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“Really?” Mary was starting to wonder if the world had gone nuts.
“It’s like when someone asks you if you hear water dripping, and you don’t. But then, after they mention it, it’s all you hear. You’re listening for it, then. You understand?”
“You mean you agree with Judy now? You said you didn’t.”
“I know, I didn’t.” Grady’s brow knit in confusion. “But now I’m thinking about it.”
“Why?”
“Because of some things that happened last night, between Be
“Not a smoking gun.”
“But it was an old joke between us, because she loves milk so much.”
“So she forgot. You haven’t seen her in a couple of years. Do you remember which drink she absolutely hates? There is one.”
Grady’s expression went blank. “Uh, no.”
“Root beer.”
“Touché.”
“Plus, you surprised her with your visit, didn’t you? Your coming in probably threw her for a loop.” Mary was thinking about the man who worked at Mellon Center. “She’s just off her game.”
“Possibly.”
“Definitely.”
“So Judy’s completely wrong?”
“Yes.” Mary’s cell phone rang and she checked the display screen, hoping again for Anthony, but no luck. “Excuse me, it’s my parents. I’ll just be a minute.” She pressed the green button and said, “Hi.”
“Maria, Maria!” It was her mother, in tears.
“Ma, what’s the matter?”
“Your father, he’s a cheat with Fiorella!”
“What?” Mary asked, shocked.
“He’s a with Fiorella! Come home, per favore, Maria! Tornare a casa!”
“I’m on my way,” Mary said, springing to her feet.
Chapter Eighty
Be
“Take this, Alice,” she said, her tone softer. “You need it more than I do right now. Sorry about what I said. You’re right. We were being selfish.”
Caitlin looked over. “Ken, you have a gun? Why?”
“Protection,” Kendra answered. “The gym’s open late and sometimes I have to lock up.”
Be
“I’m sorry, too.” Caitlin dug in her purse and came out with a baggie full of white capsules. “Here. Take your chill pill. You’ll feel better.”
Whoa. “Not in the mood.”
“Come on, we know how you get. Take the bag.”
Be
“Just the one?”
“Listen, you guys should go. I’ll call you as soon as I have another supplier.”
“Please don’t wait too long,” Caitlin said, and Kendra nodded.
“Alice, seriously, I rely on the extra income. I’ve lost clients because of the economy. I need to make up the difference.”
“I hear you.” Be
They left together, and Be
Her gaze fell on something bright amid the debris near the desk, a red book sliding out of a thick manila envelope. She went over, picked up the envelope, and looked inside. It wasn’t like the bills and printed papers; next to the book was a packet of letters. She slid out the book, which turned out to be Alice’s college yearbook, her name stamped in fake gold on its pebbled cover. Papers were wedged inside like a bookmark, and she opened the yearbook to the page, moving them aside.
Senior Class Monster Mash, read the top, above photos of couples slow-dancing, in Halloween costumes. Her eyes went immediately to Alice, drawn there because it was like looking at a photo of herself, in costume. Alice was dressed as Alice in Wonderland, in a blue smock with a white pinafore, and was dancing with a tall boy in a rabbit outfit, complete with top hat. He was handsome, very tall, with dark, lively eyes and a wide smile, though he had a jagged scar on his right cheek. Under the photo, the caption read ALICE AND HER MAD HATTER.
Be
True love forever?
Be
She blinked, surprised that Alice was capable of a normal love relationship. She paged idly through the book, noticing something else. There were no other handwritten notes from friends with their pictures. She turned to the inside front cover, then the inside back cover. There were no written notes by friends, anywhere. She thought a minute, then looked up from the yearbook and sca
Be
She pressed the thought aside and went to the packet of letters, which looked like ten of them in a thick rubber band. She tugged the first letter from the pack, and the envelope was addressed to Alice, at this address. The postmark was foreign, with Arabic writing. She slid out the single page of notebook paper, which read:
Dear Alice, It’s so great that you got back in touch with me, even though I’m deployed here, on my third tour. The military lets us have a Facebook page, but we have to keep it PG- 13. Ha! I thought about you a lot over the years and am so happy you have a new job, and came through everything okay…
Be
Dear Alice, I love your letters and packages, they remind me of home, college days, and mostly you, and how happy we were. All the guys are jealous that I get such great cookies, too, but you’re not supposed to send the Playboys. I gave them away, because I’m thinking of you more and more…