Page 60 of Destiny

“But is she truly crazy?”

Mom’s gaze darkens. “You know what she’s done. How can you even ask that?”

“Evil doesn’t necessarily mean crazy, Mom. I get the feeling she knew what she was doing every step of the way.”

“You know, it’s funny,” Mom says. “You can look back at our history. People like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, even more recent as Osama bin Laden, Timothy McVeigh. Each of them knew exactly what they were doing. They were sociopathic, yes. Psychopathic, even. In fact, Aunt Mel says there’s not a lot of difference between the two. But Aunt Jade says the insanity plea wouldn’t have worked for any of them. So you have to ask yourself… What istrueinsanity? Is there even a valid definition? Aunt Jade and Aunt Melanie look at it two different ways—as an attorney and as a psychiatrist. Aunt Mel has studied these things, and so has Aunt Jade, from a completely different angle. But they both agree that an insanity plea would not work for Wendy Madigan.”

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say,” I say. “Is she insane or not?”

“My point is, Ava, that you may never get the answers you’re looking for. Yes, she is insane, but so was Daphne Steel, in a completely different way. Wendy is not insane the way Daphne was. She’s mentally competent, although deranged, and you can’t trust anything she says.”

“But you and Dad both say how brilliant she is. An evil mastermind. Which means logically she has a reason for everything she does.”

“Yes, but remember that logic tohermay not be logic to us. Psychopaths don’t see things the same way we do. To her, it was logical to punish your grandfather by abusing his son. How is that even remotely logical to a normal person?”

I look down, fiddle with my fingers. My mother is right, of course.

“Take my father, for example. To him, it was perfectly logical to try to rape me. That’s what he knew. How he lived his life. But normal fathers don’t try to rape their daughters, Ava.”

I wipe a tear from my eye before it falls. “For God’s sake, Mom. I know that.”

Mom pulls me into a hug. “Exactly. But my father would never have been able to use a plea of insanity in a trial for his crimes.”

“So there’s insanity…and there’sinsanity,” I say.

“I suppose so.” Mom sighs and lets me go. “I just don’t want you looking for something in your grandmother that isn’t there. She’s not a good woman. She never was and never will be. The doctor says she’s in perfect health, but she’s nearing ninety. She will not live forever. Especially not without sunshine and exercise.”

“I’m not asking her to live forever.”

“I know you’re not, Ava, but youareasking for her to tell you something. To tell you why she reached out to you. I just wouldn’t hold your breath, sweetheart. The answers may not come.”

“But Mom…”

She grabs my hand. “I’m thinking only of you, Ava. I don’t want to see you doing this to yourself. This could take you to a dark place, and I’ve been to those dark places. I don’t want that for you.”

“I’ll be careful, Mom.”

“I know you will. That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

“It might help if…”

“If what?”

“If Dad lets me talk to her alone.”

Mom shakes her head. “That will never happen.”

“Why not? She’s no threat to me. She’s an old woman.”

“Don’t ask your father to leave you alone with her. He won’t do it. Your father hates saying no to you, but he will.”

I sigh. “All right.”

“Now, before you go back in there—because I know I can’t talk you out of not going back—tell me what’s going on with you and Brendan.”

“He’s angry.”

“Why?”

---