"Well hellip; no," Marie said.
"What's the matter?" Susan said.
"Mom hellip;"
How to tell her?
"Mom hellip; this is very bad news."
"What is it?"
"Mom hellip; Frank hellip;"
"Oh, my God, something's happened to him," Susan said at once. "I knew it."
Silence on the line.
"Marie?"
"Yes, Mom."
"What happened? Tell me."
"Mom hellip; he's hellip; Mom, he's dead."
"What? Oh, my God, my God, oh, dear God," she said, and began weeping.
Marie waited.
"Mom?"
"Yes, I'm here."
"I'm sorry, Mom. I wish I wasn't the one who had to tell you."
"Where are you?"
"Home."
"I'll come up as soon as I can. I'll call the airlines, find out when there's hellip; what happened? Was it an automobile accident?"
"No, Mom. He was murdered."
"What?"
"Someone hellip;"
"What?Who? What are you talking about? Murdered?"
"We don't know yet, Mom. Someone hellip;"
She couldn't bring herself to tell his mother that someone had chopped up his body. That could wait.
"Someone killed him," she said. "After a show we did this afternoon. At a high school up here."
"Who?"
"We don't know yet. The police think it might have been Jimmy."
"Jimmy? Jimmy Brayne? Who Frank was teaching?"
"Yes, Mom."
"I can't believe it. Jimmy?"
"That's what they think."
"Well, where is he? Have they questioned him?"
"They're still looking for him, Mom."
"Oh, God, this is terrible," Susan said, and began weeping again. "Why would he do such a thing? Frank treated him like a brother."
"We both did," Marie said.
"Have you called Dolores yet?"
"No, you're the first one I hellip;"
"She'll have a heart attack," Susan said. "You'd better let me tell her."
"I can't ask you to do that, Mom."
"She's my daughter, I'll do it," Susan said.
Still weeping.
"I'll tell her to come there right away, you'll need help."
"Thank you, Mom."
"What is it from her house? An hour?"
"Tops."
"I'll tell her to get right there. Are you okay?"
"No, Mom," she said, and her voice broke. "I feel terrible."
"I know, I know, sweetie, but be brave. I'll come up as soon as I can. Meanwhile, Dolores will be there. Oh, my God, so many people I'll have to call, relatives, friends hellip; when is the funeral going to be? They'll want to know."
"Well hellip; they'll be doing an autopsy first."
"What do you mean? Chopping him up?"
Silence on the line.
"You didn't give them permission to do that, did you?"
Opportunity right there to tell her he wasalready chopped up. She let the opportunity pass.
"They have to do an autopsy in a murder case," she said.
"Why?"
"I don't know why, it's the law."
"Some law," Susan said.
Both women fell silent.
Susan sighed heavily.
"All right," she said, "let me call Dolores, let me get to work. She'll be there in a little while, will you be okay till then?"