For Better or Worsted

For Better or Worsted by Betty Hechtman Page A

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Authors: Betty Hechtman
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agreement, thinking I would worry about it then. I got up and checked Thursday’s room. The door was shut. When I came back to the living room, I led Mason into the den. I wanted as much distance between us and Thursday as possible before I said anything.
    “I was just wondering,” I began, “is it normal for Thursday to be acting the way she is? You know her better than I do. I would think under the circumstances she’d be more distraught.”
    “I kind of expected something different, too,” Mason said. “But Thursday has always been very independent and kept things to herself.” Mason hesitated. “It does worry me, though.”
    I asked him about Jonah, since I really didn’t know much about the groom. “He seemed nice enough,” Mason began. Then he chuckled. “As if anyone is ever good enough for your daughter. I didn’t really know him. Like I said, Thursday is very independent. I didn’t even meet him until they were getting engaged.” Mason went on to say he and Jaimee had gotten together with Jackson Kingsley and his second wife. Jonah’s mother had died years ago.
    “Kingsley seemed happy that his son was getting married. And happy with Thursday. If you want to know the truth, I thought Jonah was on the bland side.” Mason stopped and cocked his ear toward the other side of the house, obviously concerned Thursday might be up and about. “There was someone else before Jonah. I never met him, but I gather that Thursday was really in love with him. He broke it off with her.”
    “And you think that she met Jonah on the rebound?” I said. Mason nodded. Then he sighed deeply.
    “It’s terrible to say this, but if the motive was revenge, I’m just glad the victim wasn’t Thursday.” He looked in the direction of Thursday’s room, and I knew he wanted to go and hug her, grateful that she was there. Instead, he gave me the hug and reluctantly said that he’d better go.
    Not that he stayed gone long. During the next few days, Mason stopped by on each of them to check on Thursday and bring clothes he’d gotten from the condo. He wanted to be there when Barry made his daily stop to talk to Thursday. Barry claimed he was stopping in to give her updates, but I wasn’t so sure that was his motive, because he always seemed to say pretty much the same thing. The detectives were going through all the statements they’d taken at the reception and going back to talk to some of the people, but so far no one seemed to have seen what happened to Jonah.
    Thursday stuck close to the house. I don’t think she went outside for three days, other than to go into the backyard.
    On the fourth day, she came into the kitchen as I was making coffee. Staying locked away like that didn’t seem healthy, so I suggested she come with me to the bookstore and spend some time with the Hookers.
    I was expecting to have to talk her into it, but she surprised me and readily accepted—she just needed a few minutes to get dressed.
    Cosmo and the cats followed us to the front door. In the short time Thursday had been staying with me, they’d already accepted her as part of the family. Blondie seemed to like her, too, but it was hard to tell with the terrier mix because she kept to herself so much. Just before we went out, Thursday turned to give them all a good-bye pat. She slid into the passenger side of the greenmobile, and it felt very natural to have her company.
    Don’t get attached. Don’t get attached, I warned myself as I pulled onto the street. But it was so easy. She had taken up crochet when I taught her. She liked my animals, my house. She wanted to stay with me.
    The winds had stopped for now, but all the junk they’d blown around was still in the street. Though the palm trees bent and swayed with the wind, the fan-shaped fronds didn’t do so well. I had to steer around a number of the long woody stems with sharp, pointy leaves. The sky was a bright blue without the hint of a cloud.
    “What’s going on?”

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