Page 88 of The Instruments of Darkness

“Perhaps I’m in the market for a therapist.”

“From what I’ve heard about you, that wouldn’t surprise me. I might even be prepared to make an exception out of inquisitiveness.”

“I’ll be sure to pick up a card on my way out. Tell me about Colleen.”

“There’s a limit to what I’m prepared to divulge,” said Veilleux, “even with her permission. She’s in a vulnerable position right now, but I have to take the larger picture into account.”

“I appreciate that, so let’s go with what you feel comfortable sharing. If you testify, much of the questioning is likely to revolve around whether Colleen displayed signs of hostile ideation toward her son.”

“She did not,” said Veilleux firmly.

“Never?”

“No. She was frustrated and depressed, and admitted to impatience with him, but on no occasion did she indicate that she had seriously contemplated hurting Henry. She worried that she wasn’t a fit mother and would never be able to take care of him properly. She felt isolated—more so than usual, given that she’s not naturally a sociable person—and believed her husband wasn’t assuming anything resembling an appropriate share of responsibility for the child, especially as he was the one who wanted them to begin a family, perhaps before Colleen was ready.”

I was tempted to go straight to the subject of Stephen Clark, but instead spent some time going into more detail about Colleen’s difficulties, or as much as Veilleux was willing to offer. As far as she could attest, Colleen loved her son, but lacked confidence in her own emotional, psychological, and even physical capacities for motherhood. This, said Veilleux, wasn’t unusual, but each woman who endured this kind of difficulty experienced it in her own unique way.

“Like grief,” I said.

“Yes,” agreed Veilleux, “like grief, like love, like despair. Like life.”

“Had Stephen stepped up to the plate, do you think that might have eased that pressure on Colleen?”

“Certainly, but her treatment primarily involved developing the skills and mindset to cope with what she was going through. Altering her husband’s behavior was out of her hands, and would have involved a different form of therapy.”

“Couples therapy?”

“Yes.”

“Did you raise that possibility?”

“I indicated that it might be beneficial,” said Veilleux. “I’m not saying her husband was unaware of her suffering—that would imply emotional blindness verging on sociopathy—but he might not have been cognizant of its depth, or even the simple steps he could have taken to alleviate it. Also, it was obvious that he was working long hours and was very much engaged in his career. From what Colleen told me, he was intent on providing a certain quality of life for his family, but the emphasis was on financial security accrued from corporate success rather than emotional security arising from day-to-day engagement with his wife and child. Again, that’s not uncommon, albeit, I think, a peculiarly male approach.”

“And the therapy?”

“He declined to become involved, on any level. This was his wife’s problem, and he had enough difficulties of his own, which was his position as articulated by Colleen. I should emphasize that fact: whatever information or insights I may have about Stephen Clark are refracted through the prism of his wife’s experience. Were he to sit in that chair, we might be given a very different tale.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” I said. “I’ve met him.”

“You didn’t like him?”

“He wants to see his wife imprisoned. He’s not prepared to countenance any narrative that precludes her from having harmed their child.”

She turned her palms upward, like Christ displaying his wounds.

“I’m reluctant to condemn him for it,” she said. “This is a terrible situation for any parent to find themselves in.”

“I may be less reluctant to condemn.”

“You find his certitude disconcerting?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s why you’re a detective. You’re trained to respond with suspicion. I’m trained to understand.”

I wondered how many of her patients had been tempted to burn her house down. Not enough of them, I decided.

“Did Colleen speak to you about his affair with Mara Teller?” I asked.