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claims to have witnessed you shooting Jonathon.”
    Marlise’s face went blank, as though she’d suddenly been drained of all emotion, all feeling. I could almost hear her mind racing, trying to fathom what had just been said and the meaning behind it. After a few moments of sitting ramrod straight, she looked to Wayne, who now stood in a corner of the parlor, his hands splayed against a bookcase.
    “Wayne,” she said.
    He slowly turned and faced her.
    “Is what Mr. Corman just said true?”
    He nodded.
    “My God!” she exclaimed. “Why would you say such a horrible thing? You know that it isn’t true.”
    “It is true,” he said, his voice gaining strength. “I saw it, Marlise. I was there when you killed my father.”
    Marlise had remained calm, even stoic during this initial exchange. Now she seemed to collapse within herself. Her body sagged as the meaning of what she’d just been told finally sank in. She extended her hands to us in a gesture of pleading.
    “I know this comes as a blow, Marlise,” Corman said, “and I was as surprised as you are.”
    “Jessica,” she said, “did you hear what Wayne has said about me?”
    “Yes, I heard,” I said. “I was there when he gave his statement.” I got up, knelt in front of her, and took her hands. “I’m sure this can be worked through,” I said. “I think that—”
    She wrenched free of my hands, got to her feet, and approached Wayne, her fists clenched. “How could you tell such lies?” she demanded. “Are you out of your mind? Kill your father? I loved your father. Tell them that you’re lying, Wayne. Tell them that—”
    “I told them the truth,” he yelled, and stormed out of the room. Marlise took a few steps after him, but Corman intercepted her. “Let him go, Marlise,” he said. “He’s confused. Let’s sit down and go over the events of that night—from your perspective.”
    She sat on a love seat and I joined her.
    “Surely there’s got to be an explanation for Wayne’s behavior,” I said.
    “Oh, yes,” she replied bitterly. “There’s a good explanation for his vile lies. He’s resented me ever since I married his precious father. He was a spoiled brat then and he still is. He’s hated me all these years and is trying to get rid of me so he can collect all the money.”
    “I’m not sure I understand,” I said.
    “That miserable, pathetic excuse for a man.” She got up and crossed to the door. “Excuse me. I’m sorry that you’ve come all this way, Jessica, to be privy to this sordid mess.”
    Corman and I looked at each other as she left the room, slamming the door behind her.
    “I can’t believe this has happened,” I said. “I thought that convincing Wayne to come here would be beneficial to Marlise.”
    “He had me fooled, too,” said Corman. “Not that I spoke with him. He’d flown the coop before I became involved.”
    “You’re the family’s attorney?”
    “No. I’m a criminal defense attorney. I was retained by Jonathon Simsbury’s lawyer, Joe Jankowski. The minute he got wind that Marlise was being looked at by the police as a suspect, he called me. I met with Marlise immediately, and she told me that Wayne could verify her actions the night of the murder.”
    “I wonder . . .”
    “You wonder what, Mrs. Fletcher?”
    “I wonder why Marlise would have put so much stock in what Wayne might say. After all, his being in the house that night didn’t mean that he had an eye on her at every moment, knew what she did at every step. He said he’d spent time in his room and fell asleep there. Obviously Marlise was free to move about as she wished without being observed.”
    “As was he, for that matter. I didn’t know the details of what he’d done and where he’d been that night until his statement today,” Corman said. “There are others who were in the house that night, like household staff. There are staff quarters, I’m told. We’ve met Consuela, the cook. I’ve also met the