Suspicion of Madness

Read Suspicion of Madness for Free Online

Book: Read Suspicion of Madness for Free Online
Authors: Barbara Parker
Tags: Fiction, General, Thrillers
room had a Jacuzzi."
    "How can you be sure Billy is harmless? He burned down somebody's house."
    "He was arrested, not convicted. He said it was an accident, there wasn't enough evidence to proceed, and the charges were dismissed." Anthony unbuckled his trousers.
    "Then why did you advise the Greenwalds to pay the homeowners? Didn't they collect on their insurance?"
    He gave her a look. "I do not pay off witnesses."
    "I know that. But why did you—"
    "Billy was responsible. Whether the fire was an accident or deliberately set, he was responsible. Insurance didn't cover it all, and Martin and Teri paid the difference."
    "Before guilt was decided."
    "Yes. So what?"
    Gail's temper flared. "It doesn't sound like an accident. Lois told me he confessed to a friend. She said the reason the case didn't get anywhere was because the witness changed his mind. She implied that you intimidated him."
    "Intimidated? I set him down for a deposition! He wouldn't show up. I never spoke to the boy."
    "That's not exactly a lack of evidence, is it?"
    "Ay, Dios mío." Anthony let out a breath between his teeth, a habit she found particularly annoying. He took off his pants and tossed them in the direction of his shirt. "Billy said it was an accident, I have no reason to doubt his word, and therefore the answer is no. I was his lawyer, not his mother. I had an ethical duty to protect the legal rights of my client. Any lawyer who cannot grasp that concept should find some other line of work."
    "Stop preaching at me, Anthony."
    He slid out of his low-cut gold briefs. "It is easy to criticize another lawyer's judgment when you are standing on the outside."
    "I wasn't—"
    "I did what was necessary to defend my client. Why can't you respect that? I have been a criminal defense attorney for seventeen years, and occasionally I know what I'm doing." Holding up his hands, he said, "Ni una más. I'm tired. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Are you coming or not?"
    He reached into the armoire for one of the resort's plush terry-cloth robes, which he threw over one shoulder as he headed for the bathroom.
    Gail followed but had no intention of getting into the shower with him. She had bathed earlier in the tub, which was half the size of her car. The bathtub took up one corner, the shower another. Anthony reached in and turned a knob, creating a fall of water like tropical rain. There was no curtain, only the depth of the shower itself to prevent splashes from hitting the floor outside. The toilet and bidet had their own room, discreetly out of sight. The vanity was a long slab of marble. Standing there naked, marble at the level of his hipbones, Anthony rummaged through his toiletries bag for a razor. Scented soap. Pumice stone.
    "Anthony?"
    "What?"
    "Are you having second thoughts about marriage?"
    Their eyes met in the mirror. "Why do you ask me that?"
    "Tell me the truth. I can take it."
    He let out a breath. "I still want to marry you, Gail." The top of the mirror was steaming up. His dark head, her blond one, were becoming obscured in mist. "I love you."
    She threaded the belt of her robe through her fingers. "We don't talk about it anymore. Marriage, I mean."
    "What is there to talk about? We decided on June, no? I wanted to do it sooner, but you said stop pushing, I'm too busy, wait until Karen is out of school, so I said, well, all right, I won't bug her about it anymore." He raised his brows. "You want to get married sooner?"
    "No. June is fine."
    "¿Qué te pasa? You said June."
    "I know I said June!"
    He spread his hands. "Then why did you bring it up? Are you going to come in with me or not?"
    "I'll just wait here till you've finished."
    "Haz lo que te dé la gana." Telling her to suit herself, Anthony vanished into the cloud of steam rolling out of the shower, and she heard him humming an old disco tune. It sounded like the Bee Gees.
    A door with glass jalousies led to the deck, and she pushed it open and went outside, a cloud of steam

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