CHAPTER ONE<br > Meg left the office early that Tuesday. Dr. Burton s last appointment<br > was at three o clock; while he was giving that examination Mrs.<br > Wrangell came in for her new glasses. Both patients had left by ten<br > minutes to four， and he came out to the waiting room looking tired<br > and preoccupied and said， "May as well close up shop early."<br > She drove up Pacific Avenue ~o pick up Tammy at the nursery<br > school. Mrs. Dean s private nursery school wasn t cheap， but it was a<br > very good one. Clarissa Young pried Tammy away from a big picture<br > book and said cheerfully， "Guess we re in for the usual heat wave，<br > this time in March. Why does anybody live in this climate?"<br > Meg said she often wondered. She needed a few things at the<br >market， and stopped at the Lucky on Glenoaks on the way home.<br >Tammy used to love riding in the market cart， but now she was four<br >she was too grown-up for that， and dawdled behind Meg along the<br >aisles. Milk， cereal， frozen orange juice， a loaf of bread， ground<br >round. There weren t many people at the market. When Meg pulled<br >into the apartment driveway it was only a little after five， the sun low<br >in the west but dusk still an hour away.<br > She shut the garage door， snapped the padlock， picked up the bag<br >of groceries; they started around to the front door. On the sidewalk<br >there Carol Sue Wiley was riding her tricycle. "Hi， Carol Sue，" said<br >Meg. "How was kindergarten today?"<br > Carol Sue scowled a little at her， a freckled sandy-haired little girl，<br >and said definitely， "Yeth. All right， I guess."<br > Meg and Tammy walked up to the front door of the apartment.<br >Tammy said in her funny grown-up way， "Carol Sue s a funny girl，<br >isn t she?"<br > "Pretty funny，" said Meg， smiling. Just lately， for reasons known<br >