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  LuAnne’s eyes flicked across the restaurant. “Maybe someone here?” she whispered.

  “Maybe it’s Mr. Hood.” Renee nodded toward the good-looking widower, who was eating at the counter. He was a trim man who could often be seen playing tennis on the high-school tennis courts during the warmer months and walking everywhere in town, even in the middle of winter. He had sharp-looking silver hair and eyes so pale blue that they were almost spooky. His head was bent as he read the Copper Mill Chronicle.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Betty said. “Besides, if you recall, I’m married. Mr. Hood isn’t that kind of admirer.”

  “Whoever it is will reveal himself,” Kate added. “I mean, why go to all the trouble of sending flowers if you can’t take the credit, right?”

  Betty sighed and bent one of the stems to sniff their earthy scent. “I guess you’re right. And who knows, maybe my husband did send them.”

  When the ladies turned their attention back to the table, they watched in stunned silence as Kisses popped out of his tote, hopped up on the table and buried his nose in Betty’s salad, munching away as if ravenous.

  Betty shrieked. “Get your dog out of my food, Renee!”

  Renee quickly grabbed the bug-eyed Chihuahua.

  “Naughty dog,” she scolded, but the tiny dog didn’t look right. His mouth was open, and he was gagging. “He’s choking!” Renee’s voice was panicked. “What do I do?”

  Kate grabbed Kisses from across the table and gave him a hard whack between the shoulder blades. A cherry tomato shot out of the dog’s mouth, fully intact. It landed on the table behind them and rolled in front of a blue-haired customer, who gave it a disgusted look.

  “Sorry,” Kate said, reaching for the tomato with a napkin so she wouldn’t have to touch the slimy thing.

  The dog was instantly revived. He gazed up happily at Kate as if to say thank you, then with a bark, turned his mournful eyes toward Renee.

  She pulled him from Kate’s grasp and frantically petted his head.

  “You hit him hard.” She looked accusingly at Kate. “My poor baby. My poor baby.”

  “Your poor baby was eating my food,” Betty said under her breath. “I hope you plan on buying me another salad.”

  LuAnne returned and asked what was wrong.

  “Kisses almost died,” Renee blurted out, tears streaming down her face, streaking her mascara.

  “He ate my salad and choked on a cherry tomato,” Betty clarified, her tone deadpan. “Can I get a new one?”

  “Betty Anderson!” Renee said, placing a hand on her chest in shock. “I just hope your salad doesn’t make him sick.”

  LuAnne scrunched up her face and glanced from Renee to Betty to Kate and finally said, “I’ll see if there are any scraps we can dig up for you in the kitchen, Betty.”

  “Well!” Renee was indignant. She lifted the pooch to gaze into his mournful brown eyes. “Are you okay, Umpkins? He doesn’t look right to me.” She looked at Kate. “I need to take him to the vet.”

  “Renee, he’s fine,” Kate tried to reassure her.

  “No.” Renee was shaking her head. She reached for Kisses’ tote, as well as her macramé bag and stood to go. “I’m taking him to Dr. Milt, and you’re coming with me, Kate Hanlon. You did this to him.”

  Kate groaned inwardly, though she wanted to calm Renee.

  The dog was perfectly fine, but Kate knew that without a witness, Renee’s story of woe would grow to monumental proportions. She gave Betty an apologetic look, then left to see what the good doctor had to say.

  WHEN THEY ENTERED the squat brick building, Kisses began to whine. Renee pulled him close and made cooing noises in his ear.

  “Mrs. Lambert? Can I help you?” the curly-headed receptionist said in a sweet-sounding voice. Then she nodded to Kate and said, “Mrs. Hanlon.”

  Her name tag read “Ashley Williams.” Kate was surprised that she knew her by name, though they had met on a few occasions. She shared the receptionist’s job with an older woman, whose name escaped Kate.

  She had a young face, but she had a mature way of carrying herself, and the knitting needles in her hands suggested that she might be older. She was creating a long multicolored scarf with a cable stitch running down its length. Her face looked pale, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Kate studied the girl for a long moment.

