"I graduated from college with some debt..." Diane continued, her words coming faster now, as if a dam had broken. "Not an excessive amount, but it was hard to see my paycheck being eaten away so quickly, even though I had a job as an office manager of a large veterinary clinic."
She looked out the window as though searching for something in the distance, perhaps looking into a history that was a happier time. The late afternoon sun caught her profile, and June could see the tension and sadness filling her face.
"I really loved that job," Diane said softly. "Anyway, I discovered a way to skim a little money off when some clients paid in cash. It was never very much, but enough to make me feel like I could save instead of just living month to month."
June felt her heart ache. How many people lived paycheck to paycheck? How many felt that same crushing pressure of debt eating away at their dreams?
"I got caught..." Diane's voice cracked. "I pled guilty and was sentenced to time in jail plus one year of probation."
June tried to imagine this gentle woman in prison, surrounded by an environment that never let her forget where she was.
Diane twisted her hands together again, the gesture speaking of old shame and old pain. "Jail was… both awful and not so bad. I was lucky. I got a job in the jail library and worked hard at that. Even took classes in library science, knowing I'd never be able to get a job handling money when I got out."
"You met Helena there, didn't you?" June asked gently.
Diane's eyes widened with something like fear, and June hastened to say, "Helena didn't tell us about you. She just mentioned there were some nice women who befriended her while in jail, making those two weeks bearable."
The tension in Diane's shoulders eased slightly. She nodded, and her lips curved ever so slightly in what might have been a smile under different circumstances. "Yes. She was in there waiting to see if she would go to trial, and I hated to see anyone so innocent be so afraid. So, I befriended her."
There was something beautiful in that, June thought. Even in the worst place, even carrying her own shameand fear, Diane had found it in herself to protect someone more vulnerable.
"Tell us about Raymond."
The transformation was immediate and stark. Whatever softness had entered Diane's expression when talking about helping Helena vanished instantly. Her face went hard, then settled into something that looked like exhausted resignation.
Diane sighed heavily, and she took a moment, with her lips pressed tightly together, as though gathering courage or perhaps deciding how much truth to tell. Then she looked at June and Sara Lee before beginning, her words measured and careful.
"I first met him when he came to the prison to see someone else. He introduced himself and said that the company he worked for did some bail bond work, as well as loans. That made no sense to me, considering I was already guilty and serving time. But, he said, he’d pay me to suggest people who might need financial assistance. I actually gave his name to Helena, in case she could use his services, but then she got out anyway."
June watched Diane's face carefully. The story felt incomplete somehow, like there were pieces missing. But she let the young woman continue at her own pace.
"Then luck finally came my way about the time I was finished with parole. I heard from Helena. She had moved to a place called Meadowlark Creek and said it was wonderful. She remembered how nice I had been to her and wanted to know if I needed a fresh start."
Diane's voice grew thick with emotion, her eyes fillingwith tears that she blinked back rapidly. "I was so desperate. I took her up on it immediately. I changed my name.” She scoffed. “Not very professionally, but it worked well enough at the library. And it wasn't hard to alter the letters of recommendation that had come from the jail librarian and my certificate. The pay for an assistant librarian is very little, but I don’t need much now. And when I showed up here, I thought I'd finally found a place to call home..."
June nodded slowly, all the confessions from Diane filling in questions she hadn't even thought to ask. At least now, she understood why Raymond was taunting her like so many others at the festival. He'd recognized her and couldn't resist the cruelty of exposing her, of destroying the new life she'd built.
"I'd like to ask about the day you went to the veterinary office to be with Lucy when she was having Scarsdale put down," June said carefully.
Diane looked surprised, her chin jerking back slightly. "Oh... well... I got a call from Helena, who had gotten a call from Lucy. Lucy was distraught at the clinic and thought she would need someone to drive her home, or at least drive behind her to make sure she got home in one piece."
"And Helena couldn't make it?"
"No, she was out with her husband on the far side of the county on a home visit. So she asked me, and I was only too happy to do it. Since Helena invited me to live here, and Lucy had invited her, I owe finding this place to Lucy, in a round-about way."
"But when you got to the clinic, Lucy was in the back?"
Diane nodded slowly. "Yes, so I waited in the lobby." She tilted her head, genuine curiosity crossing her face. "Why?"
"Oh, we're just wondering how someone got a veterinarian's syringe of drugs."
Diane gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, my God... and you think–"
"We don't think anything right now. But your explanation covers why we found two names for you. That’s something that will probably come out." June watched as Diane’s face crumpled, and she moved over to place her hand on her shoulder. “My dear, you’re an excellent assistant librarian, and I have no doubt you will keep this position. You will find that this town will continue to be accepting.”
Diane looked up with gratitude. June started for the back door of the library, and Sara Lee followed. "And we really need to get back home. Our animals are ready to be fed, and so are we."
The three women were almost to the door when Sara Lee turned and asked with a soft smile, "Which name do you prefer?"
