Russell Foley stood a few steps back from the edge of the gradually deepening, rectangular hole in the ground. On the opposite side of the excavation, two cemetery employees waited patiently for the excavator operator to finish the bulk of the digging. When there remained just a few inches of earth on top of the coffin, they would clamber down into the grave and remove the last of the damp soil with shovels.
On any given day, these men dug holes to accommodate the mortal remains of some unfortunate sole. Today, both looked decidedly uncomfortable at this, their first experience at digging a hole to remove a body. Foley glanced across at the men and wondered which of the two would be the first to jump down into the open grave.
A short distance away, a hearse commissioned to carry the exhu
