After Rita, Helen, Janie, and David went downstairs, I followed in order to take a moment to decompress. The stairs creaked under my weight as I descended, and a musty smell hit my nose as I reached the bottom. Haphazardly stacked boxes cluttered the living room, and six chairs sat between them.
David grabbed five beers and handed us each one.
The cold aluminum can felt slick against my palm and droplets of condensation dripped onto my fingers. When I opened the top, a faint aroma of hops and barley wafted from the can.
Rita sat slowly and stared down at her beer without moving. “I’m not sure we should drink these. How do we know they are safe?”
David laughed. “Don’t worry. I just bought these today. There is no way Margaret tampered with them.”
The sound of his laughter provided a w
