When Darkness Falls(56)

“I suggested it. But I didn’t realize how serious this all was until last night. Is there a chance—could he be involuntarily committed?”

“If he’s a danger to himself or others, he could be.”

“I can’t believe he’s a danger to anyone.” As she said the words, though, Haley knew they weren’t true. She had doubts, or she wouldn’t be here. And she wouldn’t have asked the doctor if Devon could have committed the crimes. She twisted strands of hair around her fingers. “But I need to get him home and into treatment.”

“You need to take care of yourself. That’s your first responsibility. And since you’ve come to see me, that’s my first priority as well.”

“Do you have to report what I’ve told you to someone? The police?” Haley said.

“I don’t have any direct knowledge of Devon. If you want to report that you believe he’s a danger, I can help you do that.”

“I’m not afraid of him. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“So why do you keep looking out the window to see if the sun has gone down yet?” Dr. Kenyon asked.

Shifting her eyes away from the window, Haley realized that she had been doing exactly what the doctor said. “It’s more Lydia I’m concerned about.”

“Regardless, you believe you may be in danger. Is there somewhere you’d feel safer?”

“At home. In Chicago. But I’m not leaving here without Devon. He would never abandon me.”

Dr. Kenyon leaned forward again. “Considering your own safety is not abandoning him. If he’s truly dangerous, bringing him back to Chicago is a job for the police.”

“I’ll think about that.”

“Please do. And feel free to call me if you have other concerns. As I told you, I don’t practice much anymore, so I’m not taking on new patients. But I can direct you to other resources or help you find someone in Chicago.”

Haley tried to pay for the session, but Dr. Kenyon refused. Haley started to insist, then said thank you. The doctor’s fee would use the last of what was in the checking account, leaving Haley with only the few bills in her pocket and whatever was left of her credit limit.

As she drove back toward Studio City, she tried to sort out the conversation. She couldn’t accept that Devon had really hurt anyone. He hadn’t believed it himself until he’d spent so much time with Lydia. That was the key to getting him to return home and get more help. But she’d tried reasoning with him, and that had gotten her nowhere.

All that was left was to beg him to come home, for no other reason than that he loved her. She might be able to convince him, if she could have some time alone with him, if they could make love and reconnect. She thought again of Dr. Kenyon’s warnings. No matter how unlikely it was, it was possible being alone with Devon posed a risk. She had to figure out a way to make it safe.

The sun sank to an angle that almost blinded her. She repositioned the sun visor and realized there was a way to ensure safety, if she could find the right place to stay.

She also needed to talk to Dr. Richardson. She left a message with her service, and headed for the Iguana.





Chapter Twenty-Eight


Devon awoke at his hotel in the early evening, too soon to go outside. He lay on his back, staring at the crack that ran from the double-bulb overhead light to the northeast corner of the ceiling. He should have gone to see Haley the night before, to say good-bye, because he didn’t know how long he would need to be out here unraveling Lydia’s web. He rolled onto his side and stared at the closed curtains.

If only Haley had stayed another night. He reached for his phone. So he was having bad dreams. And Lydia had gone insane. He still loved his wife, needed her. Wanted her.

She didn’t answer her cell phone. The desk clerk at the Best Western told him there was no one named Haley Black registered.

Of course. She checked out, you idiot. You told her to.

“What time did she check out?” Devon said.

“I can’t give you that information about any particular person, sir. But our general checkout time is noon.”

Devon hung up and looked around the hotel room, with its orange curtains and faded carpet and thirteen-inch flat screen TV. He compared it to home, the wood table in the dining area, the way Haley lined her make-up on the narrow shelf in the bathroom, her jeans thrown over the chair in the bedroom, her hairbrush on the dresser.

He tried their landline. Haley might be home by now. She didn’t answer, though, so he left a message, called back, and played the messages already on there. The only one, besides his, was from Lydia, apologizing. She must have done that right after he’d left. She’d left the same message on his cell. He shook his head. He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to Lydia again, though that was why he’d stayed out here. He ought to be going to the police about Eric, but either they wouldn’t listen about Lydia, or they would, and Lydia might really harm Haley out of anger. He promised himself he’d go to them later, once he’d worked all this out.

It must be almost night. Devon parted the curtains a sliver. The sun had gone down, and the parking area was lit only by streetlights. He could leave now, at least get some dinner. But he didn’t want to go anywhere without Haley.

The airport. Haley might be there, if she hadn’t been able to get a flight right away. He called for a taxi.