Author's Note: At some point you have to stop editing and just post the chapter – or at least that's what I'm telling myself. This one's a little more about the case than Alex, but I promise lots of introspection in the next chapter. This is also a good time for another disclaimer, so here it is - you'd think after five chapters I'd own them, but no such luck.
Abby's doorman has resumed his post in front of the building as the detectives emerge and Bobby drops from his position behind Alex's right shoulder to sidle up to the older gentleman for a few questions.
"Hi, I'm Detective Goren and this is my partner, Detective Eames," he says by way of greeting, voice very formal. "We were just upstairs talking with Abby Markham about her whereabouts on Friday night and were hoping you could verify them for us. Were you on duty Friday during the evening hours?"
"Yeah," the man – whose nametag identifies him as Dave – replies, his accent very thick and originating somewhere in Brooklyn. "I worked an all-night shift to cover for Rick so he could go upstate and visit his mom. You talked to Abby about her sister? Tragic – that Amy was a real nice girl."
"We're trying to figure out who may have killed Amy. Can you tell us what time Miss Markham went out and what time she returned?" Bobby asks, tone switching to friendly and inviting now that he knows the doorman will talk.
"She left all dressed up around four – I think she was headed for the rehearsal - and came back to change clothes around nine," Dave tells them with a casual shrug. "She left to meet her squad a little while later, and got back sometime around one in the morning. Those guys know how to party so I knew she'd be late – I just didn't know she'd have two people looking for her by the time she got back."
Bobby's head tilts automatically to the left, puzzled. "One of those people was Keith McMillan, right?"
Dave nods and his words get a bit defensive. "Yeah. I hadn't seen him in a while – what with the whole engagement to Amy and all – but he was real insistent that he talk to her. He said he couldn't see himself walking down the aisle on Saturday unless they talked – how could I argue with that?"
Bobby shoots a quick glance to Alex that is at once mildly annoyed with the melodrama Dave has just described, but also indicates that he is filing it away for future reference. Abby's story holds up with the one Dave has just told them, though.
"And the other person looking for her was…?" Bobby turns back to Dave. The second visitor is the more important in this story, Alex knows. Besides, she's rather curious herself.
"Her father," Dave replies in an off-handed manner. Apparently he doesn't take Dr. Markham's presence as seriously as Keith's. "He didn't come in or anything, but he was parked in front of the building for a long time - until Mr. McMillan got here, I think. I'm not really sure – I came out for a smoke and saw Markham talking on his cell phone and pulling away so I figured he got a call from one of his patients and had to go."
"He didn't come in but you knew it was him anyway?" Alex puts in, confused.
She feels Bobby step closer to her and lean in for Dave's answer. He's invading her personal space – as usual – and she can feel his breath on her neck. Normally this doesn't bother her – she's used to it – but today she fights back an urge to elbow him in the ribs and hiss at him to back up because he's smothering her.
"Oh yeah – it was his car," Dave assures them.
"He has a particularly unique car?" Alex can feel Bobby's ears perk up as he asks the question. He was paying close attention before, but his concentration has doubled because his chest is now pressing firmly against her shoulder. She counts inwardly to ten and crosses her arms in front of her chest so that an errant elbow doesn't get away from her, all while wondering why she's suddenly so irritated with her partner for being his usual self.
"Dr. Markham is the only one I know with a silver Audi T/T and vanity plates that say 'PSYCH,'" Dave explains with a shrug.
"But he left just as Mr. McMillan arrived?" Bobby asks, finally backing away from Alex and moving to stand beside her. She exhales and drops her arms.
"Yeah, I think so," Dave responds.
Bobby looks at Alex and she knows they're thinking the same thing: Abby Markham has just been crossed off the suspect list at the same time that her father has been moved to the top.
"You've been very helpful," the partners tell Dave as they hurry to the SUV.
