woman anymore. We should leave all that to the police.â
But mention of the police made Jane think of Greenberg, of visiting the cave, of meeting Doris and Arthur at the station in the morning.
While Nick turned back to Winky, Florence shot Jane a look that said, âLetâs change the subject.â
âYes,â Jane said. âWe have many other things to worry about. Like homework.â
Nick slumped in his chair. âBlech.â
âNever mind blech,â Jane said. âYou still have to finish that report on Sussex County. Have you finished gathering your information?â
Nick shrugged indifferently. âNo. Iâll get it tonight off the Internet.â
âAll right. Iâll help you.â
âAnd what about the New Jersey cake?â Florence asked. âArenât we supposed to bake Sussex County?â
Nick slammed down his fork. âHave you ever heard of anything so stupid?â he said, his eyes bulging so that he looked the way Kenneth always looked when he was exasperated. âWhatâs the point of baking a cake in the shape of Sussex County? What do we learn from that?â
âYou learn the counties of New Jersey, obviously,â Jane said. âThe cake makes it fun. And when you have fun learning something, youâre more likely to really learn it and remember it.â
Nick gave her a distasteful look. âMom, you sound like some kind of textbook or something. Well,â he said with a sigh, âIâm not baking any counties.â
âNo one asked you to,â Florence said. âI will bake Sussex. I have the mix and everything.â She looked slightly embarrassed. âNormally I would not use a mixââshe spoke as if doing so were a sacrilegeââbut for this project I think it is okay, and besides we are in a hurry.â Nick hadnât told Florence and Jane he needed a cake in the shape of Sussex County until that morning. âBut Iâll need that template Mrs. Arnold gave you,â Florence went on.
âYeah, yeah,â Nick said. âItâs with my stuff in my backpack.â He put down his fork and got up, heading for the green backpack leaning against the kitchen wall near the back hall.
Florence smiled at Jane and shook her head.
In actuality, Jane had wondered more than once why Mrs. Arnold couldnât have simply had the children color a map of New Jerseyâs counties, but one never undermined the teacher. So she jumped up, full of enthusiasm. âIâll clear the table and load the dishwasher, Florence. You and Nick can start on Sussex.â
âThanks, missus. This will be fun.â But as soon as Nick had left the kitchen in search of scissors for cutting out the template, Florenceâs face grew troubled again, and Jane had no doubt as to the subject of her thoughts.
Later that night, as Jane lay in bed, eyes shut as she waited for sleep, the Irish Chain pattern of Louiseâs quilt appeared before her. How had the quilt gotten into the cave ? She didnât want to know. In fact, she wished she had never recognized it. But it was her own fault; sheâd asked Greenberg to take her to the cave.
She drifted closer to sleep, then remembered something, and her eyes popped open. Sheâd forgotten to call Doris. She checked her bedside clock. It was a little after eleven. She grabbed the phone and dialed Dorisâs number. Doris answered on the first ring.
âDoris, Iâm sorry to call you so late. I did speak with Greenberg. He said heâd like to ask Arthur some questions. He wants Arthur at the station at eight-thirty tomorrow morning. Iâll meet you both there at twenty past.â
âAll right,â Doris said.
âOh, and Dorisââ Jane said uneasily. âHe said that if Arthur doesnât show up, heâll have to have him picked up and brought in.â
âHeâll show up,â Doris said.
Eight
At
Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
Alexander Jablokov
Mary Wine
R.T. Wolfe
Eric Scott
Mark Rippetoe
Charles Benoit
L. M. Augustine
Howard Owen
Mandy M. Roth