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The doorbell rang. Dr. Daniels saw the panic in Molly’s eyes. Not the police? he thought, dismayed.
“I’ll get it,” Philip called.
Dr. Daniels watched the relief that washed over Molly as the click of heels and a woman’s voice preceded Je
Dr. Daniels watched approvingly as Je
“I’m on my way,” the doctor said with a brief smile, glad Molly’s friends had come to her aid and anxious himself now to be going home. He instinctively disliked Calvin Whitehall, whom he’d met only a few times. His gut instinct was that the man was a natural bully, not remotely hesitant to use his immense power, not only to achieve his goals, but to manipulate people just so he could have the pleasure of watching them twist in the wind.
He was surprised and none too pleased when Whitehall followed him to the door.
“Doctor,” Whitehall said, his voice low, as though he were afraid of being overheard, “I’m glad to see you’re here with Molly. She’s terribly important to all of us. Do you think there is any possibility of having her declared incompetent to stand trial, or failing that, to have her judged not guilty of this second murder by reason of insanity?”
“Your question leaves no doubt that you consider Molly guilty of the death of A
It was obvious Whitehall was both startled and offended by the implied rebuke.
“I would hope my question reflects the measure of the affection my wife and I hold for Molly and our awareness that a long prison sentence would be tantamount to a death sentence for her.”
God help the person who tangles with you, Daniels thought, noting the flush of indignation on Whitehall ’s cheekbones and the chipped-ice glint in his eyes. “Mr. Whitehall, I appreciate your concern. I am pla
As he drove home, Dr. Daniels thought, Je
Is Whitehall in Molly’s home as the husband of her best friend, or is he there because he’s trying to figure the best plan for damage control? Daniels wondered.
· · ·
Je
Molly looked up in time to catch Philip’s bemused expression, and Je
They mean well, she thought wearily, but I really wish they hadn’t come. They’re trying so hard to pretend it’s an ordinary evening in Greenwich, and here we are, getting together at the last minute for an informal di
Domestic bliss-that was my life. I used to love to cook and thought nothing of whipping up a di
And all of it a charade, she thought.
Her head was aching so much. She pressed her temples with the tips of her fingers, massaging gently, trying to make the pain go away.
“Molly, would you rather just skip all this?” Philip asked quietly. He was sitting opposite her at the table, both of them ordered there by Je
“As a husband and a doctor, he wasn’t worth the price you paid for killing him, Mrs. Lasch.”
Molly glanced up to see Philip staring at her.
“Molly, whatever do you mean?” he asked.
Confused, she looked past him. Je
“Molly, don’t think about it now,” Je
“Je
There was a silence as Je
“It’s something to pursue,” Philip said quietly. “Why don’t we talk to Fran about it?” He looked up at Cal and Je
He turned to Molly. “By the way, she called while you were asleep. She’s spoken to the boy who was working at the counter in the diner on Sunday night. He says he didn’t hear you call out to A
“That’s good-I know I didn’t remember that,” Molly said. “Sometimes, though, I wonder what is real and what I’ve imagined. I just told Dr. Daniels that something keeps coming into my head about the night Gary died-something about a door. He says it’s a good sign that I’m starting to have specific memories. Maybe there are other answers to these deaths. I hope so. I do know that I can never go to prison again.” She paused, then whispered more to herself than to the others, “That won’t happen.”
There was a long silence, which Je
An hour later, on the way home in the car, sitting in the back as Lou Knox drove them, Je
“But first you have to have something to investigate,” Cal Whitehall said brusquely. “She doesn’t. The more Fran Simmons digs, the more she’ll find herself coming back to the same answer, which is the obvious one.”
“What do you think A
“My guess, my dear, is that Molly’s little bursts of memory are highly unreliable. I wouldn’t attach any importance to them, and I’m sure no jury would either. You heard her. She’s threatening suicide.”
“It’s wrong for people to give Molly unreasonable hope. I wish Fran Simmons would stay out of it!”