Her laugh was derisive. “When my husband was murdered, that psychotic episode of my life had been long over.”

Decker said, “Let’s go back a little bit. How did that psychotic episode happen in the first place?”

Her eyes moistened. She put down her coffee cup and kneaded her hands. “Do you know what it’s like to be married to Jesus?” When there was no response, she continued. “Bennett was a saint and everyone told me so…how lucky and fortunate I was to have bagged him. My parents preferred him to me. So much so, they gave him my money.”

“Your trust fund?” Decker said. When Melinda gave him a quizzical look, he said, “We talked to your mother.”

“She hates me.” Her voice was matter-of-fact. “The woman is so incredibly narcissistic that she was jealous of any attention not focused on her.”

Marge said, “Must have been hard having to live up to your husband’s image and dealing with a hurtful mother. Then as a topper, Mom gave away your trust fund to your husband.”

“Oh, you got that right, sister!” She got up and started to pace. “Can you imagine the betrayal? Trusting a stranger over her own daughter? I wanted to kill her!”

“What about your husband?” Oliver asked.

“What?” Face flushed with anger, she turned to him. “My husband? What about him? I’m talking about my mother!”

Oliver pulled back the rhetoric. “I was just wondering if you were as angry at your husband as you were at your mother.”

She stopped walking and let out an exasperated sigh. “Ben tried to be fair. He spent the money on things that he thought the whole family would enjoy. I wanted the Mercedes as much as he did. I don’t know. Maybe I was a little pissed at Ben for setting up the arrangement with Mom.”

“Like they were colluding against you?”

“What choice did Ben have? Either it was that or nothing. My mom was ready to take the money back and put it in trust for the kids. Ben was trying to act the peacemaker. But it was really hurtful.”

Marge said, “Is that when you started having affairs?”

“Maybe…I don’t know.” She shook her head and sat back down, looking at the ceiling as she spoke. “Ben was never around. Always doing something for someone else. For the kids, for the school, for my parents, for the community. I was always last.”

“Did you ever tell him how you felt?” Decker asked her.

“Tell Jesus what to do?” She pointed to her chest. “Moi?” She rubbed her eyes and looked away. “I got pregnant while we were engaged. The kid wasn’t his. I got an abortion and he married me anyway. Saint Ben. My first mistake. I shouldn’t have gone through with it. My mother loved Ben. I thought she might like me better because I chose someone she liked.”

Silence blanketed the room.