Dead Shuffle

Scofflaw chuckles.

He says, I thought you'd never ask.

Let's play a game.

The coffee pot is put away. In its place, a deck of cards appears.

Well then, he says.

The second voice says that might just be right.

The first one says he doesn't believe for a second that he'd be content to just leave it there.

The second voice says he did, it's true. He couldn't have done better if he'd planned it.

The first voice says, you wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.

Coffee is poured.

Another voice says yeah, he's proud of it.

Someone speaks.

That was one hell of a show, he says.

He has a point.

Detective says come on, there's no point in standing around. Let's see if any evidence survived the fire.

We can just keep going like normal, he says.

Normal, you say. Right.

With no mayor, a weakened police force, and no Peccant Scofflaw.

Well, Detective says. Turmoil is a normal state of affairs here.