Suspicion of Madness by Barbara Parker Page A

hangover, like where you blink and the shock waves vibrate your skull. But how is he? I don't expect another suicidal episode, at least for the time being. I gave him a little Xanax. I'm also putting him on Paxil for depression and anxiety, and Topomax to help stabilize his moods. His folks will keep an eye out. If he says or does anything worrisome they'll call me. Otherwise, we have an appointment at my office next Tuesday afternoon. My schedule is jammed till then. It's the best I can do."
    She turned the wheels of her chair. "Come on, let's find a place where we can talk." There was a bend in the corridor, and they went around it.
    Sharon Vogelhut had been in forensic psychiatry for thirty years, the last ten of it fighting multiple sclerosis. The disease had slowed her movements, but not her mind. Four years ago Anthony had hired her to do a psychological evaluation of Billy Fadden. She had spent many hours preparing for a trial that had never materialized.
    Finding a plastic molded chair along the wall, Anthony pulled it closer and sat down. "What did you get out of Billy?"
    "Not much." Dr. Vogelhut consulted her notes. "He says he doesn't remember calling the police. He was aware that he attempted suicide but thought he used a gun, until I pointed out the neck brace. I asked him why he tried to hang himself, and he said, 'I don't know.' I asked about his relationship with Sandra McCoy, were they intimate? He said, 'We were just friends.' I asked if he knew how she died. He said no. I asked if there were any problems with his mother, his stepfather, his dad. No. Does he take drugs? No. Does he drink? No."
    Sharon Vogelhut turned more pages in her notebook. "I asked about school. He dropped out of the community college two weeks ago. 'How did your parents react?' He said they didn't care. Then I spoke to his mother. She says Billy had a problem with drugs at one time, but not anymore. He drinks, but not excessively. She seemed shocked that he attempted suicide, and she blames herself, although she can't explain why she should. She tries to insulate Mr. Greenwald from Billy's problems because she doesn't want to put stress on him. He's had a couple of heart attacks. I think the real reason is, she feels responsible for Billy's behavior. I asked how she felt about Billy's dropping out of school. She said it was probably for the best, given his grades, but Billy's father had yelled at him about it over the weekend."
    "Martin Greenwald or Kyle Fadden?"
    "Kyle. Martin doesn't rate with Billy. It's Kyle's disapproval that gets to him."  
    "Ahhh."
    "Don't draw any conclusions just yet. A fight with his father may have been the catalyst, but probably not the root cause. Billy is depressed, granted. He attempted suicide. But why would he confess to murder?"
    "You believe he lied."
    "That's the wrong word unless he knew his statement was false." Dr. Vogelhut took off her glasses and tapped the stems together. "It's strange, Anthony. Four years ago, I ruled out any physical anomalies. I'll review his history, but let's assume that what was true then, still is. He wasn't bipolar or schizophrenic, and I see no indication of that now. There could be a substance abuse issue. At fifteen he was smoking marijuana regularly. I'll run some tests, but I don't think that's where the problem lies. Before, when Billy and I had our sessions, I got the sense that something happened to him way back, a trauma that he had pushed so far down he wasn't even aware of it. I started getting weird little vibes." She fluttered her fingers. "I have no hard facts, but I think—and I could be wrong—that this event is starting to work its way to the surface."
    "The death of his little brother," Anthony suggested. "You told me that Billy felt guilty about it. He thought it was his fault that Jeremy drowned. When Sandra McCoy was murdered, his guilt came back and he confessed to murder. Is that possible?"
    "Possible, but here's the thing. Billy isn't