“I saw you at the church,” he said. “How did you know Danielle?”

“Charlotte went to school with Dani,” Audrey said.

“That was you,” he said. “Her friend she went to meet.”

“She told me about you,” I said. “You make the movies, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Audrey invited me to your screening. It sounded cool.”

“I’m not doing it now,” he said.

“Do you have any pot?” Audrey asked.

Brandon shrugged and I said no.

“Fuckin’ shit,” Audrey said. Her comment seemed to refer to a greater lack, an acknowledgment of our total unpreparedness for this situation.

“Fuckin’ shit,” I agreed. The three of us clinked beers and drank.

Audrey looked weary and despondent for a second, before taking up her smile again. The transition on her face, I’d seen it before, in her movies. I blushed.

“Who are these people?” she asked, nodding to a cluster of folks in expensive suits. Sally’s colleagues, I guessed.

“Cops and robbers,” I said, thinking about Ash.

Brandon had turned to talk to a couple of guys standing near us. They opened their circle and took us in, one of those smooth drunken happenings, like a microscopic video of mitosis in reverse. They wore black jeans and tucked-in shirts. Like me, these people had no idea how to dress for a funeral.

Audrey made introductions—Kenneth, Anthony, Brian, George. I recognized George from the porn site and felt embarrassed. He pulled a flask from his pocket and handed it around. Audrey passed it to me. Vodka. It tasted like air-conditioning, crisp and clean. I could drink it forever.

“Man, I hated it in there,” Kenneth said, indicating the church.

“I guess it’s not supposed to be fun,” I said.

“Sure, but, fuck. When I think about Dani, that’s not what I want to think about. I thought it would be spiritual or something.”

“Spiritual?” I said.

“Danielle and I talked about that stuff once,” he said.

“What’d she say?”

“She thought organized religion was bad, like it was commercial, and took advantage of people and stuff.”

“Right. The standard junior high philosophy,” I said.

“What,” he said. “Don’t you think it’s true?”

“Sure it’s true. It’s obvious. That’s why children can figure it out. So what?”

“She said she believed in God, though,” he said.

I tried and failed to think of a more annoying conversation. How could Danielle have been friends with this guy?

“Where’s Sylvie and Cass?” George asked.

“I texted Sylvie,” said Brian. “She’s staying home. They’re scared. I mean, it could be some stalker. They’re talking about quitting, leaving town.”

“I don’t blame them,” George said. “It could have been someone we know.”

“They could be here,” Anthony said.

Audrey’s eyes jumped, and she moved closer to Brandon. He squeezed her to his side.

“I don’t get it,” George said. “I mean, who the fuck would kill Danielle? It’s crazy.”

“Yeah, I mean, Danielle?” Brian said.

“Seriously, dude,” George said. “She was sweet. Remember when she first came on set? She was like, professional from the beginning.”