Suspicion of Madness Read Online Free PDF Page B

in a place where he'd gotten some real psychiatric treatment, as opposed to the Dr. Feelgood that you and his mommy sent him to, Sandra McCoy would still be alive. You ought to think about that, counselor. Take a good look at it sometime."
     
     

 
    4
     
     
    Stirred from sleep by a noise at the edge of her consciousness, Gail awakened with a start that sent papers sliding off her lap. Momentarily bewildered, she found herself lying on a sofa looking at a ceiling fan with woven bamboo blades. Footsteps sounded on wood. She sat up and the room righted itself. A shape moved past the window. The door opened, then banged against the brass security bar.
    "Who is it?"
    "It's me, Gail, who do you think? Open up."
    Finger-combing her hair, she hurried across the room and let Anthony in. "I fell asleep. Is it late? How's Billy?"
    "Out cold from too much alcohol, but he'll be all right. No permanent damage."
    "That's good. Are you hungry? I saved you some leftovers."
    "No, I ate a sandwich. Is there anything to drink?"
    "I'll get it. Scotch?"
    "Please." He pivoted, studying the room. "This is smaller than the one I had last time."
    "It's perfect," Gail said. There were wooden shutters at the windows, a high beamed ceiling, furniture that could have come from a Jamaican sugar planter's house. The minibar had been made from an old china cabinet, and painted pottery brightened the shelves.
    When she gave him his drink he noticed her robe and slid a hand over the silk at her shoulder and sleeve. "That's new. I like it."
    She held it open and showed off the nightie underneath. "You bought it for me."
    "Ah. So I did. Why don't you take it off and get in the shower with me?"
    "If you let me scrub your back."
    "You have a deal." He put an arm around her and she lifted her face to be kissed. His mouth was cool from the ice in his drink, but she liked the taste of him.
    "Anthony, I ran into Lois Greenwald tonight. Martin's sister?"
    "Yes, I remember Lois." He sat down on the end of a rattan chaise to take off his shoes.
    "She thought I was your law partner. I don't know where she got that idea, but she started going on and on about Billy. She said that four years ago he was arrested for arson, and you were his defense lawyer." Gail waited for Anthony to say something. He picked up his glass from the coffee table, which had been crafted from polished teak, perhaps the planks from an old sailing ship. "Well? Is it true?"
    He shrugged and took a sip of his drink.
    "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
    "Why should I? It has nothing to do with why we're here now."
    "Well, I was standing there like an idiot without a clue what she was talking about."
    "And now you know."
    "No, I don't. What happened?"
    "Gail, por favor, not tonight. It's late." He walked away, drink in one hand, shoes in the other. Lovely brown leather shoes that he had bought in Spain, where he'd gone last year after they'd split up, to avoid having to talk to her.
    The bedside lamp was on, softly glowing. The four-poster bed had a tent of mosquito netting that could be let down, which was of no possible use unless one opened the windows and ripped out the screens.
    "Your clothes are in the armoire," Gail said. The huge piece of furniture took up half of one wall.
    He opened the doors. "Yes, I see. Thank you." He unbuttoned his shirt and jerked it free of his pants. His waist was slim and hard. Muscles moved in his back.
    Gail leaned against the armoire. "Lois thinks the fact that her brother has brought you here again means something. She wanted to know if Billy's a suspect. I think she really believes that his suicide attempt is an indication of guilt. She started talking about losing business if people think there's a killer running around loose on the property."
    Anthony laughed. "Lois Greenwald invented the word neurotic. Believe me, Billy is no threat to anyone except himself." He tossed his shirt over the back of a chair. "How is the bathroom? The last time I stayed here, my