Control and illness-it keeps repeating itself.'
'She ever mention why she didn't finish respiratory tech school?'
'No. What are you thinking-more promiscuity?'
'I'm a big believer in patterns. What'd she do after that?'
'Junior college. Where she met Chip. She dropped out, got married.
Got pregnant right away-more big changes that might have made her feel out of control. The marriage was a step up for her socially, but she ended up living in a very lonely place.'
I described Dunbar Court and the surrounding tract.
'Slow death for someone who craves attention, Milo. And when Chip gets home, I'll bet the situation doesn't change much. He's really into the academic life-big fish in a small pond. I dropped by the J. C. before I went to the house and caught a glimpse of him teaching. Guru on the grass, disciples at his feet. A whole world she's not part of. The house reflects it-room after room of his books, his trophies, masculine furniture. Even in her own home she hasn't made an imprint.'
'So she makes an imprint on the kid.'
'Using familiar tools, things she remembers from her childhood.
Insulin, needles. Other poisons-manipulating what goes into Cassie's mouth the same way her aunt controlled her.'
'What about Chad?'
'Maybe he actually did die of SIDS-yet another traumatic illness in Cindy's life-and that was the stress that drove her over the edge. Or maybe she smothered him.'
'You think your finding the cylinders will scare her off?'
'That would be logical, but with Munchausen, the whole power game, I suppose it could do just the opposite-raise the ante, challenge her to get the better of me. So maybe I just made things more dangerous for Cassie-hell if I know.'
'Don't flog yourself Where are the cylinders now?'
'Right here. In the car. Can you have them dusted for prints?'
'Sure, but Cindy's or Chip's prints on it wouldn't mean muchone of them stashed it years ago and forgot about it.'
'What about the lack of dust?'
'It's a clean cabinet. Or you knocked off whatever dust was on it when you took it out. I'm talking like a defense attorney now, though we re not even close to making anyone need one. And if this Benedict guy touched it, that's cool too. They were sent to him in the first place.'
'With the aunt dead, there'd be no reason for him to give them to Cindy.
'True. If we can pin down this shipment to him after the aunt died, that would be great. Any serial numbers on the things? Or an invoice?'
'Let me check... no Invoice. But there are serial number.
And the copyright on the manufacturer's brochure is five years ol 'Good. Give me those numbers and I'll get on it. In the meantime, I still think your best bet is to continue playing with Cindy's head.
Give her a taste of her own medicine.'
'How?'
'Pull her in for a meeting, without the kid-'
'That's already set up for tomorrow evening. Chip'll be there too.
