Jana’s body was heaving; tears were streaming down her face. Clare made her way through the crowd to her and put her arm around Jana’s bulky shoulders. She felt awkward, but she guessed this was what she was supposed to do. Clare looked over at the Mid-Station and saw Chopper waving. She hoped her text to him, Feeling fucked up, come hang with me, hadn’t been too wussy. She’d played the needy card to get him there, because Bert was right: Clare should see as many reactions to Richie’s death as possible. Inspector Norris was standing apart from the investigating crew. He was with Wade. Their conversation looked heavy, and they were passing a flask back and forth. It was hardly professional, but then Clare wasn’t one to judge. Chopper arrived at Clare’s side and squeezed her hand. It felt good. Really good. If she’d asked Noah to be there, he would just grunt and watch the action, maybe make a few snide comments like I forgot these guys were your friends.
