Gaits of Heaven

even taken off her bone-colored pumps. She wore a linen outfit in a shade of rose that brightened her cheeks. At my request, she was reading the note from Anita.
    “Gabrielle got one, too,” I said. “She thinks that the apology and the stuff about amends means that Anita is in some twelve-step program.”
    “A good guess. Or maybe she’s in therapy. It does read as if someone told her to write it.”
    “I just can’t imagine what she’s supposed to be recovering from.”
    “It could be anything. The recovery movement covers a lot of ground. I think you should forget all about the note.“
    “Speaking of recovery,” I said, “I could use some advice about Caprice.” Rita already knew that Caprice was staying with us. I’d filled her in when we’d arranged dinner.
    Rita sipped her drink. “Ethical considerations have arisen,” she said. “I really can’t say much about that family.”
    “No one has mentioned you,” I said. “Caprice’s therapist is Missy Zinn. You said she’s good. Eumie told me the names of a lot of others. Ted has mentioned some. They were seeing Vee Foote, and she’s seeing Ted now. It’s exactly like her to do couples therapy with one person.”
    “He may need... why am I defending her? With someone else, there might be a good reason to see the surviving spouse, but knowing Vee, she’ll probably keep on seeing him for years if he’s willing to pay. Anyway, the reason is that I’ve just started supervising a young psychologist, Peter York, who’s connected to the case, and this is a new patient of Peter’s. I’m far from sure that I’m the best supervisor for Peter. He’s more interested in families than in individuals.”
    I set the kitchen table, put the salad bowl on it, told Rita to help herself, and then resumed my badgering. “Rita, you aren’t Caprice’s therapist, so you have to listen. Her mother has just died. Either she committed suicide or she was murdered. The police are investigating her death. And even when Eumie was alive, Caprice was in trouble. She is horribly overweight. She’s so overweight that her face is disfigured. If she were thirty, okay, then it would be her choice and so on, but it’s simply a fact, whether we like it or not, that at her age, she cannot be obese and have any kind of half-decent social life. And she sleeps... it’s normal for adolescents to sleep a lot. Leah used to, and she’ll still sleep late sometimes, but this is different. It’s not just how long Caprice sleeps, but when she wakes up, she seems drugged. Rita, look how Eumie died! And Ted and Eumie used to help themselves to each other’s medications. For all I know, their medicine cabinets were open to the whole family, like refrigerators. What if... Rita, all I’m asking for is ordinary advice. There’s nothing unethical about giving me that.”
    “Use your own judgment. Do what you’re doing. She’s seeing Missy. You are not her therapist. This is a good salad.”
    “Thank you. I’ve decided that salad is the new pizza. Almost. For women, anyway. Steve considers it a side dish.”
    I was interrupted by Kevin Dennehy’s signature rapping on the back door. When he’d greeted both of us, I set a third place at the table and asked whether he wanted a beer. For once, he refused, but he did take a seat.
    “Women and vegetables,” he said, eyeing the salad I’d put on his plate.
    “You’re welcome,” I said. “And you’re welcome to pick out the shrimp and just eat those. And you have some hot dogs in the refrigerator, and there’s some of your hamburger left, too, but it’s turning strange colors.”
    “That’s mold,” Kevin said. “Excellent source of penicillin.“
    “Are you feeling sick?” I asked.
    “In the head.” Smiling at Rita, he added, “Not you, Rita, you’re an exception, but I’ve got this theory about your profession. All it takes is one of you. And that one drives someone crazy. And then the victim goes to another one of you. And that one gets driven crazy and has to see another one. And so on. Like rabbits. Two of them are all cute and fluffy, and then a month later, it’s thousands. Except with rabbits, you gotta start with two. With shrinks, all you need is one, and before you know it, there they are, all getting their heads examined, all stark raving mad.”
    Pointing to the lettuce on Kevin’s plate, Rita said, “It’s possible that the rabbit food is affecting your brain, Kevin. Maybe you should have some