the fat he was trimming off the steaks to the kittens at his feet.
He did like cats. He played with them and talked to them and lovingly scratched their arched little backs.
“Hey,” Jacqueline said. “Don't feed them on the floor. Find a plate if you're going to give them scraps.”
Manuel swatted her on the bottom and she swatted playfully back, until he caught her and brought her to him for a kiss.
Madeleine noiselessly excused herself and went out to the front porch, feeling embarrassed and a little envious of her sister and her luck in finding someone who suited her so perfectly.
Sam and Madeleine had not been nearly so compatible, and she often thought she had married him simply because of the horrible experience she had had in her last year in the field and because she was nearing thirty and wasn't married yet. The day she married him she knew in her heart she did not love him in the romantic sense of the word, but he was funny and witty, handsome and athletic, and she loved being with him.
Until he lost his job.
Damn his parents for even daring to offer money after the way they had treated her at the funeral. Their cold stares and their refusal to ride in the limo with her or even sit near her during the service. How they had the gall to call up Jacqueline and—
“Hello,” said a nearby voice, and Madeleine jumped to see Sherman Tanner strolling toward her with his little dog.
“Hello, Mr. Tanner. How are you?”
He ignored the question. The eyes in his thin face were practically glowing.
“Did you hear what they found during the autopsy on the lost little girl?”
Madeleine's mouth tightened in discomfort. “No.”
“Semen,” Tanner said in a delicious, sibilant whisper, as if he were savoring the word. He waited until he saw Madeleine's eyes grow round before he added the words , “In her stomach”
A shudder passed through Madeleine, and she carefully lowered herself to sit on the porch step. “She was murdered?”
“It would appear so, wouldn't it?” Tanner answered.
A flash of the little girl's face and body appeared in Madeleine's mind and she squeezed her eyelids shut and attempted to push the image away.
“Horrible, isn't it?” said Tanner, still speaking in a whisper.
Madeleine could only nod.
“I heard Renard was the one who found her,” Tanner said.
”A pontoon boat with twelve frightened children found her, Mr. Tanner. Renard took her to shore.”
“Says who?” said Tanner.
“Says me. I was on the pontoon boat.”
Tanner's eyes opened wide. ‘‘You were? You were on the boat with the kids? How did you find her? What did she look like?”
Madeleine stood up in disgust, and she was about to open her mouth and tell Tanner how sick she thought he was when Jacqueline opened the door and said the steaks were almost ready.
“Hello, Mr. Tanner,” she said upon seeing the neighbor. “How are you?”
“All right, then,” said Tanner, and he took his little dog and walked across the yard to the road.
Inside the house Jacqueline imitated his walk and brought a smile to Madeleine's face, but she had lost all desire to eat supper.
“Are you all right?” Jacqueline asked in concern.
“I'm fine, really. Just not as hungry as I thought I was.”
She wouldn't tell them why. She had no wish to destroy their appetites by spreading Tanner's news.
She poured herself a drink and went outside again. She walked around the cabin to check on her tomato plants, and then she found herself wandering over the grass in the direction of Renard's house. He wasn't home, and she didn't quite know what she was doing, but once she was on his porch she somehow felt better.
When he came home it was dark, and his headlights picked her out on the porch. He put his truck in the garage and came around.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she said, and sipped at her drink. “Why didn't you come to dinner?”
“I didn't want to.”
“How's your toe? I never did see you
He did like cats. He played with them and talked to them and lovingly scratched their arched little backs.
“Hey,” Jacqueline said. “Don't feed them on the floor. Find a plate if you're going to give them scraps.”
Manuel swatted her on the bottom and she swatted playfully back, until he caught her and brought her to him for a kiss.
Madeleine noiselessly excused herself and went out to the front porch, feeling embarrassed and a little envious of her sister and her luck in finding someone who suited her so perfectly.
Sam and Madeleine had not been nearly so compatible, and she often thought she had married him simply because of the horrible experience she had had in her last year in the field and because she was nearing thirty and wasn't married yet. The day she married him she knew in her heart she did not love him in the romantic sense of the word, but he was funny and witty, handsome and athletic, and she loved being with him.
Until he lost his job.
Damn his parents for even daring to offer money after the way they had treated her at the funeral. Their cold stares and their refusal to ride in the limo with her or even sit near her during the service. How they had the gall to call up Jacqueline and—
“Hello,” said a nearby voice, and Madeleine jumped to see Sherman Tanner strolling toward her with his little dog.
“Hello, Mr. Tanner. How are you?”
He ignored the question. The eyes in his thin face were practically glowing.
“Did you hear what they found during the autopsy on the lost little girl?”
Madeleine's mouth tightened in discomfort. “No.”
“Semen,” Tanner said in a delicious, sibilant whisper, as if he were savoring the word. He waited until he saw Madeleine's eyes grow round before he added the words , “In her stomach”
A shudder passed through Madeleine, and she carefully lowered herself to sit on the porch step. “She was murdered?”
“It would appear so, wouldn't it?” Tanner answered.
A flash of the little girl's face and body appeared in Madeleine's mind and she squeezed her eyelids shut and attempted to push the image away.
“Horrible, isn't it?” said Tanner, still speaking in a whisper.
Madeleine could only nod.
“I heard Renard was the one who found her,” Tanner said.
”A pontoon boat with twelve frightened children found her, Mr. Tanner. Renard took her to shore.”
“Says who?” said Tanner.
“Says me. I was on the pontoon boat.”
Tanner's eyes opened wide. ‘‘You were? You were on the boat with the kids? How did you find her? What did she look like?”
Madeleine stood up in disgust, and she was about to open her mouth and tell Tanner how sick she thought he was when Jacqueline opened the door and said the steaks were almost ready.
“Hello, Mr. Tanner,” she said upon seeing the neighbor. “How are you?”
“All right, then,” said Tanner, and he took his little dog and walked across the yard to the road.
Inside the house Jacqueline imitated his walk and brought a smile to Madeleine's face, but she had lost all desire to eat supper.
“Are you all right?” Jacqueline asked in concern.
“I'm fine, really. Just not as hungry as I thought I was.”
She wouldn't tell them why. She had no wish to destroy their appetites by spreading Tanner's news.
She poured herself a drink and went outside again. She walked around the cabin to check on her tomato plants, and then she found herself wandering over the grass in the direction of Renard's house. He wasn't home, and she didn't quite know what she was doing, but once she was on his porch she somehow felt better.
When he came home it was dark, and his headlights picked her out on the porch. He put his truck in the garage and came around.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she said, and sipped at her drink. “Why didn't you come to dinner?”
“I didn't want to.”
“How's your toe? I never did see you
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