Cast into Doubt by Patricia MacDonald

between them, Franny and Chloe had remained friends all their lives and saw each other whenever Franny came home to Philadelphia.
    ‘Mrs Sloan, I’m so sorry about Chloe. I should have called sooner,’ Franny said in a rush. ‘I didn’t know what to say. I can’t even really believe it’s true.’
    ‘How did you find out?’
    ‘My mom called me. She read about it in the Philly paper. She said it was only a little item – she almost missed it.’
    ‘I should have called you,’ Shelby admitted.
    ‘Oh no, not at all. I was just afraid to pick up the phone and hear your voice. I know how much you loved Chloe.’
    ‘Thank you. That means a lot,’ said Shelby. She could picture Franny’s round face, her shiny, black hair.
    ‘Is there going to be a . . . memorial or something? If there is, I will definitely be there. I mean, I feel like it isn’t real somehow. Maybe if there were a service . . .’
    Shelby hesitated. When the minister from Rob’s church paid a call and mentioned the possibility of a memorial service, Shelby bristled at the suggestion. ‘We don’t know for sure that she’s dead,’ Shelby had insisted. Rob had frowned at her, but Shelby stuck out her chin defiantly. Of course, she knew – she was just trying to avoid the final pronouncement.
    ‘We don’t have anything planned,’ Shelby said. ‘They never found her.’
    ‘Oh no,’ Franny moaned. Shelby heard the thickness of tears in her voice. ‘Oh it’s too terrible.’
    ‘The Coast Guard mounted a search with boats and helicopters but they finally gave up,’ said Shelby. ‘I’ve hired people to continue searching for her but . . . so far . . . nothing.’
    Franny sniffled, and then collected herself. ‘Do they know how it actually happened?’
    Shelby didn’t even want to speak the words aloud. But then she thought, if anyone would be likely to know about Chloe’s drinking problem, it would be Franny. She decided to be blunt and gauge Franny’s reaction.
    ‘They said that it appeared that Chloe was drinking, and accidentally fell overboard.’
    ‘My mom said that was in the paper,’ Franny admitted, ‘I can’t believe it.’
    Shelby’s appreciated her indignation. ‘Me neither. But Rob said that . . .’
    ‘What?’
    ‘He said that she had developed a problem with alcohol.’
    ‘No way,’ Franny protested. ‘Since when?’
    ‘Well, I don’t know. When was the last time you saw her?’
    Franny thought for a minute. ‘Last time I was home. It was about a month ago. I came over for dinner. In fact, we were talking about the cruise. I was trying to tempt Chloe with this great bottle of wine I brought, but she said she didn’t want any. Now that I think about it . . .’
    ‘What?’ Shelby asked.
    ‘I actually remember wondering if she was pregnant again. Or trying to get pregnant. It never occurred to me that she might be . . .’
    ‘An alcoholic,’ said Shelby.
    ‘Never,’ Franny insisted.
    ‘Apparently she was going to AA.’
    ‘No way! God, I had no idea.’
    ‘I thought if she would talk to anybody, it would be you,’ said Shelby.
    Franny sighed. ‘I thought I knew her better than anybody.’
    They were both silent for a moment, thinking their own thoughts. Then Shelby said, ‘How did she seem to you when you were here?’
    ‘Oh well, you know Chloe. A little anxious.’
    ‘Anxious about what?’ Shelby asked.
    Franny hesitated. ‘I don’t know. Sometimes she would borrow trouble.’
    ‘How? What do you mean?’ Shelby asked.
    ‘Well, she was always comparing herself to Lianna. She would always say how beautiful Lianna was. And she mentioned that Lianna was pregnant. I thought she might be a little . . . jealous.’
    Shelby’s heart ached. In that instant she remembered Chloe with tears in her eyes, insisting that there was nothing wrong in her marriage. ‘Do you think that she and Rob had problems?’ Shelby asked.
    ‘I don’t think so. I mean, he may have been