Pie Town - Lynne Hinton [86]
Roger knew what his ex-wife meant. He had noticed how folks were treating Trina, how they whispered about her when they thought she wasn’t listening. She had been working a few hours at the diner every day, and he had seen the stares and heard the talk when she left the main dining room and went back to the kitchen. He confronted the behavior when he could, explaining that there was no evidence that she had started the fire and that, the last time he read the Constitution, folks were innocent until proven guilty. He had said as much to Bernie and Francine, a few of the high school kids sitting at the counter making snide remarks one day, and even to Danny when he made some comment about the girl’s guilt. But Roger’s ideas about justice were unheeded and overlooked. The people of Pie Town had made up their minds about the fire and who started it, and blaming Trina just seemed a good reason for people to stay mad. And even though most of them attended Holy Family Church and most of them had gotten to know Father George, no one in a long time had really cared about the parish. They went to Mass, but church was not a place that people in Pie Town cherished. The diner was more of a community center than the church, and Roger couldn’t understand why everybody seemed so angry at Trina that the church was gone.
He had asked Trina how she was faring since the fire, and he could see that the young woman was shaken by the way people were treating her. He figured that just like the priest, she would soon be leaving Pie Town too.
“She’s pregnant, you know,” Malene said, jolting Roger away from his thoughts.
Roger nodded. He had guessed as much. The young woman’s tight T-shirts were even tighter, and there was definitely a bump where there wasn’t one before. He figured that was another reason the people in Pie Town had chosen her as the object of their derision. An unmarried pregnant girl, especially a stranger, could be quite the target in a small town. He suddenly thought about Angel and how the three of them had dealt with the disapproval from neighbors, the long stares, the whispers, the guarded sympathy.
“Any idea of who the father is?” Malene asked. She knew Roger and the girl had enjoyed a number of conversations since she moved into the apartment behind his house.
Roger shook his head. “She hasn’t talked to me about it,” he answered.
Malene nodded. “Well, let’s just hope she does a better job of raising a child than . . .” She stopped when she saw Roger looking behind her, his face suddenly pale.
“Who?” The voice came from behind Malene. “Let’s hope that the new girl does a better job raising a child than . . . me?” It was Angel. She had made her way into the kitchen before Malene had heard her coming. She stood in the doorway, tall and thin, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Angel,” Roger said, sounding as if he was going to try to smooth things over.
“It’s okay, Dad,” Angel responded, holding up her hand. “It’s the truth. I have been a terrible mom,” she said in a matter-of-fact way. “I was just lucky you were both ready and willing to step in and take my place.”
Malene turned around and faced her daughter, who was standing at the door.
Angel shrugged. “Besides, Alex forgives me, and that’s really all I could ask for.” She looked beyond her parents at the clock. “My ride’s meeting me in an hour at the diner,” she said. “So I’m going to walk around town a bit. Alex asked me to do him a favor,” she added, and then turned and left.
They both listened as the front door opened and closed.
Malene glanced at Roger, who got up from the table and followed their daughter onto the porch. She didn’t move.
Chapter Thirty-three
Oris glanced down at the clock on his dashboard. It was almost one o’clock in the afternoon, and he was