“Hey, Peter. Nice of you to drop by.”
On the phone Pappas had said, “You’re holdin’ out on me, chum. Be at my office before six o’clock, or I’ll send a fuckin’ SWAT team to bring you in.”
When his escort left the office, Peter asked, “What’s this all about, Nick? What’s bothering you?”
“I’ll tell you what’s botherin’ me. Someone’s being clever. Do you know what we’ve got? A dead man who vanished from an island he never went to.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Tell me about it, pal. The ferryboat operator and the guy who runs the airport swear they never saw George Mellis on the night he disappeared. The only other way he could have gotten to Dark Harbor was by motorboat. We checked all the boat operators in the area. Zilch.”
“Perhaps he wasn’t at Dark Harbor that night.”
“The forensic lab says different. They found evidence that Mellis was at the house and changed from a business suit into the sailing clothes he was wearin’ when his body was found.”
“Was he killed at the house?”
“On the Blackwell yacht. His body was dumped overboard. Whoever did it figured the current would carry the body to China.”
“How did—?”
Nick Pappas raised a beefy hand. “My turn. Mellis was your patient. He must have talked to you about his wife.”
“What does she have to do with this?”
“Everything. She’s my first, second and third choice.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Hey, I thought shrinks never used words like crazy.”
“Nick, what makes you think Alexandra Mellis killed her husband?”
“She was there, and she had a motive. She arrived at the island late that night with some cockamamy excuse about being delayed because she was waitin’ at the wrong airport to meet her sister.”
“What does her sister say?”
“Give me a break. What the hell would you expect her to say? They’re twins. We know George Mellis was at the house that night, but his wife swears she never saw him. It’s a big house, Peter, but it’s not that big. Next, Mrs. M gave all the servants the weekend off. When I asked her why, she said it was George’s idea. George’s lips, of course, are sealed.”
Peter sat there, deep in thought. “You said she had a motive. What?”
“You have a short memory span. You’re the one who put me on the track. The lady was married to a psycho who got his kicks sexually abusing everything he could lay his fists on. He was probably slapping her around pretty good. Let’s say she decided she didn’t want to play anymore. She asked for a divorce. He wouldn’t give it to her. Why should he? He had it made. She wouldn’t dare take him to court—it would touch off too juicy a scandal. She had no choice. She had to kill him.” He leaned back in his chair.
“What do you want from me?” Peter asked.
“Information. You had lunch with Mellis’s wife ten days ago.” He pressed the button on a tape recorder on the desk. “We’re going on the record now, Peter. Tell me about that lunch. How did Alexandra Mellis behave? Was she tense? Angry? Hysterical?”
“Nick, I’ve never seen a more relaxed, happily married lady.”
Nick Pappas glared at him and snapped off the tape recorder. “Don’t shaft me, my friend. I went to see Dr. John Harley this morning. He’s been giving Alexandra Mellis medication to stop her from committing suicide, for Christ’s sake!”
Dr. John Harley had been greatly disturbed by his meeting with Lieutenant Pappas. The detective had gotten right to the point. “Has Mrs. Mellis consulted you professionally recently?”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Harley said. “I’m not at liberty to discuss my patients. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
“All right, Doc. I understand. You’re old friends. You’d like to keep the whole thing quiet. That’s okay with me.” He rose to his feet. “This is a homicide case. I’ll be back in an hour with a warrant for your appointment records. When I find out what I want to know, I’m going to feed it to the newspapers.”
Dr. Harley was studying him.
“We can handle it that way, or you can tell me now what I want to know, and I’ll do what I can to keep it quiet. Well?”