“I didn’t bring it,” said Jack Alpine. “But you can tell a little bit about it by the way the horse and rider are positioned. Can I see it for a second?”

Natalie passed the statue to her right. It made its way around the circle to Jack.

“See how the horse has one leg off the ground?” Jack said. “Means that cowboy either was hurt in a battle or died shortly after from battle injuries. Two front legs up? That rider died in battle.”

“How do you know that?” Steve asked.

“I saw it in a civil war documentary,” Jack said.

“Brother, we saw that together,” Bobby said, “and I think you’ve got it wrong. Two front legs up and the rider died after battle.”

“You sure?” Jack said.

“Pretty sure,” Bobby said.

“Natalie, you were in the military,” Jack said. “Do you know which it is?”

“They didn’t teach us much in basic about the history of the cavalry,” Natalie said.

“Does the U.S. Army still have a cavalry?” Rashida asked.

“So then what’s it mean when the horse has all four legs on the ground?” John asked. “Does that mean the rider didn’t die?”

“If anyone would like to know the history and significance of navy signal flags,” Captain Tiggleman said, “I’d be happy to—”

“Enough!” Claudine shouted, once again silencing the room. The Tigglemans shifted uncomfortably. Kevin coughed. Then Jerry coughed. Even Pip was at attention. This wasn’t like her, Henry thought. She was incapable of being flustered, ruffled, rattled. She never lost her composure, even in the grimmest circumstances imaginable. Why was she getting so worked up about a stupid statue? Henry thought of how quickly the Flynns had walked away from their deal after he’d embarrassed them by passing out in the restaurant. Claudine’s behavior was dangerous. How could she threaten to jeopardize their deal with Zara? What she was doing, was giving Steve an opening to steal her business. Henry stood up.

“How about we take a quick five-minute break to freshen our drinks?” he said. “Can we get some music, please?”

As the pianist’s hands pressed down, breaking into “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” everyone resumed their conversations, and most headed to the bar. Henry took Claudine by the arm and led her in the opposite direction, out of the living room and into the entry hall.