There was a long pause, another sip, another sigh. Finally, Chandler grunted. “Odd. I can’t say who brought it up. I guess it was just an impression I got.”

Even though fear was shifting the world beneath her, Grace made certain her voice was level. “Well, since you haven’t talked to me about Lane in months, and no one else in D.C. really knows my son, it must have been Ted who gave you the wrong idea.”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

“When did you talk to Ted?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“Did you see him?” Grace knew her tone was too sharp, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

“He was in D.C. for a few hours, some kind of hush-hush meeting. He just stopped by the Hill for a few minutes to say hello.”

She let out a long, silent breath. Someone had seen Ted in the last two weeks. Progress, of a sort.

“Did he say where he was going?” she asked.

“No.”

“Do you know where he is now?”

“No. You sound upset.”

“I haven’t seen or heard from Ted for more than three weeks,” she said. “I was hoping to contact him through you.”

“Is something wrong? I mean, between the two of you? I thought the divorce was all very civilized.”

“It was. It is. I just hoped that…” Ted would step up and be the father Lane needs. That Ted would at least call Lane once a week or even every two weeks.

Another truck roared by, belching diesel into the unusually sultry air.

“It doesn’t matter,” Grace said. “But if you hear from Ted, please ask him to contact me. I’m tired of being his answering service. A lot of people get angry at me because they can’t get through to him.”

The senator coughed. “I hear you. Take care, Grace. We need women like you on the appeals court.”

“Men, too,” she retorted, but she laughed. “Good-bye, Chad. And thanks.”