Ella shook her head a little with a soft laugh at Ed's reply. "Valmont wouldn't admit to that aloud, I don't think, as it would hurt his chances of success." She would have continued, but Leah choked, and Ella put the whiskey bottle down on the table and looked concerned. "Did you know him?" she asked, basing her conclusion on Leah's reaction. "It was terrible what everyone was saying about him. The dead deserve more respect than that."