Secrets So Deep eBook

by Secrets So Deep [Bella] (mobi)

  “Dr. Blue, I’m Gerry Ferrin, from the district attorney’s office. Sorry to keep you waiting. We’re ready for you.”

  She ignored his apology and followed him to a conference room where Michael sat with a stenographer.

  “Hello, Charlotte.”

  She was surprised by his amiable greeting, but grateful her deposition wouldn’t require a charade.

  “You two know each other?” Ferrin asked.

  “We do. Dr. Blue and the congresswoman have become friends since meeting a few weeks ago. Turns out they both went to help out during the Bosnian conflict.”

  “I see.” The prosecutor looked at her skeptically. “Is your friendship with Mrs. Wright going to pose a conflict in your testimony?”

  “Of course not,” Charlotte answered. By her estimate, she had given at least a hundred depositions since becoming a physician. She was always honest and professional.

  He pushed a form across the table. “Let the record show we are here with Dr. Charlotte Blue, the emergency attending psychiatrist for Sebastian Wright, Jr. Dr. Blue, this form indicates that Sebastian and his temporary guardian, Dr. McKee, have waived his doctor-patient right to privacy to allow you to give testimony in this case. Do you understand this compels you to give full and truthful responses in this matter?”

  “I do.” It also compelled her to answer questions about Glynn, because Glynn was not her patient and had no expectation of personal privacy with regard to Sebby’s care.

  “And could you review for the record your medical qualifications?”

  Charlotte listed her education and residency credentials, along with a description of her clinical practice.

  “Rape victims?”

  “Yes, rape and other violence.”

  “Did you feel qualified to render a medical opinion with regard to the care of Sebastian Wright?”

  “Of course. When I’m on call at the hospital, I handle a variety of psychiatric conditions.”

  “Very well. Could you tell us about your first meeting with Sebastian?”

  Charlotte went through the events at the hospital, how she had talked first to Sebby, then to Glynn, before admitting Sebby to a room on the second floor.

  “How did Mrs. Wright seem to you?”

  “Devastated.”

  “So nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “There’s really nothing ordinary about a situation like that, Mr. Ferrin. As I said, Mrs. Wright seemed devastated. She spent the entire night in a chair by her son’s bed.”

  If Ferrin was moved by Glynn’s devotion, he didn’t let on. “Did she resist his treatment in any way?”

  “She was very cooperative.”

  “Did she ever try to remove him from the hospital?”

  “Not to my—” Charlotte recalled the incident on Saturday night when Glynn was ambushed by the press. “Now that I think about it, she did ask to take him home on his second night because a television reporter jumped her in the lobby and started asking questions about Sebastian’s suicide attempt. She was worried they might harass him and sensationalize his care as a psychiatric patient.”

  “So she attempted to remove her son from care?”

  “No, she did not. She mentioned it as an alternative to having him questioned by the press. I offered to move him to the fifth floor cardiac wing and assign security. She agreed with that.”

  Ferrin scrolled through his list of questions. “Let’s talk about your evaluation of Sebastian. I understand you made a recording of that assessment.”

  Charlotte handed him a packet. “Everything you requested is here.”

  He opened the envelope and looked inside. “I’m sure it is. I’d like to review these, and get back to you if I have any more specific questions regarding this transcript. We can do that in writing if it’s easier.”

  She bit her tongue, thinking it certainly beat sitting in his waiting room. “It would be easier. Thank you.”

  He looked over his notes one more time. “Then I think we’re . . .” He stopped, squinting at his tablet. “At any time during your interaction with Mrs. Wright, did she seem at all anxious about what her son’s therapy sessions might reveal?”

  Charlotte immediately thought of Glynn’s admission to a relationship with a woman, but she didn’t think that was the type of information he was looking for, and she wasn’t going to give it up unless it was unavoidable. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I guess what I’m asking is if she ever gave you the impression she had something to hide.”

  While it was true Glynn had been concerned about her personal information being revealed in the group sessions, she had relented in the end for Sebby’s sake. “I’d say just the opposite. She seemed more concerned her son might not be forthcoming in his therapy.”

  Ferrin looked at her with apparent curiosity. “Did she mention any issue in particular he might keep to himself?”

  “Things about her personal relationships . . . the person she was dating.”

  “That was a secret?”

  “I believe she was concerned about gossip.”

  “Gossip? Was this a married person?”

  Charlotte could feel the net closing. Ferrin would pursue this until he found out all there was to know, either from her, from Sebby or from Glynn’s congressional aides. Even Michael was on the edge of his seat waiting for an answer.

  “No, it was a woman.”

  Ferrin sat up straight, clearly stunned by the revelation. “Mrs. Wright is a lesbian?”

  “I think bisexual is a better descriptor.”

  “Do you happen to know if Mrs. Wright’s . . . ?” He stumbled on the words, shaking his head as though puzzled. “Is her bisexuality a recent discovery?”

  “I don’t believe it is.”

  “She’s been involved with other women in the past?”