  “I need to get my baby in to see Dr. Milt,” Renee said, holding up the dog in his tote for Ashley to see. “He just choked on a tomato!”

  Ashley looked from Renee to Kate, the look of compassion on her face unmistakable. She clicked on her computer for a few moments, then said with a kind smile, “I think the doctor can squeeze you in if you’ll take a seat.”

  Kate and Renee took their places in two of the hard plastic chairs in the waiting area. Renee was engrossed with Kisses, who was sleeping in his designer tote and snoring. She stroked his head and cooed at him. Kate glanced back at the receptionist, who had disappeared down the long hall of examination rooms. She returned a few moments later with the short, bald-headed doctor following close behind.

  “Renee?” he said, an echo of “What now?” in his voice.

  “Dr. Milt.” Renee rose and Kisses roused from his slumber. He looked from the doctor to Renee. “We were eating lunch at the Country Diner,” Renee said, “and he choked on a tomato.”

  Kate stood.

  Renee glanced at her as she continued. “Kate whacked him so hard on the back, I’m sure she gave him internal injuries.”

  “Did that dislodge the tomato?” the veterinarian asked.

  “Well...yes,” Renee admitted.

  “Let’s say we have a look,” Dr. Milt said, placing a hand on Renee’s shoulder and leading her to one of the examination rooms.

  Kate followed, standing in the back of the room near the door, her arms crossed over each other in the slightly chilly air. The place smelled of antiseptic and the vague musky scent of animals.

  Of course, there was nothing wrong with the tomato-thieving canine. Nonetheless, the veterinarian checked him out thoroughly, gazing deep into his throat and listening to his heart and lungs while Kisses shivered on the cold stainless-steel examining table.

  Renee hovered like the nervous mother she was, her fingers fluttering then resting on her chest as she looked on. Kate wondered if she was holding her breath. It was rare for Renee to be so quiet.

  The doctor lifted the little dog’s head and smiled. Renee finally let out a long breath, and she laughed in a way that spoke of relief.

  Kate’s gaze flicked to the door. She couldn’t get her mind off of Ashley and how ill she looked. She glanced back at Renee, then deciding there wasn’t much she could do to help anyway, said, “I’m going to head back to the waiting room.”

  Renee didn’t acknowledge that she’d heard her. She was chattering on about how thankful she was, and it was really all so silly, but she just couldn’t get the idea out of her head that something else might have happened to poor Kisses when he choked on that tomato and Kate hit him so hard...

  The veterinarian met Kate’s eye for an instant. His expression said, “Get out while you can,” so she quickly made her way back down the long hall.

  Ashley was still in her chair, but her head was in her hands.

  “Are you okay?” Kate said when she reached the counter that overlooked the reception desk.

  “Mrs. Hanlon.” Ashley looked up, then confessed, “I haven’t been feeling well all morning. It comes and goes, but...” She shrugged.

  “Can I get you something? Do you feel nauseated?”

  The girl nodded and lifted the empty plastic wastebasket that she had at the ready. “I hate this, but I can’t afford to miss work. I’ve gotten so far behind as it is.” She brushed her dark, curly hair from her face and held it behind her head like a ponytail. “You’re so sweet to ask. I’ve always known that you and Mr. Hanlon were nice people. He’s been in here a few times too, with Carl. He’s always taken the time to ta
lk and ask questions about me and my folks. You’re a lucky woman.”

  She must have been talking about Carl Wilson and his cocker spaniel, Scout.

  The comment about Paul struck Kate as odd. Not that Paul wasn’t a kind person, because, of course, he was very kind. But Ashley seemed to know Paul and her so much better than they knew her. Ashley closed her eyes and rubbed her cheeks as if a wave of nausea had struck again.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered to Kate.

  “You should go home and rest,” Kate said, but Ashley shook her head no.

  “I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “This will pass. It always does.”

  Chapter Eight

  After Renee had returned Kate to her car at the diner, it was two thirty. She made her way to the library to take advantage of the high-speed Internet connection and see if any new girls had joined her FriendsForever circle. A couple of the boys from youth group had accepted her invitation. Kate was amazed that the students had been on the site even in the middle of a school day.

