THE WOMEN

We all had mixed-up feelings that afternoon as the detectives came around to our front doors asking questions, probing neighborhood history, poking around in our piles of dead leaves and moldy secrets. On the one hand Iris was one of us and we all worried about her, even those of us who had no use for her husband. On the other hand, well, no one likes police officers sticking their noses into their private business, right?

The detectives went door to door, skipping the cottages where no one answered and then doubling back later. Some of us welcomed them into our homes, having nothing to hide. Others were less hospitable. Not necessarily because of guilt. More often because of previous bad experiences with authority figures with guns, or perhaps just a suspicious personal bent. In any case, we were all invested in Iris being found quickly and unharmed. Both for her sake and so the peacefulness of our little enclave could return.

We did, however, begin to look at each other a little differently, even this early in the game. Wondering what that neighbor knew and wasn’t saying. Or maybe was saying, and would it somehow implicate one of us in Iris’s disappearance? What kind of gossip might be being spread? We all hated to be suspicious of our neighbors, but under the circumstances, can you blame us?