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She held the folded A that had draped his coffin, since he’d seen le rose She was supposed to drop the rose on the coffin, allow others to do the sa and officially end the burial of a man who had become an icon

It seemed that half of Savannah had coet back to their lives

She needed to figure out how to organize hers

She walked over to the coffin, which still sat above the ground; they wouldn’t lower it into the earth until she and the rest of the ing "A Grace" as they finished and Abby are that Macy--and several other people--were sniffing and trying to hold back sobs

Abby didn’t cry; she’d cried herself out over the past week She stood and touched the coffin and spoke to him within her ownme the way you did You will always be a part of et you

She set her rose on the coffin and stepped back, gazing into the crowd As she’d expected, Blue Anderson was there, across from the coffin, a little to the left, behind Gus’s old cronies--Bootsie, Dirk and Aldous The men had dressed in their best suits for the occasion But even in their tailored and proper attire, they looked like pirates Bootsie had his peg leg, of course, and Aldous was still bald, still wore his earring

Maybe the pirate resemblance came from the fact that Blue Anderson, in his splendid frock coat and sweeping pirate hat, stood behind theesture of consolation that so

Father McFey took her arm and led her from the burial site A uniformed chauffeur waited to open the door to the black lionslayer Those who could join them would be there for a repast in honor of Gus

It hat he’d wanted; he had let his wishes be known in his will He’d wanted to lie next to his wife and his son, Abby’s father, and he’d wanted "A Grace" and Father McFey He’d left explicit instructions And then bring our friends back to the Dragonslayer Please laugh with them and remember the wonderful events in my life Celebrate for me, for I was blessed, and life co into the car A very tall ainst another car, a silver SUV He hadn’t co--he’d watched the burial rites, just as he watched her now

He was interesting-looking, certainly He appeared to be six-three or -four He was appropriately dressed for a funeral in a dark suede jacket, white shirt and a dark vest Black hair was neatly clipped, with one swatch that sat slightly low over his forehead She couldn’t see his eyes because he earing sunglasses but she kneatching her

An old friend of Gus’s? Or a new one? Definitely someone she hadn’t met

But he hadn’t really taken part in the service He’d stood at a distance, as if he had needed to watch--and still meant to be respectful Odd, to say the least

"Ms Anderson?"

She realized she’d been staring at hiested that she enter the car

She was alone on the short drive back to the Dragonslayer Macy had gone on ahead to see that they were set up for the reception to follow the service Reception? No, party Gus had insisted they celebrate his life, not the passing of it

She thought about the week since his death and the funeral Many people considered that a long tie for those who’d loved Gus--some of the lot was half-full when the limo drove up to let Abby out She wasn’t sure why she felt she needed more fortitude for Gus’s party than she had for the church or the graveside service She knew a lot of people were going to cry--party or no--but she felt drained of tears, numb Gus’s death was the end of her world as she’d known it

"Hey!"

When she walked in, she almost smiled The first people she saere Gus’s old cohorts already at the bar Bootsie, Dirk and Aldous