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been bitterly disappointed when he returned from the desert with Abby. Abby kept silent, certain she would seem backward to this modern businesswoman, and she did not want to embarrass Mike. |
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As Hannah cleared the last of their supper dishes, Ruth finally spoke. "So, Abby, Mike told us that you lost your family on the desert. Have the police been of much help in finding them?" |
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Abby bit her lip, looking toward Mike for help. But he was engrossed in a conversation with Lowell on a topic that seemed to interest both: something called baseball. |
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She turned back to Ruth. "I hope to be reunited with my family eventually without involving the authorities." |
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Ruth's blue eyes narrowed. "I'd have thought you'd be frantic. In fact" |
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She was interrupted by the doorbell, followed a moment later by angry voices from outside the dining room. Hannah appeared in the doorway, but before she could speak, Philip Rousseau shouldered her aside. The scowl Mike's brother-in-law wore reminded Abby of the one on his face the first time she'd seen him, at the Arlen's Kitchens office. This night he was dressed informally again, in jeans and a faded T-shirt. There was a slackness to his fleshy face that Abby did not understand until he began speaking. |
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"Well, isn't this cozy?" His slurred voice oozed sarcasm, and Abby realized he was intoxicated. "A party with a bunch of the same guests as our last one. A few people missing, though, and she's |
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