And there it is. The vanity I was counting on.
Now this next part is tricky and not something I can rush, but I’m feeling great after that little display, so I relax a little and narrow my own eyes in return.
“Then explain to me how you could have needed the medication and alcohol.”
“My son was killed.”
Ah, still so stony. We’ll see how long that lasts, Lynnie, I think as her lips compress and her eyes turn sharp.
“That is a well-documented fact. But that occurred four years before you attempted to murder Eloise Carver.”
“Four years! It feels like yesterday that I lost my boy, and the pain is still as deep as it was the day I put him in the ground, you idiot! Are you a mother?”
“No, I am not.”
She scoffs at me and runs a hand through her thinning hair.
“Well you’ll understand one day, girl, when you have children of your own. You’ll know the pain and work it takes to love a child. They killed my baby and just expected me to let it go without retribution!”
“He stalked, kidnapped, and mentally and physically tortured Miss Carver,” I point out, watching her nose quiver with rage.
“He just wanted her to love him.”
“He wanted to hurt her.”
That shuts her up and I can almost feel the violent rage coming off her in waves.
“You have to see that hating your own family for your son’s wrongdoing is not healthy, Mrs. Conrad. To heal and move on from this, you have to make peace with your family and accept that they were not to blame. They have most certainly moved on from this and are even now living their lives, maybe not freely because I doubt that they will forget what occurred, but at present it is you and you, alone, who still suffers this pain. You need to accept and let go to finally heal.”
“Heal! Heal?” she yells, flinging herself to her feet and sneering as the chair crashes to the floor with a clang.
Steady, Trace, just keep your cool, I keep saying as she starts pacing frantically, her arms waving around uncontrollably.
“You think I care about healing, you stupid bitch? All I care about is exacting vengeance on that whole family!”
Bingo.
“Ahem, not to upset you further, because I can see that this has been a waste of time, but I would like to point out that you cannot exact revenge from a cell in a mental hospital, Mrs. Conrad. In short, the only person who is being harmed here is yourself. Unless you finally come to terms with this and move forward.”
That gets me a smirk before she starts laughing so hard she doubles over.
“You think I’m not getting my revenge, you moron? I put it all together from the start. I have it all planned out, and even in here, it’s still being done. My niece will make sure of it, as will the others. By the time Wyatt Lane knows who is behind it all, he’ll be watching his precious bitch die a terrible death.”
“Huh. Okay.”
I rise to my feet and give my words just enough doubt to start her huffing again. See, I know people, and knowing Ronny, seeing that this woman is the same can of worms, I know that she can’t resist boasting, not now when her only pleasure is to show others how superior she is.
“You don’t believe me? Well you should, you idiot. See, I planned it all. I started a group, a business, if you will, that not only put the law in my pocket but also netted me a large fortune and connections in the government. They all owe me. They all know that I have dirt on them, and they all will do what I tell them to do or I’ll reveal the contents of my safety-deposit box.”
“From a mental hospital?”
“No, you fool! Cleo has it all. She’s the one who helped me get it all set up in the first place. Her husband died in a car crash and she was left penniless and crippled. She had to use what she had to support herself and her family, so she called her husband’s friend Carl and he put her in touch with her source. Then we got Dobson, and after that the whole police department. So you see, I’m not as trapped here as they all think. It will happen without me. All of it will!” She laughs, spinning in circles and cackling madly.
Well, that was just nice. Who knew she’d actually give me names?
“Thank you, Lynn. You’ve been a great help today, and I appreciate your candor,” I say, pausing at the door with a smile.
“Wha-what happens now? Will they put me someplace better? Will you tell them that I’m not fit to be locked away so cruelly?” she asks in a singsong voice that sends shivers down my spine.
This is exactly why this chick can never be let loose on society and innocent people. She just basically confessed her every crime to me, a woman posing as her shrink, and she thinks I’m going to put in a good word for her?