“It looks like he had a wife at least. I didn’t see any sign of children.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” she said. “Because that would really suck if the bad guy killed off some little kid’s father at the same time.”
“I don’t think the killer particularly cared,” Baylor said.
“At least somebody is there with her. Are you expecting her to leave?”
“It sounded like they were packing her up to move her somewhere else.”
“Maybe to be with friends and family.”
“I would hope so,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “When there’s a disaster in the family, family is there to get you through it all,” she murmured.
“Speaking of that, is there somebody you want to call?”
She shook her head. “There was just the three of us, and now there’s just me,” she said sadly.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I am too, but nothing we can do about it at this point. I didn’t realize my mother was so ill or at least that close to death,” she said. “My father’s death is just a shock all the way around.”
“And yet you’re handling it quite well.”
“No, I think I’m just delaying it,” she said. “I’ll deal with it all when I get home and get into a better situation, where I can actually grieve,” she said.
“That’s probably for the best,” he said.
Sipping her coffee, she sat and watched as he did a bunch more work. “Is Hudson sleeping?”
“He was,” he said. “Then he went out to get breakfast.”
She immediately lit up at the idea of food, then remembered her family, who would no longer have meals to share. She sagged back down again, faced with the reality of her situation.
Glancing up over his laptop, he frowned at her.
She shrugged. “Oh, it’s just reality again,” she said. “Finding out that what I hoped for which wouldn’t come to pass actually already did. I was doing fine until I remembered,” she said sadly. She crossed her arms over her chest, then slumped lower in the chair. “Can we go home today?”
“No, not yet,” he said. “I think the plan may be for tomorrow.”
She winced at that. “So what will we do all day?”
“We’ll stay here,” he said, as she quietly looked out the window.
“That might not be the easiest thing,” she said. “I’m bound to go stir-crazy.”
“I’m sure,” he said, “but we can’t do anything about it. The plans to be made to coordinate a flight for us are kind of a big deal.”
“Of course.”
“Remember. We’re now traveling with two coffins.”
“I’m hardly likely to forget,” she snapped. And then she sat back again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take my temper out on you.”
“Well, if you can’t take it out on me, who can you take it out on?” he asked. “I won’t take offense. And I’m sorry I have to bring it up, but the facts of the issue remain. Two coffins come home with us, and that’ll take some preparatory time and paperwork.”
“Right,” she said. “I was forgetting about all the regulations that have to be waded through.”
“It’s hard, I know, and I’m sorry.”
She nodded, and, as she stared out the window again, her mind churned with emotions. “I’m just a little bit of a mess,” she said.
“I know,” he said. “You’re totally allowed under these circumstances. Just try to relax.” Just then a repetitive knock came on the door, and then it opened to reveal Hudson, carrying a large bag of food.
She immediately hopped up, walked over, and took the big bag from him. “Gosh, how many are we feeding?” she asked.
“We could have a few more of the guys coming in,” Hudson said. Even as he walked in, another stranger was behind him.
She looked at him and said, “Hi, I don’t think I know you.”
“I’m Dane,” he said, reaching out a hand and giving her the gentlest of smiles.
“Was it you who stood watch outside, while I slept last night?”
He chuckled. “Yes, that was me,” he said. “And it was my pleasure.”
She smiled. “Of course you’d say that,” she said. “So polite.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, thank you,” she said. “I didn’t feel right about Baylor going out alone last night. So I pitched a fit and insisted that Hudson go with him.”
The men just grinned and nodded.
She took the bag back to the table and looked at Baylor pointedly and his work filling the table. “Excuse me, but you’re in the way.”
He looked at the food, looked at her, then rolled his eyes. “Pardon me.” Quickly, he picked up his laptop and paperwork, then moved it off to the side.
Opening the bag, she pulled out multiple dishes. “Interesting fare.”
“Hey, at this hour, not a whole lot of choices,” Hudson said.
“It looks lovely, Hudson.” She smiled and said, “Thank you so much.”
*
Baylor watched Gizella as she set up the food and as everybody picked out a few offerings that appealed and sat down to eat. She was doing a pretty decent job of holding back her grief, but she was edgy, and that fuse would be easy to light and would cause a big flare-up. He knew that grief was one of those things that could sneak up and attack you when you least expected. Even when you thought you were dealing with it very well. And she was still in the very first stages.
Even though her mother had been on that list of potential early deaths that were expected, Gizella hadn’t believed it would come to pass. And that was based on her mother’s own words, instead of the doctors and her mother’s eternal willingness to avoid the truth. Somehow the mother had managed to keep her diagnosis from her daughter, probably after the last checkup. At the same time, her father’s death was a complete shock and was something Gizella was unprepared for, not only mentally but also emotionally. She had a lot that she needed to sort through with her father, and now that opportunity had been taken from her.
That would be the hardest thing in all this. Everyone thought there was plenty
