As soon as I hear Lauren mention Halverson Medical Supply—the same name that was on the business card I found in David’s tobacco pouch—I know I have to add a visit there to my day’s agenda.
Lauren glances at the clock. “The girls will be home in half an hour.”
I realize this is her way of signaling an end to our conversation and that she is asking me to leave. I rise from my chair and stand there a moment, wracked with indecision. Part of me wants to turn and run, another part of me wants to gather Lauren Henley into my arms and rock her like a child. But the expression on her face tells me she will tolerate neither cowardice nor pity. So I simply thank her, smile, and leave.
Chapter 23
I’m hungry and the coffee I had at Lauren’s is churning away in my stomach, threatening to eat a hole in it. Consequently, I am looking forward to chowing down on one of Carver’s cheeseburgers and topping it off with a turtle sundae. Gina arrives ten minutes late and, as usual, her entrance turns a few heads. Aside from being the closest thing to a famous person we have here in Sorenson, she is the sort of woman who attracts attention. She is dressed in black slacks and a simple pullover sweater. The only jewelry she is wearing is a pair of small gold hoops in her ears. Her short hair has a reckless, tousled look to it—loose blond curls that frame her face in a soft, golden glow—and the fact that her dark roots are beginning to show doesn’t detract from her overall beauty. If anything, it simply adds to her air of casual self-assurance.
I wave to catch her eye and once she sees me, she heads to the booth where I’m seated.
“Hey there,” she says, beaming me a huge smile as she slides in across from me. She eyes my forehead with a worried expression. “What’s this?” she asks, touching her own forehead in the region where mine is bandaged.
“A small cut. Nothing serious.”
“Ah, good. I’m so glad you called, Mattie. How are you?”
“I’m doing okay for the most part. But at times…”
She looks at me sympathetically. “You know Sid and I will always be there for you. Sometimes when couples split, their friends feel the need to take sides. But Sid and I won’t do that. You and David are both our friends and we intend to keep it that way, no matter what happens.”
“Even if he’s guilty of murder?” I ask her.
She hesitates, then shakes her head. “I can’t believe David killed that woman. What he did do with her was pretty damned stupid, but I just can’t picture him as a murderer. It doesn’t fit.”
I’m glad to hear her echo my own thoughts. “I agree,” I tell her. “But I realize now that I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. I don’t think he’s the type who would kill someone but I never thought he was the type to have an affair either.”
“Men!” Gina says with disgust. “Sometimes you have to wonder what the hell they’re thinking.”
“I’m not sure there was much thinking involved with this.”
“Or maybe he was just thinking with the wrong head,” Gina says, a wicked gleam in her eye.
We both start to giggle, and it is all we can do to get ourselves under control when the waitress comes by. After placing our orders—a cheeseburger with all the trimmings for me and a healthy chicken salad for Gina—I get down to business.
“Thank you for your support, Gina. It means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome. Like I said last night, we girls have to stick together.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, because I could use some help on a particular matter.”
“Great,” she says. “Name it.”
“I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that I plan to file for a divorce from David. As soon as we’ve been separated long enough, I’ll get the paperwork started. In the meantime, I’m struggling a bit with some financial stuff. I was out of work for two months and David controls all the purse strings in our household, so I’m a bit cash shy.”
Gina pouts prettily. “A big mistake to let them have that much power,” she says.
“I know that now.”
“So do you need a loan? Is that it? Because I’d be happy to loan you whatever you need.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Thanks for the offer, but that won’t be necessary. I’m getting by and I do have income again. But when it comes time for the divorce, I want to make sure I get a fair share of the assets. I’m not out to take David for a bundle or anything, I just want enough to get by on.”
Gina leans back and stares at me with an expression that is half frown, half smile. “That’s a marvelous attitude, Mattie. And a rare one. Are you sure you want to be that understanding?”
I nod. Given Gina’s declaration that she and Sid intend to keep both David and me as friends, I figure my best approach is one that will seem innocuous and equitable. “Actually, I think David will be more than fair,” I tell her. “But given all that’s happened, I just can’t be sure.”
“And you’d be foolish to trust your future to him at this point. You need to look after your own interests.”
“And that’s where you might be able to help. I think David may have some income sources that I don’t know about, money that he’s hiding away somewhere. I overheard bits and pieces of a conversation he was having about some sort of investment scheme. I don’t know who he was talking to or what it was about, but I did get the impression that some of the other docs might be involved as well. Do you know if Sid is into anything like that?”
Gina thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. “I’m not aware of anything. We don’t really need any extra income, you understand. So I’m not sure Sid would know if there was something like that going on anyway.”
“Has David come to him for capital or a loan for any business ventures that you know of?”
“I really don’t know, Mattie. Sorry. But I might not be privy to everything Sid’s got going. Have you asked him directly?”
“I started to last night, but we got interrupted.”
“Ah, yes. Calhoun.”
“He did mention something about a medical supply company that some of the docs have invested in. Do you know anything about that?”
Gina frowns again, taking a moment to think. “You know,” she says slowly. “I do remember hearing something along those lines.” She pauses, seeming to give it more thought. Then she shrugs. “Sorry, I don’t recall what it was.”
“That’s okay,” I say. The simple fact that she’s heard something is verification enough on the heels of what I learned from Lauren.
“I wish I could be more help,” Gina says. She reaches over and lays a reassuring hand on my arm, her face again full of sympathy. “All of this must be so terribly hard on you.”
“I’ll get through it.”
“Well, as I said, if there’s anything I can do to help you along, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, then,” she says, leaning back and smiling. “You must tell me about this new job you have. It sounds very exciting.”
“I’m not sure exciting is the right word for it. Though it’s certainly not dull.”