Chapter 21
The Three of Pentacles represents teamwork and collaboration.
DANNY
Laura had warned me that Cal would explode when she found out I had interviewed her clients. It’s obvious she doesn’t trust me yet. I can’t blame her for that.
I could tell Cal was still confused by the information we were throwing at her. I’ll give her credit; she was handling it well.
“I interviewed the admitting psychiatrist at Summit Ridge. Juliet exhibits signs of Dissociative Identity Disorder. He believes when she had the mental break, possibly over the failed romance with Paul, the other personalities emerged. He identified at least three other personalities.
“My theory is at least one of those personalities decided to kill Paul and frame you for it. How long did Abigail and Paul stay together?”
“I have no idea. It couldn’t have been long, though, because Paul married Irina about six months after our divorce was finalized.
“Are you saying now that Abigail or Juliet is a suspect that Cal is off the hook for Paul’s murder?”
“Not really, Marci.” I lay my hand on top of Marci and Cal’s clasped hands. I feel Cal tense and her hand jerks. But she doesn’t move it away.
“We can’t prove any of this. There is no evidence that Juliet killed Paul. All the evidence, physical and circumstantial, points to Cal. Juliet covered her tracks well.
Cal is sitting very still with her eyes closed. She speaks after a few minutes. “I need to lay this all out, get it organized, so I can deal with it.
“We know that Juliet had the opportunity to steal a cup with my fingerprints on it on the day of her appointment.
“She probably stole the bottle of wine that day, too. She couldn’t have taken the shoes then because I went upstairs to my closet to get the lavender oil for her burned fingers. It took me a while to find it; I left her alone for at least five minutes. She had to have stolen the shoes before her appointment.”
“How would she have entered your home?” I saw Laura grimace and shake her head.
“There are times that I take Carl for a walk or run back over to my office in the Psych building for a short while, without locking my door.”
“You what?” If that sounded judgmental, it was.
“I told her she was too trusting,” said Marci.
Cal was irritated. “I lock my door now. Don’t make a big deal of it.”
Laura spoke up. “It is a big deal, Cal. One that could get you convicted if we can’t connect Juliet to this crime with some real evidence.”
“How can we find some evidence? Or get Juliet to confess?” Cal looks around the room at us. I wonder if she realizes how na?ve she sounds.
I’m not about to tell her that the only way I have thought of so far puts her in grave danger of being killed herself.