***
Markham's office is posh and well befits a man with his own regular segment on the Today show. Awards and diplomas adorn the pale blue walls and the furniture is classic and designed to put visitors instantly at ease. Toys and games line the back wall, reminding the detectives that the people he works with are children, and there are a few crayon drawings tacked to a large bulletin board just inside the door as well.
While his office is inviting, though, the doctor himself greets them in a resigned manner similar to that of his daughter, though whereas her behavior was not unfriendly, his is disdainful of their presence and suggests that he intends to humor them rather than actually help with the case.
He seats himself behind his desk and clasps his hands in front of him while Bobby and Alex seat themselves in two visitors' chairs, then frowns and removes his glasses as he begins to speak. "I assume from your presence that the statement I made to the other officers was not sufficient, detectives?"
Bobby hesitates and Alex recognizes her cue to step in. Her partner hasn't decided how he wants to act with the psychologist yet and wants her to make the first move while he concocts a plan of attack. Forget the fact that he's read all of the man's books and pored over every article Markham has ever written to research this visit, Bobby isn't ready yet so she needs to cover for him.
Alex sighs inwardly, feeling put upon and annoyed again without really knowing why. This is, after all, a partnership that she's half of. "We've learned a few things recently that we wanted to follow up on with you."
"Such as…?" he wants to know, voice tired.
Bobby twists his head and plays with his pen while he prepares to play the game of cat and mouse that he loves so well. "Didn't you tell the officer that you went straight home from the Waldorf Friday night?"
"Yes I did," Markham nods.
"Did you forget to mention parking in front of your daughter Abby's building for a half hour on the way?" Bobby asks. He's screwed up his face as though confused and glances over at Alex as though to ask her if they've made a mistake. Apparently his plan for the moment is to play dumb, his façade undoubtedly inspired by their surroundings and the doctor's air of blatant superiority. He wants to lull Markham into thinking they're bumbling so that maybe he'll slip up and provide some useful clues. It's worked before and Alex sees no reason to believe that it won't work here.
The doctor hasn't answered so Bobby continues to look perplexed, "Her doorman said you were parked outside – was he mistaken?"
"No, I was there," Dr. Markham raises himself up as high as he can in his chair and gathers his words together with utmost care. "Abby was acting a bit oddly at the dinner and she has a history of erratic behavior so I wanted to make sure that she was home safe from her night out with her coworkers."
"But you didn't go inside…" Bobby's confusion seems genuine now and he switches out of his inept persona to flatter the psychologist. "I've read some of your books, Doctor, and I have to say they're very good. I particularly liked Dealing With the Willful Child – that's how you see Abby, isn't it?" Again, no room for Markham to respond, just a flow of words, "In it, you say that children with independent streaks need to feel secure when they're acting out, to be checked up on by an authority figure like a parent. Why didn't you take your own advice?"
Markham looks surprised, then recovers his haughty air. "Checking up is all well and good, Detective, but my book deals with children specifically and Abby is an adult who had been drinking. Once I saw that she was home safely, I left rather than go in because I didn't want to trigger a fight the night before her sister's wedding."
"Oh I get it," Bobby flashes a grin, "doctor knows best."
Markham is frowning again and Bobby waves him off. "No, it's okay. I mean, you have a Ph.D. and all so you should know better than me." He pauses, then his face grows serious, "I have a theory of my own, though. Try this: I think you didn't go in because you saw Keith go in instead. In fact, maybe you weren't checking on Abby at all; you were checking on Keith. You thought he might be cheating on Amy…?"
Alex watches her partner assume his interested look while he waits for Markham's reply and fights the urge to shake her head. She could write a playbook of all of Bobby's moves; she's seen them enough.
"I had no idea Keith was going to see her," Markham leans back in his chair. "All I knew was that they had an argument at the rehearsal dinner that Amy had to break up and that Abby was in a foul mood."
"What were they arguing about?" Alex wants to know.
He smiles at her, patronizing. "I'm not privy to that information, Detective. Amy wasn't sure and Abby doesn't confide in me."
