From Clarinda, he knew Mary Ann planned to return to work at the seminary on Monday. Did she intend to speak with him before then? She hadn’t revealed any more of what had sent her rushing into the night than what she had said in her letter. Both Clarinda and Aunt Flo offered the same advice: wait. When she was ready to tell them—tell him—her story, she would. Both of them trusted her not to endanger the family. Whenever Howard didn’t need him, Wallace retraced the places he had been with Mary Anne over the past month. The restaurant owner commented on a number of strangers, but Wallace couldn’t learn any more about them. They hadn’t drawn attention to themselves. If they were looking for Mary Anne—or did they know her as Marabelle?—they hadn’t asked for her by name. Today Wallace made his way to the bridge where they had met for the first time. At the entrance, he pulled the truck to the side of the road, fallen leaves crunching beneath the wheels.
