“That’s great. Lizzie said she was never, ever going to enter that house again. I hope they take it apart, board by board, and burn it,” Jack said. “She told me to sell off all the jewelry and stuff that was in the pillowcase and donate it to Happy Village. That’s being taken care of as we speak. The money in Zack Meadows’s money bag is going to be used for upkeep, to finish work on the grounds, and increase the size of the park. We used a portion of it to divide among Lionel and his boys for all their hard work and dedication. There was more than enough to buy them mopeds so they can get around a little easier without having to depend on Lionel all the time.

“A portion of the money is being used to identify the remains of the twenty people the Scorpions had killed and dismembered after that guy Miggs, threatened with the same fate as the three who Maggie had roasted, revealed the location. Once the remains are identified, there will be funerals for all of them so that the residents of Happy Village can get some closure. The rest of the money that Abner found stashed away will be turned over to someone who will know what to do with it. I’m sure there are many long-lost relatives of the deceased tenants from Happy Village.

“Charles and Fergus, along with Avery, had a heart-to-heart talk with Gentry Lomax, soldier to soldier, that sort of thing, and he managed to soften up, according to Charles. I think it was win-win all the way around.”

“Who is going to tell the tenants about the fate of their missing friends?” Maggie asked.

“Gentry Lomax said he would do it,” Charles said.

“Well, I wrote a personal note to Frances Gossett and told her about her friend Ellie. I promised to return the key, so I thought I would write the personal note. I included a second note for Porter Flannery about his friend Will. I just said they were . . . deceased. I saw no reason to give them nightmares with . . . what really happened. The desk clerk at Babylon said she would messenger it to Happy Village.”

Abner leaned into the group. “I’m staying on through next week. Isabelle’s birthday is Sunday, and she’s flying in, so she’ll drive home with me. I’m gonna miss you, Cyrus. You’re a good wingman.”

“So what are you giving Isabelle for her birthday?” Dennis asked.

Abner started to laugh and couldn’t stop. In between gasps of pure merriment, he managed to choke out the words, “Four new pillows from Harry’s new best friend, the pillow guy! Specially made for her and scented with lavender. And I got them wholesale.” Abner continued to laugh.