from my prisoner. Do you remember me asking you to start your own investigation?"
"Emma, I've got a lousy feeling about this case, and Amytal was the only way into Westmoreland's head. I figured if he was the one who killed Sarah, he'd be able to tell us where to find the murder weapon and" — Hancock was tapping her foot — "and the breasts. If he wasn't the killer, then maybe he'd seen him. What he told me adds up to him stumbling across Sarah in a pile of leaves. He had sex with her corpse."
"Disgusting. Are you finished?"
"She was already dead."
"She was already dead. Do you know how many killers have sworn to me that they found the body? What about the blood all over him?"
"He didn’t see the wounds on Sarah at first. Not until after he'd violated her and picked her up in his arms. He thought she was the Madonna. When he called down here from that pay phone he wasn't screaming about a virgin; he was screaming about the virgin. The Virgin Mary. A gift from God."
"A gift from God. All I need is something like this hitting the Item . Maybe they'll run a sidebar about extraterrestrials." She shook her head. "Have you noticed how many psychopaths cloak themselves in the Lord? He is the devil's favorite disguise."
I would have liked to ask Hancock what her religion was helping her to hide. "Westmoreland's no devil," I said. "He's not even a common killer. He's just a crazy bum who turned up at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"He turned himself in at the scene. He's wanted to confess ever since. Now the two of you cook up another storyline while he's high on Amytal. I'm surprised at you. I thought after Prescott killed that cheerleader, you got real careful. This sounds like more of the same."
"Don't drag Prescott into this..." I felt myself losing control and took a second to settle myself down. "Amytal is a reliable technique to recover traumatic memories."
" Reliable? I thought they threw that shit on the garbage heap a decade ago. You could get anybody to say anything on it."
"Not when the interview is conducted—"
"By you. The master. I see. Well, the courts don't agree with you. Neither do I. Whatever Westmoreland said in there is irrelevant. And that's not even the thing that gets to me. What really disappoints me is you going behind my back."
That got my adrenaline flowing. "Behind your back? Why would I go behind your back? You've been up front with me. Right?"
"Don't talk to me in riddles. I know your friend Levitsky saw Dr. Fitzgerald here. So what? I have the right to get a second opinion whenever I want one. I told you you had thirty-six hours before the door closed on Westmoreland and I meant it. That doesn't mean I have to sit still while I wait." She pointed at me. "This is no small matter, Frank. I'm supposed to report you to the Board of Medicine. You didn't have a court order to inject Westmoreland, and you certainly didn't have his consent."
"How much are you paying Fitz?"
"Less than what I was going to pay you to stab me in the back. OK?"
"I'm not stabbing you in the back. I know a murderer on the loose makes for lousy headlines, but the damage is going to be much worse if you've got the wrong man locked up back there, and we end up with another body on our hands. Then you could really kiss the commissioner job goodbye."
"Believe me when I tell you: I don't need a career counselor. I have things covered."
"I'm sure you do. Unless another body turns up. Then all hell could break loose."
"No question about it. But you know what? That isn't going to happen. I've been at this work a little while — and a lot longer than you. Westmoreland's going to trial for a murder he committed, and he'll be found guilty."
"The defense will call me, and I'll testify. It'll be me against Fitz. Westmoreland's not competent to confess. And I'll volunteer that I don't think
"Emma, I've got a lousy feeling about this case, and Amytal was the only way into Westmoreland's head. I figured if he was the one who killed Sarah, he'd be able to tell us where to find the murder weapon and" — Hancock was tapping her foot — "and the breasts. If he wasn't the killer, then maybe he'd seen him. What he told me adds up to him stumbling across Sarah in a pile of leaves. He had sex with her corpse."
"Disgusting. Are you finished?"
"She was already dead."
"She was already dead. Do you know how many killers have sworn to me that they found the body? What about the blood all over him?"
"He didn’t see the wounds on Sarah at first. Not until after he'd violated her and picked her up in his arms. He thought she was the Madonna. When he called down here from that pay phone he wasn't screaming about a virgin; he was screaming about the virgin. The Virgin Mary. A gift from God."
"A gift from God. All I need is something like this hitting the Item . Maybe they'll run a sidebar about extraterrestrials." She shook her head. "Have you noticed how many psychopaths cloak themselves in the Lord? He is the devil's favorite disguise."
I would have liked to ask Hancock what her religion was helping her to hide. "Westmoreland's no devil," I said. "He's not even a common killer. He's just a crazy bum who turned up at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"He turned himself in at the scene. He's wanted to confess ever since. Now the two of you cook up another storyline while he's high on Amytal. I'm surprised at you. I thought after Prescott killed that cheerleader, you got real careful. This sounds like more of the same."
"Don't drag Prescott into this..." I felt myself losing control and took a second to settle myself down. "Amytal is a reliable technique to recover traumatic memories."
" Reliable? I thought they threw that shit on the garbage heap a decade ago. You could get anybody to say anything on it."
"Not when the interview is conducted—"
"By you. The master. I see. Well, the courts don't agree with you. Neither do I. Whatever Westmoreland said in there is irrelevant. And that's not even the thing that gets to me. What really disappoints me is you going behind my back."
That got my adrenaline flowing. "Behind your back? Why would I go behind your back? You've been up front with me. Right?"
"Don't talk to me in riddles. I know your friend Levitsky saw Dr. Fitzgerald here. So what? I have the right to get a second opinion whenever I want one. I told you you had thirty-six hours before the door closed on Westmoreland and I meant it. That doesn't mean I have to sit still while I wait." She pointed at me. "This is no small matter, Frank. I'm supposed to report you to the Board of Medicine. You didn't have a court order to inject Westmoreland, and you certainly didn't have his consent."
"How much are you paying Fitz?"
"Less than what I was going to pay you to stab me in the back. OK?"
"I'm not stabbing you in the back. I know a murderer on the loose makes for lousy headlines, but the damage is going to be much worse if you've got the wrong man locked up back there, and we end up with another body on our hands. Then you could really kiss the commissioner job goodbye."
"Believe me when I tell you: I don't need a career counselor. I have things covered."
"I'm sure you do. Unless another body turns up. Then all hell could break loose."
"No question about it. But you know what? That isn't going to happen. I've been at this work a little while — and a lot longer than you. Westmoreland's going to trial for a murder he committed, and he'll be found guilty."
"The defense will call me, and I'll testify. It'll be me against Fitz. Westmoreland's not competent to confess. And I'll volunteer that I don't think
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