Chapter 46
Roy’s home.
“What the hell is going on?” Roy stands in the doorway, frozen.
“Help me, please help me, Dr. Davies! She’s insane! Help me!”
I set the plate down the moment I heard him come inside and picked up the rifle, which I’m now aiming squarely at him.
“Oh God! Jodie! What are you doing?” he cries. “Put the gun down, Jodie! Fuck! What the hell!”
He takes a step forward toward Marie. “What the—”
“Stay where you are, please, Roy,” I say.
“Is that…is that Deborah’s wedding dress?”
“She made me!” Marie shrieks. “She’s demented! Out of her mind! You need to do something!”
“Shut up, Marie. Did you know Marie killed Deborah, Roy?”
“She’s lying!” Marie shrieks.
“Stand over there, Roy.” I nudge the rifle toward the kitchen counter.
“What are you doing?” he cries.
“I know what you were doing to her,” I say. “I know you had her locked up in that room and—”
“How do you know?”
“I found the video.”
“My safe… You got in…”
“How could you do this to her, Roy? A whole week? You kept her in there for a whole week?”
“She’s her sister!” Marie screams.
Roy looks at her. “What?”
“Yes. That’s right. I’m Deb’s sister. But that’s all still beside the point. What the hell is the matter with you, Roy? That’s the point.”
“I–I was trying to help her…”
“She wasn’t injecting herself. Marie was doing it to her. She was drugging you both every night and injecting Deb to make her ugly.”
He turns to Marie. “But you said—”
Marie looks away with a half shrug. “She’s lying.”
He looks back at me and points at Marie. “She told me Deborah was doing this to herself! I thought she had factitious disorder!”
“Which goes to show you’re very bad at your job. But Deborah figured it out and she was going to go the police so Marie shot her.”
“She’s lying again,” Marie cries. “Deborah killed herself. You know that, Dr. Davies. The police have closed the case!”
“Why did you put in your calendar that Vee was one of your clients on the day Deb died?” I ask.
He gives a quick shake of the head. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” I nudge the gun in his direction, and he takes a step back and hits the countertop.
“Okay! I panicked, okay? I was with Vee the day—”
I lower my gun. “You were fucking Vee the day my sister died?”
“She’s crazy! She’s going to kill both of us!” Marie shrieks.
I raise a finger in her direction. “Marie, be quiet. I swear to God.” I turn back to Roy. “Were you? Were you fucking Vee while Deb lay bleeding to death with a gunshot to her face?”
“You killed Deborah?” Roy says to Marie, like it’s only finally dawned on him. He looks like he’s going to faint. “You killed my wife?” he barks.
I turn back to Marie. “You see that? How you ever believed he would give a shit about you is beyond comprehension.”
“Oh God! I’m sorry! Help me…” she wails.
I turn to Roy. “Anyway. While this is going on under your nose, you’re off screwing Veronica. Then you realize you don’t have an alibi, so you pretend she was a client. I think I’ve got the whole story straight now.”
With a trembling hand, Roy slowly reaches into his pocket.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m calling the police. They have to arrest her.” He points at Marie.
He pulls out his phone. I knock it out of his hand with the tip of the rifle.
“What the hell?”
“We’re not done yet.”
I position myself in front of Marie. “I was hoping it would be a painful death, but it’s not to be.” I move carefully, until the tip of the rifle is pressed against her mouth.
“Help me!” Marie cries.
“Jodie! No!” Roy cries. Then suddenly he’s next to me, wrestling the gun out of my hands. “Give it to me,” he hisses between gritted teeth. Between us, the rifle swings wildly. Roy is strong, but so am I. Also, I am way, way more determined.
I bring it back to exactly where I want it and before Roy has a chance to swing it away again, I pull the trigger.
Roy stands there, in shock. I let go of the rifle so he’s holding it now. He drops it to the floor.
Marie, meanwhile, has no face.
There’s a low, guttural sound coming from Roy as he stumbles back, pulling at clumps of hair.
In one quick swoop, I pick up the plate and shove the sandwich in the trash. Then I take off my rubber gloves and throw them in the sink.
Roy starts screaming. “What did you do?”
I run to the front door and out to the street.
“Help! Somebody help me!”