by Casey Dorman
“It wasn’t a lie.”
She shook her head. “I wish you would be honest with me.”
He looked back at her without answering.
“Somebody was at my apartment, stalking me or something. Whoever it was attacked Ben Murphy when he came to see me.”
George felt a chill. “Someone was stalking you? Attacked Murphy?” He was starting to perspire. He felt nauseous.
“Ben’s in the hospital. He said he thought someone was at my apartment house watching me, or waiting for him.”
George’s anxiety was almost overwhelming. “And you think it was me?”
“I never said that. But was it?”
“Of course not. Why would I do that?” George knew that he had thought about visiting her apartment. Was that out of curiosity or was it to make sure that Lucas wasn’t stalking her? Had he been there and not known it? He wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
She shook her head. “I have no idea. I don’t really think it was you, which means either that Ben is wrong, and it had nothing to do with me, or else it was the person Ben suspects, which is Lucas Bonaventure.”
George felt his anxiety spike. Lucas knew where Susan lived. Lately, he’d been talking about Susan and using the same terms he’d used when he talked about his wife or Sherry Bennett. Had he begun to stalk Susan, just as he’d stalked Sherry? Or was George just trying to shift the blame from himself? He didn’t trust his own thought processes anymore.
“I can’t talk about Lucas,” George said. He was legally permitted, in fact, required, to warn Susan if his patient had made a clear threat concerning her, but Lucas hadn’t. George was torn between his professional ethics and his fear for Susan’s safety. “What are you going to do in case someone is stalking you?” he asked.
“Is Lucas capable of doing that?” she asked him.
George wasn’t sure how to answer. “He’s a murder suspect. Sherry Bennett said he’d stalked her.”
“And had he?”
“She was sure of it.” He didn’t mention that he had followed Sherry himself and seen Lucas following her.
She stared at him, as if she had hoped he’d say more. “I’m sure Abe Reynolds will want to talk to you. Are you sure there isn’t anything more you can tell me about your relationship with Regina Bonaventure?”
The truth was that he remembered most of his relationship with Regina now that he had seen the picture of them together. But to admit that would imply that he had lied before. And he still knew nothing about his having seen her recently or even if he’d only seen her once. Whatever mechanism had suppressed his memory of their relationship was still fogging his recent recollections. There was no way he could explain that to Susan. “I’ve told you everything I know.”
She stood. “I’m going to tell all of this to Abe Reynolds. He’s going to want to talk to you.”
George just nodded. He didn’t know what to say.
Chapter 50
“Why did you interview Farquhar without me?” Abe Reynolds asked, his face red with anger. “And you told him that Ben Murphy already found out that he and Mrs. Bonaventure were old friends?” He stared at her accusingly.
“I thought he might be more open if he just talked to me,” Susan answered. “I was wrong.”
“So he’s still lying, even to you.”
She nodded.
Reynolds took a deep breath and settled further into his chair. “Ok, that was a dumb move on your part, but that’s water under the bridge. I’m putting my money on the doctor as the one who whacked Murphy on the head, hoping he could get rid of him before he talked to us.”
“Ben Murphy doesn’t think so. He thinks it was someone stalking me, someone who recognized him, someone related to this case. He thinks it might have been Bonaventure.”
“Why would Bonaventure stalk you? Why would he go after you or attack Murphy for that matter? Only Farquhar wanted Murphy silenced. Murphy knew Farquhar was lying and now we do too. I think it’s enough to haul the good doctor in.”
“Arrest him?”
“At least grill him. He found Mrs. Bonaventure’s body, he lied about knowing her, and he probably assaulted Murphy to keep him quiet. If we bring him in and start questioning him, I bet we can make him talk. If you ask me, he’s Mrs. Bonaventure’s killer; maybe the Bennett woman’s also.”
Susan was silent. She still couldn’t believe Doctor Farquhar was a killer, but she had to admit that the circumstantial evidence against him was growing. “If you think that’s the best thing to do,” she said.
Reynolds pursed his lips. “I don’t know if it’s the best thing to do, but we need to do something to shake up the doctor so he’ll talk to us. He’s involved in this one way or another.”
“You can handle it. I want to stay on Doctor Farquhar’s good side in case he doesn’t talk. If he trusts me, he may eventually confide in me. Meanwhile, I’m going to do a little more investigating of Bonaventure; show my neighbors his photo and find out if anyone has seen him hanging around my apartment house.”
“Be careful. I don’t want you visiting either Farquhar or Bonaventure by yourself again. You’re not a cop and one of them is dangerous. You need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t take any chances.”
— — —
Madeline would be furious. Detective Reynolds and a uniformed policeman had come to George’s office and escorted him out of the building. Then he’d been driven to the Newport Beach police station. At least they hadn’t handcuffed him. Mrs. Schrempf had certainly noticed that he’d left with the two policemen. By now the news would be all over his building. Pretty soon it would be in the papers.