"Come on," Bobby prods, reverting to playing dumb. "You must have some idea – I mean, all those years of studying human behavior..."
Markham rolls his eyes. "Abby's behavior tends to be anything but ordinary, Detective."
"That's true - she sure embarrassed you when she joined the ranks of the blue collar working stiffs," Bobby hangs the thought in the air.
"She lives to test me," Markham huffs. "She's been that way since she was a child. Thankfully my other two children were much easier on my nerves."
"Yeah, Andrew's turned out real well," Bobby nods, dropping the sarcastic words casually to gauge the psychologist's reaction.
Markham flinches but his voice remains steady and he ventures a small smile when he says, "Andrew's had some difficulties in his life, but unlike his sister, he takes advice and puts it to good use."
"Your advice?" Alex asks pointedly.
"Of course," Markham nods, self-assured. "He's hit some rough spots but I've always been able to help him through."
"That's funny," Alex lets off a little steam, "we heard that Amy was the one who used to bail him out of jail."
Markham flinches again. "She did – but I have always been his counselor."
"Isn't counseling your own child a conflict of interest?" Alex is relishing her role as bad cop now, if only because she's feeling her anger towards Bobby dissipate while she puts the doctor in the hot seat.
"Andrew doesn't trust anyone else," Markham replies. He sighs, then adds, "He was in a terrible car accident when he was sixteen. He was with a group of teenagers headed to Myrtle Beach for spring break. Andrew was driving and they'd all been drinking; he lost control of the car and they skidded off the road. Two of the five died and Andrew's never forgiven himself. I sent him to colleagues of mine for counseling but he wouldn't open up to them. Finally Amy suggested he talk to me – she practically dragged him in here – and I've been counseling him ever since. It's the least I can do for my son."
Alex doesn't remember reading about the doctor's son being in a horrific car accident so she's guessing that it's yet another moment he's had erased from his children's records, just like Abby's drug possession and rehab. The very least you can do, she thinks bitterly, looking to Bobby to see what he's thinking.
Her partner doesn't say anything, but reaches over to seize a five by seven photo from the doctor's desk and flips it around to admire the smiling faces of the three Markham children on what appears to be Amy Markham's graduation day. He shows it to Alex, then pulls it back and glances over it again.
"That Amy, she was the pride of the family," Bobby observes. "I guess the third one really was the charm for you, eh?"
"She was only two minutes younger than her brother," Markham inserts tonelessly. "But yes, she was the least troubled."
Bobby's face lightens. "Finally perfected your methods on her, I guess. The ones that made it into your books, I mean."
He doesn't wait for an answer, but prattles on: "You have the perfect setup. What better way to try out new theories on child development than to use your own kids? I mean, they're right there and you said yourself the older two are troubled…"
He trails off and Markham's face reddens. "How dare you!"
"Hey, I'd do it," Bobby shrugs and Alex winces in preparation for Markham's response to his flippant words.
"My children are not – nor have they ever been - psychological experiments," the doctor fumes. "I raised them the best way I knew how."
Bobby shakes his head and grins, playing with fire a bit. "Hey, I understand how work sometimes follows you home. It's made quite a celebrity out of you anyway."
Markham leaps to his feet, indignant. "Detective, I did not allow you to come in here and accuse me using my children as guinea pigs, I let you in so I could help you solve my daughter's murder, something that you're not even attempting to do right now! This conversation is over."
Bobby holds up his hands and gives another ridiculous grin as though defeated. He returns the picture to Markham's desk and rises to his feet, Alex doing the same.
"Sorry to waste your time," Bobby says by way of parting, his tone insincere.
"The mayor will hear about this," Markham threatens as they make their way out the door and past his receptionist.
"Yeah, well the mayor is also going to hear about his college roommate arranging for the death of his own daughter," Bobby whispers to Alex as they step into the elevator.
