Tyler spun around, whipping the iron poker into the shoulder of Phil, his neighbor, who had sneaked up behind him. Phil yelled and clutched his shoulder.

“Phil! Oh God, sorry! You scared the piss out of me!”

Phil was bent, panting in pain. “I guess I deserved that. My fault; I wasn’t thinking.”

Tyler let him regain composure in silence.

“What are you burning this time of night?”

“Oh, bills. Insurance papers. Stuff I don’t want in the trash. I meant to get to it earlier today, but . . . ” His voice trailed away. Was this the person who suspected him?

Phil was silent, waiting for him to finish.

“Mandy came home.”

“Wow. Is she okay? Did she have the baby?” The whole town knew the scandal. Part of it.

“No. I mean, I don’t know. She’s not talking. She didn’t bring a baby.”

“Did she say where she was?”

“No. She’s only said a few words. From her voice, it sounds like she’s been into some heavy drugs.” He dropped his head, the picture of an ashamed parent. He silently thanked Karen for fleshing out his story with her paranoia. “Wherever she was, maybe it would be better if we never found out.”

“How’s Karen?”

“Crazy. More than usual. I hope she settles down soon. It’s like she’s gone over the edge.” He let his voice waver and catch. Perfect.

“Jesus, Ty. Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do. Or Susan. I’ll let her know what’s going on; I’m sure she’d do anything to help Karen.”

“Thanks, Phil. See ya later.”

“Night.”

Not bad. Vulnerable and overwhelmed.

He stirred the fire again, watching the flames grow, breathing in the ashes of his list, imagining they tasted like hair spray, lip gloss, and chewing gum.

***

The house was quiet the next morning. When Tyler walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, he found Karen sitting by herself, drinking wine. She stared at the stack of the day’s newspapers. They were damp with dew and untouched. No need for scanning blotters and obituaries.

Tyler prepared his coffee and cereal in silence. He sat down with his breakfast and reached across the table, taking Karen’s hand. “You okay?” he asked.

She turned to look at him, her eyes shadowed, frantic with nerves. She started to cry.

He got up and walked around the table. He rested his hands on her shoulders and pressed his thumbs into the tight muscles of her back. Her shoulders relaxed a little and she took a shuddering breath.

“She never went to bed last night,” she said. “I was watching her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She just stood there beside her bed, staring at it. She never got in it—she never even moved. I don’t even know if she knew I was watching her. She hasn’t even spoken a single word to me.”