Chapters (29)
In other words, Dale still talked about her; she’d never doubted it, but it was nice to have confirmation. Everyone wants to be remembered, especially by the people they’d most like to forget. “I’m going to need time to think this over, Caroline.”
Not that the idea of calling her ex-husband on yet another round of infidelities didn’t have its appeal. In the wake of their divorce, she’d picked up the pieces and made a successful second marriage; she had a child, a husband who was faithful to her, a legitimate career. He was still waist-deep in the same old rut. And here was fresh evidence, just in case either of them ever had had any doubts about it, that his disloyalties during their marriage were not owing to any of her inadequacies. Finally, it was the least she could do for Just Caroline. They’d been in a book group together two centuries ago and had been casual friends since; Jane had always felt partly responsible for introducing Caroline to Dale.
“There’s just one thing,” Caroline said. “If you do talk with him, I want you to tell me everything.”
“Of course.”
“Everything, Jane. Promise me.”
“I promise you. Why wouldn’t I?”
“You don’t know how much this means to me. If there’s anything I can do for you, please, just call me up and let me know. I have some extra time on my hands now.”
It wasn’t as if Jane would take her up on it, but she scanned down her lists even so. Caroline might feel better about the imposition and the embarrassment of the situation if she gave something back.
One item on one of the lists leapt out at her. Caroline was a close, fast reader, and it might give her pleasure to put her academic credentials to use.
“I don’t suppose you’ve read a biography of someone named Lewis Westerly by someone named Desmond Sullivan, have you?”
3.
Rosemary Boyle came through. Half an hour before taping was to start, she called the station. She dominated the Dinner Conversation by making a series of vague comments that gave the impression of being witty and profound. “Living is losing,” she’d said at one point, a comment that silenced the other guests for a full five seconds.
As Jane was about to leave the office, she pulled out a pad of blank paper and started yet another list, this one for things she had to do as soon as she got in tomorrow morning. Call Dale she wrote. But then, thinking better of it, she attacked it with an eraser and changed it to the more ambiguous: Call Roofer.