Sarah pressed the electronic seat adjuster and returned her seat to an upright position. The lovely drifty feeling was not quite so lovely anymore. Not only was she going to have to sit across from Auntie Jane knowing her husband had been carrying on an affair for years, but she had to tell Phillip about last night. “It’s about Vicki.”

“Did she say she misses me, that she’s coming back?”

“Uncle Phillip, I am so sorry to inform you that there has been a terrible accident, and Vicki . . .”

“Yes? Yes, what about her? Is she okay?”

“She passed away, Uncle Phillip. There is reason to believe that there was foul play.”

“Foul play?” He looked so lost.

“Yes. The police are looking into—”

A harsh cry rang from Phillip’s throat, and then another, and another. He started punching the steering wheel over and over. “My darling . . .” He sobbed. “My precious . . .” It was fortunate that there wasn’t a lot of traffic on the Bronx River Parkway because his Mercedes was swerving erratically.

Sarah reached out to steady the steering wheel. “Uh . . . maybe we should pull over? Uncle Phillip?”

“No. No,” he panted, dragging the sleeve of his tweed sports jacket across his eyes. “Jane is waiting for us. She has a meal prepared. We can’t be late. She would worry. Oh my God. This is terrible news. My poor lovey-dove-dove.” He fished his handkerchief out of his pocket with two fingers and then blew his nose violently. “Don’t mention this to your auntie Jane. It would upset her greatly. She hasn’t gotten over your parents’ death, and this would undo her completely.”

“Yes. Of course.” The affair or that Vicki’s been poisoned? Either way, neither was a topic she was going to spring on Auntie Jane over lunch. “But, about that picnic you mentioned, I was thinking it’s rather cold and I left without a jacket.”

“You can borrow one from Jane. Lord knows she has enough of them. Besides, I think the fresh air would do us all some good.” Phillip stuffed his snotty handkerchief into his breast pocket. Sarah was grateful she wasn’t responsible for doing his laundry. Suddenly his head jutted forward as he squinted through the windshield, his chest almost lying on the steering wheel. “Dagnammit!” he hollered, jerking the wheel hard and swerving across two lanes of traffic, barely making it onto exit 15. Even with the softening effect of the drugs, Sarah found it a little hair-raising. Phillip turned left at the stop sign. Swung wide onto Fenimore Road but managed not to clip any of the other cars. “Do they know who did this terrible thing to my precious Vicki?” he asked, oblivious to the chaos his driving created around him.