Page 84 of Whistle

Across the road, Daniel was clearing the kitchen table of their dinner plates and asked his wife, “Can I interest you in a piece of pie?”

Dolores turned her head slowly to look at him. “What kind of pie?” she asked flatly.

“Peach. Got it in Fenelon. Your favorite place.”

“Do we have any ice cream?” she asked.

“There was some vanilla, but we might have used it all up.” He set the plates on the counter by the sink, went to the fridge. Thefreezer compartment took up the lower third. He gave the handle a firm tug and peered inside. “Here we go,” he said. He brought out a carton and peeled off the top. “Just enough.”

“Okay, then,” Dolores said without enthusiasm.

Daniel opened a cardboard bakery box and slid out the pie, carefully cut out two slices and placed them on plates, then dug out the last of the ice cream. There was enough for a good-sized scoop for Dolores’s slice. He put a small scoop next to his.

He brought the plates back to the table and sat down.

Dolores broke off a piece of pie with the edge of her fork, added a bit of ice cream to it, and put it into her mouth. If it gave her any pleasure, she showed no indication.

“Good?” Daniel asked.

“Yes,” Dolores said, finishing a bite and swallowing. “It’s very good, Daniel. Thank you for getting it.”

He smiled, took a bite from his own plate. “That is a damn good peach pie they make.”

“Yes.”

“Their cherry is good, too. I think the last time I was there, I got cherry.”

“Yes, I believe you did.”

“But I’m gonna have to make sure we’ve got ice cream before I get another one,” he said.

“Yes,” Dolores said. “I like ice cream with my pie.”

“What would you like to do tonight, hon?” He always asked her this, even though he knew the answer was always going to be the same.

“Whatever you want to do,” she said.

“I was thinking we’d watch some TV.”

“Okay.”

Dolores finished her slice first, ran her index finger through some melted ice cream, and licked it off. “You do love your ice cream,” Daniel said.

“She’s going to come over,” Dolores said.

“Is she, now,” Daniel said.

He didn’t have to ask who Dolores was referring to. He’d also been thinking Annie Blunt would be paying them a visit in the near future. There’d been quite the to-do over there last night. Two police cars. Daniel had been in bed but was wide awake and noticed the flashing lights coming through the curtains in their bedroom. Dolores was awake, too, but she chose to stay in bed when Daniel got up to see what all the fuss was about.

By the time he’d pulled on some clothes, he saw Annie’s SUV turn back up the drive and come to a stop out front of the house. Daniel took a stroll out to the cruiser that was parked on the main road. A young man behind the wheel powered down the window.

“What’s up?” Daniel asked.

“Boy went missing,” the cop said. “But the mom just found him, brought him back.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Daniel said. “Where’d he get off to?”

The cop pointed a thumb back over this shoulder. “Up that way.”

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