"Phil is an idiot. Gorgeous, but an idiot. And I don't just say that because he looked at me like I was a bag lady blocking the steps to his brownstone."
"It wasn't that bad," I say.
"Oh, yes it was, but since he wasn't checking you out either, I won't take it personally."
"You both might be the wrong gender," Petra says.
"He didn't give Will more than a passing glance."
"The sneer wasn't a physical assessment," I say. "It was disdain. For everyone and everything here. But I still wonder if he was right about Val. We couldn't afford to lose our leader, and involving herself in our affairs endangered her."
"Well, if that's your reasoning, you'd better tell Eric he has to stay in the station from now on. He's the one we can't afford to lose. Val was . . ." Isabel swirls her drink and shakes her head. "This isn't the proper way to conduct a wake, is it?"
"Does anyone have anything nice to say?" Diana says.
"She liked tea," Petra quips. Then she adds, "The truth is that none of us knew her well enough to eulogize her. But a year ago, no one would have been holding a wake for her either. She was coming out of her shell. She was starting to care. We were starting to care back."
Isabel raises her glass. "Then let's drink to that. A woman we didn't always understand. A woman we didn't always like. But a woman we were looking forward to getting to know better. A missed and mourned opportunity."
We clink glasses.
"Now, poker?" Petra says. "For credits, I hope, because I will clean you all out."
The door opens, and Isabel calls, "Closed!"
Dalton walks in. "Got a situation, Casey. I need you."
I'm getting to my feet when Diana says, "Can't you handle it alone, Sheriff? Casey deserves a rest."
"So does he," I say. "And he hasn't been sitting here drinking whiskey."
She opens her mouth, but a murmur from Isabel stops her. A quiet reminder, I'm sure, that harping on Dalton does nothing to bring Diana back into my good graces.
When we get outside, I say, "We were attempting to eulogize Val. It wasn't going well."
He slows. "Shit, I'm sorry. If you want to go back--"
"The eulogy part was over. It was booze and cards henceforth. Somehow I don't think Val would have approved."
He takes my hand as we walk. I might joke, but he knows that wake wasn't easy. Any reminder of Val is a reminder of how she died. But Isabel is right--Val deserved a few quiet moments of our time.
"So what's up?" I say.
"Kenny's missing."
"What?"
"He was out searching with a party. I wanted him at the lumber shed to deal with the reconstruction issues. When it was definitely dark"--he points at the night sky--"I went to see why he wasn't back yet."
"And?"
"His group returned fifteen minutes earlier. He had to use the bathroom. Someone stood outside waiting, not wanting to rush him."
"Let me guess--he's not in the bathroom."
"Yep."