he’d eaten.
At the bottom of the stairs, I passed the entrance to the family room addition and backed up. A pile of pictures had been left on a side table. Bracing the tray on my hip, I scattered them with my free hand. Anne and Wolf camping. Anne and Wolf’s wedding. Anne and Wolf at the beach. He must have looked through them last night. No wonder he was so short with me—I wasn’t Anne. I swiped the picture of them at the beach and slid it into my pocket. Chances were that she was dead. But if I was going to help him, a picture might come in handy if someone claimed to have seen her.
Francie, Olive, and Nina sat around Wolf’s kitchen table, gabbing. “Where did you come from?” I asked Nina.
“I cannot believe that you didn’t call me this morning so I could come along.”
“I was in a bit of a panic. How did you find us?”
Francie waved my cell phone at me. “You left your purse in the car. That didn’t seem safe, so I carried it with me. When the phone rang, it only seemed polite to answer it.”
“So how’s Wolf?” asked Nina. “Maybe he’d feel better if he came down here with us.”
I was about to say that I didn’t think so, but Olive spoke first.
She rose from her seat. “Maybe I should go. My presence might make things worse.”
“You sit right down and tell them.” Francie drummed her forefinger on the table.
I poured hot water for tea and cracked more eggs for omelets. “Tell us what?”
Olive sat down. “I feel uncomfortable talking about this in their kitchen.”
“Sophie deserves to know,” said Francie.
Nina placed the mugs of tea on the table. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“You aren’t as close to Wolf as Sophie. For heaven’s sake, Olive, if you don’t tell them, I will!”
“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone else.” Olive looked straight at me.
Yeah, right.
Why did people always say that before they spread gossip they knew they shouldn’t tell?
“It’s just that—” Olive seemed flustered. “Okay, I’ll cut out everything except the pertinent part. Anne was involved with another man when she disappeared.”
“What?” I drifted to the table. “I’m stunned.”
Nina frowned, creating a deep crease between her eyes. “That can’t be. Everyone would have known and talked about it. No way.”
“It’s true,” said Olive. “For various reasons, it was kept very quiet. Are those eggs burning?”
I whipped around and rescued the omelet. While Nina and Olive discussed the news about Anne’s affair, I made four more omelets and served them, glad that Wolf was upstairs and couldn’t hear our discussion. I joined the others at the table, and savored my tea.
Nina squinted at Olive. “And why is it that you happen to know this when no one else does?”
Olive took a bite of omelet. I got the distinct impression that she was buying time to consider how she would word her answer.
“My family was involved. I really can’t say more than that.”
Suddenly it all made sense. That’s why Wolf had such a fit about Roscoe. Anne must have had an affair with Roscoe or Audie. My money was on Audie. If Roscoe had hadan affair with Anne, surely Olive wouldn’t report it so unemotionally.
Francie tapped my arm. “Great omelet. But you haven’t said anything about Wolf.”
Hadn’t I? They all watched me. “Well, Anne’s affair certainly explains a lot. No wonder Wolf didn’t want to talk about it—especially with me. It must have crushed his male ego. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it.”
Olive waggled a finger at me. “I suspect you’re right.”
I finished the last savory morsel of omelet and wished I had more. “It also explains why he thought she left. If she was in love with someone else, she might have taken off with him.” Assuming, of course, that it wasn’t Audie.
The grinding hum of the bulldozer came to a halt. We all noticed and listened, the silence of the machine ominous. No one said a word. My gaze met Nina’s
At the bottom of the stairs, I passed the entrance to the family room addition and backed up. A pile of pictures had been left on a side table. Bracing the tray on my hip, I scattered them with my free hand. Anne and Wolf camping. Anne and Wolf’s wedding. Anne and Wolf at the beach. He must have looked through them last night. No wonder he was so short with me—I wasn’t Anne. I swiped the picture of them at the beach and slid it into my pocket. Chances were that she was dead. But if I was going to help him, a picture might come in handy if someone claimed to have seen her.
Francie, Olive, and Nina sat around Wolf’s kitchen table, gabbing. “Where did you come from?” I asked Nina.
“I cannot believe that you didn’t call me this morning so I could come along.”
“I was in a bit of a panic. How did you find us?”
Francie waved my cell phone at me. “You left your purse in the car. That didn’t seem safe, so I carried it with me. When the phone rang, it only seemed polite to answer it.”
“So how’s Wolf?” asked Nina. “Maybe he’d feel better if he came down here with us.”
I was about to say that I didn’t think so, but Olive spoke first.
She rose from her seat. “Maybe I should go. My presence might make things worse.”
“You sit right down and tell them.” Francie drummed her forefinger on the table.
I poured hot water for tea and cracked more eggs for omelets. “Tell us what?”
Olive sat down. “I feel uncomfortable talking about this in their kitchen.”
“Sophie deserves to know,” said Francie.
Nina placed the mugs of tea on the table. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“You aren’t as close to Wolf as Sophie. For heaven’s sake, Olive, if you don’t tell them, I will!”
“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone else.” Olive looked straight at me.
Yeah, right.
Why did people always say that before they spread gossip they knew they shouldn’t tell?
“It’s just that—” Olive seemed flustered. “Okay, I’ll cut out everything except the pertinent part. Anne was involved with another man when she disappeared.”
“What?” I drifted to the table. “I’m stunned.”
Nina frowned, creating a deep crease between her eyes. “That can’t be. Everyone would have known and talked about it. No way.”
“It’s true,” said Olive. “For various reasons, it was kept very quiet. Are those eggs burning?”
I whipped around and rescued the omelet. While Nina and Olive discussed the news about Anne’s affair, I made four more omelets and served them, glad that Wolf was upstairs and couldn’t hear our discussion. I joined the others at the table, and savored my tea.
Nina squinted at Olive. “And why is it that you happen to know this when no one else does?”
Olive took a bite of omelet. I got the distinct impression that she was buying time to consider how she would word her answer.
“My family was involved. I really can’t say more than that.”
Suddenly it all made sense. That’s why Wolf had such a fit about Roscoe. Anne must have had an affair with Roscoe or Audie. My money was on Audie. If Roscoe had hadan affair with Anne, surely Olive wouldn’t report it so unemotionally.
Francie tapped my arm. “Great omelet. But you haven’t said anything about Wolf.”
Hadn’t I? They all watched me. “Well, Anne’s affair certainly explains a lot. No wonder Wolf didn’t want to talk about it—especially with me. It must have crushed his male ego. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it.”
Olive waggled a finger at me. “I suspect you’re right.”
I finished the last savory morsel of omelet and wished I had more. “It also explains why he thought she left. If she was in love with someone else, she might have taken off with him.” Assuming, of course, that it wasn’t Audie.
The grinding hum of the bulldozer came to a halt. We all noticed and listened, the silence of the machine ominous. No one said a word. My gaze met Nina’s
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