Package Deal (67 page)

Amanda
reached for
the phone
later that evening
.
“Hello?”

“Amanda, i
t’s
E
van.”

H
e
r spin
e
stiff
e
n
e
d
at th
e
sound of his voic
e
.
Cool
l
y,
she replied,
“What
do you want
?”

“
I want to apologize
. W
e didn’t get off to a good start the other day.
I
shouldn’t have spouted off like
I did
.
I let my frustration get
the better
of me.”
When she didn’t reply, he continued
.
“
I know w
e
could g
e
t along
,
if you’d
just
giv
e
—
”

“I don’t think so
,
”
s
he interrupted him.
H
e
r foot bounc
e
d
nervously
against th
e
tabl
e
l
e
g.

“Look, I shouldn’t hav
e
accused you of—you know, getting it on with Dunbar.
I was out of line.” He paused. “
Or
put
ting
my hands on your
kid
.
I’m sorry about that
, too
. But,
h
e
y, I don’t want to go out with h
e
r. I
t’s
you
I’d
rather
spend
time with.
”

“E
van.”
Sh
e
stood
up
and look
e
d
out th
e
window.
“
I’
m not int
e
r
e
st
e
d
in going out with you. Not now, not in th
e
futur
e
.”

“Amanda,
give me a chance to
—”

“
E
van, what about ‘no’
are you not hearing
?
I said no. I m
e
an no.I’m sur
e
there are
lots of wom
e
n who would b
e
happy to go out with
you
.I’m
not on
e
of th
e
m.
Good
-
by
e
.”Sh
e
hung up.

Wh
e
n th
e
phon
e
rang again, almost imm
e
d
iat
e
ly, sh
e
fairly shout
e
d
into th
e
phon
e
, “
The answer is
no!” and
started
to hang up
.

“
If you’re playing Jeopardy,
” Marcus said,
“
what wa
s the category
?
Or maybe you could give me a hint about the question.
”

“Oh!
”
She laughed
, relieved
.
“
I thought you w
e
r
e
som
e
on
e
e
ls
e
.”

“
You sound
ed
upset
. Ar
e
you alon
e
?”

“Why do you ask?”

“B
e
caus
e
I’
v
e
b
ee
n mulling ov
e
r som
e
information
I have
to shar
e
with you, but not with C
e
c
e
lia around. Isn’t sh
e
with th
e
scouts this w
ee
k
e
nd?”

“Y
e
s. I just got back from d
e
liv
e
ring th
e
food. I’m going back tomorrow. What was it you want
e
d
to shar
e
?”

“I
need to
d
e
liv
e
r this n
e
ws in p
e
rson. May I com
e
ov
e
r?”

Sh
e
look
e
d
at th
e
clock. “
It’s
getting
lat
e
. I’ll put on som
e
coff
ee
.”

Fift
ee
n minut
e
s lat
e
r,
Marcus
was at h
e
r door.

Sh
e
had
rearrange
d
th
e
furnitur
e
in the living room
, changing th
e
look of th
e
room. Wh
e
n h
e
look
e
d
around, sh
e
e
xplain
e
d
. “I
didn’t want it to
r
e
mind C
e
c
e
of
what happ
e
n
e
d
here
.”

H
e
nodd
e
d
. “Good id
e
a. Do
e
s sh
e
lik
e
it this way?”

“
As a matter of fact, she does
.” Sh
e
sat down on th
e
couch. “
So, tell me
this news
you
have
.
”

“I found som
e
things at
Carl
’s apartm
e
nt that I s
e
nt to th
e
Madison polic
e
a while back
. Th
e
y s
ee
m to think h
e
kill
e
d
an eight-
y
e
ar-
old
girl
.
A cold case they hadn’t closed.
”

Sh
e
gasp
e
d
.
“Oh
,
my God.”

H
e
pick
e
d
up h
e
r hands and h
e
ld th
e
m. “I’v
e
b
ee
n sitting on this information for
a couple of days
.
I
had to t
e
ll you
, you d
e
s
e
rv
e
d
to know. And
I hav
e
th
e
nam
e
of
one of
th
e
d
e
t
e
ctiv
e
s
who was
working on that cas
e
—
if
w
e
e
v
e
r s
ee
Carl
around h
e
r
e
again
. I wish
he were
in custody. I worry about oth
e
r childr
e
n h
e
might try to hurt.”

Sh
e
b
e
gan to shak
e
.

Marcus
put his arms around h
e
r. “That’s how I f
ee
l, too. And
that’s why I want to talk to C
e
c
e
lia
about us
, about the three of us
.
I think she’d be safer at my house. We could arrange our schedules so one of us is always with her when she’s
t
here. You know, on days when she doesn’t have scouts or a soccer game after school.” He kissed the spot on her throat where her pulse throbbed. “
Do you think sh
e
’ll
talk
to m
e
now
?
It’s been weeks since …
weeks,
”
his voice trailing off.

She looked into his eyes, eyes that so reminded her of her daughter
’s
.
“
I think so
.
Sh
e
told m
e
th
e
oth
e
r day
she likes it that
you com
e
to h
e
r socc
e
r gam
e
s, and wh
e
n you ch
ee
r
for her
, but sh
e
does
n’t want you to know that. I think part of h
e
r wants you back in h
e
r lif
e
, but sh
e
is conflict
e
d
—still—about what w
e
did and what it m
e
ans
.”

He nodded
and caressed her arms.

“She’s told me several times
that she doesn’t want
Sam’s mom
calling me bad names
. I think that’s part of it. And she’s afraid if other people knew what you—where you—what we did, Sam won’t be allowed to come over anymore.
I was going to talk with Joan about it, but I haven’t done that yet.
I need to.
”

He frowned.
“I wrote
Cece
a letter, but I haven’t—she
still
hasn’t sent me an answer.”

Amanda
rubbed her fingers across his forehead, smoothing the skin that he had furrowed moments before.
“
I
was going
to
ask her about
i
t.
I’m sorry I forgot.
”
She kissed his cheek
.