Part 17 (1/2)

”Your wife's death?” Tess ventured.

”Yes,” he said. There was a steely note in his voice that forestalled another question. But she was left wondering about his marriage. She felt suddenly, absurdly jealous of a wife whose death was so traumatic that it turned a young man's hair to gray. Clearly it was a subject he couldn't bear to think about. A subject that was now, definitely, closed.

”So,” he said, ”did you, um, give any more thought to what we talked about this afternoon? About Nelson Abbott.”

The mention of Nelson Abbott reminded Tess of the call she was waiting for. Would her suspicion be borne out by the facts, she wondered? She considered telling Ben about it, but then decided against it. Even though he seemed sympathetic, she still wasn't quite ready to tell him what she'd done. He had made it clear this afternoon that he would not approve.

”I have been thinking about it,” she said.

”And...?”

”And...I am certainly...on the trail of something,” she said. ”We'll see where it leads.”

”Do you have time to...follow a trail? What about your job?”

Tess smiled ruefully. ”I'm trying to keep my job from coming to me.”

”What does that mean?” Ben asked.

”I work for a doc.u.mentary film team in Was.h.i.+ngton. I'm a cinematographer. My partners think this whole...situation would make a great film.”

”Isn't it a little late? The main event already occurred when the DNA results were announced,” Ben observed.

”Oh, that's no problem. There is footage galore of that event. What they want is the personal perspective on the whole thing. You know, interviews with the people involved, as well as footage from both past and present.”

”You don't sound enthused,” said Ben.

”This isn't something I can be objective about,” said Tess. ”That kind of intrusive attention could drive any reluctant witnesses even further underground. Besides, I need to be objective when I work on a film. I mean, it's good to be pa.s.sionate about your subject, but I'm just too close to this. For me, this is not about making a movie. This is about finding out what really happened.”

”It seems like you have your priorities straight,” he said.

”I hope so,” she said.

A silence fell between them. ”Well, I'd better let you go,” he said. ”Get some sleep.”

”Right,” said Tess. ”Thanks for asking about Erny.”

”I'm glad he's all right,” Ben said. ”Good night.”

”'Night.” Tess put the receiver carefully back in the cradle, but her heart was feeling anything but careful. She hadn't felt that excited about a man in a long while. She gazed into the fire, but she did not see the flames. She was picturing him, wondering about him.

The front door of the inn opened and Dawn called out, ”I'm back.”

Tess looked up as her mother came to the doorway. ”Hey, Mom. Come and sit.”

”Honey, I'm beat,” said Dawn. ”Can we talk tomorrow?”

”Sure,” said Tess. ”How was the meeting?”

”Grueling,” said Dawn. ”They always are. But somehow, afterwards, you feel better. Tired. But better. How's our boy?”

”Asleep,” said Tess.

”Good. I'm going to do the same,” said Dawn. ”I'll see you in the morning.”

Tess looked at the phone. The results were not going to be coming in tonight. ”Me, too,” said Tess. She set her unread book on the table and picked up her sherry gla.s.s, which she set on the tray.

”That goes...” said Dawn.

”I know, into the kitchen,” said Tess, kissing her mother's cheek. ”Go to bed. I'll close the place up.”

Tess carried the tray back into the kitchen and rinsed out the used gla.s.ses. Then she turned down the kitchen lights, leaving the light on over the sink. She walked back out and down the hallway, checking the library to be sure that she was not turning out the lights on a guest. The library was empty now. Tess left one lamp burning on the library table. She made sure the fire in the sitting room was banked and then she went to the front door to turn out the outside lanterns and the gaslights that illuminated the parking area. As she glanced out, she heard an engine idling and saw a plume of smoke rising in the air. She thought it must be a car's exhaust. Then she looked again. The smoke was drifting from the half-open window of a fawn-colored sedan, which was facing the inn. All of a sudden, Tess realized that it was smoke, not from the exhaust, but from the driver's cigarette. Tess strained to see the driver's face, but all she could make out was his head, which looked skull-like in the dark, his eyes sunken. He flicked his cigarette out the window onto the gravel of the driveway and Tess saw his extended arm. He was wearing a gray parka.

Tess backed up into the vestibule, slammed the front door, and flipped the switch. All the lights in the parking area went out at once. Then she looked through the door light. Now the car was bleached colorless in the moonlight. The car idled for a moment more and then slowly turned and pulled away.

Tess's heart was beating hard. It's nothing, she told herself. A gray parka. A million people could own a gray parka. It doesn't mean anything. It could be anyone, she thought. An inn is a public place. And then she remembered the front door. She turned the lock and the bolt snapped into place. She looked through the door light again, but the car was gone.

CHAPTER 18.

While Tess's mother dusted the sitting room the next day, Tess was cleaning out the ashes in the sitting-room fireplace just to have something to do other than wait for the DNA results on Nelson Abbott. Shortly after noon, both turned and looked toward the front door where Julie came squeaking in on her rubber-soled shoes, dressed in her nurse's scrubs and her coat, and carrying an XMen action figure, still in its plastic packaging.

”Hey,” said Tess.

”It's my lunch hour. I figured I'd come see how my nephew is doing. Jake told me about his fall.”

”He's doing okay,” said Tess. ”I let him take Leo out for a short walk.”

Julie handed Tess the packaged action figure. ”Well, I picked this up for him. I guess I'll leave it with you.”

Tess smiled at the gift and then gave her sister-in-law a hug. ”Thanks. That was sweet of you.”

”Least I could do,” said Julie, raising an eyebrow. ”Maybe if my husband had been watching him like he was supposed to...he told me you were plenty mad at him.”

Tess shrugged and avoided Julie's gaze. ”I'm sure he also told you I was being an overbearing worrywart.”

”He didn't use those exact words,” said Julie.

All of a sudden the phone on the table by the door rang. Tess jumped. ”I'm sorry. I have to get that,” she said.

”Go ahead,” said Julie.

Tess rushed over to the table and picked up the phone with a trembling hand. ”h.e.l.lo.”

”Tess?”

Instantly she recognized Aldous Fuller's thready voice. Tess's heart thudded and she felt light-headed. Calm down. He's probably just calling to say he won't know anything until tomorrow, she told herself. ”Chief Fuller,” she said.