Summer nights in rural north Florida, as in much of the South, are lush with the sounds of insects, amphibians, and slightly larger creatures. We sat around the table for several minutes, sated and mesmerized by the candlelight and cacophony, before Sam said she’d get us settled for the night. I offered to help Danny with the dishes, but she declined, probably because she thought I’d drop them all. I was fading fast. Dinner had been filling and comforting―much better than my usual road fare, or anything I would have fixed myself at home, for that matter. But filling my belly with Banana Whiskers and beer, after a couple of very stressful days, had done nothing to keep me alert. My conscious time was limited, but there were still questions JD needed to answer before we could sleep.
Sam gra
