Dead Secret

give her some measure of solace, but she knew the gesture would not have been welcome.
    “So what can I do for you ladies?”
    Susan gave Diane the I-dread-this look, but said nothing. “We’ve had a rather odd thing happen to our mother,” said Diane. “She was picked up by federal officers last Tuesday and put in prison. We are having a hard time discovering why. So far we have only speculation. The authorities have said it was for robbing a bank, but little else.”
    “They suspect she robbed a bank? Could she have?”
    “Mr. Reynolds, this is a woman who won’t wear white shoes after Labor Day because she thinks it’s against the law. No, she wouldn’t have robbed a bank, not now or at any time in her life.”
    “She doesn’t think white after Labor Day is illegal,” sputtered Susan. “It’s just in bad taste.”
    Reynolds’s homey, pleasant smile spread across his face. “I see. When does she come to trial?”
    “She doesn’t get a trial,” said Susan. “They’ve already put her in prison. They said she won’t get out until her time is up.”
    “Your mother is a natural-born citizen of this country?”
    “Back for ten generations,” said Diane.
    “Twelve generations,” said Susan.
    “Then they can’t do that. If they arrested her, they have to give her a speedy trial.”
    “Even with the Homeland Security laws?” asked Susan.
    “Even then.”
    “Well, that’s what they did. She was sent directly to prison.”
    “Then there must be something else going on.”
    “The family lawyer,” said Susan, “that is, the lawyer who handles their finances, thinks that she was witness to a bank robbery and is being held as a material witness as part of this Homeland Security thing.”
    Reynolds nodded, then spoke directly to Diane. “Is that what you think?”
    “No.” She explained in detail what she believed may have happened, including the possibility that a hacker could have been involved.
    When Diane finished, Reynolds turned to Susan. “With due respect to the family attorney, I think identity theft is more likely. She didn’t get a trial because the authorities believe she’s already had her day in court. My guess would be she was picked up on a fugitive warrant.”
    Susan looked deflated. “Our mother, a fugitive? This is all so embarrassing. I was supposed to have an interview with Garden Grace’s Kindergarten today. I had to cancel, and now I’m afraid that Christopher will never get in. There’s such a long waiting list, you know.”
    “Kindergarten?” said Diane.
    “The right kindergarten is important,” said Susan. “It gets the child off to the best start right away. I don’t know what they’ll make of this.”
    “Why don’t you send him to Switzerland? They have excellent schools and a stiff language requirement. That’ll be important when he joins Dad and Gerald’s firm,” said Diane, deadpan. She immediately wished she had just bitten her tongue. This wasn’t the place to make fun of Susan.
    However, Susan looked at Diane as if she were serious. “I really don’t want him that far away from home.”
    Diane turned back to the attorney. “Mr. Reynolds, our mother is very much like my sister, and she is in Tombsberg Prison for Women.”
    “I understand,” he said. “I’ll get on it right away. I just need to get some information from you.”

Chapter 21
    Susan seemed to be more optimistic when they left Daniel Reynolds’s office. Diane noticed that the lines between her sister’s eyes were smoothed out and she didn’t look so tired. His easygoing, competent nature most likely won her over. Diane guessed that he was probably very good with juries.
    They stepped from the office building onto the sidewalk. It had just started to rain. Susan had parked out on the street, so they didn’t have far to walk. They hurried to the car, and Diane slid into the passenger side and buckled her belt.
    “Your car smells new.”
    “It is. Gerald bought it for my birthday. Dad will probably be home by now.”
    They were both quiet as Susan drove. Diane relaxed in the soft leather seat. So few road noises penetrated the passenger compartment it would be easy to lean her head back and drift off to sleep—she felt so tired. Diane closed her eyes.
    “What did you mean that Mother is like me?”
    Diane jerked awake. There was a tone in Susan’s voice that sounded like suspicion, like she wanted to make sure Diane didn’t have a joke with Reynolds at her