The leaders of Teeny Town knew the stakes on this long-dreaded day and found themselves waiting impatiently for the man who had fostered their way of life. Bill walked into the conference room at the town hall and noticed for the hundredth time that it looked like a throwback to a smaller version of the room where the founding principles of America were hammered out. The wooden floor, the large windows to catch the stray summer breezes, and the massive hand-hewn table all contributed to the weight of history in this humble place.With a sharp pang of loss, he also noticed the gaping hole in the trusted group before him. Dusty Baer’s chair sat empty between his brother, Kirk, and the community doctor, Sue Jacobs. Aside from the pain of loss, the missing man served as a powerful illustration of what they faced in the days to come. For Bill, there was another aspect. He scolded himself silently for his pragmatic way of handling the death of his friend, but he would need to fill that chair very soon.Dusty had served as the voice of the community in the county at large.
