Nikki thought about it. ‘I suppose so. Either that or because they’re sadists. Because they enjoy it.’
Goodman gazed into his drink. This was also a possibility.
‘Is it true they found dead human skin cells on Lisa’s body?’ Nikki asked bluntly.
Goodman looked shocked. ‘Who told you that?’
‘I read it online,’ said Nikki. ‘There’s a whole bunch of nonsense on the net about “killer zombies” roaming the streets of LA.’
Goodman groaned. That was all they needed. Once an investigation started getting leaks, especially a case as ‘juicy’ as this one, it was only a matter of time before it became a tabloid free-for-all.
‘Is it true?’ Nikki pressed him.
‘That Lisa and Trey’s killer is a zombie?’ Goodman quipped. ‘No. That’s not true.’
‘That they found dead skin cells?’ said Nikki.
‘I can’t talk about specifics,’ Goodman deflected her. ‘But I will say all those conspiracy theories are a waste of time. The question you asked me before was a better one. About motive. And while you’re right about sadists being out there, my guess is that whoever is behind this believes you know something. Something that Trey or Lisa might also have known. Now I don’t know whether that “something” is about a patient of yours? A secret somebody wanted to stay hidden? Or maybe someone your husband treated, in one of his clinics? But my guess is …’ Goodman took another long sip of bourbon, ‘… you do know.’
Nikki looked at him despairingly. ‘You’re wrong! I have no idea. My God, if I knew what this was about, if I knew anything, don’t you think I’d tell you? I cared about Trey. And I cared about Lisa too, although in a different way.’
‘Did you?’ Goodman raised an eyebrow archly.
‘Yes!’ Nikki insisted. ‘Professionally, as her therapist. Yes, I cared. But more to the point, I care about myself. Do you think I want to be murdered? That I want to be run down outside my own house? Believe me, no one’s more motivated to catch this maniac than I am, Detective Goodman.’
‘It’s Lou.’ Goodman poured them both another drink. ‘And no, of course I don’t think you want to get hurt. I’m not suggesting you know consciously what it is the killer is after. Only that I suspect that, deep down, you hold the key to this riddle. And that in the end, only you can unlock it.’
He sipped his liquor, and Nikki did the same. She was starting to feel a definite buzz now, which, mingled with the recent chain of bizarre and traumatic events, was having a distinctly disinhibiting effect. She wasn’t sure whether he reached for her hand, or if it was the other way around. Either way, she felt a rush of blood to her groin as their fingers entwined. After months of wrestling with her complex feelings for Anne Bateman, it was almost a relief to experience straightforward sexual desire. Whatever it was Nikki felt for Anne, it wasn’t this. When her eyes met and locked with Goodman’s, it took a real effort of will not to lean in and kiss him, to give herself up to a sensation she hadn’t felt in so long.
Goodman obviously felt it too. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with desire.
‘Why did you become a psychologist?’
It was the last question Nikki had expected. She wasn’t sure she had an answer. ‘I don’t know, exactly. Lots of reasons, I guess. I knew I didn’t want to do anything boring, like being a lawyer or an accountant. Medicine kind of appealed. But I’ve never been good with blood, so surgery was out.’
‘Really?’ Goodman was amused. ‘You’re squeamish?’
‘Kind of.’ Nikki blushed. ‘Why did you become a cop?’
‘Ah.’ Goodman sat back, his mood and expression visibly changing. ‘That was … I liked the idea of stopping bad guys I guess. Sounds stupid, right?’
‘Not at all,’ said Nikki.
‘When I was a kid, some guys ripped off my dad,’ Goodman went on. ‘Common fraudsters really, nothing sophisticated. But they suckered him into some deal and he lost everything. Our house. His marriage to my mom. I hated those guys.’
‘I can imagine,’ Nikki nodded, listening closely. The liquor had loosened his tongue, but this wasn’t the drink talking; the emotions pouring out of him were real. ‘Did your dad ever re-marry, or get his life back on track?’
Goodman laughed awkwardly. ‘Unfortunately not. He killed himself a week before my tenth birthday. Gassed himself in our garage. The house and the car were repossessed the next day.’
Nikki gasped. ‘Oh my God. How terrible! I am so sorry, Lou.’
He waved an embarrassed hand, as if to brush the conversation aside. ‘It’s OK. I mean, it was terrible, but it motivated me, in lots of ways. Not only becoming a cop. It taught me the importance of money, of financial security. And never letting anyone else scam you, or control you. I’m master of my own destiny, you know?’
Nikki nodded, although she wasn’t sure she did know. The sad truth was she’d never felt fully in control of her own life. Less so now than ever, in fact.
‘Can you think of anything unusual or surprising or strange that happened in the months leading up to Lisa’s murder?’ Goodman asked, bringing the conversation back into safer, less personal waters.
Nikki closed her eyes and squeezed his hand again, more tightly this time. She felt closer to him now, since he’d trusted her with one of his own, painful secrets.