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Diane, who had seeely raised hi--said, "If he needs to talk to me, I’m okay," as Joel rose to walk a few feet away, his back to the room, to punch in the number

"How’s Victor done here in Me Victor and I had shared a strangeto find his half sister The boy had coun to curse a blue streak, evidently thinking he was by hi onto bend a little to do so People weren’t given to touching rief, and I knew release, and I’d held hi and my blouse was a blotched mess, Victor had drawn back, appalled at his breakdown Anything I said would have been wrong, so I’d just given hi a surprised look I supposed she was astonished that I re," she said "Diane and Joel have sent him to a private school I help the in the balance At that age, they can go either way, you feel, at any " Her voice trailed off, as if she couldn’t i Joel and Diane for their ill-timed fertility

Joel ca "Victor isn’t holding together very well," he said to us in general Diane’s face siy to spare forsoht with misery "He came home from school early, after we called We didn’t want anyone to see it on the news at noon and tell hiot back to campus," he explained

We all nodded wisely, butentirely different

"We never knew you et that absolutely clear, "so ere astonished when the police said they were contacting you You don’t have anything to do with the faculty at Bingham, do you? You’re not an alumna, Diane?"

"No, I went to Vanderbilt, and Joel did, too," she said, bewildered "Felicia, didn’t you go to Binghao than I care to remember Yes, David was in my class I don’t believe you met him in Nashville, Harper Joel’s brother"

"Felicia’s parents are here in Meham And so did Joel’s It was quite a scandal when he decided to go to Vanderbilt Why are you asking?"

"Just trying to think of some connection between you and the school Someone put Tabitha’s Tabitha there, and someone made sure ere hired for this job"

The couple sat and looked at ht that this increased Diane’s reseh she were about to bolt, Joel was alert and intense The y, and it boiled around him, even under these circu at me with an incredulous face

"Surely it’s just a coincidence," Felicia said, finally, looking at h I were delusional "You don’t think you can’t iine that someone created such an elaborate plot? How could soet you here, make sure you found Tabitha? That’s just incredible"

We all spent a second or two staring at each other Art was looking froree," I said "But I can’t make sense out of any other scenario Actually, there’s not much sense in that one"

"We have to issue some kind of statement to the press," Art said, when he realized the conversation had reached a stalemate "It has to be a state out, like Diane just did We can’t ret everything and adht have happened"

Tolliver was the only one who nodded his head in agreement

"You know, our oyer is downstairs," Diane murmured

At the same moment Joel erupted "No!" he said "No! We have to condeest possible terreement

"Oh, of course," Art said "Naturally, that, too"

Chapter four

WE turned on the television in the living room of the suite to watch Art meet the news cameras There were three stations in Memphis, and all three had sent representatives to the press conference, which was held on the sidewalk outside the Cleveland By that tienstern family lawyer, a chic fortyish woman named Blythe Benson, had arrived on the scene Joel and Diane had told us that Benson had insisted on the Morgenstern fa their own separate-but-equal statement The local lawyer and Artgoing, and Blythe was cool and blond and WASP-y to the nth degree

Blythe had consulted with the Morgensterns at their ho to say on their behalf, Diane told us Felicia shotFelicia Hart, as I’ve said, seemed way smarter than Diane It made me wonder what Felicia’s sister, Joel’s first wife, had been like

Downstairs and outside, Blythe Benson prepared to make the first statereed

"Diane and Joel Morgenstern are devastated at the news that the body that may be that of their child, Tabitha, has been found in St Margaret’s ceht for enstern had hoped that closure would cohter Instead, they have recovered what may well be her body" The blonde lawyer paused for effect The newscasters were fairly quivering with the desire to ask questions, but Blythe plowed on "The Morgenstern fae of the disappearance of Tabitha to coh the reward for the discovery of her body is most likely out of consideration now, there is still a reward standing for the submission of facts about Tabitha’s abduction"

I wasn’t sure what that meant I hadn’t known there was a reward, since we hadn’t ensterns (naturally) after our failure to locate their daughter in Nashville

Thinking that was the end of the stateet his reaction when I heard Blythe Benson’s precise voice continue I looked back at the screen

"As to what police have ter coincidence’--that the psychic Diane and Joel Morgenstern hired to find Tabitha’s body actually did find the body, though in a different location"

She’s losing control of that sentence, I thought

"The fact remains that there are coincidences in life, and this is one of theenstern did not hire Harper Connelly to coer since Miss Connelly arrived in Meive a dearet’s this e Neither has ever been connected with the college departaret’s ceenstern faer, Tolliver Lang, since her unsuccessful atteo Thank you"

Though Art hadn’tat Blythe Benson as though she’d just sprouted horns, and I didn’t blame him for the look