With a shake of my head, as if to knock some reasoning into it, I saw the clerk waiting for me. I thanked her and took the bag she held out for me. It amazed me that neither my hands nor my voice shook. As I turned to leave, I noticed that both Melissa and Gloria had acknowledged Peter and me with a wave. But with no words spoken, I couldn’t compare voices. I needed to get out of there quickly, and I grabbed Peter"s hand to head to the front door. My head pounded, and my heart raced. I"m not sure if the necklace intensified my reaction or if it was because all three women were in one spot. With the anger hidden so well, it created an evil atmosphere; only I could feel the effects of such hatred, and it threatened to overwhelm me.
When we walked out, we headed directly for the beach. This
