Here She Lies

embezzlement charge and we could buy back the bail bond. Kent, amazingly, had softened up and had stopped hassling Bobby about all the time off (wisely, since the Family Leave Act allowed Bobby ample time to care for his family without loss of his job, and if Kent had persisted in his harassment it would only have meant a lawsuit). So we would go home. But I would not return to work at the prison — I would never set foot in any prison again. I would stay home and be with Lexy fulltime until I figured out my next move. In a year, once Bobby had earned his pension, we would relocate somewhere that we both agreed on. That was our new plan.
    “Liz called,” Bobby said after a minute.
    “And?”
    “She’s asking around for recommendations for a criminal defense lawyer, either from around here or the Boston area.”
    “Do I really need another lawyer? And why Boston? It’s so far.”
    “It’s not really that far — and yes, Liz says you should have a lawyer who knows Massachusetts criminal law.”
    “But I’m not a criminal!”
    “I know that.” He kissed my forehead. “And Liz knows that, and Thomas Soiffer probably knows that, and, let’s face it, Julie knows that. But still, Liz said that because they’re putting you through all these paces, you need representation. Just in case.”
    “In case of what?”
    “I don’t know, Annie. Just in case.”
    “What about Julie? She’s probably already got the best lawyer there is.”
    “Probably.”
    Bored with her toys on the floor, Lexy started to fuss. I bent down and brought her to my lap, running my hands along her soft, soft arms and kissing her sweet-smelling peach-fuzz head.
    “Listen, Annie.” Bobby raised his eyebrows and set his mouth in preparation for this: “Liz told me something else. She said she spoke with the police in Lexington, and they told her they’d confiscated our computer, from home.”
    I stared at him, speechless.
    “They sent our computer to the FBI in Boston.”
    “Why? Do they actually think I started all this? Like I’m some kind of madwoman hell-bent on self-destruction—”
    “Annie.” Bobby’s tone was firm. “Liz said not to waste time getting upset about it. I think she’s right. Rusty Smith’s probably checking to see how Julie’s viruses and stuff got into our files, something like that. The important thing is that Liz thinks she should be able to have the embezzlement charge dropped in the next couple of days, and as soon as that happens, buying back the bail bond won’t take long.”
    “Two whole days?”
    “She said Thursday at the latest.”
    “But Thursday’s three days away.”
    “Annie, it’s really in our best interest to cooperate. Once the blood results come in, the criminal stuff will work itself out. And remember, Lazare’s dealing with Julie, too. He may need to talk to us some more. It’simportant we stick around for that. Three days isn’t that long if you look at the larger picture.”
    “Fine,” I said. “We’ll stay and talk to him, and I’ll meet my new lawyer, but I want to go home by the end of this week. If anyone has any more questions, can’t they talk to us on the phone?”
    Bobby’s smile showed hints of mischief. It really was tempting, even for someone as disciplined as he was, to slough off our fast-multiplying shackles just by deciding to go. He could get what he’d wanted all along: I would go home with him. “Well,” he said, “we’ll try to leave by Friday — or sooner, if we can.”
    Lexy grabbed at my shirt and I got her latched on for her midmorning feed, then settled my head on Bobby’s shoulder. With one extended finger, he stroked his daughter’s supple cheek while she sucked away at me. When she was finished, I handed her to him and he paced the room, patting her back in hope of a burp. I leaned across the couch and sank my nose into the lilacs to drink some more from their glorious scent. The lilacs had bloomed weeks ago in Kentucky, where it was warmer. So you see, in some ways I was lucky: this year, I got lilacs twice.
    A blue-green vein fattened in reaction to the tight rubber tourniquet, the needle pierced the skin of my inner arm and I could feel my blood pulsing out. I watched as the technician, a tiny Korean woman, capped one vial and attached a second to the needle. All my life, I had never looked away when blood was drawn, and, in fact, today it strengthened me to watch my blood fill the glass vials. That was a difference