The Backup Plan

She smiled at that. “At least I still have one skill that you admire.”

He frowned at her bitter comment. “What the hell do you mean by that? Can’t you put aside whatever differences you have with me for one minute and concentrate on our daughter?”

She bit back a sharp retort and held up her hand. “I agree that now’s not the time, Marshall. Let’s concentrate on Dinah. Did she tell you anything?”

“Nothing,” he admitted. “But something happened to her over there. Something bad. I’d stake my life on it. She says it wasn’t that incident she was involved in a few months ago, but I’m not convinced she’s being entirely truthful.”

Alarm spread through her. “You don’t think she was …?” She couldn’t even bring herself to say the word.

“Raped?” he said with a visible shudder. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think we can rule it out. I don’t think we can rule out any sort of atrocity at this point.”

“Oh, dear God.”

He took her hand in his. “Come now, Dorothy. Don’t fall apart on me. We don’t know it was anything like that, but she’s been living in an uncivilized atmosphere. Anything’s possible. Since she refused to tell me anything, I tried to get her to agree to talk to a psychologist I know, but she refused. Do you think she’s talking to her friends?”

“No. I don’t even think she’s seen anyone outside of Maggie.”

“Maybe Maggie knows something, then,” he suggested.

“I’ll call her,” Dorothy said at once. “First thing in the morning. For now, though, I’d better finish dressing. I’m running late.”

Marshall hesitated, then regarded her with a faintly sheepish expression. “Perhaps I will go with you tonight, after all, unless you’ve made other arrangements.”

“No. I did speak to Tommy Lee, but he and Laurie already had other plans.”

“They’re probably line-dancing at some country-western bar,” he suggested, his tone scathing. “That seems to be the kind of entertainment they go for these days.”

She frowned at him. “This isn’t the first time you’ve hinted that you’re unhappy with Tommy Lee. Would you care to explain?”