Arthur had just sunk an arrow into what troubled Grace the most. It could take more than a year for Penny to be deemed well enough to return home for a two-week stay. Grace’s fear and shame about abandoning her daughter came barreling at her in one great rush.
There was no delaying the inevitable when they got back from Maine. “We’ll tell her together in the morning,” Arthur said as he pulled into the driveway. Grace didn’t contradict him. Annie reported perfectly behaved children, which meant no sign of Eve—making tomorrow’s announcement about the treatment center all the more painful.
The manager had already closed Big Frank’s for the night, but Arthur wanted to go to the restaurant to review the receipts and place some orders for the morning. Penny asked to go along. She was hungry and craving an Italian sub, but wanted to make it for herself just the way she liked it. Given all that was going to happen, Arthur couldn’t say no.
When they didn’t return at the hour expected, and phone calls went unanswered, Grace went looking for them. It was ten o’clock at night when she pulled into the parking lot. There were lights on inside, and Arthur’s was the only car there. Ryan and Jack had accompanied Grace because they, too, were worried about their sister and father. It was Ryan who found his dad sprawled on the floor next to the oven, dead from what the medical examiner would later determine was a heart attack. Then he saw Penny was slumped on the floor nearby, a blank stare on her face, the phone clutched in her hand.
Grace screamed Arthur’s name as she fell to her knees beside him and started CPR, even though she knew it was a wasted effort. Jack went to Penny.
“What happened?” he asked her, distraught. But like that day in the park, she wouldn’t speak.
Ryan went ballistic. He started screaming at his sister. “Why didn’t you call for help? Why didn’t you call nine-one-one? Dad might still be alive if you did! You killed him!”
The medical examiner had made it clear that Arthur was probably dead before he hit the ground, but Ryan refused to accept that explanation, and his resentment toward his sister never left him. Now, without Arthur’s support and encouragement, Grace’s willingness to send Penny away to Maine left her.
* * *
Annie emerged from the back storeroom carrying a load of boxes in her outstretched arms. She was pixie-small, but full of wiry muscle from years of reeling in bluegills and tommy cods on the Cape, where she still fished the spots she’d once fished with her father, holding his blessed memory in her heart.
Showing her sun-loving tendencies, she had a weather-beaten and salt-scrubbed face, but the elements had not worn away her pleasant aspect and cheery smile. Her eyes were big and expressive, lips thin, and for a hairstyle, she went with something short and low maintenance.
Annie dressed oddly for someone who loved the ocean, preferring cowboy shirts and dark jeans. She was also a collector of unique belt buckles. Today’s showpiece was a horseshoe-shaped rhinestone buckle that looked like a million bucks and probably cost eight fifty at TJ Maxx. Annie could be as frugal as Arthur, but they were both lightweights compared to Big Frank.
“What gives, sis?” Annie said, sending Grace a friendly smile after depositing the boxes she carried onto a stainless steel table. “How was the visit?”
Grace always warmed when Annie referred to her as her sister. The death of her mother from a stroke years ago had left Grace in need of female family. Her one brother, who lived in California, never came to visit. Grace called her dad in Florida once a week, but she didn’t discuss Penny’s case, fearing his weakened heart couldn’t take the stress.
Grace reviewed the day for Annie, who had no trouble talking about the case. She listened with quiet attentiveness, and held Grace’s hand when she became teary about seeing Penny again.
“Dr. McHugh thinks the person Penny saw in the apartment is one of her alters.”
Ryan called out for a Mediterranean calzone （spinach, olives, feta cheese, onions, and tomatoes）。 Annie grabbed some pre-balled dough from a plastic bin and began flattening it out on a floured pizza peel. Grace cued in on the strain in Annie’s face.
“What’s up?” Grace asked as she set about prepping a garden salad for a phone order.
“Nothing. It’s great that Penny showed up.” Annie, who had baked enough calzones in her day to make one in the dark, locked eyes with Grace as she added ingredients to her creation. “I’m just wondering.”
Ryan was flittering about the kitchen, so Grace kept her voice low to avoid upsetting him. “Wondering what?”