looked sad and amused all at once. He picked the plate off the tray and held it balanced against the rim of the tub as she plucked one of the ribs out of its sauce. The meat fell apart in her mouth. He said nothing as she ate, his eyes unfocussed on her, but she knew he saw her, although she had no idea what the sight of her meantto him now. Her once-beloved body. She finished the rib, put it on the plate, and rinsed her fingertips in the water.
“You’re going to smell like barbecue sauce when you get out of there.”
“Better than how I smelled before. You could get an onion and a handful of carrots and toss them into the water. Make enough soup for the weekend.”
“What a vile image.”
“Isn’t it.”
He held out another rib. There was rice and creamed spinach on the plate, but all she wanted was the meat. Maybe protein would cure her, she thought. He picked up a rib as well and started absently chewing on it. Finally they were sharing a meal. She had to smile.
“You’re an impossible woman,” he said. “You must know that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re going to end up chained to a bed with the nurses avoiding you.”
“A fitting end to the mess I’m making of my life.”
“Now, now,” he said. “Self-pity doesn’t suit you.”
“But I’m good at it.”
He put a bone down on the plate and leaned forward to dip his fingers into the bathwater. “Listen. You’ve raised two beautiful girls, you’re a good daughter, and you’re a beloved member of an important public institution. People count on you. They admire you and they care for you. No one but you thinks you’ve made a mess of your life.”
“You do.”
“You gave me thirty wonderful years.”
“We were married for thirty-six, Andrew.”
“I know.”
“God,”
she muttered, and she shook her head. He laughed. “Stop eating my supper.”
He passed her the last rib and she pushed herself forward in the bath and leaned down to expose her back to him. “You might as well make yourself useful.”
“No,” he said, and he stood, pushing the chair back toward the door. “I’ve done my duty.”
“Just wash my back, Andrew. Then you can go.”
“Feeding my naked ex-wife in the bathtub while my new wife and my ex-mother-in-law are upstairs watching
Wheel of Fortune
is about as much poor judgment as I’m prepared to exercise in one night. I’ll send Emily down.”
“It’s fine,” she said, and she dropped the stripped bone into the water. It floated on the surface. Seeing it there, she thought of what they’d pulled out of the lake. “Just sit down for another minute. Make sure I can get out.” She heard him pull the chair back behind the bathtub. “So did you hear about my day?”
“I heard you went in to work. That’s good news.”
“It’s the only good news from the day. We had a report of a body in Gannon Lake, you know.”
“You’re kidding me. Who was it?”
“Have you been reading the story in the
Record
?”
“I skimmed it.”
She pushed the bone along the surface. The dark sauce bloomed off it and stained the water pink. “They find a headless body in the story.”
“You found a headless body in the lake?”
“Not quite. A headless mannequin. She was missing her hands and feet, too.”
“That’s a bit of a strange coincidence,” he said. She heard the washcloth dip into the water behind her.
“There’s more.”
“Are you supposed to be telling me this?”
“There was a web address on the mannequin, if you can believe that. We went to the site and there’s some kind of feed, you know, like a video feed from somewhere. A room. Looks empty, but then you see a sliver of a person. Sitting in a chair. He seems to be staring at the camera.”
“That’s creepy.”
“As fuck,” she said. “What does it sound like to you?”
“Uhh,” he said, “a riddle wrapped in an enigma?”
“You’re a puzzle fan, Andrew. Does it make you think of anything?”
“It makes me think
“You’re going to smell like barbecue sauce when you get out of there.”
“Better than how I smelled before. You could get an onion and a handful of carrots and toss them into the water. Make enough soup for the weekend.”
“What a vile image.”
“Isn’t it.”
He held out another rib. There was rice and creamed spinach on the plate, but all she wanted was the meat. Maybe protein would cure her, she thought. He picked up a rib as well and started absently chewing on it. Finally they were sharing a meal. She had to smile.
“You’re an impossible woman,” he said. “You must know that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re going to end up chained to a bed with the nurses avoiding you.”
“A fitting end to the mess I’m making of my life.”
“Now, now,” he said. “Self-pity doesn’t suit you.”
“But I’m good at it.”
He put a bone down on the plate and leaned forward to dip his fingers into the bathwater. “Listen. You’ve raised two beautiful girls, you’re a good daughter, and you’re a beloved member of an important public institution. People count on you. They admire you and they care for you. No one but you thinks you’ve made a mess of your life.”
“You do.”
“You gave me thirty wonderful years.”
“We were married for thirty-six, Andrew.”
“I know.”
“God,”
she muttered, and she shook her head. He laughed. “Stop eating my supper.”
He passed her the last rib and she pushed herself forward in the bath and leaned down to expose her back to him. “You might as well make yourself useful.”
“No,” he said, and he stood, pushing the chair back toward the door. “I’ve done my duty.”
“Just wash my back, Andrew. Then you can go.”
“Feeding my naked ex-wife in the bathtub while my new wife and my ex-mother-in-law are upstairs watching
Wheel of Fortune
is about as much poor judgment as I’m prepared to exercise in one night. I’ll send Emily down.”
“It’s fine,” she said, and she dropped the stripped bone into the water. It floated on the surface. Seeing it there, she thought of what they’d pulled out of the lake. “Just sit down for another minute. Make sure I can get out.” She heard him pull the chair back behind the bathtub. “So did you hear about my day?”
“I heard you went in to work. That’s good news.”
“It’s the only good news from the day. We had a report of a body in Gannon Lake, you know.”
“You’re kidding me. Who was it?”
“Have you been reading the story in the
Record
?”
“I skimmed it.”
She pushed the bone along the surface. The dark sauce bloomed off it and stained the water pink. “They find a headless body in the story.”
“You found a headless body in the lake?”
“Not quite. A headless mannequin. She was missing her hands and feet, too.”
“That’s a bit of a strange coincidence,” he said. She heard the washcloth dip into the water behind her.
“There’s more.”
“Are you supposed to be telling me this?”
“There was a web address on the mannequin, if you can believe that. We went to the site and there’s some kind of feed, you know, like a video feed from somewhere. A room. Looks empty, but then you see a sliver of a person. Sitting in a chair. He seems to be staring at the camera.”
“That’s creepy.”
“As fuck,” she said. “What does it sound like to you?”
“Uhh,” he said, “a riddle wrapped in an enigma?”
“You’re a puzzle fan, Andrew. Does it make you think of anything?”
“It makes me think
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