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Somebody saw something on the roadside and stopped to check? There are many good reasons.”
    Tracy knew Janya was right. And if she hadn’t thought the stranger looked like her ex-husband, she wouldn’t have given his presence much thought. Not with Marsh waiting with open arms.
    “You sleep well,” Tracy said. “And if I have any problems, I’ll call.”
    She walked slowly home, making certain to peer behind every tree and bush along the oyster shell road. But whoever she had seen was gone.
    As she unlocked the front door, she wondered if Wanda had actually hit this particular nail right on the head. Tracy had made elaborate preparations to be with Marsh tonight. She’dcooked and primped and cleaned. She’d been uncommonly concerned about every detail.
    She was certainly no virgin. Before CJ there had been other men. She was a woman of her generation, but a picky one. She had shown considerable discretion, but she had used her head and occasionally her body to get her heart’s desires, a man who could take care of her, a man who could give her whatever she wanted.
    Now, she was a different woman entirely. She wanted to sleep with Marsh just because she wanted to. And maybe that’s what all the anxiety was about. She wanted Marsh just because he was Marsh. It could be that made all the difference.
    Inside she sat to unbuckle her sandals. The telephone rang, and again she ignored it. But she stopped fiddling with the strap and listened as the message began, hoping it was Marsh, with something reassuring to say about the evening.
    Instead a woman’s voice began to record after Tracy’s message.
    “Tracy? It’s Sherrie. I imagine you’re frantic, but I had to call. CJ’s all over the news here. I’m not sure the media’s going to bother to find you for your opinion, but just in case—”
    Tracy flung an unbuckled sandal across the room and limped at a rapid pace to the telephone. Sherrie, her old college roommate, was one of the few people who had stuck by her after the divorce. But she’d never had news like this to share. Tracy grabbed the receiver.
    “Sherrie?”
    “You are home. Well, no surprise you’re not answering your telephone.”
    “What do you mean about CJ?”
    “You mean you don’t know? Nobody called to tell you?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “CJ was released from prison, but it didn’t hit the news until this afternoon. It’s a big deal in California—”
    “No, it’s not possible. He was in Victorville for life. For a couple of lives!”
    “I guess not. His attorneys got him out, at least until they can have a new trial. I don’t understand it all, but they’re talking about prosecutorial misconduct. Altered records and testimony. The Feds wanted him so badly it looks like maybe they messed with the evidence. At least that’s what the papers are saying. Everyone says they’ll try him again, but in the meantime, he’s out as of yesterday. I don’t know how they kept it quiet as long as they did.”
    Now Tracy understood her mother’s telephone call. If only she had listened. If only she hadn’t just assumed the call was another baseless rant.
    CJ!
    “Listen to me, Sherrie. Do you know where he went? Where he is now?”
    “No idea. He’s not giving interviews. I’d guess he’s holed up with his attorneys, figuring out what he should do next. Didn’t he say all along he was innocent, that he just trusted the wrong people? They’re probably preparing his defense for the next go-round. He hasn’t contacted you, has he?”
    Tracy stared out the window.
    “Tracy?”
    “If he did, what do you suppose he would want from me?” she asked.
    “ Has he?”
    “No. No. At least, I don’t think so.”
    “You know, you don’t sound so good. Do you need me? I could fly down next week. Hold your hand, or fend off CJ, if he shows up.”
    The road outside Tracy’s house was as empty now as her bed. She had not seen her ex-husband. Even if CJ was out of jail, he had