20 CRISIS
Pam Valois intended to delay dinner until her son got home but gave up waiting when Dan didn’t show: an event not unusual in his new lifestyle. Kayten set tray tables in the den, a spacious room whose sliding glass door opened onto a multicolored flagstone patio, bordered by a cactus garden. The setting sun lit the scene and colored horizon clouds orange and pink. The scene should have been soothing and serene.
Pam and Peter watched the evening news without saying much, leaving gloomy silence despite the TV babble. After they finished eating, Kayten removed dishes and served coffee and a cheese plate. Peter gazed at walnut paneling while the final news story dealing with the war on drugs aired.
Despite his conviction that Pam was acting on irrational maternal panic, Peter