  She clicked on Brenna Phillips’ profile page and looked around. The girl was raised by a single mother, so Kate knew she couldn’t be the sender of the anonymous letter. But out of curiosity, she scrolled around the page anyway. There were several messages back and forth between Brenna and Marlee on their bulletin boards, so Kate clicked over to Marlee’s page.

  In the “Today I’m feeling...” space that gave members a chance to fill in the blank, Marlee had written “ready to snap.” Kate paused over the words. Then she glanced at the “Relationship Status” section, and it said, “in a long-term relationship.”

  Kate needed to talk to the girl, she knew. So much evidence pointed her way, but she’d have to approach Marlee with a sensitive and loving spirit, and she’d have to choose the right moment.

  Kate paused, then decided to post a message on her bulletin board.

  Good afternoon, everyone,

  This is a new thing for me, putting my thoughts out there on this public space. So you’ll have to tell me how I’m doing. Once in a while, I’m going to post some thoughts—mostly on faith—that I’ve been processing. Here’s one of those thoughts:

  I’ve been thinking lately about the secrets we keep, the things we hold inside us and share with no one. We all have secrets, either big or small. Sometimes they’re nothing more than a thought or a judgment toward another person. But sometimes they’re big—something so life-changing that we’d be terrified if anyone knew what was really going on in our lives.

  I want you to know that you can tell God anything. He won’t be shocked or upset, or stop loving you. He already knows what’s going on with each of us, even our innermost thoughts, and he accepts us and loves us, and forgives us.

  I also want to tell you that while it might not seem like it, your parents want to be there for you. They want to know what’s going on in your lives. Sometimes they might be disappointed, but I’m confident that they will always love you. They want to help you through the hard spots. They really do.

  Love always,

  Kate

  Then she signed off. She hoped the message would spur the girl to action, but she also knew that it was something that everyone needed to be reminded of once in a while.

  She had to go to the Mercantile to do some grocery shopping. She glanced at her watch. It was just after three o’clock. The high-school-aged employees were probably making their way to work about that time. With any luck, Arlene Jacobs would be scheduled for the day.

  Arlene wasn’t at the checkout counter when Kate came in, so she grabbed one of the plastic baskets near the front door and moved along the aisles. She picked up a half gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, and some cheese, then she moved toward the bread aisle. She gazed down each aisle she passed. No Arlene. She tossed a small loaf of wheat bread into her basket. Finally, in the health-and-beauty aisle, she found Arlene.

  “Good afternoon, Arlene,” Kate said.

  The young bleached-blonde lifted her face and returned the greeting.

  “How are you?” Kate asked.

  “Oh, I’m fine.”

  “I was talking to Malcolm Dekker the other day. I didn’t realize you were related,” Kate began.

  “Yup, we are. What did my weird uncle say now?” She chuckled. “He means well, you know, but you can’t take him too seriously. I think the strange personality goes with the job.”

  Kate laughed, recalling his comment about her looking for a new family. Then she sobered. “He has your picture on his desk.”

  Arlene nodded. “I gave that to him for Christmas a couple years ago. I guess it means a lot to him.”

  Kate watched her, trying to gauge whether she could be the letter writer.

  “Anyway,” Arlene said, obviously distracted. Then she picked up a box of feminine products and waved good-bye. “See ya later, Mrs. Hanlon!”

  She had a little bounce in her step, and besides that, the young woman’s purchase gave it away: the girl was not pregnant.

  With Arlene checked off Kate’s list, she decided to drop in at Emma’s Ice Cream for a few minutes. With any luck, Marlee would be working that day too.

  Kate entered, and several customers turned to greet her. She said “hello” in reply and made her way to the counter where Angie Petzel, Marlee Jones, and Anne Jackson were gathered in a circle, apparently deep in discussion. Kate could hear Emma humming in the back room.

  Kate studied Marlee. The girl still looked tired and pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

  Anne was saying, “Emma wants us to scrub down the freezer and do a thorough cleaning of the back today. That’s why she scheduled us all at the same time.” By the looks on their faces, Angie and Marlee weren’t too enthused at the news.

