Charlie clammed up for the rest of the brief drive before the truckskidded to a stop on the gravel outside the Institute offices. Billy hadbeen textin... on an odd-looking cellphone as Charlie drove so he wasn'ttoo surprised to see a group of familiar-looking people at the building'sentrance waiting for their arrival."This way." Farnsworth turned and headed for the front door as Charliepiled out of the cab, followed more sedately by Billy. Belle accompaniedher boss, seemingly having no problems. As she peered in the gilt-edged mirror, repairing her lipstick, a victim of Jeff's New Years' kiss, she smiled at herself. At 39 years old, she felt pretty good. She still felt a thrill when Jeff kissed her, and their love making was still passionate and if anything, had become better and more satisfying to both over the years as each had slowly and pleasantly learned the intimate secrets of each other's bodies. They were best friends as well as lovers. Frank and Francine were her joy and. His arms were covered in tattoo sleeves of various nautical eccentricities—a giant leviathan—an old lighthouse—longitude and latitude symbols. Eric looked like the guy that would make love to you and make sure you came. Dom looked like the guy that would fuck you into submission during a three day shore-leave. They both looked very hot to her all of a sudden, sitting there in a slight daze in the hot water of the jacuzzi as the jets bubbled all around them. They were both 21 years old and in. Both were brought to my funeral parlour where we were supposed to prepare them for burial. The husband wanted his prematurely 'born' son to be buried inside his mother so I would have to stuff the fetus back into her body. He did not want them embalmed as they planned to have a one day closed casket funeral. He only wanted me to restore her to her former looks so that he could see her in her full beauty for the last time.I expected a bloody and battered corpse due to the violent nature of her.