“Just don’t stay in there too long singing Broadway
hits,” he advised. “We’ll see about getting you on a
walker tomorrow. It looks as if you’ll be able to go
home Saturday if you keep improving at this rate.”
Judith started to ask the doctor if he knew anything
about Joe, but his beeper went off, and he made a
hasty, if apologetic, exit. Renie had just hung up the
phone and was looking disconcerted.
“Bill just spoke with Jeff Bauer, the manager at the
Toyota dealership,” she said. “It seems that some
scruffy-looking guy was hanging around the lot and
they figured he must have stolen it. Cammy still hasn’t
turned up.”
“Why didn’t they keep an eye on him?” Judith
asked.
“They were really busy,” Renie replied. “Bill wasn’t
the only customer who’d come in to have work done
before the snow started. The salesman who noticed the
scruffy guy was with some long-winded customer who
wanted to look at a used car on the other side of the lot.
Bill figures that Cammy was taken while the salesman
and the customer were looking at the other car.”
“Scruffy, huh?” Judith murmured.
“It figures,” Renie said, looking angry. “Who else
but some impecunious jerk would steal a car?”
“Good question,” Judith said with an odd expression
on her face.
“What are you thinking?” Renie asked, narrowing
her eyes at her cousin.
“Well . . . Nothing much, really, except that . . .” Judith’s voice trailed off as she avoided Renie’s gaze.
“Fine,” Renie snapped. “If you’re going to keep se-SUTURE SELF
265
crets, I won’t tell you what Bill said about the Randall
kids.”
Judith jerked to attention. “What?”
“My husband’s mind works in convoluted ways,”
Renie said cryptically. “After thirty-five years, more or
less, I still have trouble figuring out what lies behind
his rationale for doing things. That’s one of the many
reasons Bill never bores me.”
“Good grief,” Judith cried, “you sound like Bill. Just
tell me what he said about the Randall kids. And don’t
give me your usual parroting of your husband’s psychobabble.”
“Okay.” Renie’s expression was bland. “Bill broke
his confidence because you need a distraction. That’s
how I figure it, anyway.”
“What?” Judith stared blankly at her cousin.
“Because you’re so worried about Joe,” Renie said.
“Besides, Margie Randall isn’t Bill’s patient anymore.
Not to mention the fact that Margie’s husband has been
