“The Doom Statues” — Chapter 48

Even in the absence of bodies, funeral preparations begin immediately. Though Jeremy and to a lesser extent Emily assure the others that they certainly don’t need to throw everything down to travel an hour and attend, nearly all involved with Otherwise do precisely that. The retreat grinds to a standstill on this miserable and atypically drizzling Friday afternoon, even with so much to do in preparation for yet another tour day tomorrow. Among the notable absences are Kidwell, though he does send an eye-popping flower arrangement, with a card bearing the suspicious appearance that it was written in some female’s neat cursive, most likely that of his secretary.

However, he does also foot the bill for this entire ceremony and burial. Waving off all arguments to the contrary, Kidwell had insisted he was responsible for this, also making a couple of weak jokes about how insurance was paying for it in the process. Jeremy’s not sure what to think about this. It feels a great deal like a parent trying to buy the affection of his children. He appreciates it, but shudders at the notion that Kidwell would in any way consider himself a father figure now, or that Jeremy would need such — parents or no parents. If that were the case, hell, he actually vibes a great deal better with Liam Blodgett. True, Liam also failed to attend today, one of the few holdouts. Jeremy never asked for nor received an…