can’t say,” Perkins replied. “Ana thought it was, but I think that just indicated her general level of paranoia, which was always quite high.”
“What about your other patients?” Lee said. “Do you think any one of them might be violent?”
“I’m afraid that’s confidential,” Perkins said. “Though if I did think one of my patients was an imminent danger to himself or others, it would of course be my duty to report that to the proper authorities.”
“And you made no such report?” Lee said.
“No. I don’t think I have in the whole of my career. And in any case, my patients didn’t have any contact with each other that I’m aware of.”
At that moment a woman entered the room. She was a stork of a woman with a long, solemn face and soft brown hair piled up in a chignon on top of her head. Her face was not pretty, but it was striking, with large, mournful brown eyes, high cheekbones, and a full, serious mouth. She wore no makeup. Lee’s first thought was that she didn’t need any, and his second thought was that she was Perkins’s sister.
Her attire was as old-fashioned as her brother’s. She wore a long, high-necked white dress with flowered sleeves over high, laced-up leather boots; her clothes appeared to be aimed at downplaying any suggestion of sexuality, but in fact they had the opposite effect. Her presence had a restrained sensuality that was even more intriguing because of its understatement. She exuded coolness, reserve, and—or so Lee thought—restrained passion.
Everything about these two odd siblings and their house suggested an era of a hundred years ago. Lee had the feeling that when he and Butts stepped over the front stoop of the house they entered a time warp.
“Ah, gentlemen, allow me to present my younger sister, Miss Charlotte Perkins!” Perkins said, coming forward to take her by the hand. “Charlotte, my dear, this is Detective Butts and Mr. Campbell.”
“How do you do?” said Butts, rising from his chair with a little bow. Lee was amused. He had never seen the burly detective behave like this, but he found himself bowing slightly as well. Something about Charlotte Perkins seemed to require it.
“How do you do?” she said, with the tiniest incline of her head.
“Charlotte, my dear, these gentlemen have come to see me about one of my patients. I’m afraid there’s been an unfortunate"—he paused for the right choice of words—"uh, accident.”
“I’m very sorry to hear it,” Charlotte said. She had much the same upper-class British inflection as her brother.
“Did you know the young woman in question?” Lee asked, surprised at his own old-fashioned locution.
“Her name was—” Butts began, but Charlotte Perkins interrupted him.
“I never had any dealings with Martin’s patients,” she said. “I keep to my rooms when he is conducting his sessions.”
Her choice of words made it sound like Perkins conducted séances instead of psychiatric counseling.
Charlotte turned to her brother, arms crossed in front of her thin chest.
“Martin, did you not offer these gentlemen something to eat or drink?”
“Oh, dear me, forgive me!” Perkins squeaked, bustling toward the door where his sister had just entered.
“No, really, we’re almost finished here, and we have to be getting back,” Butts said.
“It’s no trouble, really,” said Charlotte, but Lee and Butts were already backing out toward the door. For all its splendor and elegance, there was something about the house that made Lee want to leave it as soon as possible. He had a sticky sensation of being drawn into it, as though one could somehow get trapped there.
All of this flashed through his head in a fraction of a second as he and Butts sidled toward the door. Perkins and his sister took a step toward them, and it was all Lee could do to not turn around and run. He glanced at Butts to see if he was feeling the same way, but he couldn’t read the expression on the stocky detective’s face.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to stay for tea?” Charlotte Perkins said pleasantly.
“No, thanks—we’re expected back in the city,” Lee answered, letting her know that other people knew where he and Butts were. It was irrational, it was crazy, but the creeping dread he felt was real.
“Give us a call if you think of anything else that might be useful,” Butts said, placing a business card on the round rosewood table by the front door.
“I certainly will,” Perkins responded cheerily.
“Nice meeting you,” Lee said with another little bow. Perhaps following his lead, Butts