'Just a minute ago. you admitted your story doesn't make any sense at all. Didn't you?'
Reluctantly, she said, 'Yes. That's what I said. It doesn't make sense. But it happened!'
'Believe me, I've seen how a sudden shock can affect people,' Tony said. 'It distorts perceptions and memories and--'
'Are you going to help me or not?' she asked.
'Of course I'm going to help you.'
'How? What will we do?'
'For starters, we'll report the break-in and the assault.'
'Isn't that going to be terribly awkward'?' she asked sourly. 'When I tell them that a dead man tried to kill me, don't you suppose they'll decide to commit me for a few days, until they can complete a psychiatric evaluation? You know me a hell of a lot better than anyone else, and even you think I'm crazy.'
'I don't think you're crazy,' he said, dismayed by her tone of voice. 'I think you're distraught.'
'Damn.'
'It's understandable.'
'Damn.'
'Hilary, listen to me. When the responding officers get here, you won't say a word to them about Frye. You'll calm down, get a grip on yourself--'
'I've got a grip on myself!'
'--and you'll try to recall exactly what the assailant looked like. If you settle your nerves, if you give yourself half a chance, I'm sure you'll be surprised by what you'll remember. When you're calm, collected, more rational about this, you'll realize that he wasn't Bruno Frye.'
'He was.'
'He might have resembled Frye, but--'
'You're acting just like Frank Howard did the other night,' she said angrily.
Tony was patient. 'The other night, at least, you were accusing a man who was alive.'
'You're just like everyone else I've ever trusted,' she said, her voice cracking.
'I want to help you.'
'Bullshit.'
'Hilary, don't turn away from me.'
'You're the one who turned away first.'
'I care about you.'
'Then show it!'
'I'm here, aren't I? What more proof do you need?'
'Believe me,' she said. 'That's the best proof.'
He saw that she was profoundly insecure, and he supposed she was that way because she had had very bad experiences with people she had loved and trusted. Indeed, she must have been brutally betrayed and hurt, for no ordinary disappointment would have made her as sensitive as she was now. Still suffering from those old emotional wounds, she now demanded fanatical trust and loyalty. The moment he showed doubts about her story, she began to withdraw from him, even though he wasn't impugning her veracity. But, dammit, he knew it wasn't healthy to play along with her delusion; the best thing he could do for her was gently coax her back to reality.
'Frye was here tonight,' she insisted. 'Frye and nobody else. But I won't tell the police that.'
'Good,' he said, relieved.
'Because I'm not going to call the police.'
'What?'
Without explaining, she turned away from him and walked out of the kitchen.
As he followed her through the wrecked dining room, Tony said, 'You have to report this.'
'I don't have to do anything.'
'Your insurance company won't pay if you haven't filed a police report.'
'I'll worry about that later,' she said, leaving the dining room, entering the living room.
He trailed her as she weaved through the debris in the front room, heading toward the stairs. 'You're forgetting something,' he said.
'What's that?'
'I'm a detective.'
'So?'
'So now that I'm aware of this situation, it's my duty to report it.'
'So report it.'
