“Well, I don’t know about David, but Arthur wouldn’t do anything like that,” Lauren says, sounding as if she is trying to convince herself as much as me. “And since I do the books and financial reports for his office, I’m intimately familiar with all of his business dealings.”
“So there’s no unexplainable income you’ve noticed, or any expenses that seem odd.”
“Of course not. And if there were, I’d be the first to know about them.”
I make my first tentative foray into delicate territory. “Does Arthur have a checking account of his own?”
“He does. But I don’t see how that figures into any of this.”
“Where does the income for that account come from?”
“From his practice, of course. That, and a few investments. Why?” She frowns at me. “I mean, I really want to help you here, Mattie, but I’m not sure I see the relevance. Why are you asking me about this?”
I hesitate, carefully considering my response. “It’s important that we investigate any aspect of Karen’s life that might be significant, and there could be a connection between her murder and her business dealings.”
Lauren pales. “You think…do the police think…” She tightens her arms even more and shakes her head vehemently. “No. No way. Arthur couldn’t do anything like that.”
“Arthur is a good man,” I say.
“Yes,” Lauren says quickly. “Yes he is.”
“But even good men can stray,” I add gently. I expect her to object but she says nothing, just eyes me with a wounded expression. A long silence stretches between us and then I make the decision to jump in with both feet. “Lauren, are you certain, absolutely certain you can trust Arthur?”
She flashes me an indignant look, opens her mouth, and then just as quickly snaps it shut again. Her whole body sags and her eyes dull just before she looks away from me. It is an awful, sad thing to watch.
“You know, don’t you?” she says quietly. I don’t answer, still reluctant to be the one to spill the beans in case I’m on the wrong wavelength here and Lauren is talking about something else. “About Ruth,” she clarifies. “You know about her, don’t you?”
My face flushes hot and I nod.
“I figured as much.” She leans back and sighs, staring at the ceiling. “This damned town and all its gossiping biddies.”
“Well, to be honest, I didn’t find out through gossip, Lauren. Arthur is pretty…discreet here in town. But I bumped into him and Ruth at a medical conference a couple of years ago in Chicago. I don’t think Arthur was expecting to run into anyone he knew there since he was the only one from Sorenson originally scheduled to attend. But David got called at the last minute to fill in for a speaker who canceled, and the two of us went on down.
“At first I thought Arthur was just having a one-time out-of-towner, and he seemed so embarrassed when he realized I’d seen the two of them together that I figured he’d drop what he was doing and straighten up. It wasn’t until months later when Ruth came into the hospital as a patient that I realized she was local.”
Lauren stares at me, tears welling in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Lauren. I know I should have said something to you, but it was awkward for me. I mean, I have to…well, had to…work with Arthur.”
Lauren finally uncrosses her arms and waves away my apology. “I’d expect nothing less from you, Mattie. I know from our past dealings that you have a deep respect for people’s privacy, and unlike some in this town, you can and will keep a secret. I knew it when you took care of me at the hospital a couple of years ago.”
I nod.
“And then there’s that whole patient confidentiality thing.” She pauses, then says, “I’m guessing you have some kind of obligation along those lines with this new job as well?”
“Some,” I tell her. “Obviously if I discover something relevant to a case I’m investigating, I have to share that information with certain people.”
“But if it’s not relevant?”
“Then my lips are sealed.”
Lauren nods solemnly and takes a deep breath. She looks away for a moment, then turns back to me and says, “I’ve known about Ruth all along, Mattie. In fact, I knew before it ever happened.”
I stare at her, confused. “Before it happened?”
I watch indecision, then resignation flit across her face. “What I’m about to tell you has no bearing on Karen Owenby or her case so if you breathe one word of it to anyone, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you,” she says.
I laugh—a quick snort—then swallow it down. One look at her face and I know she isn’t kidding. Having no desire to be laid out on Izzy’s table, I nod my understanding.
She leans forward, folds her hands on the table in front of her and stares at them, picking at one thumb with the nail of the other. “When I was little, my father…he…abused me.” She pauses and swallows hard. “Sexually. Beginning when I was about six and continuing until I left home at the age of seventeen.”
“Oh shit, Lauren. I’m so sorry.”
She shrugs. “It happens in the best of families. Or so my therapist says.”
“Did you tell anyone? Try to get help?”
She gives me a wry smile and a quick, sad glance before looking back at her hands. “I told my mother when I was about twelve or so. She insisted I was making mountains out of molehills, that my father was merely an affectionate man and that such talk could ruin him and his reputation. The image of a happy, middle-class family was everything to her. It didn’t matter what the reality was, all she cared about was what other people would think or believe. Protect the façade at all costs,” she says bitterly.
I squeeze my eyes closed, blocking out the awful pain on her face.
“Once I left home I thought I’d be fine, but I was wrong. I love my husband very much, Mattie, and I believe that he loves me. But when it comes to sex…I…I…well, I can’t. I tried during the early years of our marriage—that’s how I came to be blessed with Jenny and Kelly. But I simply can’t do it anymore. I become physically ill. And Arthur isn’t the type to push himself on someone if he isn’t wanted. Yet he has…needs. So I told him years ago that I would understand if he sought release elsewhere. The only thing I asked was that he not do anything to jeopardize our marriage or trigger gossip until the kids are grown.” She lets out a sad little laugh. “Ironic in a way. I’m as much into the façade as my mother was.”
I am utterly dumbfounded. I shudder to think of the mental and emotional effort it must have taken for this woman to keep it together and present a happy front all these years. “My God, Lauren. I had no idea. I’m so, so sorry.”
She flashes me a weak smile. “Me too,” she says. “It’s not the life I dreamed of when I was a little girl, that’s for sure. But I think it’s as close as I’m going to get.”
“Forgive me if I’m treading where I shouldn’t here, Lauren, but are you still getting counseling?”
She shakes her head. “Can’t see the point. I did it for nine years and it didn’t change much of anything. To be honest, telling you gives me a huge sense of relief. I’ve been carrying this secret around so long…it feels good to finally share it with someone.” She looks at me then and this time her smile is a warm one. “I’ve always liked you, Mattie. You’ve always seemed so strong to me and you’re a good person. Honest. You have integrity.”
She couldn’t make me feel more ill at ease if she stripped me naked, painted BITCH on my back, and paraded me up and down Main Street.
“I trust you to keep what I’ve told you to yourself.”
“I will,” I tell her. “I swear. I’ll take it to my grave.”
She eyes me a moment and then says, “Yes, I believe you will. And since it’s what you came for, I might as well tell you the rest. Arthur has some income that we don’t keep on the books. It’s his discretionary fund, money he uses for whatever…personal needs he has. Some of it comes from investments, some of it comes from side ventures we’ve dabbled in. One of those side ventures is an arrangement of sorts with a medical supply company that Karen Owenby had connections to, a place called Halverson Medical Supply. It’s basically a convoluted ownership setup that allows the docs to invest in the place without any apparent conflict of interest problems. It’s not strictly aboveboard, but it’s not exactly illegal either.”