Strange woman, Evelyn Johnston, but sad. Grief does strange things to people. She’d lost her husband a few years earlier to a tragic accident, around the same time my wife’s pickling craze started. It was a brutal mess, and they never even recovered all of him.

"You really didn't get out at all last night, did you?" Dave said teasingly, but Carson appreciated the playful, gentle tone.

"No," he admitted. "I unpacked, reflected on my life, and then came to the bar back there for further reflection. I guess I’m a bit of a scrooge about Christmas.”