Three days later

I sat at my desk looking at the list of names in front of me and couldn't help replaying the conversation I had had with Elizabeth over in my head. At Evelyn's suggestion, I had called Mike later that Sunday to explain that Pamela had returned home and to apologise, somewhat, for my attitude. He had accepted this graciously and simply advised that he had notified the local precinct but would update them as to the current situation. I couldn't help but wonder however what he might have said to Elizabeth behind my back. I had then asked to speak to her and explained, somewhat stiltedly, that I would be grateful if she could recommend a potential therapist for myself.

"I'm so pleased Ben," she had said. "Not for one minute because I think you have some overwhelming urgent need for therapy, but just because I really believe that it would do you some good to talk about all the things that have happened over the last few years. You've been through a lot."

"Well it seems to have worked for Evelyn," I had replied. Then I had copied down the list of names she had provided and left it at that. Three days on and I hadn't yet worked up the courage to lift the phone and contact any of them. It wasn't that I was afraid to, or that I was even afraid of therapy itself, but making an appointment almost seemed like a recognition that there was something that needed talking about, and that was enough to unsettle me.

Ann Madsen. I needed to talk about her and with someone out with my immediate family. Her death still crushed me, even almost three years on, and try as I might to absolve myself, it seemed impossible to move on.

The attack at the Algonquin, the shooting and the loss of our baby. That was something worth discussing too. Every time I thought about those incidents, all I could feel was my own inadequacy at not being able to protect Evelyn, the mother of my child, and of being so helpless whilst Edward, and those connected to him, tried to destroy her.

Peter and Pamela. The guilt I still felt over how much of their lives I had missed over the years because I had been so dedicated to a job that, ultimately, I had failed at and which I was now trying desperately to claw back was also conversation-worthy. Not to mention, my feelings on Pamela's new relationship.

London, and all that had happened there…I swivelled my chair around to look out of the window. I tried not to think too deeply about that time in our lives. It held so many dark memories of how in despair Evelyn was, not to mention the fact that I didn't like to dwell on what had happened when we had been apart.

Just as I was trying to weigh up whether a female or male therapist would be better, particularly in light of my feelings about London, the door opened, and Vanessa appeared. "Well I finally managed to get hold of Holbrook's attorney," she said. "For someone who was so keen for a sit down, he's awfully hard to communicate with. He says he can bring his client in this afternoon."

"What do we have to put to him?" I asked, sliding the list of names under my blotter.

"You really want the girl?"

"I want both of them, don't you?"

"Of course, but I would hate for it to be perceived that we're looking to deal him down just because of who he is." She sat down opposite me. "You heard Shambala Green's passionate plea that her client was merely following Mr Holbrook's lead."

"Maybe it was his idea and maybe they planned it together, but it was her prints on the gun. If anyone shot her parents, it was her."

"But you said yourself that the prints could have gotten there at any time."

"Vanessa…if Francesca didn't shoot her parents then why are her prints the last ones on the gun? Why weren't they wiped clean? Why aren't Mr Holbrook's prints there if it was him? Why didn't they wear gloves?" I cocked my head to one side. "If you don't think that she's culpable, what's your take on this case?"

"I never said that I didn't think she was culpable. I told Ms Green as much, you heard me." She sighed. "I don't know…the more I read about Mason Holbrook, the less I like him. He's all over the society pages thinking that he's God's gift to the world. Money, women, cars…he's got everything. His parents have made sure of that." She paused. "Has his mother made any approaches towards Evelyn?"

I shook my head, "There's a board meeting this afternoon. I suppose if Mrs Holbrook is going to make any plea on behalf of her son, she'll do it there." I thought back to when I had told Evelyn about the possibility of Mason's mother attempting to exert influence over her and, subsequently, me and she had assured me that she would be able to handle it. "I suppose there's no harm in sounding Holbrook and his attorney out. If he has information about Francesca then we at least ought to hear it, right?"

"Sure, he said he'd come in at three."

"Fine."

She got to her feet and headed for the door before pausing and turning back. "Can I ask you something personal?" I looked up at her. "You and Evelyn…I know you've not been together that long in the grand scheme of things but…you have a child together and you live with your other children…do you…I mean…do you trust her?"

Of all the things I was expecting her to say, it hadn't been that and, for a moment, I found myself at a loss as to what to say. "Yes, I trust her, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, it's just…" she looked away and shook her head. "Things aren't great between Steve and I at the moment and I just kept help but think that…well…that there might be somebody else."

Her expression appeared genuine and, leaving aside why she might have connected her feelings about her husband's fidelity with my own wife, I took off my glasses and got to my feet. "I'm sorry to hear that. What makes you think he's being unfaithful?"

