The Alibi

“What for?”

“To deliver a verbal message. I can’t divulge any more than that.”

“Professional privilege is a very convenient shield.”

She conceded the point with a small nod. “Nevertheless, that’s what I was doing there.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?”

“I was afraid you would browbeat me into disclosing the patient’s name. That individual’s best interests came before mine.”

“Until now.”

“The situation has become precarious. More so than I anticipated. I’ve been forced to tell what I had hoped to keep confidential for my patient’s sake.”

“Do you usually go to such lengths for your patients? Delivering messages and so forth?”

“Customarily, no. But it would have been terribly upsetting for this patient to have a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Pettijohn. It was a small favor to grant.”

“So you saw Mr. Pettijohn?” She nodded. “How long were you inside the suite with him?”

“A few minutes.”

“Less than five? More than ten?”

“Less than five.”

“Isn’t a hotel suite an odd setting for that kind of meeting?”

“I thought so, too, but it was at Mr. Pettijohn’s request that we meet there. He said the hotel would be more convenient for him since someone else was joining him there later.”

“Who?”

“I wouldn’t know. In any case, I didn’t mind going there because, as I told you, the remainder of my day was free. I had no other commitments. I did some window-shopping in the area of the Charles Towne, then left the city.”

“And went to the fair.”

“That’s right. Everything else I told you stands.”

“Which version?”

Frank Perkins frowned at Steffi’s wisecrack. “There’s no need for sarcasm, Ms. Mundell. It’s clear now why Dr. Ladd was reluctant to tell you about her brief meeting with Pettijohn. She was protecting a patient’s privacy.”

“How noble of her.”

Before the solicitor could admonish Steffi again, Smilow continued, “How did Mr. Pettijohn seem to you, Dr. Ladd?”

“How did he seem?”

“What was his mood?”

“I didn’t know him so I have nothing with which to compare his mood that afternoon.”

“Well, was he jovial or cranky? Happy or sad? Complacent or upset?”

“None of those extremes.”

“What was the gist of the message you delivered?”