Had he taken another woman to the place where our marriage began?
I reached into the pocket again.
There was a folded receipt.
I opened it carefully.
HOLLOWAY & SONS FINE JEWELRY
Birch Falls.
A town about twenty minutes from Loon Lake.
The receipt was dated Saturday morning.
9:15.
Around the same time Ray had photographed the others eating pancakes without Mark.
The amount was more than $2,000.
The description simply said a custom order had been paid in full.
I turned the paper over.
Someone had written a note in careful handwriting.
Ready September 14. Engraving as requested. Congratulations, Mr. Ellison.
I stared at the final word.
Congratulations.
A jewelry purchase.
A hotel room.
A new ring.
And a woman at a café who seemed to know something about my marriage.
I felt physically sick.
The explanation seemed obvious.
Mark was having an affair.
Perhaps he’d already proposed.
Perhaps he’d secretly married someone during the weekend.
