Read Online The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena - Free Book Online Page B

it!’
    Marco jumps up off the sofa and tries to embrace her. ‘Shhhh,’ he says. ‘They don’t think that.’ But he’s worried that that is exactly what they think. The postpartum depression, the antidepressants, the psychiatrist. He doesn’t know what to say to her to soothe her. He can feel her agitation building and wants to prevent a crisis.
    ‘What if they go see Dr Lumsden?’ Anne says.
    Of course they’ll go see Dr Lumsden

, Marco thinks. How could she imagine for a moment that they wouldn’t visit her psychiatrist?
    ‘They probably will,’ Marco says, his voice deliberately calm, even matter-of-fact. ‘But so what? Because you had nothing to do with Cora’s disappearance, and we both know it.’
    ‘But she’ll tell them things,’ Anne says, clearly frightened.
    ‘No she won’t,’ Marco says. ‘She’s a doctor. She can’t tell them anything you told her. Doctor–patient privilege. There’s no way they can get your doctor to tell them anything you talked to her about.’
    Anne starts to pace up and down the living room again, wringing her hands. Then she stops and says, ‘Right. You’re right.’ She takes some deep breaths. And then she remembers. ‘Dr Lumsden’s away. She’s gone to Europe for a couple of weeks.’
    ‘That’s right,’ Marco says. ‘You told me.’
    He places his hands on both her shoulders and presses down on her firmly, anchors her with his eyes. ‘Anne, I don’t want you to worry about that,’ he says resolutely. ‘You have nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to hide. So they find out you’ve had some problems with depression – even before the baby – so what? Half the people out there are probably depressed. That fucking detective is probably depressed himself.’
    He fixes her with his eyes until her breathing returns to normal and she nods.
    Marco drops his arms. ‘We need to focus on getting Cora back.’ He flops down on the sofa, exhausted.
    ‘But how?’ Anne says. She is wringing her hands again.
    Marco says, ‘What I was starting to say before, about the reward. Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way. Maybe we should try to deal directly with whoever has her – maybe we offer a lot of money for her and see if he calls us.’
    Anne thinks for a minute. ‘But if a kidnapper has her, why hasn’t he made a ransom demand?’
    ‘I don’t know! Maybe he panicked. Which scares the hell out of me, because then maybe he’ll kill Cora and dump her somewhere!’
    Anne asks, ‘How do we start negotiating with the kidnapper if he’s not even in touch with us?’
    Marco looks up. ‘Through the media.’
    Anne nods, thinking. ‘How much do you think it would take, to get her back?’
    Marco shakes his head in despair. ‘I have no idea. But we only get one shot at this, so we have to make it worthwhile. Maybe two or three million?’
    Anne doesn’t even flinch. ‘My parents adore Cora. I’m sure they’ll pay. Let’s get them back here, and Detective Rasbach, too.’
    Rasbach returns hurriedly to the Contis’ house, summoned by Marco on his cell phone.
    Both Marco and Anne are standing in the living room. They have freshly tear-stained faces, but they look resolved. For a brief moment, Rasbach thinks they are about to confess.
    Anne is watching for her parents at the front window. At that moment Richard and Alice arrive and come swiftly up the steps past the reporters, somehow maintaining their dignity in spite of the flash of cameras around them. Anne lets them in, careful to remain unseen behind the door.
    ‘What’s happened?’ Richard says, alarmed, looking at his daughter, at the detective. ‘Did you find her?’
    Alice’s sharp eyes try to take everything in at once. She seems both hopeful and frightened.
    ‘No,’ Anne says. ‘But we need your help.’
    Rasbach watches all of them closely. Marco says nothing.
    Anne speaks. ‘Marco and I think we should offer money directly to the kidnapper. A significant amount. Whoever’s got