With a sigh, Ann finished her yogurt and decided to give Karen a call. Maybe her friend could help cheer her up a bit. She went over to the phone and dialed Karen’s number.
“Karen, it’s me. What are you up to?”
“Hi, Ann. Just sitting here waiting for Bill. How did it go today?”
“Horrible,” Ann replied. God, Karen, this is awful. I just can’t believe she’s gone!”
“I feel so sad for you, Ann. I know how much she meant to you. All I can say is that she’s gone to a much better place,” Karen declared compassionately.
“I guess so.”
“How was her husband?”
“Devastated. Cried like a baby through the whole service. I really feel sorry for him. And poor little Tommy. He wasn’t even there.”
“The poor child. Has he spoken to anyone yet?” Karen inquired.
“No, and Sam informed me that he’s practically having to be force-fed, too. It’s just awful… He won’t even speak to Dave! God only knows what that poor little boy must have gone through that night.”
“I shudder to think. Have the police gotten any more leads on who might have done it? They mentioned it again on the six o’clock news, by the way, but they didn’t give any details. They just said that the investigation is still under way.”
“No. Sam’s friend, Roger Hagstrom, the detective who’s in charge of the case, told Sam that nothing new has turned up. Apparently, they’ve done about all they can until they can interrogate Tommy. And that could be a long time, according to Roger.”
“In the meantime, there’s a psycho killer on the prowl,” Karen said.
“It’s frightening, isn’t it? I told Sam that I hope they hang him by the balls when they finally catch him.”
Karen chuckled. “You sure have a way with words, Ann.”
“It just infuriates me! Marsha was the nicest, most decent woman you could ever know. And for some crazy bastard to do that to her just makes me want to go out and find the monster myself and make him suffer.”
“I don’t blame you one bit. Not to change the subject, but how is your ex doing? Did you two get along?”
“I have to admit that I couldn’t have made it through all of this without Sam. For a while I almost forgot we were divorced, in fact. Sam’s basically a good man, and he’s always been at his best during a crisis.”
“You miss him?” Karen asked.
Ann sighed and paused a moment before answering. “Well, yes and no. I miss the stability of having Sam around more than I miss the man himself. And Amy… Christ! She’s turning into a regular delinquent! I know for a fact that she drinks because I’ve smelled alcohol on her breath a couple of times. And she’s smoking cigarettes now-I don’t think I told you about that yet. Found a pack stashed under her dresser yesterday. She’s become incorrigible, Karen. She hardly ever minds me anymore. I know that the divorce has a lot to do with it-she still resents it-and she blames me for it ever happening. She wants Sam and I to get back together; that I know for sure. This is so difficult, Karen…” she added, her voice wavering.
“C’mon, dear, pull yourself together. You’ll get through all of this. You just need to get your mind off everything for a while. You’ve been through an awful lot lately, but things will look up. As for Amy, I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. Just give her some time. Part of her problem has to do with her age, bear in mind. I sure wouldn’t want to be that age again! Remember how tough it was? Teenagers are in their own little world and tend to shut everyone else out of it. But Amy’s a good kid. She’ll come around-you can count on it.”
“I wish I were as optimistic as you are, Karen. As usual, you’re probably right-I only hope I don’t have a nervous breakdown in the meantime. There are just so many things going on that I feel out of touch with. Like Amy’s choice of friends at school, for instance. They all seem okay, but what do I know? We’ve only been in Columbus for three months and I still hardly know a soul in this neighborhood. And I’ve only met one of Amy’s friend’s parents so far-Amanda Givens. Her mother’s divorced and seems to be a nice enough gal, but her home is apparently the big hangout for all of Amanda’s friends. How do I know that she’s keeping an eye on things when all those teenage girls are congregating there?”
“Ann, you worry too much! Woodcrest is one of the best suburbs in Columbus and has an excellent high school. Amy’s in good company, believe me. Speaking of which, how’s her schoolwork coming along?”
“Lousy,” Ann replied flatly. “And it’s no wonder. She hardly ever does her homework.”
“Well, all I can say is give her time. She just needs to adjust to everything.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Karen. I need all I can get right now.”
“No problem, dear-I think I just heard Bill pull up. We’re taking in a movie tonight. I sure wish you’d hurry up and find a man so we can double sometime!”
Ann laughed. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet, Karen. I’ve got enough problems as it is.”
“Well, you should still keep your eyes open anyway. It may be just what you need now-a relationship of some kind. It would help get your mind off your troubles.”
“I doubt it. I don’t think I’d be very good company to anyone right now,” Ann lamented.
“Nonsense! I can see that you need an ego-boost, dear. Trust me, any man in this town would kill to go out with you! If I looked just half as good as you do, I could be taking my pick of eligible bachelors!”
Ann laughed again. “You’re too much, Karen! But in spite of your tendency to exaggerate, I’ll take the compliment anyway. At least you’ve managed to make me smile.”
“Come on in, honey,” she heard Karen say. “Ann, Bill’s here. I want you to think about what I said and cheer up! Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Thanks, Karen. If I don’t talk to you tomorrow, I’ll see you at the office Monday.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow and check in,” Karen asserted. “Take care of yourself, Ann.”
“I will, Karen. Tell Bill I said hello, and you guys have a good time tonight.”
“Thanks, dear. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Ann hung up the phone feeling grateful for having a friend like Karen. She always had that knack for making her laugh, she thought to herself.
Karen Walker was office manager at the travel agency where Ann worked. She was fifty years old, divorced, with two kids who were all grown up and married. And although she might look her age physically, she possessed a lighthearted attitude toward life that made her seem years younger. When Ann was introduced to Karen on her first day at the agency, the two hit it off immediately and had become best friends from then on.
Bill Warner was Karen’s boyfriend-mid-fifties, balding, and worshipped the very ground Karen walked on. They had been dating for over five years and Ann often wondered why they didn’t simply get married after all this time. Karen’s explanation was that she’d “already made that mistake once,” and insisted that she was quite content with their relationship the way it was. Ann had the feeling, however, that Bill wasn’t in total agreement with Karen, and would gladly marry her at the drop of a hat.
Ann stared blankly at the kitchen table as her thoughts shifted to Marsha. She felt a tear come to her eye as the stark reality of her death hit home once again. Already she missed her lifelong friend, and she knew that life would never be the same without Marsha Bradley in it. Before moving to Columbus, Marsha had been her confidante and sounding board during the divorce, always there to comfort and support her. Marsha had in fact been one of the few reasons she had been hesitant to move out of Smithtown after the divorce. Perhaps had she not moved away, Marsha might still be alive today…
Ann held her head in her hands and shut her eyes. She suddenly felt very alone, living in a strange new city in unfamiliar surroundings. Had she done the right thing? Would she have been better off forgiving Sam for what he’d done and staying with him, instead of stirring everything up as she had? The after-effects of the divorce had so far been anything but auspicious. Nobody was happy. Not Sam, not herself, and certainly not Amy.