Laced

“With that tooth you’ll have to bring me up from hell.”

“Breathe in the oxygen,” Sharkey said calmly.

“I’ll get oxygen outside,” Margaret said, pulling off the mask. “I live in the country where there’s nothing but fresh air.” She swung her legs around and stood. “I don’t feel as good as I did five minutes ago.”

“You should sit down-”

“No.”

“Then go home and get some rest. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Margaret nodded and went out to the waiting room where Brian and Sheila had been sitting in glum silence. “Time to go home,” she a

Brian and Sheila knew better than to argue. Their art collecting was done for the day.

And they both felt as if they were done for life.

28

Brad and Linda Thompson were also newlyweds and also from New York City, and both had just turned fifty. They had married six months ago, a second marriage for both. Their cottage in Ireland was a vacation retreat where they pla

They seem to have a great life, Regan thought as she, Jack, and Breda sat down with the Thompsons in their cheerfully decorated living room. Framed wedding photos filled the shelf above the fireplace. They were an attractive couple. Brad had two grown children from his previous marriage who, judging from the pictures, seemed to approve of their father’s new mate.

“We finally got it right,” Brad said jovially as he handed glasses of sparkling water to everyone. “Linda and I are having the time of our lives. And we made a pact to always keep in shape, so that’s why we did the Fun Run.”

“Here I am with a roomful of newlyweds,” Breda said, fidgeting with excitement. “I feel like an old married lady.”

“Hey,” Brad said, “you’re doing all right. That husband of yours is a nice guy.”

“Indeed!” Breda agreed. “Life gets a little boring at times, but I’m happy.”

Regan smiled. Breda was clearly thrilled to have a little excitement thrown into her day, and Linda was obviously a woman in love. She was positively glowing and not just because of her large diamond earrings and numerous gold necklaces, bling not normally found on someone gardening. They must be presents from Brad, Regan decided.

“Ours is a mature love,” Linda said, smiling at Brad with adoration and sounding like an earnest talk show guest. “We both found out what we didn’t want.”

“I found out a few things I didn’t want, but there’s nothing I can do about it now,” Breda said. She laughed, slapped her knee, and looked around the room to make sure everyone appreciated her joke. They did.

Brad worked in finance, and Linda was a real estate agent. They met when he was trying to find an apartment to rent after splitting up with his wife.

“When I met Linda, all the clouds parted,” Brad said, gesturing out the front window. “She lit up my life,” he declared, sitting on the ottoman in front of Linda’s chair and putting his hand on her leg. “I bring her coffee in bed every morning-”

Breda looked awestruck.

“-and never once has she nagged me to take out the garbage.”

Just wait, Regan thought.

Jack cleared his throat. Regan could tell he wanted to get down to brass tacks. But Brad wasn’t finished.

“Our friends tease us,” Brad continued, “because we’re so over the moon in love.”

Linda giggled, placed her hands on her husband’s back, and started to massage his shoulders.

We had better make this fast, Regan thought. Breda was about to fall off her chair.

“Isn’t being a newlywed just wonderful, Regan?” Linda cooed, wrapping her arms around her husband and resting her head on his shoulder.

“Yes,” Regan agreed. “We’re very happy. But we don’t want to keep you, so if you don’t mind, we’ll just ask a couple of questions about the race and be on our way.”

“Do you want to stay for di

“No, thank you,” Jack answered. “We’re having di

Linda and Brad’s faces were blank. “I’ve never heard of Gerard Reilly. Have you, honey?” Linda asked, nuzzling her nose against her husband’s sweater.

“No.”

“Well, anyway, he’s expecting us,” Jack then quickly gave more details to the Thompsons about why they were there. “We know you signed up for the Fun Run right before the race began. Did you happen to see the very last couple who signed up? They were probably in their forties. Apparently the woman tripped right near the registration table-and the man had a strange laugh.”

Linda lifted her head from Brad’s shoulder. “I remember them!”

“You do?” Regan asked.

“Yes! His laugh was strange. And there was something about the woman that reminded me of someone I knew, but I couldn’t figure out who.”

“Someone you knew?” Regan asked.

“Yes. Someone from my past, but I can’t place her. I almost went over to talk to her, but she didn’t look very approachable. I think she was a

“What about this woman triggered the memory of someone else?” Regan asked.

“It was after she fell. When she stood up, it was the way she stretched her arms and ran in place for a second.”

“A lot of ru

“But this was different. And there was something else she did. I just can’t think of what it was.”

“Did she look like someone you knew?” Regan asked.

Linda shook her head. “She had on a cap and big sunglasses and a bulky windbreaker. I didn’t get a good look at her face. It was more of a profile. Oh! That was the other thing. The way her jaw was moving. It looked like she was chewing on a lozenge or something.”

This is getting us nowhere, Regan thought. “Was there anything else about her that you remember?” she asked.

“Not really.”

“Did either of you notice anything unusual that happened at the race?”

They both shook their heads. “You know how it is in the early stages of love,” Brad said, “you only have eyes for each other. You don’t notice anything else because you’re the only two people in the whole wide world.”

“Of course,” Jack said, putting down his glass of water on a coaster. “We really appreciate your time. If you think of anything else or figure out who this woman reminded you of, please contact us.” He reached in his wallet for his card.

Linda grimaced. “I wish I could remember who it was.”

Brad patted her leg. “You will, honey.”

They all stood. Regan walked over to take a closer look at the wedding pictures. “You were a beautiful bride,” she said to Linda honestly.

Linda smiled. “Thank you.”

“She looked gorgeous!” Brad boasted.

“It helped to have a good makeup artist,” Linda joked. “The one I had at my first wedding eight years ago was absolutely terrific, but she left town-” Linda put her hand to her mouth, a shocked expression on her face.

“What is it, baby?” Brad asked.

“That’s who that woman reminded me of! A

Brad covered his ears. “I can’t stand to hear about your marriage to that awful man,” he said playfully.

“If we could just talk about the makeup artist for a minute,” Jack said, urgency in his tone. “You say you lost touch with her?”

“Yes. After my wedding, she did my makeup a few more times and then one day when I called, her cell phone had been disco