Chapter 11

Several months later, we were entertaining Jeff and Shari Richards. As usual, Charlotte had prepared a sumptuous feast. As we sat down to table, Jeff said, "This household is becoming famous. It's well known that Mrs. Jefferson runs the best kitchen in town, bar none. I dare say that there are few restaurants in this city that can approach her cuisine."

Charlotte blushed and stammered, "You're too kind, Mr. Richards."

"Jeff, please."

"And I'm Charlotte."

We fell to with a will. After consuming the feast in question, we adjourned to the study for drinks, coffee and, perhaps, desert.

Jeff and Shari accepted cognacs with thanks. Jeff smiled and patted his stomach ruefully. "I have," he said, "dined not wisely but far too well."

Stacie spoke up. "If you don't mind," she said, "I'd like to change the subject. Jeff, I want to thank you for everything you've done for us. In particular, thanks for what you've done for me. You've been an absolute brick, putting my mind at rest at every turn. I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"Nonsense," Jeff said. "After all, I had little enough to do. It's not as though there were great legal questions at issue."

Stacie smiled at him. "It's more your being there when I needed you. But please don't belittle what you've done."

Before Jeff could protest again, I interrupted. "There are a few things that bother me about this case," I said. "For starters, Liz's original story at the time of her husband's death was that she'd told him she was leaving him. He became distraught and wound up leaping from the cliff."

"That's right," Jeff said.

"And after the coroner's court ruled death by suicide, the insurance company refused to pay the policy."

"Yes."

"But why," I asked, "didn't Liz pursue the matter? Even though the policy had only been in force for a few months, there might have been a chance that she'd have received at least a partial payment."

Jeff grinned. "Think about it for a moment. Liz and Ted knew that they were guilty as sin. What's more, her daughter witnessed the whole thing. Fortunately for them, Stacie couldn't recall the events of that afternoon. The last thing that Liz and Ted needed was to have Stacie regain her memory. They also didn't want to have an insurance investigator poking around. Insurance companies are in business to make money. They'd much rather keep it than give it away. But with all the legal questions that can arise, they'd want everything to be open and aboveboard. In a questionable case like this one with a lot of money at stake, the company would assign a topnotch investigator. And he'd make Liz and Ted his business until he was sure he'd sorted things out."

"But wouldn't the mere fact that Liz hadn't at least tried to get legal representation have raised alarm bells for the police investigating the case?"

Jeff sighed and sipped his brandy. "I hate to cast aspersions on hardworking police officers, but I've reviewed the original files on this case. I'd have to call the investigation cursory, even slipshod."

I said, "So Liz and Ted figured they'd literally gotten away with murder. But they didn't dare go after the prize they'd killed for. Too many risks involved. So let's jump ahead. They've gotten away with it for years. But when the cops presented them with the transcript of Stacie's hypnosis session, they folded up like a ten-dollar suitcase -- first Liz, then Ted. Why didn't they play dumb and try to stick it out?"

"Fear." Jeff sipped his cognac. "Simple fear. Think about it. Stacie, the girl they've terrorized for years, is now married to a successful and influential lawyer. It's almost Dickensian. They've now been imprisoned for what they've done to her. Although we know that Stacie had almost no part in that -- indeed, she'd rather they'd been set free -- Liz and Ted don't know that. As far as they know, she's now in the driver's seat. And I'd imagine that they exaggerate the amount of power that you and Stacie have. They see this big house, the office on Bay Street and all the trappings of wealth and power. They're scared shitless of both of you. Now they're presented with evidence that Stacie has regained her memory -- at least under hypnosis. They believe that Stacie and her husband now have the evidence and the means to bring them to justice. It's quite possible that they'll spend the rest of their lives in jail. When they were offered a plea bargain for manslaughter, they both jumped at it." He took another sip of brandy. "And I, for one, am damned glad they did. If I'd been prosecuting the case, I'd not have wanted to go to trial armed with a statement obtained under hypnosis and a ten-year-old file containing cursory evidence at best."

Stacie interrupted. "But Jeff, I have my memory back now, thanks to Dr. Woodrow. I could testify as an eyewitness."

Jeff said, "Yes, Stacie. But you'd be describing what you saw as a ten-year-old child. And the memories you have are thanks to hypnotherapy."

"Not entirely. The hypnotherapy was just the beginning. Dr. Woodrow helped me to get over my fear of remembering. Once I'd overcome that fear, the memories became clear."

Jeff sighed. "I realize that. But let's think about the defence that a capable lawyer could present. Correct me if I'm wrong, but at best your testimony puts Ted at the site of your father's death and establishes that they fought. You didn't actually see Ted push or throw your father from the cliff top."

"No, I didn't. But I'm sure he did."

"And so am I. Personally, I have no doubt that Ted went to the park that day with the intent of killing your dad. And Liz was fully aware of that. In fact, I think they were both turned on by what they were about to do. For some people, murder is an aphrodisiac." Jeff turned to Charlotte and me. "As you recall, Stacie interrupted them in flagrante delicto."

He paused and sipped his cognac before continuing. "But if I were prosecuting, what I think only establishes my theory of the case. As I said, the defence's first job would be to establish that you didn't actually see Ted kill your dad. Then, he'd call expert witnesses to cast doubts on your conveniently recovered memory." He paused again and took another sip. "I firmly believe that the best you could hope for is a manslaughter conviction. Realistically, they might both get away with pleading to a lesser charge. Hell, Liz might get off scot-free. The judge might well believe that the worst thing she was guilty of was infidelity."

Stacie was clearly distressed. She said, "Can we talk about something else?"

I patted her hand. "Yes, my darling. Of course."

Stacie smiled at me. "Let's talk about happier things. Now I even have my insurance money," she said, "and by the way, thanks so much, Jeff. I can't believe that you even got them to pay me ten years of interest on it." Jeff made a disparaging motion with his hands. Stacie continued. "It's hard for me to believe that I'm rich, or at least what I think of as rich."

I grinned and hugged her. "I seem to remember your saying once that you brought nothing to this marriage. That was never so, but it's even less so now. People will be saying that I married you for your money."

Stacie kissed me on the cheek. Then she turned to Jeff's wife. "Shari, I've heard that you're very active in quite a few charitable organizations. Now that I have some money, I'd like to do some good with it. I'd love it if you could help me. Maybe we could have lunch some time."