Page 10 of After Anna

“Ladies and gentlemen, this beautiful young woman was Anna Desroches and she was only seventeen years old. She attended Lower Merion High School, where she was a junior. Anna is the reason we’re all here today, and I want to remind you that she could’ve been any of our daughters, sisters, friends, or neighbors. She was a typical teenager in every way.”

Noah kept his face a mask. Anna wasn’t a typical teenager inanyway. He could never explain that to Maggie, but it was true. And only he knewhowtrue.

“And her young life was cut cruelly short, in the most heinous way you can imagine. She was murdered…”

Noah felt himself slipping away, unraveling time backwards, wondering how he could’ve missed so many cues, denied what was before his very eyes. He recalled the first time he’d thought to himself about Anna,that’s weird. He and Maggie had been in the kitchen after dinner. He was taking off his tie, and Maggie was loading the dishwasher.

Noah, I have news. I didn’t want to bring it up in front of Caleb. Maggie had been rinsing a plate. They’d had spaghetti for dinner, and tomato sauce ran red in the sink.

Bad or good?

Florian is dead. Maggie had put the dish in the dishwasher with the others. He died in a plane crash, of his own plane. Somewhere outside Lyon.

Are you serious?Noah had set down his beer bottle. He’d never wish death on anybody, even though he’d felt angry at Florian for what he had done to Maggie.

Yes, he remarried, and his wife’s name was Nathalie. He had two kids, boys, Michel and Paul. Five and three years old.

And the whole family died in the crash? That’s horrible. When did this happen?

March 8.Maggie had rinsed off another dish.

How’d you find out?

Online. I was walking with Kathy, and we looked him up.

What was the reason for the crash?

They think pilot error.Maggie had put the last dish in the dishwasher. The bottom of the sink had reddish globs of tomato, like human tissue.

Did he fly when you were married?

He was taking lessons.Maggie had hosed down the sink with the sprayer.

How long had he been flying for?

What difference does it make?Maggie had frowned, closing the dishwasher door.How would I know? What’s with the questions?

Right.Noah had caught himself gathering the facts, as if he were interviewing a new patient before he began skin, blood, or patch tests. It was an occupational hazard.My God, that’s terrible. You’d think we would hear about that.

How would we?Maggie had met his eye directly, and Noah had felt oddly challenged.

I don’t know. Forget it.

Maggie had softened,leaning on the counter. I mean, I thought the same thing, but how would we? I have no contact with him, and it’s not like it made the news over here. He’s just one of those rich guys who died in a private plane. Maybe the tech journals reported it, but I don’t read them anymore.

Noah had sipped his beer, eyeing her.How do you feel? You upset?

It’s an awful thing. Maggie had shaken her head.Nobody deserves to die, especially that way. And it must be so hard for Anna.

Right. Noah had put it together already.Do you think that’s why she called you?

Yes, and I understand that. I mean, it makes absolute sense that she would reach out to me after her father died.

But she didn’t say anything about his death to you?

No.

That’s weird.