When Never Comes

by Barbara Davis

story. Battling a fresh wave of nausea, she reached for the TV remote and began surfing. It didn’t take long—only three clicks—to find Stephen’s face splashed across the screen. And hers. The picture was from their vacation in Barbados three years ago. How had they gotten it? “Stephen and Christine Ludlow were married in 2008” the Entertainment Tonight anchor was saying as a fresh round of photographs appeared on screen. “By all accounts, their marriage had been a happy one. But recent developments are raising questions about whether Ludlow might have been romantically involved with the scantily clad woman whose photos have now appeared in several tabloids. No identification was found when divers retrieved her body from Ludlow’s car. Authorities tell us the investigation into the woman’s identity is ongoing. Ludlow’s wife has been unavailable for comment. We’ll continue to keep you updated on this story as information becomes available.” Christine clicked, then clicked again, running through the list of cable news channels. The story was everywhere. Different talking heads, different photos, but the gist of the coverage was the same. Iconic author dies while cheating on wife with mystery blonde. Only now the story wasn’t just about Stephen or even the Jane Doe. It had become about her too. In the kitchen, she picked up the phone and punched in the number for the Clear Harbor police. This time, when the desk sergeant answered, she refused to be handed off to Connelly’s voic...