The Maze

do now is go over those reports again and have MAX correlate just how many times anyone said the murdered women might have even occasionally cursed or even bad-mouthed their husbands just one time."

    "I told you that no one did. Remember about not wanting to say bad things about the dead? It was just that there couldn't have been any other reason to cut out their tongues."

    "Yeah, you said that, didn't you? However, somebody had to have said something sometime."

    "He's anal, ain't he?" Ralph said, and Lacey laughed.

    "Thank God the cursing was right on," Captain Dougherty said. "You nailed him good with that, Sherlock. My people told us that you really surprised him when you let out with the curses the first time at the lumberyard. They thought Savich was going to fall over with shock. Well, not really, but you didn't do badly."

    "Thank you, I think."

    "I'm sure glad we weren't wrong about the cursing being the red button for Marlin Jones. And talking back to the husbands. I guess we have to score a big one for the Profilers. Of course it made sense, since old Marlin had cut out their tongues."

    She knew, Savich realized, looking at that sudden brightness in her eyes. She knew without question that was what pushed Marlin Jones into violence. But how? There was something else that had happened seven years ago. It drove him nuts not to know what it was. If MAX couldn't find anything in any of the interviews of the other murdered women, then that meant that Sherlock had based everything on the Profilers' reports, that, or, well, something else had to have happened. But how could she have possibly known something that no one else did?

    It was just past lunchtime in San Francisco when Lacey got through to Douglas Madigan at his law office.

    "Lacey, that really you? What's happening? Are you all right? It was all over the TV on the early news about that guy being caught. You were in on it, weren't you?"

    "Yes, I was, and yes, I'm fine, Douglas. We've got him.

    I've already spoken to him once. I'll find out everything from him, Douglas, everything."

    "But what more is there to know?"

    "I want to know why he killed Belinda. You know she never cursed all that much. She worshiped you, you told me that, so she wouldn't have ever cursed you out in front of any strangers."

    "That's right, but so what?"

    She drew a deep breath. "The reason he picked each of the women is because he knew she cursed and bad-mouthed her husband or boyfriend. If that's not true in Belinda's case, then there has to be another reason. I just want to know, Douglas. I have to know."

    "Were you the police decoy?'"

    "Yes, but please don't publicize it. I was the best one for the job. I know him better than anyone else."

    "My God, that was nuts, Lacey." It was his turn to calm down. She heard his breathing become slower. He was an excellent lawyer.

    "I'm going to call Dad."

    "No, let me do it, although I bet he already knows about it and that you were involved. He'll be relieved that you weren't injured."

    Her arm started throbbing. She needed another pain pill. "Oh no, I'm just fine. What have you done about Candice Addams?"

    "I married her last weekend. Funny thing was she got her period on our wedding night."

    "She wasn't pregnant?"

    "She told me that she had had a miscarriage just two days before but that she loved me so much she was afraid to tell me. She believed I wouldn't have married her if I'd known there wasn't a baby involved."

    "Would you have?"

    "Married her? No, of course not. I don't love her, you know that."

    "What a mess, Douglas." She was very thankful she was three thousand miles away at that moment. "What are you going to do?"

    "I haven't decided yet."

    "Do you think she really loves you?"

    "She claims she does. I don't know. I wish you were here. I wish I could see you, touch you, kiss you. I miss you, Lacey. So do your father and your sweet mother. Both of them hoped we'd marry, you know."

    "No, I didn't know. No one ever said a word to me about that. You were my sister's husband, nothing could ever change that."

    "No, maybe not." He sighed. "Here's my lovely wife, standing here in the open doorway of my office." She heard him say to her, "How long have you been there, Candice?"

    She heard a woman's voice but couldn't make out what she said, but that voice was shrill and angry. Douglas came back on the line. "I'm sorry, Lacey. I've got to go now. Will you come home now that you've gotten rid of your