Chapter 18: Unwell

"I'm not going to take long," June said.

Her voice came out of the speakers clear and low.

"Dad said the topic tonight was family. I'm the family, so I thought I should explain the pictures."

Nobody coughed.

"I found that key card in February. I followed him to the building in the photograph. I've known for four months."

She looked at the room.

"I didn't tell my mother, because he always makes things sound reasonable, and I didn't want her to be reasonable about this."

A man at table six put his hand over his mouth.

"That's all," June said. "I wanted you to see it with the lights on."

She stepped back from the microphone, and my knees finally began to shake.

Calvin crossed the stage in three strides and took the microphone out of her hand.

I had watched him do this at a hundred dinners.

He put on the face of a worried husband and a wounded father.

"Friends," he said gently. "I'm so sorry you've been put through this."

"Calvin," I said.

"My wife has not been well." He turned half toward me, as if to guard me.

"She's been under great strain this month."

"My daughter loves her very much and has been, I think, misled by that."

People looked at each other.

I saw it start to work.

I saw a woman at table three nod slowly.

"A doctor here tonight has been kind enough to stay close," Calvin said.

"I'd ask you all to be patient while we help my family through this."

The gray-haired man at our table rose.

He closed his folio and set it on his chair.

"Mr. Roark," he said, in a dry voice that carried without a microphone. "I'm a cardiologist."