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.”Garik wondered if the pain killers were messing with his head.“Relating to what?”“I was Misty Banner’s doctor.I prescribed her prenatal vitamins.Delivered her baby.Did her postpartum examinations.”Garik’s suspicions rose again.“You were in love with her.”“No.God, no.I was in love with my wife.” Dr.Frownfelter observed Garik shrewdly.“You don’t seem surprised to hear I had a wife.”“Margaret told me.”“Of course she did.The thing about being a small-town family physician is that you get to deal with everything.Spousal abuse, alcoholism, bipolar disease, flu epidemics, erectile dysfunction, deafness, old age, dying.It’s an interesting life, because there’s such variety.It takes all your time, and all your energy, and sometimes you win, and sometimes … you lose.” Dr.Frownfelter rubbed his neck as if even the memories weighed him down.“In her hour of need, Misty came to me and told me that she was having an affair.”Garik’s spine snapped to attention.“So it’s not a rumor.She really was having an affair.”“Most definitely.I asked her why, when she had a husband like Charles who worshiped her, she would betray him.She said … she said that her lover was exciting, fascinating, different.That her lover made her forget the pain she felt when she thought of her mother, of her sister, about her terrible, dysfunctional family.” Dr.Frownfelter tilted his head against the back of the chair.“But she said her lover was intense, almost frightening, and she asked what to do.She asked me because I was her doctor, and kind, and smarter than her.”Garik could see disaster coming a mile away.“What did you say?”“She … her timing was bad.” Dr.Frownfelter rummaged around in his capacious pockets and pulled out a bottle of Tums.He popped a couple and put the bottle back.“The day before, my wife had told me she wanted a divorce.She wanted to live somewhere besides Virtue Falls.Anywhere besides Virtue Falls.So she’d gone to the city, found a doctor at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and they made each other very happy.”“I thought she divorced you for infidelity?”“I let her put that on the papers.This way at least I didn’t have to admit my wife was screwing around behind my back.” Dr.Frownfelter’s heavy lids drooped over his eyes.“Say what you like, but a man’s got his pride.”“All right.I get that.What did you say to Misty?” Garik asked again.Dr.Frownfelter looked straight at him.“I told her she should be ashamed, playing around behind Charles’s back, making that good man look like a fool.I told her everyone in town knew what was going on—I had just heard rumors—and asked if she’d even thought about the consequences to her impressionable child.I told her to break it off, and when she tried to tell me she was frightened, I told her she deserved to be afraid.I was furious.I lashed out at her, then ordered her out of my office.” He lifted a shaking hand to his forehead.“The next thing I knew, she was dead.Murdered.Blood all over that house.Everyone said Charles had done it.I was so angry at my wife, I could have killed her, so I thought that was possible.Probable, even.But I wasn’t quite sure … Misty had said she was afraid of her lover.She acted frightened.And I made her break it off.I did that.”“You felt guilty.”“I didn’t feel guilty.I am guilty.”Garik understood that.He understood that far too well.Dr.Frownfelter continued, “I’m a doctor.Do no harm, and all that Hippocratic oath stuff.So I stalked Charles Banner, followed him to prison.I wanted to believe he’d done it, that he really had killed his wife.It would have relieved some of my heartburn.” Dr.Frownfelter lifted the bottle of Tums out of his pocket again, and showed Garik, then dropped it back in.“And?”“Charles isn’t like me.He doesn’t carry a grudge.He doesn’t hate the past.He can forgive his wife.Me? Not a chance.I don’t want to kill my ex-wife anymore, but when her hotshot Seattle doctor divorced her, I did a happy dance.Which with my figure, was something to see.” Dr.Frownfelter patted his belly.“Once I was convinced Charles hadn’t done it, I did do everything I could to get him released from prison.But it was too late.The damage had been done.”“If you’re not the one who killed Misty Banner, and Charles isn’t the one who killed her, who does it leave?”“A whole helluva lot of men.” Dr.Frownfelter glanced at Elizabeth, still asleep on the cot.“Every straight guy in town wanted Misty Banner.”“That’s exactly what Margaret said.”“Margaret’s shrewd, and she’s right.If you’re investigating the crime, you’re going to have to look at every guy who lived here then.” Dr.Frownfelter stood.“And a few of the women.”“Who’s your top candidate?” Garik was very interested in the answer.But Dr.Frownfelter shook his head.“Look, kid.I got someone killed for saying the wrong thing.I learn from my lessons.I’m keeping my mouth shut.”Garik put pressure on.“People are getting hurt.Me [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]