started reading. She sat down again.
She was intrigued by the Georgia womanâs work to clear a patch of woods behind her house and create this large garden, this retreat site. Why would Beatrice have thought she would be interested in the story? She read while the other woman talked to her husband.
âHow long will you be gone?â Beatrice asked.
Louise kept reading.
âWell, will you be home for dinner?â Beatrice inquired while she pushed at the sides of her hair.
There was a pause while he answered. Louise stopped and glanced up at her friend.
âOkay, then,â Beatrice said after a long while and hung up the phone.
There was silence as Beatrice began haphazardly straightening the magazines on the desk.
âYou ready to go?â Louise asked.
âOh, yeah, I have to take you home.â And Beatrice stood away from the desk, staring at the phone.
âBea,â Louise called out, âyou okay?â
Beatrice nodded silently.
âWhat was the phone call about?â Louise folded the article and stuck it in her pants pocket.
âHmm?â Beatrice asked as if she hadnât heard.
âThe phone call. It seems like it upset you.â
Beatrice kept picking up magazines and flipping through them.
âBea!â Louise said sharply. âWhatâs wrong? Is something the matter with Dick?â
The other woman turned away from the desk and stared at the mirror. âNo, heâs fine,â she replied.
Louise waited for her to explain.
Beatrice realized that she would have to tell more of the story. She examined herself, thinking she was now a little flushed, and answered. âItâs his brother or his brotherâs wife. I donât know which.â Then she straightened her blouse and smoothed down her skirt with the palms of her hands. âThey live near Winston-Salem.â
Louise didnât know Dickâs family, but she thought she remembered hearing about a sibling who lived somewhere close by. When Bea and Dick had started dating, Bea had thought it was his sister who lived close by, learning only after their wedding that the woman was Dickâs sister-in-law. His brother, Louise thought she had heard, had recently been placed in a nursing home.
âIs he all right?â Louise asked.
âOh, sure,â Beatrice responded. âDid you decide you wanted to keep that article?â Sheâd noticed her friend reading it while she was on the phone.
âYeah. Iâm doing a paper on Georgian labyrinths.â It was meant to be a joke.
Beatrice nodded without laughing. Her brow was crossed as if she was worried, and Louise couldnât tell if she was confused by what she had just said or if she was still troubled by the phone conversation.
âBea, whatâs the matter? Whatâs the thing with Dick and his brother?â
Beatrice turned to face Louise, who was still sitting in the chair away from the desk. She could see her friendâs concern.
âI donât know.â She began picking up papers from the floor. Then she added, âThereâs some story.â Louise waited for more. âSome secret he wonât talk to me about.â Beatrice fixed her eyes beyond her friend. âSomething that the brother did or his sister-in-law is doing. I donât know.â
Beatrice tapped the papers on the desk to square them up. âHe goes up there all the time and comes home all torn up, and he wonât talk about it.â She set the papers down. âHe says his brother is getting worse and thatâs all that I need to know.â She lowered her head. âBut I know something else is going on.â
She raised her eyes to Louise. âI know heâs always been close to Jean, but I donât understand whatâs happened that he canât tell me. After all, Iâm his wife.â And then, as if she were embarrassed to say it, âWhat could be so bad that he canât
Learning to Kill: Stories