.

“I know this has been so hard for you, so hard.”

“Then do the right thing. Let me go and call the police and tell them what you did.”

He shook his head. “I’ve worked too hard to lose all this.”

“All what? A funeral home? You spend all your time with dead people. Maybe that’s the problem.”

He grimaced. “People have always made fun of what I do, but it’s a necessary service—”

“I don’t care!” she shouted. “I don’t give a fuck about you or what you do, okay? Just do what you’re going to do to me and go on with your pathetic life.” She closed her eyes, and the tears curved over her quivering cheeks.

“You won’t feel a thing. I’m going to sedate you before, of course. It’ll be over soon, okay? I promise. I wish things could have turned out differently, okay?”

She didn’t bother to answer him.

He returned to the equipment and started to key in information in front of a screen that was attached to the cremation system. A few minutes later he looked over at her. “It’s all computerized now. Input the weight and other necessary factors, and algorithms determine the temperature and time.”

Alex’s eyes were still closed and she was now mumbling something under her breath.

He continued, turning back to his work. “Anyway, the body is 65 percent water, and it requires a large amount of thermal energy to vaporize it, which must be done first, in the primary chamber. That chamber vaporizes the water, and the secondary chamber takes care of any leftover organic matter. Then the cremulator reduces whatever is left over to ash. That’s what we put in the urns to give to the families. I thought I would scatter your ashes over Jocelyn Point. Is that okay? You always loved it there, right?”

He paused and looked at her again. She was still mumbling but only in a louder voice.

“What’s that you’re saying?” he said.

A minute later he walked over and leaned in closer. “What are you saying?”

She didn’t answer.

He put his arms under her, lifted her up, and carried her over to a long cardboard box set on a conveyor belt. He laid her inside it.