Suspicion of Madness Read Online Free Page B

thought Billy was getting better. It's completely out of left field. All the literature says you're supposed to see signs." With slow deliberation Martin removed a square of cloth from his shirt pocket, unfolded it, and took off his glasses. "Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young males fifteen to nineteen, did you know that?" He wiped the lenses. "What a tangle that boy's mind is. I don't know what's going on in there, but I can't believe that he committed murder. For the love of God, why would he say he did? Teri's about to fall apart, and I don't know what to do next. Tell me what I'm supposed to do."
    From the other chair, Anthony reached over and gripped Martin's forearm. "Take care of yourself and your wife. Don't worry about anything else right now. You and Teri will stay the night, I suppose. Get some sleep if you can. You particularly, my friend. Listen. I have had clients who confessed to crimes they didn't commit. The reasons are often complex, and I don't want to speculate about Billy, but it does happen."
    "Are they going to arrest him?"
    "They'll need more than a bare confession. Do you know if they have anything?"
    "They didn't say." Martin was still cleaning his glasses. His brows were heavy and dark. "That detective. Jack Baylor. What a son of a bitch. Teri and I were waiting outside the emergency room, and Baylor came in. He told us Billy had confessed. I thought it was some kind of sick joke. Teri went into hysterics. I had to pull her away from him."
    "All right. I'll speak to Detective Baylor. Is there a chance Billy might wake up before morning?"
    "Not likely. They say he's down for the count."
    "Good. Do I need to remind you how to deal with the police?
    For now, tell them nothing. If he does wake up, keep them away from him. Tell the staff not to let anyone in his room. Do you understand?"
    Martin nodded. "I know the drill." He slid his glasses back over his ears.
    Anthony said, "How do I get in touch with Billy's therapist?"
    "You don't. He's no longer in the area. I hate to admit this, but Billy stopped going quite a while ago. He refused, and Teri didn't have the strength to fight him. I let him get away with it because he seemed to have improved so much." Martin smiled. "What's that river in Egypt? Denial?"
    Anthony smiled in return, then said, "Let me call Sharon Vogelhut. She knows Billy from before, and with your permission I'll call her tonight and ask if she can be here first thing in the morning. In light of Billy's statement to the police, he should be evaluated immediately. I have to tell you, it's going to get expensive."
    Martin waved the thought away. "Call her."
    "I also want to talk to Joan Sinclair about the night that Sandra McCoy died. When did Billy arrive at her house and when did he leave? If she'll make a statement to the police, our troubles may be over."
    "That's right." Martin nodded. "By God, that's right, isn't it?"
    "Did you speak to her yourself about Billy?"
    "Teri did. Joan called her and said he was at her house watching old movies the night of the murder. I imagine Billy asked her to call, but it never crossed our minds he had anything to do with Sandra's death. He rode over to the marina with Sandra that afternoon, but he didn't see her afterward."
    "I didn't know that."
    "Sandra left work a little early. She took the shuttle about four-thirty, and Billy rode with her. She kept her car in our employee lot. Billy took his mother's car and ran some errands. Sandra was coming out of the video store about the same time Billy was getting home. He went right over to Joan Sinclair's house."
    Anthony glanced at his watch: nearly ten o'clock. "It's too late to call her now. Can you get me her number?"
    "It's in the office. Lois can get it for you. But don't expect Joan to answer her phone. The procedure is, you leave a message, and she decides whether to call you back. Sometimes she does, sometimes not. I believe she will because Billy is involved. She and