“Ah.”
She turns to me. “If that sound is meant to imply that I’m overreacting to the news, I am not. I have become accustomed to having an abundance of supplies, and I cannot afford to give away bandages or painkillers willy-nilly, only to run out of them days before the town closes.”
“I wasn’t implying any form of judgment, April.”
She sniffs and goes back to work. It’s true. I wasn’t judging her choice of activity. Merely registering it and understanding that this is what she needs right now. Tasks. Work. Focus. Not conversation. That can wait.
“Well,” I say. “If there’s anything you need…”
“Diana.”
I nod. “Diana, could you leave us alone for a few minutes?”
“I mean I need Diana. I require her services.”
I look at Diana, who’s sorting through the drawer, her gaze fixed on her task. She’s hurt. Hurt that she had to hear about Rockton’s closing from someone other than me. I get that. It’s why I’m here. Making amends. Yet I bridle, too, at the thought that I should need to make amends.
With Diana, I will be forever trapped between feeling as if I’m being a bitch punishing her for past betrayals and feeling as if I’m being a pushover by not severing our relationship permanently.
“Diana?” I say.
“Hmm?” She continues sorting and organizing.
“We’d like you to stay in Rockton until the end. Of course, that’s up to you. I could make arrangements if you wanted to leave, but if you’re willing to stay, you’ll be compensated.”
“I’ll stay.”
“Good. I’d like to talk to you later, if you have time.”
One shoulder rises in a shrug. “Sure.”
I turn back to April. “There, you have Diana.”
“For now,” she says. “But I’ll need her after that.”
I tense and shoot April a warning look that she doesn’t catch.
I clear my throat. “If you have any post-Rockton job offers for Diana, that’s something to discuss at a later time. Right now, we’re focused on shutting down Rockton. Diana, would you give me a moment with my sister, please.”
Diana rises. She wipes her hands on her jeans and turns to go. Halfway to the door, she glances back and says, “You’re restarting Rockton, aren’t you.”
“Restarting…?”
She gives me a look. “I’m not stupid, Case. There’s no way in hell Eric is giving up that easily. If you guys aren’t fighting this closing tooth and nail, it means you have a backup plan. A backup plan would be a new Rockton. That’s what April means. She’d like me there.”
This time, my glare at my sister does the job.
“I said nothing,” April protests. “I merely mentioned that my need for Diana will not end with the closing of this town.”
And with that, she confirms Diana’s suspicions. I resist the urge to sink to the floor and put my head in my hands.
I look at Diana.
“Guess I deserved that,” she says, and reaches for the door.
“Diana.”
She lifts a hand. “I’m not going to tell anyone, Casey. Whatever else I’ve done, I’ve kept your secrets.”
She passes me a knowing look that raises the hair on my neck. She catches my expression and shakes her head. “That wasn’t a threat. I wouldn’t—” She stops. Considers. Restarts. “There was a time when I would have done that to you. The threat, not the actual betrayal. I wouldn’t now. I heard nothing here, and I can speculate on nothing, should I be asked.”
“I would like to talk to you.” I glance at my watch. “When are you free?”
She fingers the doorframe. Then she says, “You’re busy. I know that. So let’s say tomorrow. Also, you might want to talk to the others before you speak to me. Let them know that I know and see what they want to do about that.”
“I will. And I am sorry you heard about the closing secondhand. We’ve suspected it for a while, but the word just came down this morning.” I pause. “Also, you haven’t seen Jolene, have you?”
“Jolene?”
“She’s missing.”
“Last time I saw her was yesterday afternoon. She was outside the canteen, talking to Marissa.”
“I heard they’re friends.”
Diana leans against the doorframe. “I wouldn’t say that. When Marissa arrived, Gloria reached out. Invited her to join a bunch of them for drinks. I was there a couple of times but…” She scrunches her nose. “Not really my scene. Conrad and Jolene are always complaining. Solidarity through sniping and bitching can be fun for a bit of stress relief, but it gets old fast. I don’t know what Gloria sees in them.”
“I got the impression Gloria is quiet.”
“She is. I guess that’d be it. Like the quiet girl in school who hangs out with whoever will hang out with her. Also, like I said, snarking and sniping can be fun. They glommed on to Marissa when she first arrived, but it didn’t last. She’d have a drink with them now and then, same as me. She stopped when she got together with Will.”
“Have you hung out with them recently?”
“Only as part of a larger group. They’d gotten bitter. Grumbling about work and rules is one thing, but eventually, that’s all you’re doing. They became obsessed with what a shithole Rockton is and how everyone in charge is incompetent. I checked out then. I don’t have time for that.”
“Did they know you and I are old friends?”
She hesitates. Then she says, “I may have mentioned it.”
“Did they ask for dirt on me?”
Now she’s shifting, uncomfortable. “Yes. That’s another reason I cut out. Conrad asked, and I pretended I didn’t think he was serious, and then my drinks got stronger.”
The hairs on my neck rise. “Damn.”
She looks up at me. “I should have told you. I didn’t make the connection between that and the sign about Will. Conrad and Jolene jumped on it, and I figured that was just them being happy to help drag one of you guys through the mud. Never imagined they started it. Guess I’d make a lousy detective, huh?”
“Others heard them bitching and didn’t make the connection either. If you see Jolene—or hear anything about her—let me know. And breakfast tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.”
She’s about to leave when April says, “I need your help with this inventory, Diana.”
“I think Casey wants to talk to you.”
“She can talk to me later. This must be done today.”
Diana and I exchange a look. It doesn’t need to be done today. Or even tomorrow. April’s really saying she doesn’t want to talk, as I presumed.
“I should go check in on the search for Jolene,” I say. “April, can I ask you to please not talk about any future plans—or hint at any future plans—to anyone?”
“Who else would I tell? Diana is here, and Kenny already knows.”
“Kenny knows,” Diana murmurs. “And Petra presumably.”
“Of course,” April says before I can silence her.
“Petra knows because of émilie,” I say. “We need émilie’s guidance here.”