'He had nothing to do with that.'
Amanda was so quick to make the point, Berry was certain the opposite was true. Her expression must have conveyed her feelings, because Ben came in right behind his wife with a denial of responsibility.
'Swear to God, Berry, I never thought Delray would take such a hard stance. Not with you, you of all people.'
Berry actually laughed. 'Me of all people? The scarlet woman of the company? Isn't that what Amanda implied to them?'
'That's not how it was, Berry. They drew their own conclusions about what went down in the lake house, and why. I swear I ... we ... didn't--'
'Don't work yourself into a lather, Ben. Whatever you or Amanda told them or led them to believe, whatever explanation or apology you're about to sputter now is meaningless to me. You let me take the fall, and that was dishonest and disloyal.
'But I'm not all that broken up over it. I don't want to work for a company that has so little regard for me as to believe the worst without even extending me the courtesy of a defense.' She drew herself up. 'The portfolio with everything in it, from the first sketches to the final mock-ups, is at the lake house. I'll have it sent to you by courier.'
'He doesn't need your largesse,' Amanda said. 'And you can keep the portfolio. Ben has made copies of everything all along.'
Berry looked from Amanda back down to Ben, whose expression bore the imprint of guilt. 'Oh. I see.' Berry held his tortured gaze for several seconds, then, without shaking hands or even saying good-bye, she walked away.
She'd been outside Oren's ICU for almost an hour when Ski arrived, looking recently showered and dressed in fresh clothing. Upon seeing him, her heart kicked up its pace, but his demeanor was suitably professional, so she curbed the impulse to fling her arms around him and, instead, greeted him with a reserve that was appropriate.
After they'd exchanged hellos, he turned to the deputy sitting in a formed fiberglass chair, who'd been assigned to guard Oren's room. 'Do you need a break?'
Either he took the hint or he really did need a break, because he thanked Ski, left his chair, and walked away, leaving them alone.
Berry, speaking quietly, said, 'Dodge told me about your heroic efforts to bring Oren in.'
He waved off her compliment. 'I should have caught him sooner.'
'I shouldn't have called him on Thursday. I shouldn't have invited Ben to come here on Friday. I shouldn't have treated Oren so unkindly. His parents and teachers should have recognized his psychotic tendencies.' She gave him a wan smile. 'The blame extends a long way back, Ski.'
She glanced into the ICU, where Oren's vitals were being monitored by softly blipping machines. 'They let me go in. There were things I wanted to say to him, and I did.' Regretfully, she shook her head. 'But I don't think he heard me.'
She could feel the weight of Ski's contemplative gaze on her. 'Why did you want to talk to him, Berry? Why are you still here?'
'I really can't explain why. I just feel I should be. Is it macabre of me to stand vigil, waiting for something to happen?'
'It's macabre to have restraints on him.' In addition to all the tubes and wires attached to Oren, there were bands around his wrists and ankles that secured him to the bed. 'But he killed three people. Ruthlessly. We shouldn't feel sorry for him.'
'I don't. Not really. I don't know how I feel, Ski. I'm relieved that he's no longer a threat to me or to anyone else, but my emotions are mixed. I don't know what to think about anything.' Her eyes coming back to his, she added helplessly, 'About
He knew exactly what she was talking about. His voice dropped in volume. 'Right.
'I almost came after you.'
'You did?'
'I made it as far as the door. I knew you had to go, but I didn't want to be away from you.'
The hungry stare they exchanged was interrupted by a commotion at the end of the long corridor. The deputy, returning from his break, was arguing with Lisa Arnold.
'I want to talk to Ski Nyland.'
'It's okay,' Ski said. The deputy moved aside. The girl's flip-flops made slapping sounds as she walked toward them.
'How are you, Ms. Arnold?' Ski asked politely.
She hooked a hank of overprocessed, raven-colored hair behind her ear, from which several silver rings dangled. 'I'm okay. I mean, I guess. You know, I'm still sad over Davis.'
'Of course.'
Her gaze slid to Berry. Ski made the introductions.
'I know who you are,' the girl said. 'It started at your house. He shot your boyfriend, too, right?' Before Berry could correct her, she turned away from them and looked into the ICU. For several moments, she stared at Oren. Finally she said, 'I saw on TV that you'd caught him. The deputy that's been parked outside my house came up to the door and told me that he was leaving, that there was no reason for him to guard me anymore.'
Ski asked, 'Is that the man you saw in the motel, who shot Davis Coldare?'
'That's him, all right. The son of a bitch.' But her sneer gave way to rising emotion. 'I talked Davis into taking me to that motel. If we'd've stayed at the drive-in, he would still be alive.'
'You aren't responsible for what happened, so don't blame yourself,' Ski said kindly.
She came around and gave Ski a watery, grateful smile. 'Well, I just wanted to come and thank you for catching him.'
'I had a lot of help.'
'And something else? Thanks for being so nice to me the night it happened.'
'You're welcome.'
'I'm sorry my stepmother was such a bitch.'
Ski smiled. 'That's okay.'
'Don't take it personal. She's a bitch to everybody.' She cast one final, malevolent glace at Oren, then said good-bye and headed down the corridor toward the elevator. Dodge and Caroline stepped off as she got on.
Ski's cell phone rang, and he stepped aside to take the call.
'Any change?' Dodge asked Berry as they approached.
'No.'
'Waste of time, just standing here, staring at him.'
'Probably, but...'
Ski rejoined them, holding the cell phone against his chest. 'We've got a situation at the sheriff's office. The man who found the Mittmayers' car--'
'Jesus. That inbred?' Dodge said with distaste.
Ski smiled. 'Mr. Mercury is demanding his reward, accusing everyone in the
