When they’re back in the car, Cate asks how it’s going with Rose and Arthur in residence. She’s sure Neale has some anecdotes about their oppressive presence, but all she gets is,

“They’re being great. Well, a little overbearing, but—”

Then Neale is quiet in a sinking way. Then she is saying, “The thing is, I think I saw her.”

“What? When?”

“Last week. At the Aldi. On Broadway.”

“Aldi?” Aldi is a budget supermarket on Broadway in Uptown. Cate has only gone there once. They didn’t have bags at the checkout; many customers were taking their groceries home in suitcases.

“This happened last week and you’re only telling me now? Did she see you? And why were you at Aldi in the first place?”

“I don’t know. It’s so close. Their yogurt is really good. I’m not absolutely sure it was her. She was buying candy. I didn’t do very well with the situation. Basically, I just left. I was afraid if I called you, you’d make me call the cops.”

“Well, yeah?! Didn’t you think you ought to do that?”

“I don’t know. The thing is, I’m not really sure it was her. I don’t think I could pick her out of a lineup of scraggly old women along that stretch of Broadway. And I guess I don’t want to bring it all up again. Maybe she has friends—you know, bad company. Maybe the guy was her husband or her brother. Someone she loved. Someone whose death she might want to avenge. I don’t want to draw her attention.”

“But she already knows where you live. She can find you any time she wants. But you could have followed her home and found out where she lives, told the cops her address.”

Neale doesn’t say anything for another long time, while Cate starts thinking she might make a shopping trip to the Aldi.

When Neale says the next thing she’s going to say, it’s, “Anyway, pretty soon our defenses are going to be even more bolstered. Claude’s coming back.”

“Claude? He’s coming back from India? He’s going to help you?”