A Fool and his Honey Page 0,37

but it was impossible not to absorb the depression that hung over the ancient furniture and loose linoleum, the plethora of overflowing ashtrays and discarded magazines. The Harbors had received a couple of plants and some sympathy cards, and they were arranged on the shelf of a nasty maple hutch. The ribbons on the arrangements stood out in brilliant contrast to the rest of the material in the dingy living room. But it wasn't the age of the furnishings, or even the presence of the ashtrays; it was the lack of maintenance, or care, of these things that bothered me. This wasn't what I had pictured as a temporary home for Hayden.

"And this is your wife?"

Lenore Harbor had met me at the wedding, but didn't seem to recall that. Martin reintroduced me, and Lenore waved her hand at the couch. We perched there uneasily after piling all Hayden's gear near the door. Lenore turned her head toward the back of the house and called, "Hugh! Martin and his little wife are here!"

There was a curious sound from the next room, a kind of long wheeze, and then Hugh Harbor made his way into the living room. He was preceded by the thump! shuffle, thump! shuffle of a person using a walker. Hugh was about Lenore's age, somewhere in his midfifties I estimated, and he was gaunt, with neutral coloring and light brown hair outlining a tonsure.

He greeted us in a wheezy voice. I noticed an oxygen tank sitting in the corner. Surely it was dangerous to smoke in a house with oxygen tanks? I remembered Rory saying that Hugh Harbor had been ill. I wished now I'd paid more attention, asked more questions. But in the rush to find someone to take Hayden off my hands, I hadn't thought enough... about anything. "I'm so glad you made the drive to come back to Corinth," Hugh Harbor said. I wondered how he knew we'd driven. He eased back into a green vinyl armchair with stuffing protruding from one arm. There was a towel spread over the seat. I suspected the towel covered worse depredations. "We don't think that Gina could've hurt poor Craig." Hugh wheezed. "Musta been some thief, don't you think? Or some guy who just saw Gina, thought she looked good? Craig wouldn't a let anyone mess with Gina."

"We're sure Regina didn't have anything to do with it," Martin agreed firmly. I could tell he was mighty relieved. It would have been horrible if they'd believed Regina had killed Craig.

"I know Hayden will be a consolation to you," I said, but I couldn't hear any excitement in my voice. I sort of extended the baby, who'd been lying in my arms.

They gave me a very peculiar look, and I could tell they'd been married many years. Their faces held almost identical degrees of puzzlement and surprise. "Of course, babies are wonderful things to have," Lenore said, with a distressing lack of enthusiasm. "Hugh and I raised a houseful of them. We didn't know you and Martin was even expecting, young lady." Martin and I turned to look at each other. We probably had twin expressions too; and they were of sheer bafflement.

I didn't think I could talk, even if I could think of what to say. Martin looked down at Hayden, back at Lenore, who was taking advantage of the break in the conversation to light another cigarette.

"This isn't our baby," Martin said, not sounding very sure about it. "This is Craig and Regina's boy, Hayden."

You would have thought we'd announced we were going to strip and have sex on the floor. The Harbors once again had twin expressions - this time, shock and fascination. After they'd absorbed what Martin had said, emotions scudded across their faces like clouds on a windy day.

"This is the first we've heard of it," Lenore said finally. I could have sworn it wasn't the first thing she thought to say. Hugh nodded agreement, the top of his bald dome glinting in the overhead light as his head bobbed back and forth. "You didn't know Craig and Regina were expecting a child?" Even knowing the answer, I had to ask. My heart couldn't have sunk further. It was at the level of my big toe.

"No," Hugh said. "They never said nothing about having a baby. Are you sure this boy is theirs?"

We did the Tweedledum and Tweedledee thing again, searching each other's faces.

I gave a tiny shrug.

"That's what Regina told us," Martin said carefully.