Brie held out her hand, and Meryn passed her tablet down the table. Brie began to skim the notes that were beautifully organized by this Kari individual. If Meryn was focusing on cause of death, there had to be a reason.
Brennus, the queen's consort, changed the subject as the first course was brought out. The squire introduced as Leo took one look at the tablet in her hand and changed her food selection. Instead of soup, she received some of the easier to eat hors d'oeuvres. "Thank you," she whispered. He winked at her and also filled her wine glass. The man was simply amazing.
As everyone engaged in small talk, she continued to read. Every once in a while, she would look up to find that Meryn was watching her intently. It was almost as if she was hoping that Brie would be able to follow her train of thought.
As they were about to transition to the entrée, she read something that stopped her in her tracks. She must have gasped, because the conversations around the table ceased.
Meryn leaned forward. "See anything?"
"Hold on." She pulled out her phone and dialed River.
"Hey, Wilson."
"Hey, can you forward me the crime scene photos that I took?"
"Sure." He paused. "Did you catch something?"
"Not sure yet, I need to see the photos. Also, shift your focus to method and time of death."
"You got it. The photos are on their way. Call me back if you find something concrete," he replied, before disconnecting.
"What photos?" Meryn asked.
"Once we got back from getting Ari patched up, I needed a distraction, so I helped photograph the scene."
Meryn scowled. "I didn't see those."
"River is probably pulling them from the memory card now. We did have a lot going on."
"Patched up?" Rex asked.
She nodded as she scrolled through her phone. "Yeah, I shot him when he shifted into a lion and roared at me, then my dad accidentally neutered him."
Gasps were heard around the table.
"What!" Rex and Jedrek roared in unison.
"My baby!" Catherine, clutched at her chest.
Ari simply growled at her side. Gage, Priest, and Kincaid were laughing their asses off, and her father was sinking in his chair.
She looked up at Ari. "Still think it's funny?"
"Brie, you do not need Ari, become my mate," Gage offered.
Ari hissed at his friend.
"Will someone please tell me what in the hell is going on?" Jedrek demanded.
Ari, looking sheepish, told everyone about his earlier prank. Around the table, everyone began to laugh, including the queen.
She wiped at the corner of her eyes with a napkin. Though she smiled, Brie could tell half her tears were from mirth, the other half grief. "After today's horror, I thought I'd never laugh again, yet here I am, mere hours later, enjoying myself as my children lay cold and dead."
"If everyone stopped laughing because of the loss of a loved one, this world would be no place for the living," her father said softly. "After I lost my Brianna, I felt angry every time I saw someone else smiling, until I realized that because of how I was reacting to others, my own baby girl had stopped smiling altogether. I knew that Brianna would never want us to live like that. In fact, I bet I have an ass beating waiting for me in the hereafter due to how I behaved after her passing."
Brie nodded. "Probably," she agreed as she went through the photos sent to her.
He turned to the queen. "If you give up your joy, then the ones that took your people from you gain another victory."