Page 27 of A Dark and Stormy Night

"I forget to eat." She couldn't eat. She was too worried, too sick at heart.

"She said that, didn't she? Cecily said it. She said I was cheating on you."

Gwen turned her head and stared at the package of dried whole-wheat pasta. "She didn't say it exactly. She never says anything exactly. She saw me watching for you, and asked when you usually come home. And after you were late a few times, she gave me advice on how to dress to attract you again. As a gift, she went online and ordered a dress for me. And a padded bra." Gwen could scarcely speak for distress. "She gives me makeup tips."

Mario turned toward the door. "I am throwing them out of the house."

Gwen grabbed his arm. "She'll sue us. Every day she insinuates . . . "

Mario turned back to her, and he was angry . . . and anguished. "Better to lose everything we own than to lose each other!"

Gwen stared at him, at his strong, beloved face, and for the first time in weeks, the brittle shell around her shattered.

She gave a sob.

He opened his arms.

She went into his embrace.

He rocked her.

She laughed and cried.

He suggested sex in the pantry would be a good way to make up.

She looked around for a way to make it work. "I'm afraid we'll knock ourselves out with careening canned goods."

He kissed her.

When he pulled back, he said, "We could do it in our bed. That would be new and exciting."

"We can't."

He was instantly irritated. "Why not?"

"Because they can hear us."

"What?"

"The last time we made love, Cecily teased me about it the next day. She said she was surprised you weren't bruised from my bony hips."

Mario flushed hot, burning her through their clothes. "I built this house. Our suite is insulated, soundproofed. Our door is solid. How could she have heard that?"

"I don't know, but she did. And then when we stopped . . . making love, she knew that, too. She has the hearing of a vampire bat."

"It's true. She is a bloodsucker." He thought for a minute. "We could save ourselves trouble if we simply murdered them."

Gwen nodded judiciously. "Good idea. How do you want to do it?"

"We'll have to make it look like an accident." He stroked his chin in mocking consideration. "I know! You can give Cecily lots of green vegetables."

"I already am. I grind them up, hide them in the food. She never knows it."

"You are very smart."

"I got tired of listening to her complain about constipation."

He laughed, his booming Mario laugh she had not heard for too many weeks.

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