Had Egon not taken notice and alerted him to the signal, Theo might have neglected the answering machine altogether. Most people reached him via his cell phone, and he had nearly forgotten about the landline that sat next to his computer. He pressed the button marked Play and flinched at the sound of a voice from the past. “Theo, this is your mother-in-law. Dolores. Are you home? I saw Katharine on the TV. Kay. Or something like her. Please call when you get this message.” He listened again. Echoes of a ghost. “Are you going to call her?” Egon asked. “Or should I?” Their suitcases sat next to the front door, and Theo had just sloughed off his jacket and draped it on the back of his desk chair. Road weary, he wanted nothing more than a long shower and a night’s rest. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Maybe in the morning. It’s late, and she’s probably asleep by now.” Egon threw his hands into the air. “Are you out of your mind? Talk to the woman.” “You don’t understand.
