The graduates all looked beautiful, even the oily-haired, pimpled ones. It was that kind of event.

Todd was bored senseless; Katie was enthralled; Thelma watched like a hawk for glitches and found precious little to criticize. Mel, who met them at the stadium at the last moment, merely looked glad to sit down. Jane's sister-in-law Dixie Lee, who had no children, but had recently suffered a second miscarriage, cried more than Jane. And Ted, normally an extremely quiet, reserved man, astonished them all, including himself probably, by yelping approval when Mike's name was called out.

The system for keeping all the graduates sober and safe meant they were all funneled directly from the ceremony into the school building. Thelma was indignant until Jane explained that families could go into the school to congratulate their own — if they thought they could find them in the melee. Ted and Dixie Lee offered to wait in the car for her, but were persuaded instead to take Todd and Katie home. Jane's Uncle Jim volunteered to accompany Thelma on her quest and drive her home. Considering that he could hardly stand to be in the same room with her, it was a credit to his devotion to Jane's family and his gentlemanly instincts — or perhaps to his long military training in coping with the enemy and a longing to brush up his skills — that he made this offer.

As they headed toward the building, someone put a hand on Jane's arm. She turned, and it took her a moment to place the woman speaking to her. It was Emma Weyrich, the aerobics instructor who had also been Robert Stonecipher's paralegal.

“Emma, what are you doing here?" Jane asked. "Do you have a child graduating?”

This was the wrong thing to say. Emma was too young for that and took offense. "Of course not. My sister's daughter graduated tonight. My older sister."

“Sorry. Of course. I was just surprised to see you. I'm sorry about your boss.”