  Charlotte glanced at Michael, whose cheek was twitching with apparent irritation, as if hearing this for the first time. “Yes, I believe that’s correct.”

  “And other than her husband, has Mrs. Wright had relationships with other men?”

  “That I wouldn’t know.” Bas was the only man Glynn had mentioned, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others.

  “Did Mrs. Wright ever indicate to you that she was unhappy in her marriage? Unfulfilled, perhaps?”

  “No, quite the contrary. People with bisexual orientation are able to enjoy fulfillment in relationships with either gender.”

  He scratched his head. “That’s one thing I don’t understand at all.”

  “I’d be happy to provide you with some clinical resources,” she said tersely.

  “That won’t be necessary.” He made some notes on his pad. “Mr. Gattison, do you have any questions for Dr. Blue?”

  “Not at this time.” From his flat tone, Charlotte guessed he was fighting not to show emotion.

  “Then I’d say we’re finished here. As I said, I may have some follow-up questions once I review Sebastian’s medical file. My office will be in touch about how best to go forward.”

  Charlotte stood and gathered her things, avoiding Michael’s intense gaze. She had little doubt his next phone call would go to Glynn, demanding an explanation for why she had left out something he considered important to her defense.

  Glynn nervously peeked again through the blinds, not seeing any sign of Michael. What she did see was two different cars on the street whose occupants were watching her house. They had followed her from the Capitol, not caring that she knew. They were most likely reporters, interested more in who came and went so they could jump out quickly and get quotes for their sensational stories.

  Michael had left a message on her cell phone to go straight home from work, lock the door and talk to no one until he got there, not even her staff. From his tone, he wasn’t a happy man.

  Something must have gone wrong today in Charlotte’s deposition. Maybe the DA found out she had stayed with Charlotte last week and felt it posed a conflict. That was more
of a problem for Charlotte than for her, though, so it was hard to see why Michael would be so upset.

  His Mercedes finally appeared at her curb and he got out, waving a dismissive hand at the cameraman who leapt from one of the cars. She met him at the door, instantly picking up his angry vibe.

  “Do you have any more secrets you’d like to share with me before I find them out in front of the prosecutor?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’d had relationships with women?”

  Glynn was shocked by the question, even more by the realization that Charlotte had broken her confidence. “I didn’t think it was anyone’s business.”

  “Everything about you is my business, Glynn—especially if it leads to Gerry Ferrin doing a happy dance in the hall because he now has a motive for why you’d kill your husband.”

  “Let me see if I understand this.” Feeling betrayed and angry herself, she was ready to fight back. “I have a romantic liaison with a person of the same sex. Therefore, I must also be capable of murder.”

  “That isn’t the point. The point is you felt trapped in a marriage to a man. You were unfulfilled, and you couldn’t risk a divorce because you were afraid of losing your son.”

  “Michael, he’s pulling that out of his ass. If I was unfulfilled and trapped in my marriage, why was it almost five years before I got involved with someone else?”

  “He doesn’t know those details of your love life, but don’t think he isn’t going to find out. He’s going to talk to everyone you know.”

  “Roy and Tina are the only ones who can tell him anything . . . unless he goes back nearly twenty years to the people I knew in college.”

  “Roy knows about this? Because Ferrin asked him all about your relationships—Bas’s too—and he didn’t say a word.” “I never told him any details, Michael. It . . .”

  “It what?”

  “I’ve always felt like Roy has feelings for me, but he’s never acted on anything other than to be the most loyal friend in the world. I didn’t tell him much about Stephanie because it would have been like rubbing his nose in it. So all he really knows is we were close—close enough that we needed to be careful of giving people something to gossip about.”

  Michael looked at her with skepticism. “Who is Stephanie? Ferrin’s going to want to talk to her as well.”

  Glynn’s panic rose as she considered the ramifications. “Does he have to? She could lose her job, and she had nothing to do with any of this. Michael, you have to do something.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” he asked sharply.

  “I don’t know. But they have to leave her out of it.”

  “Who is she?”

  “She’s Edwin Murtaugh’s chief of staff.”

  “Oh, great. A full-blown political scandal. Like we need more of that,” he said sarcastically. “Jesus, what a mess.”

  “I don’t see why this is even relevant.”

  “Everything about you is relevant if they can tie it to their case.” He dropped onto her couch and ran his hands through his hair. “Maybe we can do a stipulation.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You file a statement with the court stipulating to the details of your relationships, and if he’s satisfied with it, he won’t call witnesses into court. But he’ll probably send out investigators to verify every word.”

  “And if I don’t do that?”

  “He’ll track down and depose everyone you’ve ever met and the Washington Post will print it all.”

  Glynn slumped across from him in a chair. “I can’t believe Charlotte broke my confidence.”

  “Her testimony was compelled by law because Sebby waived doctor-patient privilege.”

  “You mean Mark McKee waived it.”

  “Knock it off, Glynn,” he said sharply. “You need to start thinking of things in terms of what looks best for Sebby. Right now, Mark is the one who seems to care about your son.”

