Nothing Sacred

“They have records of everyone who goes out on a test-drive, don’t they?”

“Just a copy of the driver’s license. Greg’s already seen it.”

“I’m guessing the address on the license isn’t current.”

“Nope.” The skirt was black. A scorch mark wasn’t going to be as glaring as on a white blouse. “Greg says there’s a fine for that if he’s stopped, but with driver’s licenses being valid for so many years in Arizona, a wrong address is not uncommon. When people move, they often don’t renew their license.”

Shelley would probably wear the skirt, anyway, scorch mark and all. Just to spite her mother.

Martha ironed carefully.

She relayed a couple of other things Greg had told her. “There were no matches on the fingerprints. According to his office, Mr. Sharp is married, but I guess having an affair is nothing out of the ordinary.”

She finished the skirt. Started on another blouse.

“You aren’t saying much.”

He hadn’t said anything at all for several minutes.

“I need to make another trip to Phoenix,” he finally said. “I was debating whether or not to tell you about it.”

“You just did.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I KNOW.” The sigh that accompanied David’s words revealed he hadn’t approved of his own decision.

“Well, I’m glad you did.” The tip of the iron slid around buttons quite nicely.

He didn’t respond.

“I had a talk with Ellen tonight,” she said, although she’d intended to hang up.

“She okay?”

“I don’t know.” Frowning, Martha carefully ironed the cuff of one sleeve. “She seemed upset. More so than usual.”

“How so?”

“Not depressed or sad,” Martha told him, thinking aloud. She felt oddly grateful to have an opportunity to get her thoughts in some kind of order instead of having them constantly rambling around in her mind, getting tangled up with each other. “More like she was…agitated.”

“Nervous?”

“No, just unsettled. As though something was driving her from the inside out.” Martha didn’t know any other way to explain it.

“Did she talk about anyth

ing in particular?”

“Not really.” Martha wondered how much to tell him. And then, because Ellen had gone to him first when this whole thing began, decided she wasn’t being disloyal to her daughter in discussing the situation with him. She had to talk to someone in case there was something she was missing. Some perspective that would clarify her best course of action. Something she could do to help her daughter. “She told me Aaron said hello to her today.”

“And?”

“Nothing. She ignored him, just as she’s done since she first broke off with him.”

“Has he spoken to her before?”

“She’s never said.”