“Let us first say the Lord’s Prayer,” Dopp said. “If everybody would like to repeat it with me…”
They bowed their heads and began in unison.
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.…” Trent sneaked a glance around the table: Dopp’s gaze had settled upon Arianna’s barely moving lips. “Give us this, our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Heads lifted. Trent crossed his fingers under the table, hoping his boss would not seize upon Arianna’s obvious disregard of the most famous prayer in Christianity. But to his relief, Dopp continued to speak.
“And on this Christmas Eve, let us all take a moment to remember the Lord Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.”
Dopp dropped his chin to his chest, as did everyone else. Ten seconds passed before Dopp lifted his head and cleared his throat.
“Bon appétit!” he declared.
Trent’s mother and father echoed the words and lifted their forks. Arianna smiled at Dopp. “I don’t know if you’re a good cook yet,” she said, “but it definitely smells like it.”
Trent stared at the food on his plate, wondering what he could stomach in the absence of hunger.
“I hope so,” Dopp replied. “So, Arianna, Trent tells us you’re a doctor at a fertility clinic?”
“Yes,” she said happily. “That’s my baby.”
Trent’s mother gave a small laugh. “That must be such a rewarding career.”
“It is,” Arianna replied. “Most of the time. Speaking of babies, how’s your pregnancy going, Joanie?”
“Surprisingly well for my age. Although not so much when I was younger. In fact, a few years ago, Gideon and I went to several fertility clinics, and they were all frauds.”
Trent stared at Joanie. At least pretend to treat her like a guest, he thought.
Arianna chewed a mouthful of chicken and swallowed before she spoke. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Dopp shot a glance at his wife, who was watching Arianna.
“We believe only in the natural way now,” Joanie said. “God didn’t want us to interfere with all those drugs.”
Arianna didn’t respond, taking a sip of her Coke instead.
“Whatever works, right?” Trent said breezily.
“So, do you do abortions there?” Joanie asked. Trent’s mother gasped, and Joanie turned to her. “Don’t pretend we’re not all wondering, Becky.”
Arianna held Joanie’s gaze. “Not since it was outlawed.”
“But you did before that?”
“Yes. But I can see we have our differences, so I’d rather not discuss it, as it’s been a moot point for a long time.”
Joanie and Dopp both reddened, and Trent could see they were restraining themselves. His father pushed food around his plate, looking uncomfortable, and Trent felt sorry for involving his parents at all; manipulation went against their grain, though he knew they were happy to do anything in service of the DEP.
His mother piped up then, making an effort to dispel the tension. “Arianna,” she said, “tell us why you decided to be a doctor in the first place. What a difficult profession, and the years of work it must have taken!”
Arianna smiled kindly at her. “Well, I grew up with two biology professors, so it was pretty hard not to find the body fascinating. And I love seeing a new life come out of my work—it’s very gratifying to help give people the gift of a child. Although unfortunately,” she said, glancing at Dopp and Joanie, “the science of eliminating infertility is not yet perfect.”
“Children are the ultimate blessing,” Mrs. Rowe said quickly. “I really do believe every one is a miracle.”
Arianna turned back to her. “You both must be so proud of your son. I can’t imagine any professions more challenging than the creative ones, especially writing. I don’t know how he does it.”
Trent’s breath caught in his throat as he met his parents’ eyes. They smiled curiously at him.
“Yes, of course,” his father said after a pause that Trent hoped would pass unnoticed. “Trent has always been a talented writer.”
“Have either of you read what he’s working on?” Arianna asked.
“I haven’t shown it to anyone yet,” Trent cut in. “Not till it’s done.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll all look forward to that,” Arianna said. “Excuse me. Where is the restroom?” She pushed her chair back, and Dopp pointed her around the corner, back toward the living room. “The food was very good, by the way, thank you,” she said, picking up her cane and walking away. As soon as she was out of sight, the group uttered a soft collective sigh.
“Intermission,” Joanie joked.
Trent almost rolled his eyes. Dopp’s flush of anger had dispersed, replaced by his characteristic half smile; the director was satisfied.
“Well, we got what we came for, didn’t we?” Dopp said in a low voice. “There is no way that woman is Christian like she told you, Trent.”
“Seems that way.”
“She refused to say the Lord’s Prayer, for heaven’s sake!” Joanie said. “Didn’t you see that?”
“It was pretty pitiful,” Trent agreed. But then again, he thought, she never did claim she was Christian.
Trent’s mother and Joanie exchanged grimaces, while he made an expression of distaste, appearing to agree with their sentiment.
“Honey, are you paying the poor man overtime?” Joanie asked.
Dopp looked apologetically at Trent. With the prospects for the department’s share of the state budget still looking poor, there was no way it could afford overtime. But Trent knew he would be well reimbursed if he cracked the case, for his success could resuscitate their hopes for more money.
“For having a disease, she doesn’t look half-bad,” Mr. Rowe remarked. Mrs. Rowe just shook her head. He looked at Trent. “A writer, eh?”
“I was, once,” Trent replied.
“You were a fabulous writer,” his mother said.
“Soon,” his father said, “I bet you’ll be writing her a nice ticket.”
“Oh, it will be much
