Ellen was sitting up in bed, reading Cosmopolitan. “Hello,” she said. “A tough day? You didn’t say anything on the phone.”

“A tough day. That’s about all we’re having these days. You heard about Ben Gardner? I wasn’t really positive when I talked to you.” He put the plate and the beer on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes.

“Yes. I got a call from Grace Finley asking if I knew where Dr. Craig was. His service wouldn’t say, and Grace wanted to give Sally a sedative.”

“Did you find him?”

“No. But I had one of the boys take some Seconal over to her.”

“What’s Seconal?”

“Sleeping pills.”

“I didn’t know you were taking sleeping pills.”

“I don’t, often. Just every now and then.”

“Where did you get them?”

“From Dr. Craig, when I went to him last time about my nerves. I told you.”

“Oh.” Brody tossed his shoes into a corner, stood up, and took off his trousers, which he folded neatly over the back of a chair. He took off his shirt, put it on a hanger, and hung it in the closet. In T-shirt and undershorts he sat down on the bed and began to eat his sandwich. The meat was dry and flaky. All he could taste was mustard.

“Didn’t you find the roast?” said Ellen.

Brody’s mouth was full, so he nodded.

“What’s that you’re eating, then?”

He swallowed. “The roast.”

“Did you heat it up?”

“No. I don’t mind it like this.”

Ellen made a face and said, “Yech.”

Brody ate in silence, as Ellen aimlessly turned the pages of her magazine. After a few moments, she closed the magazine, put it in her lap, and said, “Oh, dear.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I was just thinking about Ben Gardner. It’s so horrible. What do you think Sally will do?”

“I don’t know,” said Brody. “I worry about her. Have you ever talked money with her?”

“Never. But there can’t be much. I don’t think her children have had new clothes in a year, and she’s always saying that she’d give anything to be able to afford meat more than once a week, instead of having to eat the fish Ben catches. Will she get social security?”

“I’d think so, but it won’t amount to much. There’s welfare.”

“Oh, she couldn’t,” said Ellen.

“You wait. Pride is something she won’t be able to afford. Now there won’t even be fish anymore.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“Personally? I don’t see how. We’re not exactly in fat city ourselves. But there may be something the town can do. I’ll talk to Vaughan about it.”

“Have you made any progress?”

“You mean about catching that damn thing? No. Meadows called the oceanographer friend of his down from Woods Hole, so he’s here. Not that I see what good he’s going to do.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s all right, I guess. He’s young, a decent-looking guy. He’s a bit of a know-it-all, but that’s not surprising. He seems to know the area pretty well.”