“You can clear all this up pretty quickly if you level with us, doctor,” Detective Reynolds said. The room in which the two of them were seated reminded George of those he had seen on TV. One side of the room had a one-way window. He wondered if Susan Lin was on the other side of the window.
“I don’t know what you think I can clear up,” George said. He hadn’t called a lawyer yet, partly because the only lawyers he knew were Michael Steele, who had an office in his building and Tom Cooper, who was his neighbor. He was embarrassed to let either of them know what had happened to him.
“Why did you lie about knowing Regina Bonaventure?”
“I didn’t lie, I just forgot.” He knew that his answer wouldn’t satisfy the detective any more than it had satisfied Susan.
“Forgot? Your uncle in Santa Barbara remembered, and Mrs. Bonaventure’s father remembered. Both of them said that you and she were friends for years. How could you have forgotten?”
George was sweating. There was nothing he could tell Reynolds that made any sense. Maybe he needed to tell the truth. He wondered if they were going to hold him in jail just because he’d lied to them about knowing Regina. His thoughts jumped to Susan. He was sure that Lucas was stalking her. “Why isn’t Doctor Lin here?”
“That’s not your worry, doctor. She’s got other things to do. Besides she already talked to you and you didn’t tell her anything.”
“She’s in danger.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone is stalking her.”
Reynolds frowned. “That someone is you. At least it was you waiting outside her apartment so Murphy couldn’t tell her what he found out in Santa Barbara.”
“I didn’t even know he went to Santa Barbara. Why would I wait outside of her apartment for Murphy?”
“Because your uncle told you that Murphy had talked to him about you and Mrs. Bonaventure, and you knew that Murphy would tell us unless you stopped him.”
/> George debated lying, but he knew they could just ask his uncle and find out the truth. “I knew that Murphy had talked to my uncle about Regina and me, but that wouldn’t make me go after Murphy. Besides, why would I be outside of Susan’s—Doctor Lin’s—apartment? How would I know that Murphy was going to go there?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know why Murphy was attacked, but I’m pretty sure Lucas Bonaventure has stalked Doctor Lin, and he probably still is. That’s why she’s in danger.” George was feeling desperate. While Reynolds was focusing on him, Lucas could be going after Susan Lin.
“What makes you think that Bonaventure has been stalking Doctor Lin?”
George needed to break confidentiality and tell Reynolds about Lucas’ fixation on Susan. “Bonaventure has been obsessed with Doctor Lin lately, just as he was obsessed with his secretary, Sherry Bennett, whom he also stalked.” He looked straight at Reynolds. “And Sherry Bennett was murdered.”
“And her body was discovered by you, just as you discovered Mrs. Bonaventure’s body. You’re trying to distract me, doctor. You still haven’t answered my question about why you lied about knowing Regina Bonaventure.” Reynolds stared at him, the detective’s face drawn into a scowl.
George felt desperate. He had to make Reynolds understand that Susan’s life was at risk. “I’ve got this problem, detective. I block things out sometimes. I can’t remember whole episodes of my life. I’ve had the problem off and on for years. For some reason, I blocked out knowing Regina Knowles, that is, Regina Bonaventure. When I said I didn’t know her, I was telling you the truth about what I remembered. Later, I realized I was wrong. I found a picture of us together and remembered that we had been friends from childhood.”
“Did you tell Doctor Lin that?”
He looked down at the table. “No. I was embarrassed to tell her. I thought she’d think I was crazy.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
“Because Doctor Lin is in danger and you have to stop thinking I did something wrong and start protecting her from Lucas Bonaventure.” His voice had become shrill.
Reynolds nodded, though he still looked skeptical. “OK, I’ll make sure Doctor Lin is under department protection. Just as soon as you tell me what you know.”
George felt some relief, although he still worried about Susan. “I knew Regina Knowles when we were both kids. My uncle’s house in Santa Barbara was next to hers. I stayed with my uncle almost every summer from the time I was about eight years old. Regina and I played together. We saw each other in summers all the way through high school. The last time I saw her was when I came to my uncle’s house the summer after my sophomore year in college.”
“You didn’t visit your uncle after that?”
“A few times, but I didn’t see Regina.” George hadn’t mentioned the incident that had signaled the end of their friendship. He still didn’t remember what had happened. It was Regina who had stopped their seeing each other.
“And you didn’t tell us any of this until now because you didn’t remember that you knew her?” Reynolds’ tone was sarcastic.
“Yes.”
“And you say you don’t remember whole periods of our life?”
He looked down at the floor. He really didn’t want to have to explain his fugue states to the detective. Reynolds would just think that it meant that George could have killed either Regina or Sherry Bennett, or both, and not remember it. The thought made George’s heart race. What if it were true?
Reynolds leaned forward. “Don’t zone out on me, doctor. I asked you a question. Do you not remember whole periods of your life? Is this some kind of mental problem you have?”
George looked up. “It’s a problem I used to have. It went away after I had treatment for it. The only time it’s come back is with regard to Regina Knowles, and this time it was different. I just forgot all of my interactions with her when I was younger.”
