Audrey had mixed feelings about this celebration, but tried to keep reminding herself that she hadn't asked for it. The other theows had done it on their own, and it wouldn't be nice to ruin a celebration, even if she felt that their gratitude was misplaced. Sure, she had done her part, but she would never have done it if Nora hadn't helped her with constant reassurance and by alerting the FBI.
'They want to celebrate both of us,' she had to remind herself as she made her way down towards the kitchen. But the first person to meet them was a man. Kaneez's husband. No, Rita's husband. She needed to call her by her real name. Especially when this man was around.
"Bryan!" Nora said with a smile. "You certainly came quickly."
"I was at the hotel, so it wasn't far away."
"I thought you would be with Rita."
"I thought so too. But I wasn't allowed in. As her next of kin, I was given a status report, but she isn't able to receive visitors, and definitely not me, considering her reaction when she saw me at the castle."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Do they think she'll get better?"
"Impossible to say. But let's not talk about that now. I presume this is Audrey?" Nora nodded and Audrey was completely taken aback when Bryan hugged her. No one other than Nora had done that in years. What was she supposed to do?
"Thank you," Bryan said. "Thank you for working with us to get this done. I will always owe you for that."
"You shouldn't thank me," Audrey protested. "It was mostly Nora's doing. Without her, none of this would have been possible."
"And I wouldn't have been able to get the crucial evidence without your help, Audrey." Nora said sternly, reminding her of what she had said above. Audrey sighed.
"It was a team effort. And I am sorry to hear about your wife. I hope she will get better. If the psychologists at the hospital think it'll help, I can go and talk to her. We were close, at one point, though I wouldn't call us friends. I feel slightly guilty for how I treated her, but I was desperate and…"
"Whatever guilt you feel, you have absolved yourself by saving her, and everyone else. Don't worry about it. But come, I think they are waiting for us." Bryan held out his hand, and they each took one, letting him escort them to dinner. Audrey was surprised Nora let him touch her. She must really trust Bryan. Maybe because it was so obvious that he still loved his wife.
As they walked into the main area, everyone else was already ready, making their entrance a lot more dramatic than Audrey would have preferred. The worst part was that they all started clapping. Then came the hugging. She felt that she hugged everyone there at least twice before she had the chance to say anything.
"Everyone, I don't think I've properly introduced these two. This is my best friend, and the only other person in the world who cared about me, Nora Brock. It's thanks to her and Bryan Coote here that the FBI could come and rescue us. Bryan is the husband of Kaneez, whose real name is Rita."
"We owe all three of you a great debt," Leann said as the rest of them nodded. "But come. Sad topics can wait until tomorrow. For now, let us all enjoy this food that we didn't have to pay for," They all laughed at the way she said that, but to Audrey it was yet another reminder that few of them had anywhere to go and few of them had any resources. She had to shake herself and go enjoy the dinner the rest of them had prepared. They all deserved this. She deserved this. She had to believe that. She didn't really want to be back at the castle. Not like it had been after she met Nora again. But she also couldn't view it as a completely negative experience, despite all the horrible things she had seen and taken part in. Like she had said to Morce… no, Philip, if they had asked her if she wanted to work there, she would have said yes at once. Perhaps others here felt the same. The thought that she might not be alone in having mixed feelings about this was comforting enough that she was able to partake in the feast with more joy.
Later that evening, Nora got a text message from someone, then she went and turned on the TV. They all looked over at it. Nora found a news channel. It seemed the media had learned of the raid and the subsequent arrest after all. How had they found out so quickly?
"The different news channels have their own informants in the FBI, and some of them probably listen to the police radio," Nora said with a sigh. "It was only a matter of time before it became public knowledge, but I did hope that it would be a few more days at the least."
"Turn that off, we don't need to hear it," Mona said. "Hearing some reporter with only limited information speculating about what the FBI have done isn't good for anyone. I recommend we watch the news as little as possible. It won't help us anything, and it can damage what we tell the FBI in our interviews."
"Mona's right," Bryan said. He had become well acquainted with the couple during dinner, as they were among the few who even dared to talk to him. The rest seemed to feel a mix of awe for a man that was so instrumental in saving them, and a little guilty for what had happened to his wife. None of them had treated her very well, especially not those who were churls. "Hearing their speculations could trigger memories, but it could also influence you to remember something differently. I would advise you to not watch the news until after you've told the FBI what you can remember."
"I think it would be more helpful if we all discuss this together," one of the others said. "Much of this is still a blur to me, but I might remember more details if some of the rest of you talk about what you experienced."
"That could also influence what you say to the FBI," Audrey pointed out. "I am not against such a thing, but I think it needs to wait until after we've all done our personal interviews with them. That should only take a couple of days." They all agreed, though some sounded more reluctant. Audrey also didn't want everyone to know what the others had said, so it was better to wait until they had all had a chance to speak to the FBI before doing anything in plenum.
"The first news van is already here," Nora said as she looked out the window. "Unless you want to be interrogated on your way out, Bryan, you should probably stay here until someone can escort you out in a more anonymous way."
"Here?"
"I'm sure there is an extra room for you. This is a large building, most of the rooms have beds in them."
"But my things are all back at the hotel."
"You can live without it for one day. Besides, if you need a spare change of clothes, the FBI left a large pile of it. I'm sure some of it's in your size as well. Or you could go out the door and just not talk to the media, but they are going to want you to comment."
Bryan shuddered as he looked out of the window.
"Fine. Unless any of you object, I will stay here tonight."
"As Nora said, there are plenty of rooms," Mona said. "Come, let me show you."