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"You’ve got Diet Cokes in here," Brian observed as he pulled out a can of the real thing "A sure sign a guy is hooked I went by"Hauled off, to her surprised joy, not one but two boxes of junk she’s saved forof a house, a big yellow sun and stick people?"

"I don’t know, but you can’t throw it out According toany childhood ot his own Coke "I have three boxes"

"I won’t forget it’s your fault I took possession of that stuff" He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, tossed it on the counter "However, as I didn’t score feh soave my mother on the occasion of my birth He wrote soht I ah high school You’ll let me know if it matches I’m kind of into it now"

"One way or the other" Ford picked up the card, studied the strong, bold lettering of Cathy’s na her to the airport" He squatted down, rubbing Spock’s head, the wiggling body "Tell Cilla I’ll have a couple guys there to by the new place she’s buying, take a look at the yard"

"Okay I’ll get this back to you"

Brian smirked at the card "Yeah, I’m worried about that"

Ford went upstairs, into the bedroo her hair back into a tail "I’o over while you’re getting dressed, take another look at a couple things before we go"

"Brian just came by"

"Oh, did he look at the new property already?"

"No, next week, he said He brought this" Ford held up the card

"Is that Of course it is I didn’t expect hi so fast Wow" She pressed a hand to her belly "Big mystery could be solved It o check it out, then just tell you?"

She dropped her hand "What am I? A weenie?"

"No, you’re not"

"Then let’s do it"

"They’re in my office"

She went in with him, watched him take the book off the shelf, then set it on the counter for her to open

"I keep thinking how she chose Gatsby The rich, shining life, the glitter and then ennui, roedy She was so unhappy I dreao I didn’t tell you One of my Janet and Cilla dreams Forest Lawn They’re both buried there Her and Johnnie I only went there once Her grave was literally covered with flowers It ht by strangers, fading in the sun"

"You planted them for her here instead And even when they fade, they come back new Year after year"

"I like to think that would matter to her My personal tribute" She opened the book, took the stack of letters out "I’ll open this," she said, choosing one "You open that"

Ford took out the card He’d expected a happy picture of a baby, or a sentimental one of a mother and child Instead he found Andrew Morrow’s initials on heavy, cream-colored stock "Pretty forratulations to hter-in-law on the birth of her son I hope these roses bring you pleasure They’re only a seneration of Morrows is born with Brian Andrew

Affectionately, Drew

Cilla laid the letter beside the card

My Dear My Darling

There are no words to express rief for you I wish I could hold you, could coe Know that I’hts are full of you No mother should have to suffer the loss of her child, and then be forced to grieve in so public a manner

I know you loved your Johnnie beyondhe felt that love every day of his short life

Only Yours

"Is that fitting, is that fate?" Cilla said quietly "That I’d choose the loss of a son to compare to the birth of another? It’s a kind letter," she continued "They’re both kind notes, and both strangely distant, so carefully worded, I think When each occasion should have filled the page with emotions and intimacies The tone, the structure They could be fro’s similar Not well, not exactly exact See the S’s in the card? When he starts a word-son, small-with an S, it’s in curvy print In the letter-sorry, sympathy-traditional lowercase cursive"

"But the uppercase T’s are written the sa It’s very close And they ritten years apart"

"My and my in both really look like the same hand, and the uppercase I’s, but the uppercase D’s, not so much" Ford knew he looked with an artist’s eye, and wasn’t sure if that was a plus or a nature Sonature differently than they ht a word I don’t know, Cilla"

"Results, inconclusive I don’t suppose you know any handwriting experts"

"We could find one" He looked up, into her eyes "Do you want to go that route?"

"No Maybe I don’t know Daet our hands on a sample closer to when the letters ritten I can ask Brian to try for that"

"Let’s just put it away for now" She folded the letter, slipped it back into the envelope "We know one thing after this It wasn’t Hennessy I’d forgotten about the letter after Johnnie’s death No way, even if he was crazy in love, would he have written that after the accident Not when he ith his own son in the hospital"

"You’re right"

"So, if I had a list, I’d be able to cross a na to have to be enough for now At least for now"

Ford closed the book, put it back on the shelf He turned to her, took her hand "What do you say we go buy a grill?"