“So you don’t ‘blank out’ and do things you’re not aware of.”
“No.” George looked the detective in the eye, mustering his staunchest look of confidence.
“But that did happen in the past? You’d do things you didn’t remember you’d done, later?”
George nodded. He was afraid he was sounding like a deranged killer who didn’t remember his crimes. “Only I never did anything dramatic. I just didn’t remember periods of time, maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours. No one else could tell. I just went about my usual activities.” What he’d said wasn’t exactly true, since he never knew what he’d done during his fugue states, but he was trying to dampen Reynolds’ curiosity.
Reynolds shook his head. “Sounds wacky to me.” He heaved a sigh. “I’m going to let you go for now. I think you’re holding back, but we haven’t got enough to charge you with Mrs. Bonaventure’s murder, and Sherry Bennett is Irvine’s business.” He gave George a steely stare. “This doesn’t mean we’re going to stop looking. You know more than you’re telling us, doctor. I’m not sure if you killed either of those women, but you know a lot more than you’re saying.”
George felt a wave of relief. It was almost unbelievable to him that he was being released. Now he could warn Susan Lin. “So I’m free to leave? Right now?”
“Take a walk,” Reynolds answered.
Chapter 51
None of Susan’s neighbors had seen Lucas Bonaventure or George Farquhar near her apartment house. Most of them were still at work, but among those at home, most of them were aware of Ben Murphy’s mugging outside her apartment. They were frightened and eager to help but knew nothing.
She went to her apartment and fixed herself a cup of tea. Abe would still be interviewing George Farquhar, and it was probably better that she let him do it by himself. She didn’t want to sabotage her relationship with the psychoanalyst completely. As she waited for her tea to steep, her cell phone rang. It was Lucas Bonaventure.
“I hope it’s OK to call you directly. Your number was on your card,” Lucas said. He sounded apologetic
“Certainly. What can I help you with?” She was trying to keep her tone neutral. She didn’t want him accusing her of leading him on again.
“My wife knew Doctor Farquhar a lot better than I thought,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“I found messages and pictures. They were quite the friends. Behind my back even.”
Susan was shaken. “You mean recently? Not just when they were younger?”
“Now, this year. He sent her texts… romantic texts.”
Susan’s shoulders sagged. Doctor Farquhar had lied to her. “Can you bring them into the station and show them to me and Detective Reynolds?”
“Not really. My leg has gotten worse. I can barely move it at all. Besides, I want to give her phone directly to you. I don’t trust Detective Reynolds. He wants to pin Regina’s murder on me. I’m only going to put this evidence directly in your hands.”
Susan felt a momentary panic. She didn’t want to return to Bonaventure’s house.
“I’ll come over with Detective Reynolds. You can give the phone to both of us.”
“Just you. You need to read the texts first, see the pictures to verify that they exist. Then you can give them to Reynolds or whoever you want to give them to.”
“You can give them to me when I come with Detective Reynolds. I’ll look at them first, and then turn them over to him. You can watch me do it. That’s the only way it’s going to happen I’m afraid.”
Lucas was quiet. “OK,” he finally said. “Just knock and then walk in. It’ll be unlocked. I can’t get down the hallway so easily. I’ll be in the den. You remember where that is.
”
Chapter 52
He needed to do something to protect Susan. If he’d ever thought that his imagination had exaggerated the peril she was in, learning that Ben Murphy had been mugged by someone who’d been lurking outside of her apartment was enough to convince him that the danger to Susan was real. He was sure that Lucas was behind the attack on Murphy and he was just as sure that Lucas’ real target was Susan. But what could he do about it?
He was standing outside the Newport Beach police station. His own office was less than a mile away. He walked back.
“Big mistake by the police,” he said to Mrs. Schrempf, who was trying to avoid looking at him. She’s probably embarrassed that she told everyone in the building that I was arrested, he thought to himself.
He sat at his desk and called Lucas.
“Did I miss an appointment?” Lucas asked. He sounded suspicious.
“No. Are you at home?” George wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Lucas, but he wanted to make sure he wasn’t out somewhere stalking Susan.
“What do you mean am I at home? What are you calling about?” Lucas was becoming irritated.
“I want you to come in for an extra appointment. The police have been questioning me, and they’re pressuring me to talk to them about you.”
“You told me that everything I said to you was confidential. I rescinded my waiver of confidentiality, remember?”
“Of course. I… I just thought maybe we should talk about it,” George stammered. He just wanted to keep Lucas within his sight, but he couldn’t say that.
“I’ll talk to them myself,” Lucas answered. “Doctor Lin is coming to talk to me again.”
George felt a wave of panic. “Coming to your house?”
“She’s supposed to be here right now.”
“What for?”
“How should I know? I guess she just can’t stay away from me. Say, what’s up anyway? You sound worried. You’re not worried about that poor little police doctor are you?” His tone was sarcastic.