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was still somewhere between Fairbanks and Seattle on a good day. Susan was in a teal warm-up jacket that made her hair look incandescent. I was in scruffy gray sweats with paint stains on the legs.
    We fell into step, and I summarized O’Malley’s visit. “His attitude was basically ‘Get over it, lady.’ I don’t think they’re going to find the assholes who did it.”
    “What else is new?”
    “He left me some brochures on home security.” I said. “Part of the Police Are Your Partners program.”
    She rolled her eyes. “So what’s your next step?”
    “I don’t know. Call my insurance company. Move on. Try not to take it personally.” I glanced at her. “Nice jacket.”
    “Twenty-four dollars at TJ Maxx.” Susan and I first met at a discount shopping outlet when she pointed out a mint green Garfield and Marks suit marked down 80 percent and said it was my color. We became friends over coffee when I confessed to smashing Rachel’s fingers in the car door, and she admitted she’d once sat on her daughter and broke her collarbone. But I knew she’d be my friend for life when she told me she had actually seen Grace Slick on a Marin County beach watching sea otters.
    “I don’t think I’ll be shopping much for a while,” I said. “Not even discount?”
    I shook my head. “It’s not just the break-in. I should never have kept the house.” I told her about Barry’s stock. “When we split up, I bought the concept that Rachel should have as little disruption in her life as possible. I should strive for continuity. That’s why I fought so hard to keep the house.” A couple of kids on bicycles flew past us, barely swerving in time to avoid a collision.
    “Most women do,” Susan said.
    “We were sold a bill of goods. Everything I make goes for the mortgage, utilities, and food. God forbid the water heater blows, or the air conditioner breaks down, or the roof starts to leak. I’m always struggling. Now I’m supposed to install an alarm system. The house is a goddamn albatross around my neck.”
    Susan didn’t say anything. She’s a good listener.
    “Now compare that with Barry. Okay. For a few months, right after the settlement, he was strapped. Maybe even a year. But now he’s got his condo, a grand or so in child support every month, and no other obligations. Nada. He even has enough to play the market.” I stepped up my pace. “Tell me. What’s wrong with this picture?”
    “You made the best decision you could at the time.”
    “It was shortsighted.”
    “You’re being too hard on yourself. How could you predict the future?”
    We reached the Catholic church at the end of the road. The parking lot was a sea of cars, with a white limo bearing a Just Married sign in front. Pink and white streamers floated from the bumper. “Where’s Dustin Hoffman when you need him?”
    “Huh?”
    “Someone should break up the wedding while there’s a chance.” I pointed to the limo. “They only have a fifty-fifty shot anyway.”
    Susan’s other eyebrow arched. After eight years of friendship, we can sense when one of us is dissembling, even if we are just trying it out on each other. “My, we are bitter today.”
    “What if Barry doesn’t come through with child support, Susan? What am I going to do?”
    “Don’t you think you might be overreacting just a bit?”
    “With Barry?”
    “Whatever happens, you will survive. At the very worst, you’ll borrow money. People do it every day. They have these places called banks.”
    “Assuming my credit rating isn’t in the tank. Which it probably is. It takes years to sort out your credit after a divorce. And with Barry’s track record—”
    “You know, sometimes I get the feeling you like to obsess about things, Ellie. You know what they say. If you fixate long enough, you can actually cause it to happen. A selffulfilling prophecy.”
    “I’m not obsessing. I just want to be able to…to manage the situation. Control it.”
    “Aha.