Twenty-nine

People didn’t remember Michael staying for very long at the party. Elizabeth didn’t seem to mind, nor did anyone else seem to notice, because there were so many people who showed up. To everyone’s glee, the surprise was pulled off. Cheryl and Tom couldn’t get over all the trouble everyone had gone to, and they were thankful to see their friend Liz had gotten herself back into the swing of things. The party was a great success. There was the right mix of people, the right hue of lighting, and people laughed and drank well into the night.

But Liz had confided at one point that she was still feeling uncomfortable about being alone in her home. It was early on in the party that Liz had pulled Amybeth aside in the kitchen and the two had a brief chat. Liz was still very nervous that someone was hanging around the back alley. She felt certain that someone was watching her. There had been more hang-up calls on that day, and there was a question about why her car was acting up.

Amybeth wanted to know if Liz had been dating anyone secretly. She thought, perhaps, that Liz had a thwarted love interest on her hands. Liz confessed that there was a man she had been interested in, but nothing had come of it yet. Liz wouldn’t name the man, and Amybeth didn’t feel it was the time to press the issue. With the party going on, their conversation shifted rapidly, and Amybeth didn’t discover much more.

Worried about her friend, Amybeth wasn’t sure what to think. She couldn’t understand why her friend was acting so paranoid. Liz was giving her mixed signals, and Amybeth tried to decide if she should say anything to her husband, Bruce.

“Liz asked Barbara again, when she was at the party, if Barbara would stay over. She said she wasn’t feeling right,” Amybeth recalled. “Liz was feeling weird, like she wasn’t feeling safe around the house.”

But when Barbara said she wasn’t available, apparently Liz didn’t say much to try to persuade her. As Amybeth listened to their exchange, she decided not to say anything to Bruce. There was no need to worry her husband in the middle of a party, especially when it seemed like Liz might very well have been overreacting.

Amybeth took note that Liz had spoken to Barbara in a very casual way about staying over at the house. To Amybeth’s surprise, Liz hadn’t confided any feelings of being in danger. Elizabeth merely wanted to know if Barbara might consider spending the night, just to help her out a little.

Barbara had become more like family to Elizabeth, the two of them had a sincere relationship. They felt they could level with each other. They didn’t need to stand on ceremonies, and spending the night was something that Barbara did whenever she felt like it. Even though Barbara had her own apartment, Liz still kept Barbara’s room intact, and Barbara was always welcome to stay.

But Barbara didn’t really have time for Elizabeth that particular evening. The nanny wasn’t really all that close to Cheryl and Tom Apple-Schumacher, and with all of their family around, people who were strangers to her, Barbara didn’t feel the need to be present for the wedding anniversary party.

Barbara told Liz she was already committed to go elsewhere that night. People later discovered she might have met up with Michael Peterson. Whatever Barbara’s plans were, Elizabeth realized her nanny had not come over to celebrate with Cheryl and Tom. Her nanny was there, really, for Margaret and Martha’s sake.

The girls were all dressed up in little lace dresses; it was a big occasion for them to be hosting guests in their home. Barbara had stopped by to spend a little time with them, bringing them a platter of cookies. They were precious girls, their nanny loved them, and she wanted to gush over their fancy outfits and their mom’s beautifully decorated party.

With their frilly ankle socks and patent leather shoes, Margaret and Martha spent the evening downstairs with the adults until they were finally too tired to stay awake. For much of the night, Liz seemed joyful, happily serving and joking with her friends. When she had kissed Barbara good-bye early on, Liz said she was glad that Barbara had a chance to see how beautiful the girls looked.

Elizabeth never knew where Barbara disappeared to. She didn’t have time to worry about it, especially after most of her guests had gone, leaving her alone with Tom and Cheryl to handle the cleanup.

The next day, Elizabeth took her girls sledding in the fresh clean snow. It was an enjoyable afternoon, followed by a visit to the Petersons’ home for dinner. After having a quick bite to eat with Michael and Patricia, it was time for Liz to get home with her girls. It was early Sunday evening, and Michael would follow Elizabeth to the BMW dealership, where she would drop off her car.