Not His Wife novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: Marlow County

"You couldn't have known," I said.

"I'm sixty-four years old and I've run a cafeteria line through two floods," Bernice said. "I know when a girl is being too nice."

"She was always nice."

"That's what I mean."

She took off her hat and put it in her lap, and smoothed the brim.

"Find out where he goes," she said to Anson. "Don't let her go in alone."

"I wasn't planning to," Anson said.

"Good. Take some cake."

He took some cake.

On Wednesday evening Reed came downstairs at ten past six with a gym bag and his work boots in his hand.

"Marlow job," he said. "Back Friday, babe. Don't wait up."

"Be careful," I said.

"Always am."

He kissed me on the mouth.

I stood in the doorway and watched his truck back out of the drive, waiting a minute before I picked up my coat.

Anson's sedan was already around the corner.

We stayed three cars behind Reed's truck for twenty minutes.

He drove past the exit for Marlow County without slowing down.

He drove across the river, down Fifth, through a stretch of laundromats and a closed-up bakery, and turned onto Cutler Street.

It was a street of duplexes with porches that sagged, and wet leaves in the gutters, and kids' bikes chained to railings.

Reed's truck pulled in at a yellow one on the right.

Anson turned off the headlights and rolled us to a stop across the road, behind a van.

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