Peggy took a deep breath and said a little prayer for patience. “I appreciate the phone call. But you know Clarice! She wasn’t really worried, just nosy.”
“Who was he?”
“Are you nosy, too?”
“Mrs. Weldon was looking out for you. I asked her to keep an eye on things since I can’t be over there as much as I’d like. You’re not exactly a teenager anymore, Mom. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Don’t worry about it, Paul. I’m fine. The man Clarice saw is a veterinarian. He’s taking care of my dog.”
“When did you get a dog? You don’t even
Peggy didn’t want to answer that question. She didn’t even know the answer. A timer went off behind her. It seemed like a good excuse. “Gotta go, sweetie! Call me, and we’ll have lunch
Paul complained but finally said good-bye.
Peggy hung up and went back to work. She thought about her son for a long time, wondering how she could mend their relationship. He didn’t think she understood about his need to find John’s killer. But she empathized all too well. She just didn’t want to lose Paul, too.
BY MIDNIGHT, HER BACK WAS killing her from leaning over the pond. Exhausted but satisfied with the progress of her project, she dragged herself upstairs to shower and change. A thin trail of water and dirt followed her up the wide marble stairs. She pretended not to notice. It would still be there tomorrow for her to clean.
Afterward, she sat down in front of her computer monitor for a game of chess. She’d been playing on-line with various people from around the world for about a year. She never knew their real names, only the names they logged on with. It was exciting to play masters of the game, pitting her skill against people she wouldn’t have met except for the Internet.
Tonight, she was playing against a new opponent. His screen name was Nightflyer. She was white and took the first move. Pawn to f4.
She read the words in the chat box and responded to her screen name.
Black pawn slid to e5.
Peggy studied her next move.
Black pawn moves to d6.
The game progressed. Peggy gave as good as she got. The two players were well matched.
Nightrose’s white knight moved to f3. Peggy realized what was in the chat box after she made her move.
Black queen takes white pawn on g3 and checks white king.
Peggy watched the black queen put her king in check. But she was too astounded by the chat to think about her next move.
A smiley face appeared in the chat box.
Black bishop takes white pawn on g3.
Before she could reply, the phone rang, startling her away from the computer.
It was Hal Samson. “I’m sorry to call so late, Peggy. But I thought you’d want to know. My patient died about an hour ago. The police are involved now. They believe the husband might be responsible for the poisoning.”
“Were you on-line playing chess a few minutes ago?” It sounded ridiculous, but she had to know.
“No. I’ve been with the girl’s parents since it happened. I would’ve called you right away except for that. Why do you ask?”
Peggy looked at the computer screen. Nightflyer had left the game room. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “I’m sorry, Hal. Her chances of recovery were slim. I assume there’ll be an autopsy.”
“There will. I’ll be happy to send you the results, if you’re interested.”
“Thanks. Maybe we can learn something from her death.” She paused, reluctant to open the subject again, but she couldn’t help it. She had to know. “Was there anyone else involved with the case who knew you approached me about it?”
“No. I didn’t see any reason to tell anyone else. Why? Is something wrong?”
She told him what happened during her chess game. It seemed significant to her.
He didn’t think so. “It was probably someone who knows your screen name, Peggy. If they know you at all,
