“I’m going to leave now with Jimmy,” he said. “When I’m far from here, I’ll stop and call the police and tell them exactly where you are. I have a device that’ll allow me to mask my voice. It’s possible they won’t be able to rescue you until morning. You can survive until then. The ledge is wide enough to sit down on. You might even want to lie down, although I don’t suggest sleeping. You’ll be arrested and returned to L.A. I’m sure you’ll have a great story for the cops but it won’t get you far. Two FBI agents saw you kill your husband and you jumped bail. Your father-in-law will confirm that you went to the trouble to pack all your valuables before you split. You won’t find Carl supportive this time. You won’t be able to talk yourself out of this one. And if you try bringing me up, the police and FBI will laugh. They’ll never believe I’m alive. You’ll go to jail and you’ll stay there for the rest of your life. You’ll never see Jimmy again. When he’s older, I’ll tell him his mother died in an accident.” He paused. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

She wept. “I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me here.”

“You’re sorry I caught you with David. You’re not sorry you fucked him behind my back. You’re sorry those two agents saw you kill David. You’re not sorry he’s dead. You’re sorry I escaped from the ledge. You’re not sorry you put me there.” He paused. “And you know what? I’m not sorry that it ends this way. Somehow, it all seems fitting.”

“Matt! Please! We can start over! It can be good again!”

He knelt and stared at her. She was not tall, and trapped on the side of the cliff she looked even smaller. A caged animal, nowhere to run. No teeth left to bite with, her claws gone. He felt a pang of sympathy but it was not strong.

“You don’t want to try to climb up as I did,” he said. “I barely made it, and I knew what I was doing. Sometime in the next few hours you might panic. The urge to escape will come over you. Don’t even think about it. You’ll get a few feet and you’ll fall. I only tell you this because I’m a nice guy. To be honest, I don’t care if you live or die.”

She grew hysterical. “But you need me! I need you! You’re the only one I can really make love to! Please, let me make love to you one last time! Matt, I do love you!”

He stood. “May I ask you a question?”

She stopped. “What?”