Lie, Lie Again(58)

The woman offered an understanding look and smiled at Kylie. “Those are very pretty shoes you have on.”

Kylie froze, clearly surprised that this stranger had spoken to her, but she quickly resumed her crying.

“Toddler fun!” Embry whispered, punctuating her words with a tight-lipped smile. She gave the woman a conspiratorial glance and said in a loud voice, “It’s such a nice morning that I thought a trip to the park would be fun! But it looks like we’ll have to head back and get ready for a nap,” she added with exaggerated remorse for Kylie’s benefit. Some days it felt like she was fighting an uphill battle in psychological warfare. This toddler business was exhausting.

“Oh yes,” the woman said, moving her stroller back and forth with one hand. “I understand about the napping. I’ve recently started coming here every morning to walk the pathway. My son loves to nap in the stroller,” she said, nodding at her little bundle of blue, “and he gets very crabby if he doesn’t get a good nap.”

“No nap!” Kylie said, throwing her arms across her chest.

“Well, if you don’t want a nap just yet, I suppose we can stay and play for a little while,” Embry said with false hesitation.

“Playing at the park is a lot more fun than napping,” the woman added, her eyes shining.

How sweet of her to play along so easily, Embry thought. “It sure is.” She glanced down at Kylie, who had her lips pursed in a frown.

“Do you live nearby?” the woman asked.

“As a matter of fact, we do. Just a few blocks away on Mockingbird Lane, which, come to think of it, is a strange name, being that I’ve never once seen a mockingbird in the area. Only crows, pigeons, and seagulls. Nuisances. Anyway, how about you?”

“We’re about a mile away. I drove here,” she said, almost apologetically, as she continued to gently move her stroller back and forth. “This is the closest park to us. But you live on Mockingbird Lane,” she said with interest. She took a card from her pocket and read it. “Any chance you’re near 1054?”

Embry stiffened. How would she know that? What if this woman were part of a crime ring, luring unsuspecting moms to trust her? She’d seen plenty of strange things on the local news. But then again, there wasn’t much to steal from her place. A thief would scoff at their archaic TV. Well, just in case, she would ask the questions. “Why?” she said with a sweet smile. “What is that?” She motioned to the card in the woman’s hand.

The woman flipped it to show her. “It’s a driver’s license. Do you know Sylvia Webb?”

“She’s my neighbor.” It was impossible to hide the surprise from her voice. “Did you find that here?”

“No, she stopped by with a gift yesterday and must’ve dropped it. Can you give it to her for me? It’ll save me the trip.”

Kylie thumped her feet against the jogger. “I go play now, Mama!”

“Hold up, Ky.” She turned to the woman. “Sure, I’d be happy to. She actually lives in the same complex as me.” Of course this woman isn’t part of a crime ring. She’s just another mom at the park. “I’m Embry, by the way.”

The woman reached across the jogger to shake her hand. “Lily. So nice meeting you. Please give Sylvia my best.” Stealing a look at Kylie, who was inching down the seat of the jogger, she said in a timid voice, “I was thinking about her all day yesterday. How is she?”

“You mean her wrist?”

“No.” She frowned. “She hasn’t told you about—”

Embry stiffened as she recalled the odd request. What if Sylvia had been written up at work? “Told me what?” she asked in a measured tone.

“I don’t mean to gossip,” she started, lowering her voice to a whisper, “but she found out her boyfriend is married with a baby. You didn’t know?”

Embry clamped a hand to her mouth. This was terrible. Why hadn’t she said anything? “I didn’t. That’s awful.”

Kylie’s feet touched the ground, and she stood. “We go now, Mama?”

“One sec. How about you dash over to the big tree next to the bench and back, and then we’ll go play?” She watched as Kylie clumsily began skipping across the dewy grass.

“Sorry. I know you need to go with her. And I hope Sylvia doesn’t mind I told you.” She gave her a quizzical look, as though she was trying to work something out in her head. “The way she blurted it out made me think she was telling everyone. She was really upset. Crying,” she added, her eyes wide. “But maybe she felt more comfortable telling someone she doesn’t know well. She works with my husband, and we’ve only met twice.”

“Wow. I had no idea that she had a boyfriend. What a horrible thing to discover.” She pocketed the license and thought back to their conversation on Sunday night. Why hadn’t she said anything then? “I’ll be sure to give this to her.” She wanted to ask more questions, but Kylie was back.

“It was really nice meeting you. And you,” Lily said, smiling at Kylie, who was loping around the jogger. “I don’t know many other moms. It can be lonely.”

“Well, if you’re ever visiting Sylvia, stop by and say hi. We’re across from her in the lower unit.”