Luckily for the little orphan, Chris did not see when his shot actually hit.

Unluckily for the little orphan: this wasn’t the last of that method.

Then, Chris’ attention was upon him once again, now that he had something desirable to offer him. He couldn’t imagine this sad little hanger-on had many motivations or thoughts of his own. Church did a beautiful job of caning those out of the less fortunate, and he could only imagine that doubled for a man who had to regurgitate The Word.

It was delayed, but then Chris matched his smile with unfeeling eyes.

“Perhaps I was wrong about you, little shadow,” he spoke softly, with a touch of affected nostalgia. “Perhaps it is finally your time to shine.”

Then his face shifted back to solemn, and his hands into his pockets.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said more loudly.

Was he the only one to tell this hungry little pervert that? Oh, he hoped so. He turned to head back toward Zack.

Somehow, Zack had ended up on the receiving end of a long, boring speech about how no one would even need horses in a hundred years! As though he could sense an impending cosmic disturbance, his shoulders tensed the moment Chris turned away from the casket. Again, Chris smiled.

All was right in his world.