***
"So tell me what you're thinking on this one," Alex asks her partner as they settle themselves into a booth at a local coffee shop for a much-needed caffeine pick-me-up. He's been pensive and quiet since his parting words at Markham's office and she recognized that he was sorting his thoughts, but curiosity now has the better of her and she wants to know how he's reached the conclusion that Markham was involved. After all, being a jerk is (unfortunately) not a crime, nor does it make someone a murderer.
Bobby sets down his coffee, freeing his hands to gesticulate while he explains – a true sign that he's put his thoughts into some semblance of order.
"Markham has every appearance of being the perfect father, right?" he begins. "He's got three kids that he's raised on his own and he's a renowned child psychologist – a pillar of society - so the automatic assumption is that he's got it all together."
"He might have that appearance, but his kids seem out to wreck it for him," Alex puts in, sipping her latte.
"Exactly," Bobby smiles in agreement. "He makes his living telling other people how to raise their kids, so how do you think it looks if he can't control his own? Amy sounds like the last straw because up until last month, she was living the life he wanted for all three of his children. She was proof of his abilities as a doctor and a parent."
"So you think he killed her – or rather had her killed – because she messed up?" Alex asks, perplexed. She reminds Bobby, "Amy was going to marry Keith and continue on as though the mistake hadn't happened – what did Markham have to be worried about?"
"Abby," Bobby points out quickly. "He saw Abby and Keith fighting at the rehearsal dinner, probably even heard Keith saying that they weren't through since Abby told us that Keith still wanted her back – and I'm guessing that Markham knew it."
"So he stakes out Abby's apartment, waiting for Keith to show up," Alex starts filling in the blanks. "If he doesn't, life goes on…"
"…but he does, so Markham has a problem," Bobby finishes for her.
"They might get back together and Amy's wedding might get cancelled," Alex jumps in again. "Then Markham has one daughter with an illegitimate child and another who's at fault… But doesn't that mean that he would want Abby out of the way instead?"
"That's the part that doesn't add up," Bobby admits with a shake of his head. "All I can think of is that Keith and Abby were together all night so he didn't have an opportunity."
"But the wedding was going to happen anyway – and a murder is a much bigger scandal than someone getting left at the alter," Alex points out.
"That's why it was made to look like a robbery," Bobby reminds her. "But that's where the killer made his mistake – he cared about Amy and couldn't just slit her throat and leave her there. He tucked her into bed and cleaned up before he left. Stealing her purse and ransacking her apartment was an afterthought."
"You say he – am I to assume that we've crossed Abby off the list of suspects for good?" Alex wants to know.
Bobby nods. "We haven't talked with McMillan yet, but she had no reason to lie about anything. Besides, she told us that Amy was the good one, that she deserved better than she got. She wanted Amy to live the life that she couldn't – with Keith and the esteem of their father." He pauses, then, "Abby saw it as Amy atoning for her sins."
"It's still not making a whole lot of sense, Bobby," Alex leans back in the booth. "I'm beginning to see why Abby reads that book so often now – although the family Faulkner wrote about must be incredibly crazy to make the Markhams look normal."
Bobby's eyes suddenly grow wide and he sits up straight. "What did you say?"
Alex frowns at him. "I said the family in the book must be pretty crazy to…"
He cuts her off by leaping to his feet and grabbing his coat, coffee, and notebook. "We have to go."
"What? Why? What did you just figure out?" Alex demands, hurrying after him.
"It's the book – I should have seen it before," he says, half to himself.
"The book?" Alex repeats, perplexed.
Bobby stops his headlong rush towards the exit and whirls to face her. "Remember the story of Absalom? The one from the Bible?"
"I didn't commit it to memory, but…" She trails off. "Oh my God, Bobby – you don't think…?"
"It's the reason she had to marry Keith. Markham couldn't afford for that wedding not to happen."
"But we can't prove it now – it's too late; she's been cremated."
"All we need are the family medical records – they're twins after all."