Here She Lies

Does this mean they’re not going to arrest her for trying to steal Lexy?”
    “I think that’s what it means. I really don’t know. Lazare won’t tell me much. But he said we had to stay until he gets the DNA analysis from the blood tests. Hesaid it could take up to two weeks, but he would get this one expedited.”
    “Why can’t we go home while he waits for the tests?”
    “I don’t know.”
    I steeled myself. “How long?”
    “A week. He promised.”
    Another week in this town, staying at an inn like tourists, while my sister lived, a free woman, in her luxurious house. What if we saw her in town? Would we have to travel to distant counties for our meals just to avoid Julie?
    “Forget it, Bobby. We’re going home now.”
    “Annie—”
    I left him standing on the path, went upstairs to our room and packed up all our stuff. When Lexy woke up I changed her diaper and nursed her. By then, Bobby had gathered up the last of his personal toiletries. He checked us out and drove the car to the airport in Albany. On the way, he confessed that he’d made two calls before joining me in our room while I was packing.
    “Lazare said that if you leave the state, you’ll be jumping bail. That simple. Liz agreed with him; she said she’d try to reach the judge and see what she could do, but she couldn’t guarantee anything.”
    “This is nonsense, Bobby,” I said. “They can’t keep me here.”
    “Actually, Annie, they probably can.” That was all he said. Clearly he had made up his mind not to try to stop me. But didn’t he also want to go? I knew that if he was really dead-set against it, he would have saidso. As for the potential consequences of flight, I was so upset I couldn’t think about them right now.
    We drove in silence the rest of the way. Even Lexy was fairly calm in her car seat in the back. I looked out the window at the highway connecting Massachusetts and upstate New York, the ribbon of road pulling us in, bringing us closer to the airport and our home in Kentucky. It probably was a stupid idea to run home, but how could I resist? I was frantic for all this to end. I wanted to breathe my own air, walk my own floors, sleep in my own bed. I was as desperate to be home now as I had been to leave home two weeks ago. I couldn’t wait a week or more.
    We arrived at the airport and returned the rental car. Bobby carried our luggage into the terminal while I pushed Lexy in her stroller. There was a flight in three hours and we booked it — using our very own credit cards, which had finally started to reach us at the inn. We were standing on line to check our baggage — and I felt so close to normal, to home — when I turned and saw Detective Lazare come in through a revolving glass door. When he saw that we’d spotted him, he attempted a smile. He had to be kidding.
    “Fancy meeting you here,” he tried to joke, but no one laughed. Then he just tossed out his lasso. “Can’t leave, folks.”
    “You really don’t need me here,” I said. But Bobby looked nervous, and that shook my confidence, so I added, “Do you?”
    “I spoke to your lawyer,” Lazare said. “Her motion to modify your bond is still in effect, but your permissionto leave New York State extends only to Massachusetts.”
    “I went to Vermont and nothing happened.”
    “You were with an officer of the law — me. And there were extenuating circumstances.”
    “So, come to Kentucky,” I said.
    “It’s a secured bond, Annie. You could lose your house if you get on that plane. Are you sure it’s worth it?”
    “Annie—” Bobby’s forehead was damp; a droplet traced an uneven path down his temple. “He’s right.”
    I knew he was right. They both were. Standing here, about to send our luggage to Kentucky and board the plane, it suddenly seemed like a very bad idea. Most impulsive acts could be overcome, but clearly this one would have serious consequences that would affect not just me but Bobby. Even Lexy’s future well-being would be affected if I took off and jeopardized our house. I felt like a greedy child caught with her hand in the candy dish. Greedy and stubborn. I would give it up, but not without a show of pride.
    “Why do you need me here?” I asked. “I did the lineup and I gave blood. Can’t you call me if you need anything else? I’ll come back.”
    “I’d like an explanation about that, too, Detective.” Bobby let go of the suitcase he’d been rolling along the line. “It isn’t