Gaits of Heaven

understands bitterness, Monty?” Johanna demanded. “You’re the one—”
    “Lay off,” said Wyeth. “Monty, let my mother alone.“
    “Alone? What else is she?” Ted added. “Ever? Johanna is forever alone and always was, with no room in her narcissistic little shell for—”
    “Enough,” said Rita. “We’re not here to—”
    “We’re here to get Wyeth locked up,” said Caprice. “Safely behind bars. That’s why Kevin’s here. He’s a homicide detective. He doesn’t care about Wyeth’s piddling little petty crimes.”
    “You sick, fat bitch!” Johanna charged. “You’ve got matricide written all over you.”
    As unobtrusively as possible, I stood up. To my mind, Caprice’s weight was off-limits, and if she showed any sign of wanting to leave, I was prepared to accompany her.
    “Look,” said Monty, “let’s get something out in the open. Eumie, who was my wife, went into therapy with Ted. Therapy. That’s a joke. And from the first session on, he had her pay in cash at the beginning, and we all understand that there’s only one reason for that, don’t we? So, Ted, what did Eumie threaten to do to you that made you kill her? Was she going to turn you over to the 1RS for unreported income?“
    “Monty, you don’t know a damned thing about therapy,” Ted said. “Some patients don’t pay. They bounce checks. And Eumie and I filed joint returns. She’d hardly have sicced the IRS on herself. And I loved Eumie! Look at me! Oy vey! I’m lost without her!” His cry and his claim struck me as pitifully genuine. For all of their pretensions, for all of their self-absorption, for all of their inadequacy as parents, not to mention as dog owners, they’d been remarkably compatible.
    “Let me summarize,” began Rita in what I saw as a valiant attempt to impose order. “We’re seeing a pattern of alliances and, uh, conflicts within the family.”
    “Which, I have to say,” interjected Monty, “were all made a million times worse by every person here who ever wrote a prescription for anyone involved in this mess. Caprice is right, as usual. You, Dr. Needleman, and you, Dr. Foote, and the rest of you, you started out with unhappy people, people who came to you looking for help, and what the hell did you turn them into? Addicts! And you did it knowing that they didn’t just dose themselves. Oh, no! They shared! If you want to know who’s to blame for the mess Wyeth’s in, look to yourselves. This poor slob of a kid, an empty human being, got his hands on your —”
    To my surprise, Wyeth spoke up. “Yeah, addicts. Starting with you.”
    “Daddy is not—” began Caprice.
    Wyeth spoke a single syllable that made everyone in the room freeze in place: “Porn.”
    “Wyeth, you—” Caprice began.
    “Internet porn. Your dumb mother knew everybody’s secrets. She told me. Right, Monty?”
    Monty’s tan vanished. Then his face turned crimson. After that, he lowered his head and held it in his hands. Caprice wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay,” she said. “If it’s true, it’s really okay.”
    “We could all use a short break,” Rita said. “Monty and Caprice, stay here with me, please. The rest of you, take five.”
     

CHAPTER 46
     
    I took advantage of the intermission to check on the dogs, which is to say that I used the dogs as an excuse to escape. Although Sammy and Lady were both quiet and content, I added spring water to the buckets in their crates and spent a few moments stroking each dog. Physical contact with a beloved animal lowers blood pressure: yours and the dog’s, too. As I began to relax, it occurred to me that if I, one of the most peripheral people at the meeting, had a racing pulse, damp palms, and a tight stomach, then the central members of the group must be in danger of stress-induced heart attacks. Monty Brainard! Wyeth’s revelation had been like a bullet fired at close range. For all that I sympathized with Monty, I couldn’t help realizing that in wounding him, Wyeth had revealed a powerful motive for Eumie’s murder. Eumie had collected secrets. She’d certainly known that Caprice idealized and even idolized her father, who must have reveled in his daughter’s esteem. Had Eumie resented it? After all, she was the parent with whom Caprice lived. If she had threatened to tell Caprice about Monty’s addiction, wouldn’t he have done anything to maintain his baby girl’s admiration? Then there was what I now saw as Johanna’s