After Anna(82)

‘I don’t know where to start,’ Maggie began, but tears came to her eyes. ‘I can’t say it.’

‘What do you mean? What is it?’

‘I can’t.’

‘Maggie. It’s okay. Whatever you did, I love you.’

‘It’s not me.’ Maggie wiped her eyes on her shirt. She had put on a blousy black top and black capris for the party, her Cool Mom Outfit. It seemed pathetic now.

‘What’s the matter, honey?’ Kathy’s tone softened.

Maggie prepared to say words she could never believe would come out of her mouth: ‘I think Noah may have molested Anna.’

‘What?’ Kathy gasped, shocked. ‘You can’t be serious.’

‘It’s so awful,’ Maggie found herself whispering. She couldn’t admit it aloud, even to herself.

‘Molested?’

‘Tried to kiss her and touch her breast, in the bathroom.’

‘No!’ Kathy gasped again.

‘Yes.’ Maggie was still whispering.

‘How do you know?’

‘I don’t for sure. But I think . . .’ Maggie swallowed hard, struggling to stay in emotional control. ‘I didn’t believe it myself. I wouldn’t have believed it. But then I got a text and he saw Jordan in Miami. He was in her hotel room.’

‘He saw her, the fetus?’ Kathy asked, in confusion.

‘Yes. He told me he didn’t see her but then she sent a text, and he had to admit that he lied.’

‘What does that have to do with Anna?’

‘Let me explain,’ Maggie said, launching into an account of everything that had happened, the words gushing as if she was bleeding them. She texted Kathy the photo of Noah in the hotel room, and after Kathy had gotten the photo, her tone hardened, which made Maggie’s chest tighter. ‘Kathy, you think he did it, don’t you? The picture convinced you, I can tell.’

‘I can’t believe this, and I didn’t, but this photo . . .’ Kathy let the sentence trail off.

‘What’s the matter with him?’ Maggie asked, anguished.

‘God knows. How’s Anna?’

‘Sleeping.’

‘Where’s Noah?’

‘I don’t know and I don’t care.’

‘And Caleb?’

‘Asleep. I’m hoping he didn’t hear anything. I’ll check on him later and tell him that Noah had to go in to work.’ Maggie edged forward on the chair, trying to collect her thoughts. ‘Do you think Noah would do something like that? To Anna?’

‘I wouldn’t have before, but I don’t think it’s impossible, not since I’ve seen that photo. Something must be going on with him.’

‘He tried to molest my daughter.’ Maggie rubbed her face, feeling a wave of pain. ‘I can’t let him back in the house.’

‘No, you can’t.’

‘I have to protect Anna. I owe her that, as my daughter.’ Maggie heard herself saying the unthinkable. ‘I don’t know what this means for me and Noah. For our marriage. I just can’t bring myself to believe he would do such a thing. Anna didn’t even tell me the first time it happened, at the driving lesson. She didn’t want to upset me. I don’t know if she would’ve said anything if he hadn’t tried it again.’

‘I’m glad she did, even though it’s awful.’

‘I am too.’ Maggie sighed, weepy. Heartbroken.

‘Even if he didn’t do it, you have to err on the safe side. He should move into a hotel or rent something, for a while. You need to get her to a therapist, and him too. Do you think he’ll agree to that?’

‘He has to. I’ll make it a condition to his coming home.’ Maggie couldn’t believe that her life had gone from blissful to disastrous in a single week. She held back her tears.

‘Maybe the pressure’s getting to him?’

‘What pressure? The pressure isn’t any different than it has been before.’

‘Maybe Anna moving in, or Mike, that patient he lost? Or is it his own grief, over Karen? Somehow it’s setting him off.’

‘Setting what off?’ Maggie racked her brain. ‘What if he just has a thing for younger women?’

‘Honey, I’m so sorry this happened. Do you want me to come over?’

‘No, thanks. I want to keep things as normal as possible here. I feel so terrible about Anna.’ Maggie felt tears coming back, but held them at bay. ‘She loses her father and reaches out to me and now look what happens. It’s so awful.’

‘I know, but you can’t help that. You didn’t do it.’

‘I brought her here. I thought everything would be so great.’

‘It’s not your fault.’

‘Remember I met with her therapist? I told her how great everything was going to be. This is so shameful.’

‘You didn’t know. You couldn’t know.’

‘What if I should have? What if this has been happening with him for a long time? What if Anna isn’t the first and neither is Jordan? I’m afraid to look at his computer but believe me, I want to.’

‘Don’t.’

‘Why not? I know his passcodes. He has them on a pad.’