“I wasn’t thinking of threatening calls, actually,” she said, slowly. “The kind of people who have been implicated in the bombing have—I suppose you’d call it a sense of honor. They would never threaten a woman or a child, so you would never hear any threats. No, what I was thinking was simply strange calls. An inordinate number of people who hang up when you answered the phone, people who wouldn’t identify themselves or give a number for a return call. People you didn’t recognize. That kind of thing.”

Toni’s brows creased as she thought. “Not—that I noticed,” she said, hesitantly. “But—are you certain these people wouldn’t consider hurting a child?”

The strange tone in her voice made Jennie’s senses move to full alertness. She picked her words very carefully. “I said that the people who had been implicated would never consider doing such a thing, but I don’t suppose it will come as any shock to you that there are some people who would consider a child a very good target; children are very innocent, very vulnerable.” Carefully, Kestrel. Don’t say anything that could be taken as disapproval of her husband. And don’t blurt out anything about the Little People. “I’m sure you realize that your husband is in a business where people collect enemies, and it is possible that one of those people has become angry enough with him to decide to attack him personally, rather than through business channels.”

Toni paled, just a little. “He’s been—very tense, lately,” she said. “Very on edge, and his temper has been awfully short.” She laughed nervously. “Sometimes he kind of takes it out on me and the kids. Not Little Rod, but Ryan and Jill. Little Rod is a lot like his dad, but Ryan and Jill are like me.”

Suddenly there was an explanation for Toni’s long-sleeved sweatsuit, on a hot June day. Bruises. Welts. In other words, Rod was indulging his temper by beating his wife.

Taking it out on you, hmm? Jennie kept her anger tightly under control. She’d handled enough abuse cases to know that the women involved in an abusive relationship did not want anyone noticing it, much less saying something about it. They would not admit that it was abuse to themselves. They would not listen to anyone who told them it was abuse.

“This must be something new, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it,” she replied, after taking a sip of coffee. “Right?”

“He’s always had a temper, but it’s been a little worse lately,” Toni said, with another nervous laugh. “Of course, we all provoke him; it’s summer, so the kids are rowdy, and I can’t always keep up with their messes, but it’s also his busiest time of year and he doesn’t have time to be patient.…”