flat with shock. “Good God! One of the secretaries told me a deputy came to the office looking for Ames. I guess that’s what he wanted to tell him.”
Christine nodded. “He tracked Ames down at the store. Ames demanded to be told right in front of everyone, then he insisted the body couldn’t be Dara’s. He was badly shaken, though. I was glad Wilma Archer was there. She’s like a mother to him, you know.”
“Yes, she is,” Sloane said distractedly. “Did this deputy tell Ames the body was definitely Dara’s?”
“It was Michael Winter, that new guy from Los Angeles, and he didn’t say the body was Dara’s. He said it was the right height and had long black hair, but there was a lot of decomposition in spite of all the plastic wrapping. After all, if it
is
Dara, she would have been in the water three years.”
“If she was wrapped in plastic, she didn’t drown accidentally. She was murdered,” Sloane said. “But she could have been murdered later—weeks or months after she disappeared.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that possibility. If she did run away and came back a while later, though, no one saw her.”
“At least no one who came forward.”
“That’s true. You’re always so good at seeing all the angles.”
“It’s part of my job,” Sloane answered. “Sometimes it’s necessary in a client’s defense.”
“Yes, I guess it is.” Christine ran a hand over her forehead. “Anyway, the body was sent directly to the medical examiner’s in Charleston. Ames is there now to see if he can identify her. I think it’s cruel to make him look at the body if there’s been massive decomposition.”
“There’s no point in blaming the police, Chris. It’s procedure.”
“It may be procedure, but that doesn’t make it less awful,” Christine said dully, feeling like a cold wind was blowing over her.
Sloane shook his head. “Someone should have gone to Charleston with Ames.”
“Me. I should have gone. But there was Jeremy to deal with—”
“I didn’t mean you, Chris. I’m the one Ames should have called.”
Yes, Christine thought, Sloane was incredibly strong. It was so easy to lean on him. But leaning on Sloane became a double-edged sword. It made him think he was in charge of every situation, a trait Christine had learned she couldn’t live with and that was partially responsible for making her decide she couldn’t marry him three years ago.
“I’m sure he’ll be all right if there’s no way he can be sure the body is Dara’s,” Christine said with more hope than certainty. “And he won’t be alone when he comes home. He has Patricia.”
Sloane pulled a face. “Yes, the devoted and sensitive Patricia, who couldn’t stand Dara. She’d probably be a great comfort.”
“Jeremy says she’s gone all the time anymore.”
“Is she getting bored with the good life already?”
“Maybe. She’s a lot younger than Ames, and he hasn’t exactly been a barrel of laughs since Dara disappeared.”
“Chris, I doubt if Ames was ever a barrel of laughs.”
“No, that’s not his style. Still, he’s gone from serious to gloomy. God knows how he’ll be if this body turns out to be Dara’s.”
Jeremy appeared at the table. “Hi, Sloane.”
“Hi yourself. Haven’t seen you for a while.”
“I’m really busy at the store. You heard about my job, didn’t you? I’m not just a stock boy. I get to design jewelry.”
“Of course I heard about it. Ames is really proud of you.”
“Did Christy tell you about Dara?”
“She said a body was found, but no one’s sure it’s Dara. Don’t think the worst, Jeremy.” Sloane stood up quickly and Christine was glad he wasn’t going to linger on the subject. “I’ve got a ton of work to do tonight, so I’d better get going. It was good to see the two of you. Drive carefully tonight. Those roads are treacherous.”
“Christy drives
real
slow,” Jeremy complained. “It takes us forever to get
Christine nodded. “He tracked Ames down at the store. Ames demanded to be told right in front of everyone, then he insisted the body couldn’t be Dara’s. He was badly shaken, though. I was glad Wilma Archer was there. She’s like a mother to him, you know.”
“Yes, she is,” Sloane said distractedly. “Did this deputy tell Ames the body was definitely Dara’s?”
“It was Michael Winter, that new guy from Los Angeles, and he didn’t say the body was Dara’s. He said it was the right height and had long black hair, but there was a lot of decomposition in spite of all the plastic wrapping. After all, if it
is
Dara, she would have been in the water three years.”
“If she was wrapped in plastic, she didn’t drown accidentally. She was murdered,” Sloane said. “But she could have been murdered later—weeks or months after she disappeared.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that possibility. If she did run away and came back a while later, though, no one saw her.”
“At least no one who came forward.”
“That’s true. You’re always so good at seeing all the angles.”
“It’s part of my job,” Sloane answered. “Sometimes it’s necessary in a client’s defense.”
“Yes, I guess it is.” Christine ran a hand over her forehead. “Anyway, the body was sent directly to the medical examiner’s in Charleston. Ames is there now to see if he can identify her. I think it’s cruel to make him look at the body if there’s been massive decomposition.”
“There’s no point in blaming the police, Chris. It’s procedure.”
“It may be procedure, but that doesn’t make it less awful,” Christine said dully, feeling like a cold wind was blowing over her.
Sloane shook his head. “Someone should have gone to Charleston with Ames.”
“Me. I should have gone. But there was Jeremy to deal with—”
“I didn’t mean you, Chris. I’m the one Ames should have called.”
Yes, Christine thought, Sloane was incredibly strong. It was so easy to lean on him. But leaning on Sloane became a double-edged sword. It made him think he was in charge of every situation, a trait Christine had learned she couldn’t live with and that was partially responsible for making her decide she couldn’t marry him three years ago.
“I’m sure he’ll be all right if there’s no way he can be sure the body is Dara’s,” Christine said with more hope than certainty. “And he won’t be alone when he comes home. He has Patricia.”
Sloane pulled a face. “Yes, the devoted and sensitive Patricia, who couldn’t stand Dara. She’d probably be a great comfort.”
“Jeremy says she’s gone all the time anymore.”
“Is she getting bored with the good life already?”
“Maybe. She’s a lot younger than Ames, and he hasn’t exactly been a barrel of laughs since Dara disappeared.”
“Chris, I doubt if Ames was ever a barrel of laughs.”
“No, that’s not his style. Still, he’s gone from serious to gloomy. God knows how he’ll be if this body turns out to be Dara’s.”
Jeremy appeared at the table. “Hi, Sloane.”
“Hi yourself. Haven’t seen you for a while.”
“I’m really busy at the store. You heard about my job, didn’t you? I’m not just a stock boy. I get to design jewelry.”
“Of course I heard about it. Ames is really proud of you.”
“Did Christy tell you about Dara?”
“She said a body was found, but no one’s sure it’s Dara. Don’t think the worst, Jeremy.” Sloane stood up quickly and Christine was glad he wasn’t going to linger on the subject. “I’ve got a ton of work to do tonight, so I’d better get going. It was good to see the two of you. Drive carefully tonight. Those roads are treacherous.”
“Christy drives
real
slow,” Jeremy complained. “It takes us forever to get
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