enough.”
“So tonight was to be the final chapter,” I said. “Cassie seizing
fatally, Cindy right there snoozing, with all of us suspecting her. If
we hadn’t caught him he probably would have stashed the needle in her
purse or somewhere else incriminating. And the Valium in her system
would have added to the picture of guilt: suicide attempt.
Remorse for killing her baby, or just an unbalanced mind.”
Stephanie rubbed her eyes. Rested her head on one hand. “What an
incredible prick. . . How’d he get in without going through
Security?”
“Your friend Bill said he didn’t enter the hospital through the front
door, so he probably used one of his father’s keys and came in through
the back. Maybe one of the loading docks. At this hour there’d be no
one there. We know from the hallway camera that he took the stairs up
and waited until the Five East nurse went into the back room before
entering Chappy. Probably did the same thing when Cassie had that
first seizure here in the hospital. Dress rehearsal. Sneaking up in
the wee hours, injecting her with just enough insulin to provide a
delayed reaction, then driving home to the Valley and waiting for
Cindy’s call before coming back to comfort her in the E.R. The fact
that Chappy’s nearly always empty made it easier for him to come and go
unnoticed.”
And all this time I was obsessing on Cindy. Brilliant, Eves.”
“I zeroed in on her too. We all did. She was a perfect Munchausen
suspect. Low self-esteem, easygoing manner, early experiences with
serious illness, health-care training. He probably came across the
syndrome in his readings, saw the fit, and realized he had an
opportunity to get her. That’s’ why he didn’t have Cassie transferred
to another hospital. He wanted to give us time to develop our
suspicions. Worked us like an audience-the way he works his
students.
Hes’ the exhibitionist, Steph. But we never saw it because the books
say it’s always a woman.”
Silence.
“He killed Chad, didn’t he?” she said.
“It’s a strong possibility.”
“Why, Alex? Why use his own kids to get at Cindy?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll tell you one thing. He hates Cassie.
Before they took him away he gave her a look that was really
disturbing. Pure contempt. If the tape caught it and it’s ruled
admissible in court, it’s all the prosecutor will need.”
Shaking her head, she returned to the bed and stroked Cassie’s hair.
“Poor little baby. Poor little innocent baby.”
I sat there, not wanting to think or do or talk or feel.
A trio of LuvBunnies sat on the floor near my feet.
I picked one up. Passed it from hand to hand. Something hard in the
belly.
Undoing the flap, I poked around the foam stuffing, just as I had in
Cassie’s bedroom. This time, I found something tucked into a fold near
the groin.
I drew it out. A packet. About an inch in diameter. Tissue paper
fastened with cellophane tape.
I unwrapped it. Four pills. Pale-blue, each with a heart-shaped
cutout.
Stephanie said, “Valium.”
“Here’s our secret stash.” I rewrapped the packet and set it aside for
Milo. “He made such a big deal about not having any dope with him.
Everything’s a game with him.”
“Vicki bought those bunnies,” Stephanie said. “Vicki’s the one who got
Cassie started on them.”
“Vicki will be talked to after this,” I said.
“Too weird,” she said. “The stuff they don’t teach you in school–”
A
squeak came from the bed. Cassie’s eyes blinked spasmodically, then
opened. Her little mouth turned down. She blinked some more.
“It’s okay, baby,” said Stephanie.
Cassie’s mouth worked, finally producing a sound: “Eh eh eh.”
“It’s okay, honey. Everything’s gonna be tfine. You’re gonna be fine
now.”
“Eh eh eh eh.”
More blinks. A shudder. Cassie tried to move, failed, cried out in
frustration. Scrunched her eyes. Crinkled her chin.
Stephanie held her and rocked her. Cassie tried to twist away from
Stephanie’s caress.
I remembered the way she’d fought me in her bedroom.
Reacting to her mother’s anxiety? Or memories of another man who came
in the night, shrouded by darkness, and hurt her?