Chương 8
“That’s not—”
“That is exactly what you described.”
“I was trying to figure out whether the dizziness was anxiety or lack of sleep.”
“By making her sleepy?”
“I thought if she slept, the episodes might stop.”
“So why research arrhythmias?”
“Because they didn’t.”
Laura felt nauseated.
“And drug interactions?”
Daniel looked away.
“What else did you give her?”
“Nothing.”
“Daniel.”
“Nothing.”
“Then why drug interactions?”
“I wanted to know whether hydroxyzine could interact with anything.”
“What anything?”
“I didn’t know what she might be taking.”
Evan said, “You told Mom you found pills in her backpack.”
“I did.”
“What pills?”
“I don’t know.”
“You threw them away.”
“Yes.”
Laura watched his hands.
He was twisting his wedding ring.
Daniel only did that during flights.
He hated turbulence.
“What did the pills look like?” she asked.
“White.”
“Shape?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Bottle?”
“Plastic bag.”
“Were they marked?”
“I didn’t look.”
Laura stared at him.
“You found unidentified pills in our sixteen-year-old daughter’s backpack, didn’t check them, didn’t photograph them, didn’t ask her, didn’t tell me, and threw them away.”
“Yes.”
“That is a lie.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I am telling you what happened.”
“No. You’re telling me something you think can survive inspection.”
His expression hardened.
“You came here to accuse me.”
“I came here to hear you.”
“You’ve heard me.”
“No. I heard three versions in forty-eight hours.”
Evan said, “There weren’t any pills.”
Daniel turned.
“You don’t know that.”
“I use Mia’s backpack.”
“What?”
“For school sometimes. Mine ripped last month. She doesn’t keep drugs in it.”
“You inspect every pocket?”
“No.”
“Then stop pretending you know.”
Evan stepped forward.
“You’re lying.”
Daniel stood.
“So are you.”
“About what?”
“The car.”
Evan stopped.
Daniel looked at Laura.
“Did he tell you why he was really out that night?”
Laura’s stomach tightened.
Evan went pale.
“Dad.”
“No. You want honesty? Fine.”
“Daniel.”
“He wasn’t at Noah’s.”
Evan stared at his father.
Daniel continued.
“He was at a party in Westbridge. Police broke it up. He’d been drinking.”
Laura looked at Evan.
“You told me you weren’t.”
Evan’s eyes filled with anger.
“I wasn’t driving drunk.”
“That is not what I asked.”
“I drank earlier.”
“How much?”
“Two beers.”
Daniel gave a bitter laugh.
“Four.”
“Shut up.”
“You begged me not to tell her.”
“Shut up!”
Evan lunged one step.
Laura moved between them.
“Enough.”
Daniel pointed toward Evan.
“This is your witness. The boy who lies when it protects him.”
“And what does that make you?” Evan shouted.
“At least I admitted what I did.”
“No, you admitted the part you think isn’t criminal.”
Daniel’s face emptied.
Laura turned toward him.
“What part would be criminal?”
Nobody spoke.
Then the doorbell rang.
All three of them jumped.
The ordinary sound felt obscene.
Detective Reyes stood outside with another investigator.
Daniel’s face altered before he opened the door.
The transformation was subtle but complete.
Shoulders lower.
Voice neutral.
Cooperative husband.
Laura watched it happen.
Reyes said, “Mr. Bennett, we need to speak with you.”
Daniel looked at Laura.
“Did you call them?”
“No.”
Reyes’s gaze moved between them.
“We have preliminary results from the residue recovered from the plate.”
Laura’s legs weakened.
Daniel did not move.
Reyes continued.
“It tested positive for hydroxyzine.”
Laura almost laughed from the absurdity of confirmation.
He had just confessed to that.
Then Reyes said, “And clonidine.”
Daniel’s wedding ring stopped turning.
Laura had never heard the word.
“What’s clonidine?”
Reyes did not answer immediately.
Daniel did.
“A blood-pressure medication.”
Everyone looked at him.
Reyes asked, “How do you know that?”
Daniel blinked.
“I’ve heard of it.”
Laura stared at him.
Nobody in their house took blood-pressure medication.
“Why was it in Mia’s food?” she asked.
Daniel shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Reyes watched him carefully.
“Mr. Bennett, we’d like you to come with us voluntarily and answer additional questions.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“No.”
“Then I’m not going anywhere.”
The detective nodded.
“That’s your choice.”
Daniel looked at Laura as though he had won something.
Reyes said, “We’re also applying for a warrant covering additional areas and electronic records.”
His expression changed.
Not much.
Enough.
“For what?”
“Your computer, certain financial records, and additional medication-related evidence.”
“My financial records?”
Laura heard it.
The crack.
For the first time, Daniel sounded genuinely frightened.
Reyes did not explain.
Daniel looked at Laura.
“You gave them permission?”
“I didn’t know.”
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth.”
“What truth?”
“That Mia nearly died after you put drugs in her food.”
“She did not nearly die.”
Mia had not.
Not medically, according to the doctors.
Laura knew this.
She also knew why she had said it.
Because she wanted to hurt him.
The realization disturbed her.
Reyes interrupted.
“Mrs. Bennett, please don’t discuss evidence with him.”
Daniel looked at Laura with something close to triumph.
“See? You don’t even know what happened.”
Laura hated that he was right about the sentence and wrong about everything underneath it.
She picked up her purse.
“Evan.”
They left.
In the car, Evan said nothing for ten minutes.
Then, “You lied.”
Laura kept driving.
“What?”
“You told him Mia almost died.”
“I know.”
“She didn’t.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
Laura looked at the road.
“Because I wanted him to feel afraid.”
Evan stared at her.
“That’s messed up.”
“Yes.”
He looked out the window.
After a moment he said, “Okay.”
The word felt strangely kind.
The clonidine changed the investigation.
Police eventually found a bottle in Daniel’s office, not in his name.
It belonged to his mother, who had died eleven months earlier.
Daniel had handled her belongings after the funeral.
Laura remembered the boxes in their garage.
Clothes.
Old tax returns.
Medication.
He had said he would dispose of everything properly.
Instead one bottle had remained.
The prescription date was two years old.
Daniel claimed he kept it accidentally.
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Forensic testing found residue in a ceramic mortar-and-pestle set stored in the back of his desk drawer.
Laura did not know they owned a mortar and pestle.
