“Well, that’s what Byron told Darlene. And I believe him. I like to believe the best in people.”

“Neither one of them divorced, huh?” Decker asked.

“Nope.”

Figures, Decker thought. A woman like Darlene would never let her husband go. Just hang on to her resentment and make his life miserable. He said, “Yeah, Darlene doesn’t seem like the divorcing type.”

“You got it right about that, mister,” Annette said.

Decker asked about Luke, did he seem like the divorcing type? Annette appeared to be wrestling with judgment. Just how much should she say, how much could this stranger be trusted? He stared at her for a few seconds, then gave her a disarming smile.

Again, Annette bit her thumbnail. “Well, Luke’s mom, Granny D, she was ready to throw Linda out on her bottom. You know, there’s always a lot of problems between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law. But this was more than your normal competition.”

“I should say so,” Decker said. “Any loyal parent would be furious.”

“Well, they are very loyal to Luke, and they were pretty darn furious. I’ll tell you that,” Annette said. “Pappy and Granny D talked till they was blue in the face, but Luke wouldn’t hear of divorce. He’s a nice guy. Still talks kindly to Byron, treats Linda nice, too. Everybody would like to forget about the whole thing. That is, everybody ’cept Darlene.”

“How old is Linda?”

“Oh, she won’t say, but I reckon she’s about forty.”

“Quite a bit younger than Byron.”

“Byron’s fifty-two,” Annette said. “I think that was part of the whole thing. A middle-aged fling, like they say.”

“How old’s Luke?”

“’Bout the same age as Linda. He looks young, though. Younger than Linda, that’s for sure. I don’t know, maybe he is. Lord knows what Linda saw in Byron. You met Byron?”

Decker said he did.

“Byron’s a fine man, but no Magnum P.I. And Luke’s a nice-looking man. No one could understand it.” Annette shrugged. “Linda’s a free spirit. Oh, she’s settled down some since the baby was born, but before then she done some pretty wild things.”

“Like what?”

“Like the affair.” Annette collected her thoughts. “Linda just wasn’t a homebody. She didn’t like to sew or cook or bake, though she can whip up some fine food. I think that burns up Darlene, too. Linda’s darn good in the kitchen. If she wants to be.”

“A good baker, too?” Decker asked.

“Yes, sir.”

Decker wondered about the extent of the competition. He asked Annette if Linda ever tried to market her baked goods. The young woman burst into laughter and answered no, explaining that Linda wasn’t the industrious kind.

“Then what’d Linda do with all her free time?” Decker asked.