Chapter 32
The silence when Rob and Father Hall stopped speaking threatened to pull all of Victoria’s nerves screaming out of her body, one inch at a time. Both men were pale and shaky, staring at the floor and speaking in near monotones.
She wanted to cry when Jean pulled a well-used shiny metal flask out of her travel bag.
“Medicinal purposes, Father Hall,” Jean said, pouring a generous amount into their four empty teacups. “This has not been an easy day all around.”
Father Hall swallowed his whiskey before anyone else moved.
“Once yours is gone, Jean, I’ll bring out my own.”
Victoria watched Rob as she picked up her own teacup. He still stared at the floor, eyes glassy and face slack.
If he were a stranger off the street, she would have assumed he’d already been drinking heavily.
