Page 78 of The Summer Guests

“It’s about a family, living on a pond in Maine.”

“And who is this family?”

“I call them the Corcorans. A couple with two sons.”

“Like us.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“And you gave them the name Corcoran? How much closer could you get?”

“The names are just temporary placeholders! I haven’t even decided what happens to them all.”

Colin said, “Is my name in there?”

“These arefictionalcharacters, for God’s sake.” Ethan looked around at his family. “Jesus, I’m awriter. I make things up!”

“Well,” said Elizabeth, “this may be fiction, but your novel sounds uncomfortably close to reality. Right down to the missing woman.”

“Then your book isn’t about Zoe?” said Kit.

They all looked at him. As usual the boy had been silent through the whole conversation, as inert as a stone gargoyle. No one had expected him to suddenly speak.

“No, Kit, it’snotabout Zoe,” said Ethan. “It’s about something that happened before I was even born. There was a young woman named Vivian Stillwater who worked as Dr. Greene’s secretary. And one day, she just vanished. That’s what my book’s about. Whatmighthave happened to her.” Ethan looked at Elizabeth. “You must remember Vivian,Mom. The summer she disappeared, you and Dad would’ve been living here. Arthur too.”

Elizabeth groaned and turned away. “God, this is a mess. Hannah never should have told you about it. And you shouldn’t be writing about it.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ve invaded our privacy!”

“What does this have to do withus?”

“Do you know how hard I’ve worked to keep us all together? How many times have I told you that familyalwayscomes first?”

“Constantly,” Ethan muttered.

Elizabeth turned to Susan. “Andyoushouldn’t have brought the police into it.”

“But theyneededto know,” said Susan. “This could have something to do with Zoe’s abduction.”

“You should have spoken tomefirst. Askedmebefore getting the police involved. In our family, loyalty always comes before everything else. But I wouldn’t expectyouto understand that.”

“No,” Susan said quietly. “I don’t understand that. But then, I’m not really part of this family, am I?” She stood up and went to the door.

“Susan,” said Ethan. “Where are you going?”

“I need some air.”

“Please, let’s talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to say. The rules have been spelled out to me.”

“Let me go with you.”

“I just want to take a walk, okay? I want to bealone.” She pulled her jacket off the coat hook, grabbed her purse, and stepped out of the house.

The afternoon had turned damp and windblown. A summer storm was brewing, and the weather matched her mood, angry and turbulent. She thought about jumping in the car and driving back to the hospital, but Ethan had the car keys, and the last thing she wanted to do was go back in that house. She couldn’t face the family, not now, so she justkept walking at a furious pace along Shoreline Road. She longed to pack her bags and return to Boston, but how could she, when her daughter was here in the hospital? How could she escape these Conovers, with their secrets and their closed faces and their loyalty oaths?

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