"I’d say that’s exactly what I want to do"

But he left the raraphologist Soinia to who And he could see where that led

CILLA’S PLEASURE WHEN her walnut flooring finally arrived Tuesdayhit a major roadblock before noon when her tile layer stormed over to her work area beside the barn

"Hi, Stan You’re not scheduled until Thursday Are"

She found herself backpedaling quickly as she caught the murderous look in his eye "Hey, hey, what’s the problem?"

"You think you can treat people that way? You think you can talk to people that way?"

"What? What?" He backed her right up into the side of the barn Too shocked at seeing the usually affable Stan with a vein throbbing in the center of his forehead, Cilla held up her hands as esture of peace

"You think ’cause you coot yourself on TV you’re better than the rest of us?"

"I don’t knohat you’re talking about Where-"

"You got so to her like that"

"I never-"

"You got a probleo callingat my wife"

"Stan, I’ve never spoken to your wife"

"You calling her a liar now?" He shoved his face into hers, so close she could taste his rage

"I’" Alarm lumped at the base of Cilla’s throat, so she spaced her words carefully "I don’t know her, and I don’t knohat the hell you’re talking about"

"I come ho The only reason I didn’t coed me not to, and I didn’t want to leave her when she was in that state She’s got hypertension, and you go setting her off ’cause you decide you don’t likeyou, I never called your house, I never spoke to your wife, and I’m not dissatisfied with your work In fact, the opposite Or why in God’s name did I contract you to lay the floor in oddamn it"

"Well, I can’t!" she shouted back at him "What time was I supposed to have ht, you know da down, flushed and shaking because you screamed at her like a crazy woman"

"Have you ever heard ht at ten o’clock I nodded off in front of the TV Ask hi here off and on for s that way"

"Said it was you Cilla McGowan" But puzzleh the temper "You told Kay she was a stupid hick, just like most of the people around here How I couldn’t lay tile for shit, and you were going to ot out When I lost work, I’d have nobody to blame but my own lazy ass How maybe you’d sue me over the crap job I did for you"

"If your wife’s a hick, I am, too I live here now I don’t contract with subs who do crap work In fact, I recommended you to my stepmother just last week, if she ever talkstheir master bath" She realized she was breathless from reaction, but the alarm had dissolved "Why the hell would I do that, Stan, if I thought your as crap?"

"She didn’t just make it up"

"Okay" She had to draw in air "Okay Is she sure whoever called gave my name?"

"Cilla McGowan, and then Kay said you they," he corrected, obviously ready to give Cilla the benefit of the doubt, "said, ’Do you knoho I am?’ in that bitchy way people do when they think they’re important Then just laid into her It took ot houe I had to make her take a Tylenol PM to help her sleep She was that upset"

"I’m sorry I’m sorry somebody used my name to upset her I don’t knohy" Pressure lowered onto her chest, pushed and pushed "The flooring supplier said I called in and changed ht there’d just been awith me"

Stan stood a ain "You neverto build a reputation, and a business here I’ to build relationships with subs and service people When soled me in for the repair and re-lay, and I know you cut me a break on the labor"

"You had a problem And the fact is, I was proud of that work and wanted to ht with your wife I could talk to her, try to explain"

"Better let me do that" He blew out a breath "Sorry I came at you"

"I’d have done the sa like this? Mess with you, get Kay all upset?"

"I don’t know" Cilla thought of Mrs Hennessy Her husband was doing two years in a psych facility "But I hope I can head it off before it happens again"

"I guess I’d better swing by hohten this out with Kay"

"Okay You still on for Thursday?"

His sot any reason to call me at ho "

"Maybe I should"

She stood in the shadow of her barn, with triainst the wall and laid out to dry, stretched across her sawhorses And wondered how many times she’d have to pay for the crimes, sins, mistakes of others