  “Hey, Mrs. Hanlon,” Angie said, noticing Kate standing there. They paused their discussion and turned to her as a group. “Back for another cone?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kate said. “Too many of those, and you’ll have to roll me out of here.”

  “So what can we do for you?” Angie said. She had on a funky outfit in orange and brown paisley. Funky was the only word Kate could think of to describe it. The top was a knit with a hood, and the slacks were solid brown and flared at the bottom. The ensemble accentuated her tall, thin frame.

  “Actually,” Kate began. “I’m glad you’re all together. I’m on the lookout for more afterprom helpers.” She glanced at Marlee.

  “Yeah, you talked about it at the meeting last night,” Anne said.

  “We’ve been talking about getting more students involved in the planning.” She looked to Marlee and Angie. “What do a bunch of old fogies know about teenagers’ likes and dislikes?” Kate paused, and the girls smiled at her. “We want to make sure we’re putting energy into something you guys will be excited about.”

  The girls looked at each other as if trying to assess what the others would say before venturing out.

  Angie was the first to speak up, “I’d love to help...if it’s okay with my dad. He asked me to do some extra chores around the house, but I think I can handle it. I’ll ask him when I get home.”

  “Fair enough,” Kate said.

  “What kind of things did you need us to do?” Marlee asked.

  She was younger than the other two by a couple of years, and Kate could tell that she was eager to fit in, especially since she was technically too young to attend the prom. Marlee glanced between Angie and Anne, then back at Kate.

  “Simple stuff, really,” Kate said. “The car-wash fund-raiser next week.” Anne nodded that she was already on board to help.

  Kate went on, “The game booths will need to be painted; we need to put up posters around town, that kind of thing.” She paused, not wanting to overwhelm the girls or seem too pushy.

  “Sounds great,” Angie said, her gaze meeting Kate’s. “I had a lot of fun at the afterprom party in Pine Ridge a couple years ago.”

  “Yeah, it should be fun,” Anne said. “Count me in.
”

  Marlee said, “I’ll see if I can get Brenna to help too.” Then she shrugged. “I’m sure my dad won’t care either way.” The comment caused Kate to glance at the girl.

  “Actually,” Kate said, glancing between Angie and Marlee, “why don’t you both send me a message on FriendsForever when you find out if you can come?”

  She hoped Marlee would see the message about secrets that she’d posted earlier that afternoon.

  KATE HAD A LOT ON HER MIND when she got home later that afternoon. It was four thirty. Paul would be home in half an hour, so she sprinkled a couple of chicken thighs and legs with thyme and salt and put them in the oven to roast. Then she pulled out a package of fresh brussels sprouts. She trimmed them, seasoned them with sea salt, and placed them in a small dish with some butter to bake. She set the dish aside to pop in the oven later, so it would finish along with the chicken. She had rolls and a dinner salad set to go. Since there was nothing else to do, she opened her laptop computer to connect to the Internet via the phone line in the kitchen.

  The dial-up connection was impossibly slow. Kate tapped her fingers on the countertop while she waited. A hundred thoughts tumbled through her mind. She recalled the image of Ashley looking so pale and ill and her familiarity with Kate and Paul even though they barely knew her. Then she thought about Marlee’s comment about her dad not caring whether she helped with the afterprom party, and her need to have Brenna at her side. They certainly seemed to be indicators that Marlee might be the girl who needed help.

  Finally the FriendsForever log-in page appeared. Kate typed in her user name and password. Eight more teens had accepted her invitation to join her circle. Among them were James and Justin Jenner, Anne Jackson, and Angie Petzel.

  There were also two messages in her in-box. The first was from Angie Petzel, saying that her father had said it was okay for her to help with some of the afterprom preparations as long as it didn’t interfere with her other commitments.

  Kate responded with, “I’m so glad you can join us.”

  Then, before reading the second message, she clicked on a friend request from the name that read “Mouse.” Kate clicked Accept and followed the link to Mouse’s page. There was no identifying information there. In the place of a photograph in the upper left-hand corner was an illustration of a mouse. It stood on its hind legs staring forward with its tiny arms outstretched.