because the penis is constructed as a weapon and penetration means invasion and loss of women's control.”
“She's big on control, isn't she?”
“It's her main theme. I went to the library and checked out the studies she quoted. They don't say what she claims they do. She took facts out of context, reported selectively, played fast and loose. But unless you took the time to carefully examine each source, it wouldn't be obvious. And apart from her writing skill, I can see why the book sold so well. She had a natural constituency because women almost always
“What about the TV tapes?”
“She was good at that, too. Unflappable. Even when they put that moron against her on Mayhew, she never lost her cool. Remember him?”
“Skinny idiot in black? He really dumped on her, didn't he?”
“But she handled him beautifully, never let him get to her. To me, she came out the clear winner and he looked mad. What if he held a grudge?”
Silence. “You've got to be kidding.”
“You said be creative. Those shows are powder kegs- dealing with sensitive issues, exploiting people on the edge. Exactly what I was trained not to do as a therapist. I've always thought it was only a matter of time before things got violent.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Okay, I'll look into him- what was his name?”
“Karl Neese.”
He repeated it. “Wouldn't
“That's it, so far. How about you?”
“Nothing. I get a feeling Hubby's holding something back and your buddies at the U are no help- quoting me statistics about how if it takes too long to solve a case, forget it. Also, they treat me like Joe Cretin. Talk-ing re-al slo-ow.”
“Class snobbery?”
“Maybe coming in rubbing my knuckles on the ground while scarfing a banana was the wrong approach.”
I laughed. “You should have dropped your master's degree into the conversation.”
“Oh, sure, that would really impress a bunch of Ph.D.'s. So what do you think of the wounds? Does that groin stab make it sexual?”
“If it was intentional, it would show definite sexual hostility.”
“Oh, it was intentional all right. Three clean cuts, no error wounds, no hacking around. He got her exactly where he wanted: heart, groin, back.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds orchestrated,” I said. “A definite sequence.”
“How so?”
“Stabbing her in the heart first could be romantic, in a sick sense. Breaking someone's heart, maybe some kind of revenge. Though I guess he could have chosen the heart in order to kill her quickly. But wouldn't a throat slash have been a better bet for that?”
“Definitely. The heart's not that easy to hit, you can nick ribs, miss completely. Most quick-kill knife jobs
“The groin,” I said, thinking of Hope's composure and impeccable clothes. Every hair in place. Left bleeding on the street… “The groin could be an extension of the heart wound- love gone wrong, the sexual element… If so, the back would be the coup de grAce: back stabbing. The symbol of betrayal.”
“To stab her in the back,” he said, “he had to take the time to flip her over and place her on her stomach. That's why I got interested when you said orchestrated. Think of it, you're standing there on the street, just killed someone. You take the time to do something like that? To
“Cold rage,” I said. “Criminal intimacy- someone she knew?”
“Which is exactly why I'm interested in Hubby.”
“But for someone like her, intimacy could mean something totally different. Her book tour took her out in front of millions of people. She could have triggered rage in any of them. Even a delusional rage. Someone who didn't like the way she signed a book, someone who watched her on TV and related to it pathologically. Fame's like stripping in a dark theater, Milo. You never know who's out there.”
He was silent for a few moments.
“Gee, thanks for expanding my suspect list to infinity… Here's something that never made it into the papers: Her routine was to take a half-hour to one-hour walk every night, around the same time. Ten-thirty, eleven. Usually she walked with her dog- a Rottweiler- but that day it came down with serious stomach problems and spent the night at the vet's. Convenient, huh?”
“Poisoned?”
“I called the vet this morning and he said he never worked the dog up 'cause it got better by morning, but the symptoms could have been consistent with eating something nasty. On the other hand, he said dogs eat garbage all the time.”
“Did this one?”
“Not that he knew. And it's too late now to run tests. Something else Paz and Fellows never thought to ask about.”
“Poisoning the dog,” I said. “Someone watching her for a while, learning her habits.”
“Or someone who already knew them. Wouldn't a husband fit perfectly into this love-sex-revenge orchestration thing? Someone who'd been cuckolded?”
“Had this husband been cuckolded?”
“Don't know. But assume yes. And if Seacrest was smarter than the average betrayed husband, colder, what better way to deflect suspicion than make it look like a street crime?”
“But we're talking a middle-aged history professor with no record of domestic violence. No violence, period.”
“There's always a first time,” he said.
“Any idea how he dealt with her fame?”
“No. Like I said, he's not helpful.”
“It could have been a rough spot in their relationship: He was older, possibly more prominent academically til she wrote the book. And maybe he didn't take well to being discussed on TV. Though on the tapes I saw she talked about him fondly.”
“Yeah,” he said. “ “Philip's attuned to a woman's needs but he's the rare exception.' A little patronizing, maybe?”
“Another thing,” I said. “I never heard any feminist outcry about her death, or the fact that it hadn't been solved. Maybe because she wasn't affiliated with any feminist groups- at least I didn't see any listed in her resume.”
“True,” he said. “A loner?”
“She did the usual committee things, joined academic societies. But nothing political. Despite the tone of the book. And speaking of the resume, one thing caught my eye: She chaired something called the Interpersonal Conduct Committee. It sounds like it might have something to do with sexual harassment- maybe handling complaints by students against faculty. Which could have been another source of controversy. What if she put someone's career in jeopardy?”
“Interpersonal conduct. I never noticed that.”
“It was just a notation at the end.”
“Thanks for paying attention. Yeah, that sounds interesting. Want to do me a favor and check it out on campus? The department head hasn't returned my calls since the first time I spoke to him.”
“Ed Gabelle?”
“Yeah, what's he like?”
“A politician,” I said. “Sure, I'll ask.”
“Thanks. Now let me tell you what gets
