a warning now.
She called him in his office and hoped he was still there. He worked late frequently, and she was relieved when he picked up.
“Hi, how are you?” Cathy asked, sympathetic.
“Managing,” he said, sounding tired.
“I called you to make a confession.”
“That sounds interesting.” He smiled as he said it. She was a faithful friend and he was grateful for her wisdom, expertise, and support. They were lucky to have her as a doctor, and a friend.
“After the allergic reaction, I spoke to Paul Anders and he said I had no choice, and I agree with him. The honey allergy gives Zoe too dangerous a weapon to leave this dormant any longer. I called CPS on Monday and made a report. An investigator just came to see me in my office. I think you and your mother are next. They’re taking it seriously, but he was a smart, sensible guy, and he’s not going crazy with it. I was very impressed.”
“Thanks for the warning, Cathy. I understand. I think you did the right thing. I felt guilty for what I thought about the honey attack, but it doesn’t change the rest. I’m still on the fence, but leaning heavily toward MBP.” He sounded almost matter of fact about it, but she knew how profoundly upset he was. Their whole life was on the line, their marriage, and Jaime’s life, in an even more real sense. “When are they going to talk to Zoe? Do you know?”
“I don’t. I assume they would talk to her last, so as not to tip her off before that. But that’s just me talking. I don’t know how they work. It may not be as methodical as that.”
“She’ll go nuts.” Cathy agreed with that. “It strikes at everything she cares about, and how she wants to be perceived as the best mother in the world. Her ego is going to take a heavy hit,” and so was their marriage. Cathy had thought of that too, and so had he. “I guess we’ll just deal with it when it happens.”
“Anything you say is confidential, so you can be honest with him. You should be,” Cathy urged him.
“I intend to be. Now that it’s in their hands, we all have to be honest. Zoe too, if she’s capable of it, or willing to be.” It was a sad statement to make about his wife. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll expect to hear from him sometime soon.”
“His name is Dan Knoll. He just left my office before I called you.”
“Talk to you soon,” he said in a tired voice.
Her cellphone rang as soon as they hung up. It was Dan Knoll from CPS.
“I forgot to ask you one question. How solid do you think their marriage is? Is there trouble there?”
“There wasn’t when I met them, or until recently. I’m not sure now. They’re not splitting up or anything, but he was furious about the last couple of incidents, especially the one at the pool, and he blamed her for it. She doesn’t do well with that. I think things are chillier than they used to be, but he’s not threatening to leave her over it. I think he realizes that if she’s really MBP and she’s orchestrating these incidents, he can’t stay with her, and it’s going to hit their marriage like a bomb.”
“I just wondered. Thank you. Have a great night.”
“Thanks, Dan. I will. You too.” She liked his approach, and he smiled as he hung up.
Chapter 17
Dan Knoll interviewed Austin in his office two days later, and was candid with him. He got a clearer picture of Austin’s fears about his wife, but he told him that people with MBP were the cleverest child abusers in the world, and proving a solid case against them was damn near impossible in most instances.
“Have you thought of just divorcing her and suing for sole custody?”
“I don’t think I’d win that either. And I don’t want to. What if she didn’t manipulate these accidents, and she’s not guilty? She’s my wife and Jaime’s mother and I love her, even if I don’t trust her. Maybe she’s just not vigilant enough.” Dan thought Austin’s loyalty was misplaced but he didn’t say so. He felt sorry for him. The poor guy looked tortured about his child, and had dark circles under his eyes. He told Dan every single detail he could remember, and Dan thanked him and promised to be in touch.
The following day he went to