"Long hours at the office…business trips at the last minute…I don't know, maybe I'm just being crazy. I feel as though the kids and I never see him and, when we do, he's in a different world. We've been together so long that the thought of him cheating is…I don't know what it is."

"Uh…well, I worked very long hours and barely saw my wife and kids the first time around, but I wasn't unfaithful. Steve has a very high powered, stressful job from what you've said." I recalled a conversation we had had not that long ago when she had told me that he was the CEO of a large oil company. "Maybe you should work on your communication with each other before you start jumping to all sorts of conclusions." As I said the words, I couldn't help but think how ironic it was that I was giving advice, of any sort, when I felt as though I needed therapy for my own situation.

"Maybe you're right," she sighed heavily. "He is pretty busy right now and, let's face it, I have no evidence to support my theory of infidelity other than my own massive assumptions. Thanks for that. I think I'll see if we can get some child-free time this weekend to talk things over. Having all the kids around all the time can be exhausting, as I'm sure you know."

"Vanessa?" I stopped her as she turned to leave again. "Why did you ask specifically if I trusted Evelyn?"

"She's your wife, Steve's my husband…I guess I was just looking for a comparison." She frowned. "There's nothing wrong there, is there?"

"No, not at all." I waited until she had left my office and then sat back down again, sliding the list of names back into view. I recalled the afternoon when Evelyn had come into my office, holding a similar piece of paper with names on it given to her by her divorce attorney. I remembered telling her that I thought Elizabeth would be the best choice for her then later that same day agreeing to go for dinner with her which had then led to our first kiss.

Who would ever have known what had been to come?

XXXX

"You think that it's someone she knows? Someone she represented?" Adam leaned back in his chair and looked at me as I filled him in on the events of the weekend, returned as he was from a trip to Washington. "Seems like an awful lot of effort for some jumped up felon with half a braincell to go to."

"The fact that the call came from Dannemora and that the letters were posted from Clinton County…" I shook my head, "it's only a theory."

"Was she able to think of anybody?"

"Not right away, but she said that she was going to speak to Shambala Green today or tomorrow, see if she thought it could be anybody Evelyn represented at the PD's office."

"What about when she worked in Brooklyn?"

"It's another possibility."

"What do you think?"

"Honestly?" I sat down in the chair opposite his desk. "I don't know. It could be someone up there or it could be someone just trying to make it look that way. Hell…" I shook my head and smiled wryly. "It could be Philip Swann for all I know."

"Ben, I think you have to think practically about this Swann issue," Adam said. When I had told him earlier about my suspicions over Andrew's true identity, he hadn't been convinced, choosing to agree with Evelyn that the possibility seemed remote. "I thought you were going to just ask the boy outright."

"I haven't had the chance. Pam's still grounded, and she hasn't asked to have him over again yet. Not to mention the fact it's hardly something I want to do over the phone."

"So, take the initiative. Invite the boy over or arrange to meet him somewhere and ask him."

I paused. It sounded so simple in my own mind and even when Adam said it, but part of me couldn't help but wonder if by doing so, I would just make myself out to look crazy. And what if there was no connection? How would I ever explain to Andrew or Pamela why I had been suspicious without having to explain my past connections with Swann?

"Even if he isn't Swann's son," I mused, "I'm still not convinced that I'm happy for him to be dating Pamela."

"Because he's nineteen or because they're having sex?"

"Both."

"Well you can't stop them."

"The police could."

"And we've been down this road already," he shook his head. "You've worked hard to rebuild your relationship with Pamela. Don't ruin it over this, it's not worth it. Anyway, what's happening with the Minetti murder?"

"Mason Holbrook's coming in with his lawyer later this afternoon for a sit down."

"You think he's going to offer a plea?"

"No, I think he's going to try and persuade us to drop the charges if he rolls on his girlfriend. We have the most evidence against her at this point."

"What does your gut tell you?"

"That they're in it together but that he's conveniently letting her take the fall."

"Well, if you can get any kind of decent plea out of either of them, take it."

"Adam, the parents had their hands and feet removed," I reminded him. "This isn't your standard familial murder. There's something depraved about the whole thing. I just can't put my finger on it right now."

"Who's representing Holbrook anyway?"

"Trevor Langan."

"Ha!" Adam chuckled, "Good luck with that one."

XXXX

I didn't know Langan that well. I knew he had spent a number of years plying his trade on Wall Street and Park Avenue, but that experience hadn't ever really brought him into my arena. He had been pleasant enough any time we had had cause to meet, but something in his expression when he and Mason Holbrook walked into my office that afternoon, left me in no doubt that he wasn't here to roll over.

Holbrook himself was a good looking boy. Tall, dark and muscular with an air that he was aware of his attributes and wasn't ashamed to use them. It was all to easy to see what Francesca Minetti, indeed any girl, would have found appealing about him.

"Thank you for seeing us," Langan said, as they both sat down. "I know you're a busy man."

