Miracle Creek(11)

“Dr. Thompson, after Miracle Submarine exploded in precisely the same way as highlighted by the defendant, did she try to lay suspicion on the protesters again?”

“Yes,” Matt said. “That night. I heard her tell the detective she was sure the protesters did it, they must’ve started the fire under the oxygen tubes outside.” Teresa had heard that, too. She’d been convinced, as had everyone, at first—the protesters had been the primary suspects for almost a week—and even after Elizabeth’s arrest, she’d still been suspicious. Just this morning, when Elizabeth’s lawyer reserved her opening statement until after the prosecution’s case, she’d been disappointed, sure that the defense would’ve painted the protesters as the real killers.

“Dr. Thompson,” Abe said, “what else happened that morning, after the protesters?”

“After the dive, Elizabeth and Kitt left first, and I helped Teresa get Rosa’s wheelchair through the woods. When we got to the pull-off area, Henry and TJ were already in their cars, and Elizabeth and Kitt were by the woods, on the other side from us. They were fighting.” Teresa remembered—they’d been yelling, but in the whispered shouts of people carrying on a private argument in public.

“What were they saying?”

“It was hard to hear, but I heard Elizabeth calling Kitt a ‘jealous bitch’ and something like, ‘I’d love to lie around and eat bonbons all day instead of taking care of Henry.’” Teresa had heard “bonbons,” but not the rest. Matt had been closer, though; as soon as they got there, he’d noticed something on his windshield and run to get it.

“I’m sorry,” Abe said. “The defendant called Kitt a ‘jealous bitch’ and said she’d love to eat bonbons instead of taking care of her son, Henry—this just hours before Kitt and Henry were killed in the explosion. Do I have that right?”

“Yes.”

Abe looked over to the pictures of Kitt and Henry and shook his head. He closed his eyes briefly, as if to compose himself, then said, “Did the defendant have other fights with Kitt that you know of?”

“Yes,” Matt said, looking straight at Elizabeth. “Once, she yelled at Kitt in front of us and pushed her.”

“Pushed? Physically?” Abe let his mouth hang in an open O. “Tell us about that.”

Teresa knew which story Matt was going to tell. Elizabeth and Kitt were friends, but there was an undercurrent of tension that occasionally burst into tiffs. Just bickering, nothing major, except once. It happened after a dive. As everyone was leaving, Kitt handed TJ what looked like a toothpaste tube decorated with Barney.

“Oh my God, is that that new yogurt?” Elizabeth said.

Kitt sighed. “Yes, it’s YoFun. And yes, I know it’s not GFCF.” Kitt said to Teresa and Matt, “GFCF is gluten-free, casein-free. It’s an autism diet.”

Elizabeth said, “Is TJ off it?”

“No. He’s GFCF for everything else. But this is his favorite, and it’s the only way he’ll take supplements. It’s only once a day.”

“Once a day? But it’s made with milk,” Elizabeth said, making “milk” sound like “feces.” “The primary ingredient is casein. How can you claim to be casein-free if he’s eating casein every day? Not to mention, there’s food coloring in that. And it’s not even organic.”

Kitt looked like she might cry. “What am I supposed to do? He spits out his pills unless he swallows with YoFun. This makes him happy. Besides, I don’t think the diet really works. It never made a difference for TJ.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips tightly together. “Maybe the diet didn’t work because you never did it properly. Free means none. I use different plates for Henry’s food; I even have a different sponge for cleaning his dishes.”

Kitt stood up. “Well, I can’t do that. I have four other kids I have to cook and clean for. It’s hard enough just trying. Everyone says, do the best you can, and cutting out most of it’s better than nothing. I’m sorry I can’t be a hundred percent perfect like you.”

Elizabeth shrugged her eyebrows. “It’s not me you should say sorry to. It’s TJ. Gluten and casein are neurotoxins for our kids. Even a tiny bit interferes with brain function. It’s no wonder TJ’s still not talking.” She stood up, said, “Come on, Henry,” and started to walk out.

Kitt stepped in front of her. “Wait, you can’t just—”

Elizabeth pushed her away. Not hard, nowhere near hard enough to hurt Kitt, but it shocked her. It shocked all of them. Elizabeth kept walking out, then turned back. “Oh, and by the way, can you please stop telling people you haven’t seen any improvements on the diet? You’re not doing the diet, and you’re discouraging people for no reason.” She slammed the door.

After Matt finished telling the story, Abe said, “Dr. Thompson, has the defendant lost her temper like that any other time?”

Matt nodded. “The day of the explosion, during her fight with Kitt.”

“The one where the defendant called Kitt a ‘jealous bitch’ and said she’d love to eat bonbons all day instead of taking care of her son?”

“Exactly. She didn’t do anything physical this time, but she ran off in a huff and slammed her car door, really hard, and she revved and backed out so fast, she almost hit my car. Kitt yelled for her to calm down and wait, but…” Matt shook his head. “I remember being worried for Henry because Elizabeth drove off so fast. The tires were squealing.”