traffic. Run and be killed, or stay and be killed. The proverbial rock and the hard place.
I decided to put her out of her misery. Reaching across the table, I took her hand. “Tell me,” I said.
“I’ve done something horrible, Maggy. Oh God.” She put her hands to her face.
My heart stood still. She had really done it. Caron had killed Patricia.
“—got married in college,” Caron was saying. “He’s the only man I’d ever dated. Then we got married and had the kids—”
Had the woman lost her mind? “What in the world are you talking about?” I demanded.
She stopped and looked at me. “I’m having—had—an affair. It’s over.”
My jaw dropped. Here I was thinking that my best friend had murdered someone by hot-wiring an espresso machine, and she was admitting to an affair. “You’re fooling around?”
Caron watched her fingers trace the planks of the oak table. “That’s why I was at Uncommon Grounds on Saturday. I was meeting Roger.”
Roger? Roger Karsten? The building inspector? “Aww, geez, Caron. He’s what? Twenty-eight?”
She nodded miserably. “I know, I know. I’ve been a fool. Bernie is a wonderful man. But I just wanted some excitement, I guess.”
She was pleading for my understanding. I wasn’t sure if I could give it to her, at least right now.
“You see,” she continued, “I’ve always done what was expected of me. Went to the right school, met the right guy, got married, had kids, bought a house. The whole load.”
Yeah, I thought, the whole load—successful career, nice husband, good kids, big house in the country and more money than she could spend. Any thinking person’s nightmare.
Caron was still talking. “Now that the kids are practically gone, I have time to think about what I want.”
“And you want Roger Karsten?” I asked dryly.
Her eyes dropped again. “Well, no, but he seemed to want me, and that made me feel—”
“Like an idiot apparently. Does Bernie know?”
She shook her head, seeming horrified at the thought. “Of course not. I ended it with Roger and hoped...”
The dam broke again. I handed her a tissue and waited.
“Maggy, what am I going to do? If I tell the police, Bernie will find out. If I don’t, they’ll think I had something to do with Patricia’s death.”
Back to the rock and the hard place. “But you don’t have a choice. Way told Gary he saw you leaving by the back door. Gary left a message for the sheriff.” I checked my watch. It was a little after eleven. “He probably has it by now.”
Caron looked as sick as I felt. “Maybe I can just say I stopped by to get something.”
“And forgot to mention it? And who’s to say that nobody saw Roger?”
Caron was thinking furiously. “I know. I’ll say there was a problem with the inspection and Roger had to come back Saturday afternoon and finish up.” She was getting up. “I’ll call Roger and tell him to say—”
For a moment, hope burned bright. I was sorry to lift my leg on it. “Won’t work. I picked up the occupancy permit Saturday morning. It wouldn’t have been issued if he hadn’t finished the inspection.”
Caron sat back down. “Maybe Roger forgot some-thing...”She trailed off.
A tool perhaps. “That might work,” I said carefully. “The only thing anyone could prove was that you were there together. Who’s to say, except for the two of you, what you were doing there?” And where exactly you were doing it. The counter? The desk? I hoped she’d disinfected.
Caron started for the phone on the planning desk. “I have to get hold of Roger.”
“Will he lie for you?” I asked, wondering if I would, if it came right down to it.
“He’d better,” she said grimly as she picked up the phone. “He owes me.” Just then the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that,” I said hastily and hurried out. I didn’t want to hear this particular conversation.
My mind was racing as I went to the door. So Caron was having an affair. I
I decided to put her out of her misery. Reaching across the table, I took her hand. “Tell me,” I said.
“I’ve done something horrible, Maggy. Oh God.” She put her hands to her face.
My heart stood still. She had really done it. Caron had killed Patricia.
“—got married in college,” Caron was saying. “He’s the only man I’d ever dated. Then we got married and had the kids—”
Had the woman lost her mind? “What in the world are you talking about?” I demanded.
She stopped and looked at me. “I’m having—had—an affair. It’s over.”
My jaw dropped. Here I was thinking that my best friend had murdered someone by hot-wiring an espresso machine, and she was admitting to an affair. “You’re fooling around?”
Caron watched her fingers trace the planks of the oak table. “That’s why I was at Uncommon Grounds on Saturday. I was meeting Roger.”
Roger? Roger Karsten? The building inspector? “Aww, geez, Caron. He’s what? Twenty-eight?”
She nodded miserably. “I know, I know. I’ve been a fool. Bernie is a wonderful man. But I just wanted some excitement, I guess.”
She was pleading for my understanding. I wasn’t sure if I could give it to her, at least right now.
“You see,” she continued, “I’ve always done what was expected of me. Went to the right school, met the right guy, got married, had kids, bought a house. The whole load.”
Yeah, I thought, the whole load—successful career, nice husband, good kids, big house in the country and more money than she could spend. Any thinking person’s nightmare.
Caron was still talking. “Now that the kids are practically gone, I have time to think about what I want.”
“And you want Roger Karsten?” I asked dryly.
Her eyes dropped again. “Well, no, but he seemed to want me, and that made me feel—”
“Like an idiot apparently. Does Bernie know?”
She shook her head, seeming horrified at the thought. “Of course not. I ended it with Roger and hoped...”
The dam broke again. I handed her a tissue and waited.
“Maggy, what am I going to do? If I tell the police, Bernie will find out. If I don’t, they’ll think I had something to do with Patricia’s death.”
Back to the rock and the hard place. “But you don’t have a choice. Way told Gary he saw you leaving by the back door. Gary left a message for the sheriff.” I checked my watch. It was a little after eleven. “He probably has it by now.”
Caron looked as sick as I felt. “Maybe I can just say I stopped by to get something.”
“And forgot to mention it? And who’s to say that nobody saw Roger?”
Caron was thinking furiously. “I know. I’ll say there was a problem with the inspection and Roger had to come back Saturday afternoon and finish up.” She was getting up. “I’ll call Roger and tell him to say—”
For a moment, hope burned bright. I was sorry to lift my leg on it. “Won’t work. I picked up the occupancy permit Saturday morning. It wouldn’t have been issued if he hadn’t finished the inspection.”
Caron sat back down. “Maybe Roger forgot some-thing...”She trailed off.
A tool perhaps. “That might work,” I said carefully. “The only thing anyone could prove was that you were there together. Who’s to say, except for the two of you, what you were doing there?” And where exactly you were doing it. The counter? The desk? I hoped she’d disinfected.
Caron started for the phone on the planning desk. “I have to get hold of Roger.”
“Will he lie for you?” I asked, wondering if I would, if it came right down to it.
“He’d better,” she said grimly as she picked up the phone. “He owes me.” Just then the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that,” I said hastily and hurried out. I didn’t want to hear this particular conversation.
My mind was racing as I went to the door. So Caron was having an affair. I
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