No one would notice if she stayed here in the kitchen, quietly seated in the breakfast nook with Ralph. On rare occasions being easy to overlook came in handy. Officers came into the house with empty boxes and left with full ones. She wondered if any of them contained drafts of Angie's erotica and what the officers were going to make of them. She'd make sure to have a word with Peterson about keeping it quiet so as not to add any more embarrassment to Ralph's day. Eventually, the country-kitsch clock on the wall said it was approaching 5:00, almost two hours after Jack had left. Where was he? Had Tate not been at the garage, or had he insisted on staying until the end of his usual woodworking hours before coming to Ralph's rescue? Helen waited another half hour before running out of patience. If Tate was going to show up at all, it would be soon. If not, well, Jack would likely admit defeat and report back to her. "I'm going out to see what's keeping Jack," she told Ralph. "Don't talk to anyone about anything until I get back." Ralph stood.
