But then, just days later, he’d gotten the call from Gracie. It was a whirlwind, and his whole personality brightened practically overnight. All at once, Graham became more excited about the baby—and about her, too. Lauren’s doubts vanished.

Now, she put down her fork and dared to ask what was on her mind. “So . . . I hope this isn’t a last meal. Before, you know, I go off to the funny farm.”

Graham cocked his head. “You shouldn’t call it that, Lauren.”

“The funny spa?” This didn’t crack a smile, either. She stabbed at a noodle.

He glanced at her with concern. “I just want you to be your best self. And get the help you need.”

“But I’d rather do that at home. Around my child. I’d miss him too much, Graham. It would kill me.”

Graham nodded thoughtfully, then spooned another bite into his mouth. After he swallowed, he said, “Well, you know yourself best.”

“I do. I really think this is the right decision.” She had her hands clasped in prayer. The relief she felt was palpable. Graham was on her side. Vigorously, she pushed a bigger bite into her mouth. She was all of a sudden hungry again.

“Oh,” Graham said a little while later, after he’d served himself seconds. “I forgot to mention. I had a visit with the police today.”

Lauren lay down her fork. “You what?”

Graham looked surprised. “I thought you knew. They said they were going to call you.”

Lauren searched through the day. She hadn’t received a call from the police. Nor had she missed one. “What happened?”

“They had a lot of questions about you. But don’t worry. I didn’t . . . say anything.”

The scent of Parmesan grew sharp in Lauren’s nostrils. “Okay . . .”

“And now, it seems that they’re focusing on a few others. I’m pretty sure you’re no longer a person of interest.”

“Wait, a few others are?” Lauren blinked. “Who?”

“Those women who were with you in that hallway.” Graham raised an eyebrow. “I mean, from what you told me, they were the ones who had the compelling reasons to shut Piper up—way more than Piper just accidentally forwarding you a mean email.” He pointed his fork at her and smiled. “I pitched that in a story meeting, by the way. Well, a funnier version. The Jimmy character receives a nasty email about him that’s not meant for him. It’s about his dick. And then things go badly.”

“About his . . .” Lauren’s mind stepped backward a few paces. “What do you mean, from what I told you? What did I say about Ronnie and Andrea?”