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'Threatened him with what?'

'I don't know- but remember my feeling they had some issue between them that went way back? The first night I met Bill he said something about guilt being a great motivator. He could have done something years ago that he wants to forget. Something he's been trying to atone for all these years by being 'the good doctor.''

She touched my arm. 'Alex, if he is holding up a giant deal he could be in serious danger. Do you think he's aware of what he's up against?'

'I don't know what he's aware of and what he chooses to deny. The man's an enigma, and he's stubborn.'

'What about Pam? As his heir, she could also be in a treacherous position.'

'If she's his heir.'

'Why wouldn't she be?'

'Because she has no roots in Aruk, and Bill seems to view the island as his real child. He's excluded Pam from scientific discussion and just about everything else. You saw her surprise when he discussed Ben's family history. She's an outsider. So it wouldn't surprise me if he bequeathed his holdings to someone else. Someone with a strong commitment to Aruk.'

She stared at me. 'Ben?'

'In some ways he's Bill's functional son.'

'And being accused of murder gets him out of the way.'

'Sure, but nothing I've heard indicates he's not a murderer. In fact everything Bill told me just added to the picture of guilt: access to the weapon, Betty's medical records, and AnneMarie's autopsy file. And remember our discussion about his being a hard guy? No sympathy for Picker's crash. The way he vaccinated those children, mechanically. Add alcoholism and a rotten childhood and you've got a pretty good textbook history of a psychopath. Maybe even his outward devotion to Bill and the island is calculated. Maybe he's just after Bill's money.'

'Maybe… Yes, he is dispassionate. But tonight at dinner… You really think he could have been so lighthearted while planning to murder someone in a few hours? Planning to mutilate someone?'

'If he's a severe psychopath, he's got an extremely low level of anxiety. For all we know, sitting here listening to Claire play was part of the thrill.'

'Are you saying he killed both girls or just Betty?'

'It could go either way. AnneMarie could have been murdered by a sailor and Ben decided to do a copycat as a cover.'

'But why?'

'He and Betty could have been having an affair. Maybe the baby was his, he wanted out, permanently. When I talked to her, she seemed thrilled about the pregnancy, but who knows?'

'If he was so calculating, Alex, how'd he get caught so stupidly?'

'Screwing up's another psychopathic trait. Look at Bundy, escaping from Washington, where there's no death penalty, and murdering in Florida, where there is. Psychopaths walk a narrow line, all screwed up inside, constantly putting on a show. A psychiatrist named Cleckley labeled it perfectly: the mask of sanity. Eventually the mask falls off and shatters. Ben used booze to get rid of his.'

She shuddered. 'It's still hard to make sense of. I can see using alcohol to lower his inhibitions. But why stick around and get drunk after killing Betty?'

'It's possible he drank a little before meeting Betty, to take the edge off, had some more with Betty, killed her before the total effect set in, then boom. Bill said he'd always drunk beer. Vodka could have been too much to handle.'

'I guess so,' she said, rubbing her eyes. 'But he always seemed decent. I suppose I sound like one of those people who get interviewed on the news: he was such a quiet guy… well, at least the part about whose baby Betty was carrying can be tested. Who's doing the medical investigation?'

'Dennis is bringing a lawyer over from Saipan. I assume he'll call for a pathologist, too.'

She leaned against me heavily. 'What a horror.'

'How's Pam taking it?'

'At first she talked mostly about Bill- worried about him. Wanting to help, but feeling he pushes her away.'

'He does.'

'She's not ready to give up. She thinks she owes him.'

'For what?'

'Coming through for her during the divorce. She also talked more about herself. Said she'd had problems with men before her marriage- attracted to losers, guys who got rough with her, psychologically and physically. After the divorce she was so low she was having suicidal thoughts. Her therapist wanted to establish a support system, found out Bill was her only relative, and called him. To Pam's surprise, he flew out to Philadelphia, stayed with her, took care of her. Even apologized for sending her away. Said losing her mother had been too much to handle, he'd been overwhelmed, it had been a big mistake that he knew he could never make up for, but would she like to come back and give him another chance? But now that she's here…'

She looked at the clock. 'It's almost daybreak. Tell you one thing I've learned from all this. I could never be a therapist.'

'Most therapy cases aren't like this.'

'I know, but it's still not for me. I admire you.'

'It's a nasty job, but someone's got to do it.'

'I'm serious, honey.'

'Thank you. I admire you, too. And despite all that's happened, I have no regrets.'

'Me, neither.' She ran her fingers through my hair. 'In a few days when we're back in L.A., I'm going to remember being with you. Everything else good about this place. Frame it in my mind, like a picture.'

Psychic sculpting. I doubted I had the talent.

26

By ten A.M. the reservations were booked: back to Saipan in five days, LAX in a week. I'd try to find a good time to tell Moreland. If I didn't find one, I'd tell him anyway.

I phoned the Aruk police station. A man with a sibilant voice told me the chief was busy.

'When will he be free?'

'Who's this?'

'Dr. Delaware. I'm staying at-'

'Knife Castle, yeah, I know. I'll give him your message.'

Robin was still sleeping and I went down to breakfast. Jo was there by herself, eating heartily.

'Morning,' she said. 'Get any sleep?'

'Not much.'

'It's something, isn't it? You come to an out-of-the-way place, think you're escaping big-city crime, and it runs after you like a mad dog.'

I buttered a piece of toast. 'True. Life can be a prison. Sometimes, out-of-the-way places make the best prisons.'

She wiped her lips. 'I suppose that's one way of looking at it.'

'Sure,' I said. 'The isolation and poverty. For all we know there are all kinds of behavioral aberrations rampant.'

'Is that what you're looking for in your research?'

'I haven't gotten far enough to develop hypotheses. Looks like I won't; we're booked on the next boat out.'

'That so?' She placed a dollop of marmalade on a scone. The sun was behind her, crowning her with a rainbow aura.

'How long are you planning to stay?'