Page 19 of The Killing Plains

“Show us where you talked,” Colly said.

Brenda led them to her office, a meticulously neat room with a sitting area at one end and a desk and bookshelves at the other. There were few decorations other than a vase of silk flowers on the desk and a brightly colored abstract painting over the sofa.

“I was here.” Brenda laid a hand on an armchair. “Denny sat on the couch.”

“Nothing unusual happened?”

Brenda frowned. “Not that I remember. We didn’t discuss anything heavy that day—sometimes it’s good just to chat. Builds trust. When he left, he seemed happy.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“Other than the library, no.”

Colly turned to the receptionist, who was standing in the doorway. “You were in the building, too?”

The woman looked slightly indignant. “Certainly.” She added that she usually met her daughter for a noon lunch on Fridays, but with Dr. Shaw out of town, she’d remained at work.

“It’s our policy,” Niall said. “When a therapist’s with a client, at least one other person should be in the building.”

Colly nodded and turned back to the receptionist. “Did Denny speak to you when he left?”

“No, but that wasn’t unusual. He was a rude boy.” She compressed her lips. “He gave me a little wave over his shoulder as he went out.” She waggled her fingers to illustrate. “He seemed in a hurry. I watched him unlock his bicycle from the telephone pole outside.”

“You didn’t see him ride away?”

“No, I was gathering my things to go to lunch.”

“You said you missed lunch,” Avery said sharply.

“I said I didn’t go at noon. I went an hour late.”

“I didn’t have a one o’clock that day,” Brenda said.

“You went to lunch, too?” Colly asked.

“No. I stayed to do some paperwork before my two o’clock.”

Colly asked if she knew why Denny had been in a hurry, but Brenda had no idea. “He kept glancing at the clock towards the end of our session. But he didn’t seem upset. I thought he was excited about the weekend.” She smiled sadly.

“Where’d you do the paperwork—your desk?” Avery asked.

Brenda nodded.

“Go ahead, if you don’t mind,” Colly said.

Brenda went to the desk and sat down.

Colly squinted around the room. “You were completely alone in the building between one and two?”

“Yes.” Brenda’s face clouded. She reached to straighten the stapler. “Though actually—”

“What?” Colly asked, interested.

“It’s nothing, don’t get excited. Sitting here, I’ve remembered—someone else did come in briefly.”

Niall’s eyebrows lifted. “Really?”

Brenda nodded, more certain. “I heard a noise, which startled me since the front door was locked. I—”

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