Chasing Fire

rose to sit with her husband. “The photographs are lovely. You made good choices.”
    “Dolly always liked having her picture taken. Even as a baby,” she said as Ella sat down beside her, “she’d look right at the camera. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to bury my girl.”
    Saying nothing—what was there to say?—Ella put her arms around Irene.
    “I’ve got pictures. All I’ve got’s a lot of pictures. That one there, of Dolly and the baby, is the last one I have. My sister Carrie’s bringing the baby soon. She’s been a help to me, coming up from Billings. She’s bringing Shiloh. I know Shiloh won’t understand or remember, but I thought she should be here.”
    “Of course. You know you can call me, anytime, for anything.”
    “I don’t know what to do, with her things, with her clothes.”
    “I’ll help you with that when you’re ready. There’s Reverend Meece now.”
    Irene’s hand clutched at Ella’s. “I don’t know him. It’s good you asked him to come do the service, but—”
    “He’s kind, Irene. He’ll be kind to Dolly.”
    “Leo didn’t want any preacher. Not after what . . .” Her eyes welled again. “I can’t think about that now. I’ll go crazy if I think about that now.”
    “Don’t. Remember the pretty girl in the photographs. Let me bring Reverend Meece over. I think he’ll be a comfort to you. I promise.”
    Though she wasn’t much of a churchgoer, Ella liked Meece, his gentle ways. Irene needed gentle now.
    “Thank you so much for doing this, Robert.”
    “No need for thanks. It’s a hard day,” he said, looking at the coffin. “The kind of day that shakes a mother’s faith. I hope I can help her.”
    As she led him to Irene, she saw a trio of staff from the school come in. Thank God, she thought. Someone came. Leaving Irene with Meece, she went over to take on greeter duties as Irene’s older sister seemed unwilling or unable to shoulder the task.
    She excused herself when Irene’s younger sister arrived with the baby, her husband and her two children. “Carrie, would you like me to take the baby? I think Irene could use you.”
    As people formed their groups, quiet conversations began, Ella cuddled the chubby, bright-eyed orphan.
    And Leo surged to his feet. “You’ve got no business here. You’ve got no right to be here.”
    The outraged tone had Shiloh’s lip quivering with a whimper. Ella murmured reassurance as she turned, saw the small contingent from the base.
    “After what you did? The way you treated my girl? You get out. You get the hell out !”
    “Leo.” Across the room, Irene sank back into the sofa. “Stop. Stop.” Covering her face with her hands, she burst into harsh sobs.
    Ignoring Leo, Marg marched straight to Irene, sat to embrace the woman, to let Irene cry on her shoulder.
    “Mr. Brakeman.” Irene watched a ruddy-faced, towheaded young man step forward—his jaw as clenched as Leo’s fists. “That baby there is my blood as much as yours, and Dolly was her ma. Wasn’t a year ago I buried my brother. We both lost something, and Shiloh’s what we’ve got left. We’ve come to pay Shiloh’s ma our respects.”
    The livid color in Leo’s cheeks only deepened. For one horrible moment, Ella imagined the worst. Fists, blood, chaos. Then Lieutenant Quinniock and a woman stepped in, and fear flickered briefly in Leo’s eyes.
    “Stay away from me,” he told the young man. Matt, Ella realized. Matt Brayner.
    “That’s your uncle,” Ella whispered. “That’s Uncle Matt. It’s okay now.”
    Leo turned his back, moved as far away as the narrow confines of the room allowed, folded his arms over his chest.
    Ella stepped to Matt. “Would you hold her? I’d like to take Irene out for a minute or two, get her some fresh air.”
    “I’d be pleased.” Matt’s eyes watered up when the baby reached a chubby hand to his face.
    “She favors Jim a little.” Lynn spoke quietly. “Don’t you think, Matt? She favors Jim?”
    Matt’s throat worked as he nodded, as he bent his head to press his cheek to Shiloh’s.
    “Come on with us, Irene.” With Marg’s help, Ella got Irene to her feet. “Come on with us for a bit.”
    As they led the sobbing woman out, Ella heard Meece’s gentle voice coat over the ugly tension in the room.
     
     
    ROWAN LICKED her strawberry swirl, enjoying the buzz of pedestrian and street traffic as she strolled with Gull.
    “That’s not really ice cream,” she told