“Did they tell you not to talk about it?”
Carla didn’t answer. She was motionless, looking at her knees.
“What did they say, Carla?” Molly asked.
Carla answered without raising her eyes.
“They said there was only two of us now. Me and Emily.”
Her voice was very small.
“Have you heard from her since she left?” Jesse said.
“No.”
“How do you feel about all this?” Molly said.
Carla shrugged again, concentrating on her knees. “Billie messed up,” she said.
“Are you scared you might mess up?” Molly said.
Carla didn’t say anything. Molly took a card case from her shirt pocket, selected a card, and handed it to Carla.
“If you do mess up,” Molly said, “you can call me. I’ll help you.”
Carla still didn’t speak. But she took the card.
Chapter Eighteen
Lilly lived in a condominium apartment on the fifth floor in a vast sprawl of condominium apartments just off Route 1A behind a shopping mall near the Salem line. It was five minutes past seven when Jesse arrived at her door carrying a bottle of Iron Horse champagne. She was wearing faded blue jeans, carefully pressed, a white silk blouse with a stand-up collar, and short black boots with thick heels. The jeans were snug. The blouse was open at the neck and a gold chain showed against her light tan.
“Do you have a warrant?” Lilly said.
“No,” Jesse said. “But I’ve got a bottle of champagne.”
Lilly smiled.
“That will do,” she said. “Come on in.”
The apartment had white walls and blond furniture and sand-colored carpeting. There were sliders at the end of the living room that opened onto a small balcony that allowed you to look down at the back side of the shopping mall. The furniture was appropriate without being interesting.
“Don’t judge me by my home,” Lilly said. “I bought it after my second divorce, furniture and all, and moved in until I found something a little better.”
“And?”
“And I haven’t gotten around to looking.”
“Too busy?” Jesse said.
“Do I have the right to an attorney?” Lilly said.
“Sorry. Sometimes I think I’ve asked too many questions for too long a time.”
Lilly held out the champagne bottle.
“Shall we begin by drinking this?” she said.
Jesse hesitated. Club soda would be the right thing to drink. He took the bottle.
“We’d be fools not to,” he said.
She got an ice bucket and glasses and set them on the glass-top coffee table. Jesse uncorked the wine and poured some in each glass. They clinked glasses and held each other’s look for a moment and drank.
“I love champagne,” Lilly said.
Jesse nodded.
“Actually,” Lilly said, “I love having someone to drink it with.”
“Lucky I stopped by,” Jesse said.
“It wasn’t luck. I invited you for dinner.”
“That’s right.”
They drank. Sip, Jesse told himself. Sip.
“I guess, if I had to be completely honest…” Lilly said.
“No need for that,” Jesse said.
“I guess I’m still here for sort of the same reason. I guess I was hoping for someone to come along who would look for a new place with me.”
“Would that include either ex-husband?”
