She held up her hand, palm up-another one of those gestures, their meanings forgotten by everyone except for long-term wackjobs like Dresden. I returned it. She nodded in approval, got into her car, and left.
Will came up to stand at my side, watching her go. Then both of us turned to watch the sun beginning to rise over the lake.
"He's really gone," Will said quietly. "Dresden, I mean."
I frowned and stared at the waters that had, by every rational indication, swallowed Dresden's lifeblood. I didn't answer him.
"Was she telling the truth, you think? That Marcone's the one standing in the gap now?"
"Probably," I said, "to some degree. But she was wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"Dresden's not gone," I said. I touched a hand lightly to my brow. "He's here." I touched Will's bare chest, on the left side. "Here. Without him, without what he's done over the years, you and I would never have been able to pull this off."
"No," he agreed. "Probably not. Definitely not."
"There are a lot of people he's taught. Trained. Defended. And he's been an example. No single one of us can ever be what he was. But together, maybe we can."
"The Justice League of Chicago?" Will asked, smiling slightly.
"Dibs on Batman," I said.
His smile turned into a real grin for a minute. Then sobered. "You really think we can do it?"
I nodded firmly. "We'll cover his beat."
"That will be a neat trick, if you can do it," Will said.
"If we we can do it," I corrected him. "I'll need a deputy, Will. Someone I trust. You." can do it," I corrected him. "I'll need a deputy, Will. Someone I trust. You."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "I'm in. But you're talking about some very, ah, disparate personalities. How long can you keep it up?"
My answer surprised even me. "Until Dresden gets back."
Will frowned. "You really think that's possible?"
I shook my head. "It doesn't seem to be. But ... There's this voice inside me that keeps pointing out that we haven't seen a body. Until I have ..."
The sun rose over the horizon, burning gently through the morning haze over the lake, and golden light washed over us, warm and strong. We turned to watch the prisoners, and as the light touched them, they began to shudder. Then they began to stir. The first to rise was Georgia.
Will sucked in a long, slow breath, his eyes shining.
"Until I have," I said quietly, "I can't believe he's dead."
We walked back to the warehouse together, to see to the business of getting the prisoners safely home.