Page 7 of Jury Woman, Part 4 of 6

"That sounds like a short entry."

"I doubt it will be."

As Deputy Wells walked me back, I found myself mentally flipping through years of that kitchen calendar, searching for a single square where I'd written something just for me.

I couldn't remember one.

October 7, Wednesday

BOTH KIDS sat at the kitchen island today instead of the couch, a bag of tortilla chips open between them. It was so ordinary that for a second my throat ached with it.

"How's cheer team going, Lily?"

"It sucks." She crunched a chip with unnecessary force. "April and Liv are still being weird. They won't sit with me at lunch, and they made a new group chat without me."

"They're friends with Ariana," Josh offered, not looking up. "The girl Scott's been talking to."

Lily planted a hand on his shoulder and shoved. His stool tipped, and he went over sideways with a howl, the chip bag tumbling after him.

"Lily!"

"He deserved it."

"Please don't fight," I said. "I only get a few minutes with you two. I don't want to spend them refereeing."

Josh hauled himself back up, rubbing his elbow. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, and I recognized the look. She was reloading.

"Did you know Josh skipped school yesterday?"

"Shut up," Josh hissed.

I leaned toward the screen. "Is that true?"

"It was only science," he muttered. "We had a sub. Subs never take attendance."

"Josh. Where did you go?"

"The mall," Lily said helpfully, "with Dylan Pratt and his cousin. They're seniors. Total stoners. Everybody knows it."

"Is that true?"

"No! I mean, I went with them, but it's not like that." He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I just needed a ride to get some decals for my skateboard. We went to the skate shop and came back. I won't do it again."

"You'd better not." I frowned. "Does your father know?"

They exchanged a glance that told me everything.

I moved on while I still had time. "Has Aunt Elaine been coming by?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "But she and Heidi don't get along, so she never stays long. Like twenty minutes and then suddenly she's got a thing."

I hesitated, then asked what I'd been circling for a week. "How's it been, with Heidi living there?"

Lily gave an eye-roll. "Dad's home more, which is fine, I guess. But it's tense. Even with a housekeeper, the place is still a mess. He's always telling everybody to clean up, and last night Heidi said she's not a maid and this isn't what she signed up for."

For one small, shameful second, something warm and satisfied bloomed in my chest. Welcome to the job, Heidi. Seventeen years of picking up wet towels, and she'd lasted barely two weeks.

I squashed the feeling before it reached my face. My children sat in the middle of that tension every night. Whatever I thought of Heidi, they needed a house where people didn't slam cabinets.