There was a lot to do before making her way to the library tonight. Dad knew to expect her for supper. They would probably dine early at Dilly’s. And then, in the morning, Maggie would return to Wren’s. Mom planned to go back to Carlton on Wednesday. Last night, Maggie had called her mother’s boss to let her know that she’d be covering the book club discussion and that Mom wouldn’t be back to work until Thursday. Janice must have gotten the impression from Maggie’s discreet explanation that Minerva Arioli had suffered a nervous breakdown because all she’d said was, “Poor Min. I’m not surprised. Tell her to take as much time off as she needs. With her losing her folks and then that awful business you went through last year and Min being such a trouper, staying so strong and upbeat, well, it was all bound to catch up with her eventually.” Maggie hadn’t corrected her. Janice was mostly right.

The next time Maggie glanced at the time it was half past one. Almost there. She took the Wilson exit.

She had no difficulty finding the Cannons’ house. And this time, it wasn’t hard to track down Jane, either. Despite the cold, Jane was waiting for her outside by the front door, hunched in a black winter coat and sitting on a brick step.

Maggie parked on the side of the road.

Jane nodded. She looked determined, and Maggie was relieved about that. They were going to Carlton to press charges.

As she slipped out of the car, she remembered the first time she’d met Linnie, also perched on a front step.

Jane, Maggie: girls who’d barely crossed the threshold of childhood—who hadn’t even made it through their teen years—before getting knocked down. And Linnie had been even younger.

But Maggie hadn’t stayed down.

“Hey.” She smiled and trudged up the paved walkway. “Our appointment’s at three-thirty. It’ll take us over an hour to get there. Ready?”

“Yeah.” Jane smiled a little. Her face was free of makeup and full of resolve. “Thanks for coming with me today. But what about next year? Are you going back? Did you decide?”

Maggie put out a hand and helped Jane get on her feet. “I’m in.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Several friends’ support saw me through this novel, from the research to the writing, and I am obliged to them.

Special thanks to my outstanding editor, Liz Szabla, who has an unerring sense of what’s working in a narrative and what isn’t. She encouraged me to dig deeper into some parts of Maggie’s story and wisely advised me to leave matters messy when it came to a few others. I couldn’t ask for a better editor. Her insights are exceptional and invaluable to me.