"This is your meeting."

"Uh, no actually, your assistant called my office and asked us to come in," he swivelled his gaze to Vanessa. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come back to you."

"You indicated last that you wanted to sit down with us," she reminded him icily.

"Well. I suppose it doesn't really matter how we got here the fact is, we're here." He smiled. "So, what are you offering?"

"That depends on what your client wants to say." I looked at Holbrook who coolly met my gaze.

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"We can place you at Ms Minetti's home at the time of the murder," I reminded him. "We have witnesses…"

"Those two old crones from next door? They wouldn't know a…"

"Mason…" Langan touched his arm gently. "We both know, Stone, that whether or not my client was at the scene at the time of the murder doesn't prove one way or the other that he was involved."

"We have forensics…"

"He's her boyfriend, of course he visited the house. It would be stranger if you didn't have evidence of him being there. But I've seen the ballistics report the same as you have. The only prints on the murder weapon belong to Ms Minetti. The only person with a motive, is Ms Minetti."

"The motive being what?" I asked.

"Fran hated her parents," Mason said. "She hated how they treated her, how they made her feel like a kid. They seemed to have a problem with her dating me."

"And why was that?"

"I don't know. I guess they didn't like the fact that she wanted to drop out of college, the fact that I was older, more experienced…" he raised his eyebrows at me, and I couldn't help feel a sick parallel between Minetti and Holbrook and Pamela and Andrew.

"And because of that, she shot them and then removed their hands and feet?" Vanessa asked. "Seems a bit extreme for a young woman who was angry that her parents didn't like her boyfriend."

"So, what are you actually saying, Mr Holbrook?" I leaned forwards across my desk. "You weren't there? You didn't see anything? You weren't involved?"

"She talked about killing her parents," Mason said, "I never took her seriously but then…she calls me and tells me that she did it."

"She confessed to you?" He nodded. "What exactly did she say?"

"She said that she couldn't take it from them anymore and that she had shot them." He glanced at his lawyer. "I have it on tape."

"Tape?"

"I recorded the call."

Langan reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small cassette. "Have a listen to this. I think it'll tell you all you need to know." He placed it on my desk and then got to his feet. "Come on Mason, we're done here. Call us when you're ready to dismiss the charges."

"Now, wait a minute…"

"If you want him to testify against the girl, he gets total immunity, or you get nothing. I look forward to your call."

XXXX

"I did it Mason…I did it…" Francesca Minetti's voice floated across Adam's office from the tape recorder hastily sourced once Holbrook and his attorney had left.

"You did what?" Mason replied.

"I killed them…I shot them…I killed them both…God, it was such a relief…" She let out a long breath. "They're dead and…and it's such a relief. I knew it was the right thing to do, right from the moment I squeezed the trigger. God, I feel so good, so complete…."

I switched off the recorder. "You don't get a better confession than that."

"Yeah…only she didn't know she was being recorded."

"That doesn't matter," Vanessa said. "New York is a one-party state. So long as Holbrook was consenting, it doesn't matter what Minetti knew or didn't know."

"Thank you for that lesson in wire-tapping. Did you call Shambala Green?"

"I left a message," I replied. "I told her to get back to me as soon as possible. With this tape, there's no way she can argue that her client is innocent."

"Seems awful convenient," Adam remarked. "And why has he held this back until now? Why didn't he give the tape to the cops? Why didn't he offer it up immediately after he was arraigned?"

"I don't know, he's arrogant. Maybe he liked the idea of having something that we didn't have."

"Something that might have proved his innocence?"

"It doesn't prove his innocence," Vanessa said. "all it does it prove that Francesca shot her parents. It doesn't mean that Holbrook wasn't involved. You heard the way he spoke about Francesca, that she hated her parents because they didn't like the fact that she was dating him. He already has a high opinion of himself. You think he kept those feelings to himself?"

"Let's see what Ms Green has to say," I replied. "If we can get this neatly wrapped up, then I'm not going to try and keep it unravelled."

"I don't know…" Vanessa said, as we walked back around to my office. "There's something about this whole thing I just don't like."

"You don't like Holbrook."

"No, I don't. I don't like how fake he is, and I don't like how he clearly loves the fact that Francesca was enthralled with him. He's involved somehow and I don't want to see him walk away from this unscathed."

"If he didn't do anything wrong…"

"Oh come on, Ben, what if he was dating Pamela instead of this Andrew character you've been all steamed up about? You're saying that you wouldn't have concerns?"

I paused, knowing that she was right on some level at least. "Talk to some of Francesca's friends, see if they can give you any more information about their relationship. Maybe there's something there that we can use." She nodded and turned to her own desk while I proceeded into my office. I slid the list of names out from under my blotter again and looked at them all carefully, before selecting one at random and lifting the phone.