"That was rather forward," Gladys said, "with your wife out of town and all." She continued to take notes, as if Dean's scolding had fallen on deaf ears.
"Forward, yes, but desperate, too. Cynthia telephoned while Edith was there and I tossed her out."
Weller's cheek twitched noticeably and Fred looked up. "So, you were the last person to see her alive?" the old man asked.
Dean thought about Claire Quincy standing on the top of the stairs, as Edith ascended, naked as the day she was born. He didn't answer.
"Well," the sheriff said, rising and stretching. "It's over. We can all talk about a bunch of 'ifs' but the past is past. Maybe now you can get back to the future, and running Bird Song."
"Amen," said Fred O'Connor.
"On that note, I'm out of here," Weller smiled. "Time to go back to keeping the county safe, 'from speeders and bike nappers'." He gave Dean a knowing pat on the shoulder as he left.
"How come you're still taking notes?" Dean asked Fred, after Gladys left the room and they were alone.
"There's still a couple of things that bother me a mite. It's kind of spooky. Edith Shipton commits suicide just like Annie Quincy did."
"Why does that bother you?" Dean sighed. "She mimicked Annie from the beginning-wearing the white dress-dying her hair-candles in the room. Why not how she killed herself?"
"Plus, you had your dream," Fred said.
"My dream was just that-a dream. It doesn't mean crap."
Fred shook his head, still not satisfied. "I might could buy the Annie Quincy look-alike scenario but to me, it's a hard sell to do something horrible like strangling yourself when you have a bottle of perfectly good sleeping pills a hand's reach away."
"I can't answer that. There are a lot of questions about Edith Shipton I can't answer, but they don't make any difference. She killed herself. It's over and done with."
"Like what questions do you have?" Fred asked, pen poised.
Dean sighed, realizing Fred would want all the answers pat. "Like why did she bother to put her dress back on after she left me?"
"She came down to your room naked?" Fred asked, with eyes upturned.
"Yes," Dean answered, with some reluctance. He filled Fred in on the details of Edith's visit and Cynthia's late night phone call and the abrupt end to the conversation.
"She'll come around. Cynthia can't think you'd cheat on her. Mark my words."
"She's not answering my calls," Dean said but Fred just waved off his response.
"There's more questions," Fred added, glancing at his notes. "I didn't say anything to Weller 'cause he's so positive everything is all wrapped up and tied with a bow, but I knew you and me would want to make double-dipped sure."