  “Mark has the luxury of not having to defend himself against a bogus murder charge,” she snapped back. She stood abruptly and started to pace. “No one loves my son more than I do. If I thought it would help Sebby for me to confess to murdering his father, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But it won’t, because I didn’t do it. I know my son better than anyone on earth, and it’s eating him alive to do this to me. I don’t care what it takes, or what anybody thinks about me. The only thing that matters—the only thing, Michael—is that my son gets past this. And I can tell you right now, it isn’t going to happen unless I convince him I didn’t do it, and that I forgive him for even thinking I did.”

  Looking considerably mollified, he nodded along with every word. “That’s exactly the attitude I want to see. You’re a lioness protecting your cub, and you’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “And Ferrin better not forget it.”

  “And you’ll start tomorrow by telling me everything I need to know about your past relationships. And I mean everything. Then I’ll talk to Ferrin and try to negotiate a stipulation agreement so we don’t have to do all these interviews.”

  Glynn slouched again in her chair. “I need to call Stephanie and give her a head’s up. She’s going to kill me.”

  “You need to call Charlotte too. She feels terrible about what happened. She tried her best to dance around it, but Ferrin honed in until she was forced to tell him or commit perjury.”

  “I’ll do that.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Did Ferrin have a problem with Charlotte and me being friends?”

  “Maybe a little at first, but he got over it. In light of her testimony, I think she convinced him she wasn’t holding back.” He stood and began to put on his coat. “I’m going to put out a feeler for a friendly reporter at the Post. I want you to get your story out there before Ferrin’s office springs a leak.”

  “I’ve already got someone.” She went into her office and returned with the e-mail from David Pender. “This guy’s the education reporter. He’s been my outlet for a long time.”

  “I was thinking we should use one of the political reporters, somebody with experience and clout.”

  “No, this is who I am, Michael. David’s a nice guy, and he’s always been fair and accurate. He does his homework too, so maybe he can write this in the context of all the work I’ve done for kids in the House.”

  He nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. But I’m going to be sitting beside you the whole time. Understood?”

  “Whatever.”

  “And sometime before the trial, I want you telling your side of the story on CNN.”

  “Fine. So what is my side of the story?”

  “We’re going to make it conditional. You tell the story you’ve been telling for the past eleven years. Then you float the sleepwalking defense because it’s the only possible explanation for Sebby’s version of events.”

  “I can’t believe I’m actually going to go through with this.”

  “More than that. I’ve made an appointment for you next week at the Center for Sleep Disorders. Plan to stay the night on Tuesday.”

  “Wonderful,” she said sarcastically. “Don’t forget I have a radiation treatment at seven a.m., so I have to be out of there by then.”

  “That’s another thing, Glynn.” He scrunched his nose, as if knowing his next request would be met with objection. “I’d like to get the word out about your breast cancer.”

  Glynn balked at the idea of letting the whole world know something so personal. “My treatments don’t have anything to do with this.”

  “I know, but frankly, we could use some sympathy. It’ll make Ferrin think twice before trying to make you look bad in the press. If he’s planning a future in politics, he won’t want to come off like an insensitive bully.”

  “Great. So next week, I go back to work with a chamber full of men who will be trying to envision either my breasts or me naked with another woman. I can’t wait.”

  “When are you due back in Indian
a?”

  “End of next week.”

  “Good. We need to set up a town hall meeting so you can get your people behind you.”

  “What if they aren’t?”

  “That’s just it, Glynn. This is a test for us. If we can’t get your supporters behind you, how can we expect to get strangers on your side?”

  Charlotte poured a glass of chardonnay, hoping it would help her relax. Michael had probably told Glynn by now about the deposition, and every minute that passed was a likely sign she was angry about her secret being spilled.

  Troubled, she set her glass on the coffee table and eyed the stack of journals that had accumulated through the week while Glynn was staying with her. How ironic that she had broken up with Julie to get away from the regimented schedule, only to find herself at home on a Friday night catching up with her work. It had been worth it, though, she realized. Having Glynn around all week had been wonderful.

  Who was she kidding? Having Glynn around had been excruciating. She had been forced to remind herself over and over that her growing interest in Glynn was far from appropriate. Glynn was probably more vulnerable now than ever, and if that weren’t enough to force her to keep her distance, she was a likely witness for her prosecution.

  The phone rang.

  “Charlotte, it’s Glynn.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she blurted. “I tried not to say anything.” “It’s okay. Michael said you had no choice.”

  “I just wish I had thought to warn you that this was a

  possibility.”

  “I don’t think either of us imagined this turn of events,

  Charlotte. It doesn’t matter. It’s silly to worry about something

  so trivial when all this other stuff is going on.”

  “But I know it isn’t trivial to you. It’s going to have consequences for your job.”

  “So is being accused of murder. Just the charges are enough

  to make people think twice about supporting me, so what difference will it make if they find out I like women?”

  “Does this mean you’re coming out?”

  Glynn huffed. “I thing being dragged out is probably a better

  way to put it. I have to go back to Indiana on Friday morning. I

  just hope the prosecutor holds off on making a statement before