Part 32 (1/2)
Before I could tell her about Roger, Judith's strident voice drown my words.
”How could you let her tell those lies? You've ruined my life.” Her voice grew louder. ”Marcie Simpson,
where are you? I'm not finished.”
”I'm talking to Mrs. Miller.”
”Get rid of her. She's the one to blame. How am I going to face people? My daughter entices a man, a
gifted musician, a man who loves her mother. Then she cries rape. Jealousy, that's what it is. He wants me.”
”Judith, you don't mean a word of this,” Martin said.
Judith strode into the hall. She held a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
”Mother, for once, I wish you'd think of someone other than yourself.”
”Roger wasn't the man he presented on the surface,” I said. ”We should have investigated his background more thoroughly.”
Judith laughed. ”Please, you're being ridiculous. Roger's too good for St. Stephen's. My daughter invented her story and she's going to confess her lies to the police. He must be protected from scandal.”
”I didn't lie.” Marcie faced her mother.
Judith stabbed the cigarette at Marcie's face. The girl evaded the thrust and dashed to the stairs.
”You'll pay.” Judith glared at me. ”I warned you not to spy.”
”Roger's dead.”
Judith screamed. Martin dropped the gla.s.s he held.
Marcie gasped. ”Dead? How? Mrs. Miller, you didn't --”
I shook my head. ”He fell from the choir loft this afternoon.”
Judith drained her gla.s.s. ”It was an accident.”
”Of course it was,” Martin said.
My next words were for effect. ”The police are still investigating. I'm sure they'll talk to you. Judith, did you go to work today?”
”We both did,” Martin said. ”Judith even worked late. She got in just before Marcie and I returned from
the hospital.”
”Dead...He can't be dead. He wanted me. I know he did.” Judith strode to the bar and grabbed the bottle. Scotch splashed into her gla.s.s and onto the bar. ”Oh lord, that wonderful man is dead.”
Marcie vanished upstairs. Though I wanted to follow her, Judith blocked the way to the stairs.
”Why did you come here?” she asked. ”Get out.”
I stepped onto the porch and turned to Martin. ”Tell Marcie to stop by tomorrow.”
He followed me. ”Thanks for taking care of Marcie this afternoon. She has a therapy session Sat.u.r.day
after her cla.s.ses in the city. Do you think she'll be all right?”
For once I heard concern in his voice for someone other than his wife. ”She's strong. What are you going to do about Judith?”
His shoulders straightened. ”I don't know.” He met my gaze. ”If Roger wasn't already dead, I'd make
sure he was. He has some kind of power over Judith that I don't understand. She's not herself.”
I heard steel in his voice and I wondered if my thoughts about Roger's death were wrong.
Judith screamed. The sound of gla.s.s breaking made Martin turn away.
”Send Marcie home with me.”
”She'll be all right. She's in her room with the door bolted. Judith will have a few more drinks and pa.s.s
out.” He sighed. ”She loves me, you know.”