The Girl in the Face of the Clock by Charles Mathes Page A

looked over to her husband, who hadn’t touched the kiwi tart in front of him and was staring into his Sauternes.
    â€œWhy are you so quiet all of a sudden?” she demanded.
    â€œOh, I’m just thinking about poor Aaron,” he said with a sigh.
    â€œHey,” said Elinore, brightening. “I got an idea. Janie, why don’t you bring Perry over to the gallery this week? Then we can find out for sure what he’s looking for.”
    â€œI told you, Elinore. He’s not interested in art.”
    â€œJust take five minutes. Five minutes won’t hurt you. Can’t you do that much for me after all I’ve done for you?”
    Jane couldn’t stand it any longer. She had controlled herself the entire evening, but now she could actually see herself in choreographic detail grabbing Elinore by the hair, banging her head a dozen times on the table, and then stuffing a napkin down her throat. It was time to bail out.
    â€œThis really has been fun,” Jane said, standing up, looking at her watch. “But look at the time. I’m afraid I have to be going. Thank you for a lovely dinner.”
    â€œBut it’s still early,” screeched Elinore. “I thought we’d go out for an after-dinner drink. You’re not going to desert us so soon, are you? We’re having such a good time.”
    â€œI’m sorry, but I have to go.”
    â€œSo nice to have met you, Janie,” said Greg with a big smile, reaching over and shaking Jane’s hand. He had stood up the moment she had risen from the table. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll look in on Aaron. I’m sure they’ll take good care of him.”
    â€œWait a second, Janie, here’s another thought,” said Elinore, waving her napkin for attention. “If you don’t want to come by the gallery, why don’t I stop by Perry’s office next week? That way you can reintroduce us in an informal kind of way. We could talk about art.”
    â€œI’m afraid that won’t be possible,” said Jane curtly. “We’re going to be out of town. We’re leaving Monday morning for Seattle.”
    â€œThat’s fantastic,” said Elinore, grabbing Jane’s sleeve. “My daughter lives in Seattle. She’s a fantastic girl. Isn’t she, Greg?”
    â€œGreat girl. Fabulous.”
    â€œEverybody is crazy about her,” Elinore rattled on, “works for this nonprofit, with the environment and all. What time’s your flight?”
    â€œTen-thirty,” said Jane, removing Elinore’s hand from her sleeve and resisting the urge to break the woman’s wrist in the process. Other diners were looking up from their food in annoyance with looks that said, “Go, already.”
    â€œYou’re going to think about what I said, aren’t you?” said Elinore as Jane began walking away. “Aren’t you?”
    Jane shot a frozen smile over her shoulder and practically knocked over a table as she made her way to the door.
    â€œCall me when you get back,” shouted Elinore across the room as Jane escaped into the night.
    She promised herself that it would be a long, long time before she saw Elinore King again.

Seven
    â€œThe captain has turned off the ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign,” said the soft voice of the stewardess over the loudspeaker. “You are now free to move around the cabin if you like.”
    â€œIt’s what’s called a lighthouse clock,” said Perry Mannerback happily. “The dial is rather like that of an old-fashioned alarm clock, but it sits under this high glass dome atop a cylindrical mahogany base. The whole affair is a few feet tall and looks like a lighthouse, hence the name.”
    Jane smiled. Perry had been talking nonstop about the clock they were flying out to see since he had picked her up this morning. This was the third time he had described it for her, but it