Shakespeares Christmas Page 0,52

have?"

"Did you ask Eve if her dad had stopped back by the house for anything?"

"I did my best to ask her that. I had to be real careful how I put it, didn't want the girl to think we figured her dad had done it. She's just eight!" Chandler looked at me angrily, as if that were my doing.

"What did she say?" I asked, keeping my voice very quiet and level.

"She said they went to the restaurant. Period. Then to Kmart. Period."

I nodded, looked away. "Where was Jess O'Shea?" I asked.

I could feel the heat of Chandler's glare even though I was looking over at the chipped Formica counter.

"Dave asked Emory what church he went to, and when he said Presbyterian, we called Jess," Chandler said slowly. "Lou said he was over in his office counseling a member of the congregation."

"Did you call over there?"

"Yes."

"Get an answer?"

"Yes. But he said he couldn't come right that second."

I wondered if Jess had actually come over to the Osborns' house that night. I couldn't remember if the scene between him and Emory the next day had given me a sense of an original encounter or a continuation of a dialogue begun the night before. I had been so embarrassed that I had tried to block out their conversation.

"Did he give a reason?"

"I just assumed he had to finish talking to whoever was there."

The upshot was, Jess had been away from home and the police had not asked him to account for his time. There was no reason why they should, from their point of view.

Varena had told me Dill was going to spend the evening at home with Anna. I didn't think Dill was the kind of father who'd leave Anna in the house by herself, but he could have worked it out somehow, I guessed. I wondered if I could think of a way to ask questions that wouldn't make red flags go up in Varena's mind.

"Lily, if someone's safety is at stake, or if you have any idea at all who killed that poor woman, you are legally obliged to tell me. Morally, too."

I looked into Chandler's round brown eyes. I'd known this man my whole life, been friends with him, off and on, that long. When I'd come home to Bartley after my spectacular victimization and subsequent media bath, Chandler had been a constant visitor. He'd been between marriages, and we had gone out to eat together, ridden around together, spent time together so I could get away from my family and their love that was just choking me.

During that time, seven years ago, we had also shared a horribly embarrassing evening in the big pickup Chandler had been driving then. But I was sure we both did our best not to remember that.

"I don't know the identity of anyone who is in danger," I said carefully. "I don't know who killed Meredith." That was absolutely true.

"You should tell me everything you know," Chandler said, his voice so low and intent it was as scary as a snake's rattle.

My hands, resting on the worn gray and pink Formica of the table's surface, clenched into hard fists. My heels dug into the wooden base of the booth, giving me launching power. A startled look crossed Chandler's face, and he leaned away from me.

"What's in your mind?" he asked sharply, and he brushed his empty plate to one side without taking his eyes off me, clearing his own deck for action.

For once, I was anxious to explain myself. But I couldn't. I took a couple of deep breaths, made myself relax.

"You love this man," he said.

I started to shake my head side to side: no. But I said, "Yes."

"This is the one."

I nodded, a jerky little up-and-down movement.

"And he doesn't ... he can handle... what happened to you?"

"He doesn't mind the scars," I said, my voice as light and smooth as the changing scenery of a dream.

Chandler turned red. His eyes left mine, focused on the pattern of the Formica.

"It's OK," I told him, just above a whisper.

"Does he ... does he know how lucky he is?" Chandler asked, not able to think of any other way of asking me if Jack loved me back.

"I don't know."

"Lily, if you want me to have a serious talk with this joker, just say the word." And he really meant it. I looked at Chandler with new eyes. This man would put himself through a humiliating conversation and not think twice about it.

"Will you make