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Mary reached down with the tongs, and to applause, she pulled out a paper sack of giblets and the turkey neck, already cooked and ready to make gravy.
Everyone scurried around, helping set the huge table, making sure the food that was supposed to be hot was kept hot, all the while waiting for Dan.
“Mom, do you want me to call him?” Lisa asked.
“Would you?” Pam glanced at her watch. “He’s usually the first one here.”
Lisa went into the mudroom, away from the din of ten kids and their parents all talking at once, and keyed in Dan’s number.
“Where are you? My mother won’t let anyone eat until you get here.”
“I’m waiting for Samantha. I went by her house, and her car is there, but there’s no answer. I’m getting worried.”
“Why are you worried?”
“She was supposed to go to Alan’s house last night and speak with Shelly. She sent me a text right before she was going to leave, and that was the last I heard from her.”
“Didn’t you have a date last night?”
“No. I had Margaret last night. No date.”
“Dan, just leave her a message that you’ll be at Pam’s house with the address. You can wait for her here.”
“Okay. Tell Pam I’m on my way.”
Lisa ended the call and went to find Pam.
“Did you reach him?”
“He said Samantha went to Alan’s house last night to see Shelly, and he hasn’t heard from her since. Evidently, her car is in front of her apartment, but there’s no answer at the door, and she’s not answering her phone.”
“Wow, I wonder what that means,” Pam said.
“He said to start without him.”
“I don’t feel right.”
“Mother, I don’t either, but we have ten kids here who will lay waste to your house if they aren’t fed soon. Dan will get here as soon as he can.”
Wringing her hands, Pam said, “Okay. You’re right. We’ll eat.”
Everyone was sitting around the table when Dan finally arrived, alone.
“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted. “Is she missing? Did she stand me up? What’s going on?”
“It’s so creepy,” Laura whispered to Lisa. “I’m sure she didn’t stand him up.” She leaned forward, calling to the other end of the table, “Dan, did Shelly know you’re seeing Samantha?”
“I don’t know. I certainly didn’t tell her. I can’t be sure Samantha didn’t, however. And I don’t imagine it went over well if she did tell her. Shelly talks a good talk about not caring, but she’s got a jealous streak that I’m afraid of. Remember, she moved out on me. I never told her to leave.”
“Why don’t you call Shelly and see what she says?” Will offered.
“Or call Henry Wong and tell him. He might be in touch with her,” Laura said.
Shelly didn’t answer her phone when Dan called, and Henry hadn’t heard from her, either. Henry was overwrought now that he knew there might be a problem. In minutes, he was at Pam’s door.
“Alan made bail last night,” he said, “and Samantha went to his house with a patrol car to ask her to leave. According to the officers, she left willingly.”
“Send a patrol car to Shelly’s parents’ house,” Will said, standing at the door with Laura and Dan.
