"How'd she die?"

"She had a massive stroke while she was in labor with me. She never recovered, and she eventually died."

The phone rang, interrupting the conversation. Michelle wiped her hands oh a towel and answered. Her father was calling from The Swan. She could hear glasses clinking.

Theo leaned against the counter and finished his apple while he waited for Michelle to tell him what she wanted him to do to

help with dinner. His stomach growled in anticipation, and he looked around the kitchen for something to snack on. The woman didn't keep any junk food around. How could she drink a cold beer without a handful of potato chips? That seemed almost

criminal to him.

"Do you mind?" he asked, pointing to the cabinets.

She waved him ahead, and he immediately started searching the shelves for something more to eat. Jake was doing most of

the talking on the phone. Every minute or two Michelle would try to get a word in,

"But, Daddy… we were just fixing… yes, Daddy. I understand. All right. I'll go right over… Why does Theo have to go with me? Honestly, Daddy, the man came here to fish… No, I wasn't arguing. Yes, sir. I'll call you as soon as we get back."

Then she laughed, and it was such a joyful sound, Theo smiled in reaction. "No, Daddy, I don't think Theo wants any more of

your gumbo."

After she hung up the phone, she put the fish back in the refrigerator. "Sorry, but dinner's going to have to wait a little while.

Daryl Waterson is having trouble with his hand, and Daddy told him I'd drive over there and look at it. Daryl's probably just bandaged it too tight again. I'd insist that you stay here and relax, or start dinner for me, but my car's at The Swan and Daddy thinks you ought to go with me. Do you mind?"

Since he didn't have any intention of letting Michelle out of his sight until they had had a talk about her situation, he didn't mind at all. "No problem," he said. "Daryl's the big kid's dad? The teenager who came into the bar looking for me? What was his name?"

"Elliott," she said. "And yes, Daryl's his dad."

"Maybe we could drive through a McDonald's on the way. Get some french fries and a Big Mac."

"Do you just not care about your arteries?"

It was the way she asked the question that made him laugh. She'd sounded so appalled. "Sure I do. So how about it?"

"There aren't any McDonald's in Bowen."

He ran upstairs to get his car keys while she went into her office to get her medical bag. Theo beat her to the front door and waited.

"You've got your house key?" he asked.

She patted her pocket. "Got it."

"I locked your back door. You left it open." He sounded as though he was accusing her of a crime.

"I sometimes forget to turn it. We don't worry about locking our doors in Bowen."

"Was your clinic locked up tight?"

"Yes, it was."

"From now on," he said as he pulled the front door closed behind them and made sure it was locked, "every door is secured. Okay?"

"Yes, okay," she said as she put her medical bag on his backseat.

Theo was backing out of the driveway when he glanced at her and said, "Think we could stop for-"

"No."

"You don't know what I want."

"Yes, I do. French fries, greasy burger-"

"Potato chips," he said.

"Too much sodium."

While she directed him down one unmarked road after another, he argued with her about nutrition. "Don't you ever lighten up?"

"I'm a doctor, so I guess the answer is no."

"Doctors aren't allowed to eat anything that tastes good?"

"I had no idea my houseguest was going to be such a whiner. Daddy likes junk food. You could move in with him."

She was afraid she sounded belligerent. Theo gave her the opening to prove she wasn't a complete stuffed shirt or a prude when he asked, "What do people do around here for fun?"

She shrugged. "Oh, pretty simple things… go to the movies, swap fishing stories over a pitcher of beer at The Swan, have potluck dinners at the VFW hall, visit neighbors to compare tomato crops… and then, of course, there's the perennial favorite… sex."

"What?" he asked, sure he hadn't heard her correctly.

"Sex," she repeated innocently. "They have sex. Lots and lots of sex."

He laughed. "I knew I was gonna like this place."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Here's Daryl's house at the end of the road," Michelle said.

Theo would have parked by the curb, but there wasn't one. There wasn't a driveway either, and so he pulled up on the grassy slope and parked the car next to a battered old Chevy van. The two-story frame house was in desperate need of repair. The bowed steps looked as though they were about to cave in.

Daryl's wife, Cherry, was watching for them behind the screen door. As soon as they got out of the car, she came out on the porch and waved to them.

"Good of you to come by, Dr. Mike. DaryPs hand is giving him fits. He doesn't like to complain, but I can tell he's in considerable pain."

Theo took Michelle's medical bag and followed her. She introduced him. After Cherry wiped her hands on her apron, she shook his hand. She was a rather plain woman with a weathered complexion, around the age of forty, Theo guessed, but when she smiled, she was quite lovely. The nickname, Cherry, obviously was due to her bright red hair.

"I've heard all about you from our oldest boy, Elliott. I don't think I've ever seen him so excited," Cherry said. "You certainly did impress him," she added with a nod. "Come on inside. I was just fixing to set the table for supper. Oh, before I forget to tell you, Mr. Freeland might be passing by to say his hello. He rang up about twenty minutes ago."

"Mr. Freeland?" The name seemed familiar to Theo, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it before.

"The music teacher at the high school," Michelle said.,

Cherry led the way through the living room and dining area. The furniture was sparse and worn-out. The kitchen was small

and crowded with a long oak table and ten chairs, none of which seemed to match.

Daryl was waiting for them. He was seated at the head of the table feeding a banana to the baby in the high chair next to him. The little boy had more of the banana on his face and hands than in his mouth. The baby spotted his mother and broke out in a toothless grin. Then he saw Michelle and immediately clouded up. His lower lip trembled.

She kept her distance. "No shots today, Henry," she promised.

The toddler burst into tears. Cherry patted the baby's hand and soothed him with a handful of Cheerios she placed on his tray.

"Every time Henry sees me, I hurt him," Michelle said. "When I can afford it, I'm going to hire a nurse and let her give the shots."

"Don't you mind Henry. He'll figure out you aren't here to mess with him in a minute or two," Cherry said.

Daryl stood and put his hand out to shake Theo's as Michelle made the introductions. The man's left hand and arm were

bandaged to the elbow.

"Why don't you sit down next to Dr. Mike by that stack of papers," Cherry suggested to Theo, "while she has a look at Daryl's hand."

Daryl wasn't too subtle as he shoved the papers closer to Theo. "Big Daddy Jake thought you might find these papers of mine interesting… you being a lawyer and all."

Theo knew a setup when he saw one. He nodded and sat down. Michelle knew what was going on as well, but she went through the motions of looking at Daryl's hand.

After checking the color of his fingers, she asked, "Are you changing the bandage every day?"

"Yes," he said, his gaze fully directed on Theo. "Cherry changes it for me."

"We've got enough of the gauze you gave us to last another week," Cherry said. She, too, was watching Theo closely and was nervously twisting her apron in her hands.