accident?""Well, she
wouldn't have been running around with Jay Peters," Mary said, shrugging. After
a beat, she froze, and brought the glass of orange juice to her lips.
"What do you mean by that?" Diana put both hands
on the counter and stopped for a moment. Mary's hand jerked a little.
"Oh, dear, I shouldn't have said anything." Mary
looked flustered. She was fiddling with a napkin, dabbing at some juice she had
spilled on the table.
"What do you mean, she was running around with Jay
Peters?" Diana asked. Robin had been in the car with Jay Peters when the
accident happened, but that was all. "He gave her a ride home from
church."
"Look, you're right. I guess I..." Mary looked at
Diana for a moment then looked away.
"Is that what people say, that she was running around
with him?”
"It doesn't matter what people say," Mary said. She
put her glass down on a napkin. "What are you going to do about this bully
Mr. White if you can't reach Zack?"
"Don't change the subject, Mary Stonehouse. What did
you mean by that remark?"
Mary started pleating the edge of the napkin. "Carl should talk to you
about this. It isn't my place to tell you anything."
"Carl hasn't told me. Maybe you should. Tell me
now," Diana knew she had slipped into bossy mode, but she didn't care. There
was something here, Mary knew it, Carl knew it and she was going to know it. Even
if it was just town gossip.
"Tell you what?"
"All of it," Diana suggested firmly. "Mary, tell me. You're my
sister-in-law. Shouldn't you be the one to tell me? Whatever it is!" Diana
took a breath. It wouldn't do to snap at Mary and she was very close to it. To
cover her frustration, Diana opened the peanut butter and pulled open a drawer
for a flat bladed knife.
"You'll be mad at me, you know, shooting the messenger
with bad news," Mary said. Diana turned, watching Mary shake her head
sadly.
"I won't shoot you, I promise. But I will be seriously
mad at you if you don't tell me," Diana said, slowly spreading peanut
butter across one slice of bread.
"You really don't know? I mean, Carl told me you
didn't, but I didn't think he meant it. I thought you were just putting a brave
face on it."
"On what?" She studied Mary for a moment.
"Jay Peters and Robin."
"What about them?"
"You really think that she was going to church that night?" Mary
asked softly, "And before Lark was born?"
Of course that's what I thought. That's what she told me. "She
wasn't?"
"Technically she was walking to the church, but Jay
Peters picked her up there and they'd go away for a few hours."
"But Jay Peters was married." She distinctly
remembered the picture of his wife in the paper. Actually, it might have been
their wedding picture. Diana finished the first sandwich and found a plate for
it. She cut the sandwich diagonally. It needed something else, she thought
vaguely.
"Of course, yes. Right," Mary was murmuring.
"Does everybody in town know this except me?"
Diana asked sadly. Mary seemed to consider this very seriously.
"No, not everybody. Probably not very many people when
it comes down to it. When Carl went to talk to the church group about why Robin
had left the meeting, they didn't know what he was talking about. He heard that
Jay Peter's wife thought he was having drinks with a few friends. She didn't
know anything about a church meeting. She said they weren't churchgoing
people."
"What did Jay Peters' wife think when Robin was found
in the car with him?" For a moment, Diana couldn't remember what she'd
thought. She'd been puzzled, she decided.
"The guys he usually hung out with told her he'd given
a woman in the bar a ride home. She had been sick, they said."
Was there a simple explanation for all this? "Was Robin
in the bar that night?" She started the next sandwich.
"No, not that night. But they knew about her. They knew
who she was."
"Why was that?" Diana worked on the sandwich; when
she realized Mary hadn't answered her, she looked up. Mary seemed very
distressed.
"Because
wouldn't have been running around with Jay Peters," Mary said, shrugging. After
a beat, she froze, and brought the glass of orange juice to her lips.
"What do you mean by that?" Diana put both hands
on the counter and stopped for a moment. Mary's hand jerked a little.
"Oh, dear, I shouldn't have said anything." Mary
looked flustered. She was fiddling with a napkin, dabbing at some juice she had
spilled on the table.
"What do you mean, she was running around with Jay
Peters?" Diana asked. Robin had been in the car with Jay Peters when the
accident happened, but that was all. "He gave her a ride home from
church."
"Look, you're right. I guess I..." Mary looked at
Diana for a moment then looked away.
"Is that what people say, that she was running around
with him?”
"It doesn't matter what people say," Mary said. She
put her glass down on a napkin. "What are you going to do about this bully
Mr. White if you can't reach Zack?"
"Don't change the subject, Mary Stonehouse. What did
you mean by that remark?"
Mary started pleating the edge of the napkin. "Carl should talk to you
about this. It isn't my place to tell you anything."
"Carl hasn't told me. Maybe you should. Tell me
now," Diana knew she had slipped into bossy mode, but she didn't care. There
was something here, Mary knew it, Carl knew it and she was going to know it. Even
if it was just town gossip.
"Tell you what?"
"All of it," Diana suggested firmly. "Mary, tell me. You're my
sister-in-law. Shouldn't you be the one to tell me? Whatever it is!" Diana
took a breath. It wouldn't do to snap at Mary and she was very close to it. To
cover her frustration, Diana opened the peanut butter and pulled open a drawer
for a flat bladed knife.
"You'll be mad at me, you know, shooting the messenger
with bad news," Mary said. Diana turned, watching Mary shake her head
sadly.
"I won't shoot you, I promise. But I will be seriously
mad at you if you don't tell me," Diana said, slowly spreading peanut
butter across one slice of bread.
"You really don't know? I mean, Carl told me you
didn't, but I didn't think he meant it. I thought you were just putting a brave
face on it."
"On what?" She studied Mary for a moment.
"Jay Peters and Robin."
"What about them?"
"You really think that she was going to church that night?" Mary
asked softly, "And before Lark was born?"
Of course that's what I thought. That's what she told me. "She
wasn't?"
"Technically she was walking to the church, but Jay
Peters picked her up there and they'd go away for a few hours."
"But Jay Peters was married." She distinctly
remembered the picture of his wife in the paper. Actually, it might have been
their wedding picture. Diana finished the first sandwich and found a plate for
it. She cut the sandwich diagonally. It needed something else, she thought
vaguely.
"Of course, yes. Right," Mary was murmuring.
"Does everybody in town know this except me?"
Diana asked sadly. Mary seemed to consider this very seriously.
"No, not everybody. Probably not very many people when
it comes down to it. When Carl went to talk to the church group about why Robin
had left the meeting, they didn't know what he was talking about. He heard that
Jay Peter's wife thought he was having drinks with a few friends. She didn't
know anything about a church meeting. She said they weren't churchgoing
people."
"What did Jay Peters' wife think when Robin was found
in the car with him?" For a moment, Diana couldn't remember what she'd
thought. She'd been puzzled, she decided.
"The guys he usually hung out with told her he'd given
a woman in the bar a ride home. She had been sick, they said."
Was there a simple explanation for all this? "Was Robin
in the bar that night?" She started the next sandwich.
"No, not that night. But they knew about her. They knew
who she was."
"Why was that?" Diana worked on the sandwich; when
she realized Mary hadn't answered her, she looked up. Mary seemed very
distressed.
"Because
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