affair.”
“You’re her sister. What else would you say?”
“You know we don’t get along. I was surprised she took me into her confidence enough to ask me to help.”
“I guess it shows her desperation.” He took another sip of wine.
“Desperation doesn’t mean guilt.”
He looked over at Diane, his jaw set, his face like granite. “Why do you believe her, Diane? Can you tell me that?”
“I’ve spoken with enough liars in my time to pretty much be able to pick them out. Susan’s a bad liar; she always has been. I know her, and I know when she’s lying and when she’s telling the truth. She’s telling the truth.” Diane took a drink of her wine. It was sweet-a little too sweet. “Gerald, it was just a kiss.”
Gerald’s laugh was without any mirth. “She said it wasn’t even a good kiss.”
“I can believe that. Alan never was very good.”
Gerald chuckled again. This time he seemed to mean it.
Diane laughed with him. “You don’t like him, do you?” he asked.
“No. I never have. Gerald, I know this has to hurt like hell, but it was New Year’s Eve, for heaven’s sake.”
“It wasn’t a New Year’s kiss; even Susan admitted that.”
“It probably wasn’t. I’m sure everyone was drinking. I’ve noticed that Susan is feeling like she’s getting older these days and less attractive. I’m sure that had something to do with it. Just forgive her and move on.”
The afternoon air was smothering in a way that only Southern climates could pull off. The rain the day before made it steamy. Even with fall approaching, it still felt like summer. The heat never left the South quickly.
“It’s not that easy,” said Gerald.
Diane looked over at Gerald. “Is it harder than disrupting your children’s lives?”
“It wasn’t my doing that got us here.” His voice was filled with emotion.
“Nevertheless, you are now the one with the power to stop it.” Diane took another sip of her wine. “Don’t let Alan do this to you.”
Gerald set set his wineglass down on the wall. “You should come around more often, Diane. You’re the only one in the family I can talk to sometimes. Is Alan the reason you don’t?”
“Part of the reason, but not all of it. There were some things said about my daughter that are hard to forget.” Diane touched her locket.
“Your daughter? Oh. . look, Diane, I suppose I’m as guilty as the others. I’m really sorry. Honestly. I would like to have met her.”
“Ariel was very bright. She spoke three languages and was working on a fourth, and she was only six. To her, learning a new language was like learning a song. She loved music. Ariel was very special and very precious.” Diane’s eyes teared up. “This is what she looked like.” Diane showed him the locket with their pictures in it.
“Cute little girl. It looks like the two of you were dressed alike.”
“We were.”
“I don’t think any of us appreciated what you went through, and I’m sorry for my part.”
Diane snapped the locket closed. “You are the first person in the family to express that.” She paused, and there was an awkward silence between them. She wondered if he yet understood what Ariel meant to her. “I also have another reason I want you and Susan to patch things up.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m concerned about Mother and Dad. I’m afraid that Alan might have excessive influence over them and that he’s going off the deep end.” Diane took another sip of wine and swallowed hard. “Alan came into my bedroom last night.”
Gerald jerked his head around to Diane. “What? What did he do? He didn’t. .”
Diane shook her head. “This is going to sound really strange, and all I can say is that I’ve been gun-shy lately. I heard footsteps outside my door and I hid in the closet. He came in, called my name, stared around the room and left, after sniffing my clothes.”
Gerald made a face. “Good heavens, did you tell Nathan?”
It was a relief to be able to talk to Gerald about Alan. Her parents were so upset when she divorced him, she felt the whole family was against her. “No. I didn’t tell Dad. I don’t want to introduce another issue with everything that’s going on. Dad is very fond of Alan.”
“Tell me about it. I sometimes wonder if Alan isn’t really his son.”
Diane smiled. “I doubt he would have let me marry him.”
“Yeah, right. I sometimes forget,” said Gerald, chuckling.
“God, Gerald, don’t put that thought in my head.” They both laughed. Diane noticed dark clouds in the sky and wondered if they would have another shower.
“I understand,” he said. “But really, you need to tell your father about last night. That had to scare you.”
“It did, but they have had enough to worry about. They need a break.”
“I agree. It’s been pretty awful for all of us, especially when we didn’t know where she was.” He shook his head. “Susan was a wreck. She tried to hide it for the kids, but. .”
“Just keep an eye out for Alan. Has he mentioned me at all?”
“No, not really. Sometimes in passing, and I’m afraid nothing complimentary.”
“I just can’t imagine what last night was about. I had to ask someone from my crime lab to investigate him. He’s made himself a suspect.”
Gerald frowned. “You don’t think he could have stabbed you?”
The edge of the rock wall cut into her legs, so Diane stood up and smoothed out her slacks. “Honestly, I doubt it, but I have to check. I’ll do it discreetly.”
She thought of her discreet investigation of Annette Lymon. Stressors could cause people to do some amazing things, and she seemed to have a lot of stressed-out people around her. Diane saw her mother through the glass doors of the patio returning from her shower.
“Let’s go eat lunch.”
Diane and Gerald walked into the dining room from the patio. Susan looked up expectantly. Diane smiled at her. She didn’t know what to tell her, except that she thought that the conversation had gone well. Gerald walked over to Susan and whispered in her ear. Susan turned to Diane with a horrified look and mouthed,
“It’s a relief to have you back, Mrs. Fallon.”
“Thank you, Glenda. This looks delicious,” Diane’s mother said as she sat down heavily, sighed and spread her napkin in her lap.
They ate in silence for several minutes. One or the other of them would occasionally try to make small talk. Suddenly her mother broke down and started sobbing.
“Iris,” said Nathan Fallon, reaching over to put an arm around her shoulders. He looked helpless.
“I just don’t know how I’m going to face everybody.”
“With indignation and a sense of dark humor,” said Diane.
Everyone looked at Diane, as if no one had expected her mother’s question to be answered and was surprised that she had. Diane felt that what her mother needed was some practical advice.
“Mother, most everyone will take their cue from you. If you act ashamed, they will treat you as if you have something to be ashamed of. Be frank and indignant about what happened to you and outraged that such a thing could be allowed to happen. Accept no guilt or shame whatsoever.”
“Good advice,” said Gerald.
“You might want to write an article for the newspaper,” said Diane. “Let everyone know what can happen to a perfectly innocent, law-abiding citizen.”
Her mother shook her head back and forth. “I couldn’t.”
“I can write one for you and let you read it. If you are comfortable with it, send it in as a human-interest article on the perils of relying too much on computers without proper safeguards.”
Her mother moved her fork around in her vegetables. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
