Can we explore this a little more? he said.
She said nothing.
Do you have any ex-boyfriends, Miss Cormier? Anyone who might be unhappy about your marriage?
No, she whispered.
No ex-boyfriends at all?
Not not in the last year.
Is that how long youve been with your fiancé? A year?
Yes.
His full name and address, please.
Robert David Bledsoe, M.D., 318 Ocean View Drive.
Same address?
Weve been living together.
Why was the wedding cancelled?
Youd have to ask Robert.
So it was his decision? To call off the wedding?
As the expression goes, he left me at the altar.
Do you know why?
She gave a bitter laugh. Ive come to the earth-shattering conclusion, Detective, that the minds of men are a complete mystery to me.
He gave you no warning at all?
It was just as unexpected as that She swallowed. As that bomb. If thats what it was.
What time was the wedding called off?
About one-thirty. Id already arrived at the church, wedding gown and all. Then Jeremy Roberts best man showed up with the note. Robert didnt even have the nerve to tell me himself. She shook her head in disgust.
What did the note say?
That he needed more time. And he was leaving town for a while. Thats all.
Is it possible Robert had any reason to
No, its not possible! She looked him straight in the eye. Youre asking if Robert had something to do with it. Arent you?
I keep an open mind, Miss Cormier.
Roberts not capable of violence. For Gods sake, hes a doctor!
All right. For the moment, well let that go. Lets look at other possibilities. I take it youre employed?
Im a nurse at Maine Medical Center.
Which department?
Emergency room.
Any problems at work? Any conflicts with the rest of the staff?
No. We get along fine.
Any problems at work? Any conflicts with the rest of the staff?
No. We get along fine.
Any threats? From your patients, for instance?
She made a sound of exasperation. Detective, wouldnt I know if I had enemies?
Not necessarily.
Youre trying your damn best to make me feel paranoid.
Im asking you to step back from yourself. Examine your personal life. Think of all the people who might not like you.
Nina sank back in the seat. All the people who might not like me. She thought of her family. Her older sister, Wendy, with whom shed never been close. Her mother, Lydia, married to her wealthy snob of a husband. Her father, George, now on his fourth wife, a blond trophy bride who considered her husbands offspring a nuisance. It was one big, dysfunctional family, but there were certainly no murderers among them.
She shook her head. No one, Detective. Theres no one.
After a moment he sighed and closed his notebook. All right, Miss Cormier. I guess thats all for now.
For now?
Ill probably have other questions. After I talk to the rest of the wedding party. He opened the car door, got out, and pushed the door shut. Through the open window he said, If you think of anything, anything at all, give me a call. He scribbled in his notebook and handed her the torn page with his name, Detective Samuel I. Navarro, and a phone number. Its my direct line, he said. I can also be reached twenty-four hours a day through the police switchboard.
ThenI can go home now?
Yes. He started to walk away.
Detective Navarro?
He turned back to her. She had not realized how tall he was. Now, seeing his lean frame at its full height, she wondered how hed ever fit in the seat beside her. Is there something else, Miss Cormier? he asked.
You said I could leave.
Thats right.
I dont have a ride. She nodded toward the bombed-out church. Or a phone either. Do you think you could give my mother a call? To come get me?
Your mother? He glanced around, obviously anxious to palm off this latest annoyance. Finally, with a look of resignation, he circled around to her side of the car and opened the door. Come on. We can go in my car. Ill drive you.
Look, I was only asking you to make a call.
Its no trouble. He extended his hand to help her out. Id have to go by your mothers house anyway.
My mothers house? Why?
She was at the wedding. Ill need to talk to her, too. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
What a gallant way to put it, she thought.
He was still reaching out to her. She ignored his outstretched hand. It was a struggle getting out of the car, since her train had wrapped itself around her legs, and she had to kick herself free of the hem. By the time shed finally extricated herself from the car, he was regarding her with a look of amusement. She snatched up her train and whisked past him in a noisy rustle of satin.
Uh, Miss Cormier?
What? she snapped over her shoulder.
My cars in the other direction.
She halted, her cheeks flushing. Mr. Detective was actually smiling now, a full-blown ate-the-canary grin.
Its the blue Taurus, he pointed out. The doors unlocked. Ill be right with you. He turned and headed away, toward the gathering of cops.
Nina flounced over to the blue Taurus. There she peered in disgust through the window. She was supposed to ride in this car? With that mess? She opened the door. A paper cup tumbled out. On the passenger floor was a crumpled McDonalds bag, more coffee cups, and a two-day-old Portland Press Herald. The back seat was buried under more newspapers, file folders, a briefcase, a suit jacket, and of all things a baseball mitt.