He swirled the wine in his glass, realizing that all the words he’d practiced in his head were useless. There was no nice, sweet way to bring this up.
She either already had thought of it herself and dismissed it, or she truly didn’t think it was a possibility.
"I don’t want to upset you."
"Ben, I've been upset since I started this investigation. I've been upset for over a decade. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Just tell me what you're thinking."
This was it. No more stalling. He set his glass down and leaned forward slightly.
"Let's start with what we know. Do you remember what Cal told us about Lori in those weeks before she died? About how she changed her habits?"
"You mean how she stopped drinking, partying, and smoking? I already explained that. She had that stomach flu that wouldn't go away. She wanted to be healthier and boost her immune system.”
"Yes, but I want you to think about the specific changes she made."
"I don't know what you're getting at. She was sick. Of course, she wanted to feel better,” Kelly replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"And you said the doctor told her to rest more and eat better, right?"
"Right." Kelly shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don't want you to think all we did was party back in high school. Of course, we studied and had responsibilities. But yes, we went to parties. It was a small town. There wasn't much else to do on weekends."
He could relate. Harper wasn’t exactly a bastion of excitement for a teenager. Or anyone else, for that matter.
"Honey, I grew up in a town smaller than this. I know there's not much to do but go out to some pasture and have a bonfire with some beer and maybe some weed. Let's not pretend here. Kids make their own fun if they don't have anything to entertain them. My point is, Lori's behavior changed significantly. She stopped drinking. She stopped smoking. And these changes happened suddenly, not gradually."
"Because of her stomach," Kelly insisted.
Christ, she was genuinely confused. She hadn’t thought about this possibility at all.
Shit.
"Yes, to her stomach. Think about that. Sick. Tired. What is a common reason for women to stop drinking or smoking?"
“Because they don’t like how it makes them feel.”
He'd been turning the theory over in his mind since they'd left Cal's office. The symptoms Cal had described, combined with Lori's changed behavior and her apparent secrecy, all pointed in a specific direction.
"Nausea, long after a flu should have subsided. Fatigue. Suddenly becoming health-conscious. Stopping drinking and smoking abruptly." He ticked the points off on his fingers. "And according to Cal, Lori wanted to settle down, get married, have a family.”
Kelly's wine glass halted halfway to her lips. There was a dawning of comprehension in her eyes, but she was going to make him say it out loud.
“Ben, I’ve grown tired of this little game. Spit it out.”
If that’s what she wanted, he would.
"I'm saying that these symptoms aren't just consistent with a persistent stomach flu. They're consistent with something else. Something that would explain Lori's sudden health focus and her urgency about marriage."
Kelly shook her head slightly, but there was an inkling of knowledge in her eyes that didn’t match the denial. And it was clear she wanted to deny it. It would complicate things, make them messier than they already were.
"I think your friend Lori was pregnant."
The words hung in the air like a giant, flashing neon sign.
Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.
Over and over. On and off, until she wanted to scream.
Ben thought Lori was pregnant.
