“Alette, can you hear me? Alette.”
“I’m here, Dr. Keller.”
“I want us to talk about Richard Melton. He was a friend of yours, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. He was very…simpático. I was in love with him.”
“Was he in love with you?”
“I think so, yes. He was an artist. We would go to museums together and look at all of the wonderful paintings. When I was with Richard I felt…alive. I think if someone had not killed him, then one day we would have been married.”
“Tell me about the last time you were together.”
“When we were walking out of a museum, Richard said, ’My roommate is at a party tonight. Why don’t we stop at my place? I have some paintings I’d like to show you.’”
“ ’Not yet, Richard.’”
“ ’Whatever you say. I’ll see you next weekend?’”
“ ’Yes.’”
“I drove away,” Alette said. “And that was the last time I—”
Dr. Keller watched her face begin to take on Toni’s animation.
“That’s what she wants to think,” Toni said. “That’s not what happened.”
“What did happen?” Dr. Keller asked.
She went to his apartment on Fell Street. It was small, but Richard’s paintings made it look beautiful.
“It makes the room come alive, Richard.”
“Thank you, Alette.” He took her in his arms. “I want to make love to you. You’re beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” her father said. And she froze. Because she knew the terrible thing that was going to happen. She was lying on the bed, naked, feeling the familiar pain of him entering her, tearing her apart.
And she was screaming, “No! Stop it, Father! Stopit!” And then the manic-depressive frenzy took over. She had no recollection of where she got the knife, but she was stabbing his body over and over, yelling at him, “I told you to stop it! Stop it!”
Ashley was writhing in her chair, screaming.
“It’s all right, Ashley,” Dr. Keller said. “You’re safe. You’re going to wake up now, at the count of five.”
Ashley awoke, trembling. “Is everything all right?”
“Toni told me about Richard Melton. He made love to you. You thought it was your father, so you—”
She put her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to hear any more!”
Dr. Keller went to see Otto Lewison.
“I think we’re finally making the breakthrough. It’s very traumatic for Ashley, but we’re nearing the end. We still have two murders to retrieve.”
“And then?”
“I’m going to bring Ashley, Toni and Alette together.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
TONI? Toni, can you hear me?” Dr. Keller watched Ashley’s expression change.
“I hear you, Dockie.”
“Let’s talk about Jean Claude Parent.”
“I should have known he was too good to be true.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the beginning, he seemed like a real gentleman. He took me out every day, and we really had a good time. I thought he was different, but he was like all the others. All he wanted was sex.
“I see.”
“He gave me a beautiful ring, and I guess he thought that he owned me. I went with him to his house.”
The house was a beautiful two-story, redbrick house filled with antiques.
“It’s lovely.”
“There’s something special I want to show you upstairs in the bedroom.” And he was taking her upstairs, and she was powerless to stop him. They were in the bedroom, and he took her in his arms and whispered, “Get undressed.”
“I don’t want to—”
“Yes, you do. We both want it.” He undressed her quickly, then laid her down on the bed and got on top of her. She was moaning, “Don’t. Please don’t, Father!”
But he paid no attention. He kept plunging into her until suddenly he said, “Ah,” and then stopped. “You’re wonderful,” he said.
And the malevolent explosion shook her. She grabbed the sharp letter opener from the desk and plunged it into his chest, up and down and up and down.
“You won’t do that to anyone again.” She reached for his groin.
Afterward, she took a leisurely shower, dressed and went back to the hotel.
“Ashley…” Ashley’s face began to change. “Wake up now.”
Ashley slowly came awake. She looked at Dr. Keller and said, “Toni again?”