the curtains and peered out the window. "I know you're lying!"

"Afraid not."

"The phone didn't ring, not once! Unless it rang when I was in the shower." She turned and gave him the coldest look he'd seen in a long time. "You called her, didn't you?"

Leonard couldn't help it, he smiled.

"Why, Leonard? Why? You wanna see Shirley hurt me?"

"Leonard?" Ida called from the bedroom.

"If you'll excuse me," Leonard said, "I need to check on my mother."

"Go right ahead, I'm on my way out. If it's not a problem, would you bring my stuff inside the house." She opened the front door and then closed it.

"One thing before I go," and reached behind her head and lifted her T-shirt. "See this," pinching the tag. "A label. Hanes, I believe. Apark. Aunt Jean lived in Hamburg, but she didn't take kindly to company, family or no.

Lester had known all along Shane wasn't his.

All those years he hadn't said a word. The day she came out of the hospital she took four-day-old Shane to her mother's house and left him.

Every day, for three long weeks, Ida would bring Shane back to her, railing she needed to take care of her own child, and then, before Ida could drive back home, Ruth Ann would take him right back and leave him with her father. Shane got colicky from all the back-and-forth so Ida stopped dropping him off. And not once did Lester utter a peep.

Ruth Ann is a slut.

"No, I'm not!" she said, and looked to see if anyone noticed.