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“I sent her an email and told her to stop. Told her we didn’t want to hear from her unless she had something of value to say. I know that sounds harsh but we couldn’t have her corrupting Aaron.”
“How did Carrie react?”
“She obeyed,” said Renata Blanding. “We didn’t hear from her for years.”
“When did she resume contact?”
“When the other thing began. Pretending to be a doctor and wanting referrals from Greg. I never believed it in the first place. You don’t go from eleventh grade to Ph.D. But I said, ‘Great, good luck.’ Then she tried to get Greg involved and that was over the line.”
She poked the oversized cube some more. Rotated it several times. No sign the ice had melted.
“I know,” she said, “that I sound cruel and uncaring, right out of a Disney movie, the witch, Cruella, whatever. That’snotme. I loved my daughter. Did everything I could for her. She’s the one who chose to leave.”
Just as you did with your parents.
Milo and I nodded.
“When you leave,” said Renata Blanding, “there are consequences.”
I said, “Can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt her?”
Emphatic head shake. “To know that, guys, I’d have to know what her life was like, wouldn’t I? A house in Westwood? I must say that’s a surprise. I guess she was finally doing okay. Did she keep the place up?”
“Everything neat and in its place.”
“Like here,” she said. “Like me. At least we had that in common. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a lie-down.”
—
We walked to the door, Renata leading us, Lynn materializing from the kitchen and trailing at a distance.
Milo said, “In terms of Carrie’s body—”
Another hand-wave. “Greg’s a physician, he’ll know what to do.”
“I’ll call Dr. Blanding and help him set it up.”
“Sure,” she said, touching her brow with a now open hand. “Good idea.”
Turning her back on us, she hurried off. That was a cue for Lynn to scurry forward, open the door, and hold it.
Milo smiled down at her.
She looked away.
“Lynn, have you ever met Carrie?”
“Who?” she said.
“Not important,” he said. “Have a nice day.”
She watched, wide-eyed, as we walked to the unmarked. A glance-back from Milo caused her to shut the door.
CHAPTER
14
In the car, I said, “Don’t know about you but I’ve got a new sense of our victim.”
