Frozen at the window, Veronica stared down at Jim Waterston's lifeless body. Behind her, Peter seemed to be coming out of whatever otherworldly state he was in. Veronica watched as the people in the living room rushed outside. In the distance came the sound of sirens and she knew that in another moment or two the Schuyler Square police department would arrive. Wearily, she turned and looked at Peter. "Are you all right?"
Peter shook his head sharply as if he was shaking away cobwebs. "I saw Mary Austin after Jim left. I saw her body lying in front of the fireplace. Jim Waterston killed her and I knew about it all these years but I couldn't remember. Why couldn't I remember?"
Veronica sat down shakily on an old rocking chair and wished that she was any other place in the world. "I don't know, Peter. The mind is a funny thing."
"But I liked Mary. She was always nice to me. I should have remembered what happened to her."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Veronica assured him. "It's all over now."
Peter sat down too. "I feel like I've been asleep for the past twenty years."
Veronica couldn't help but laugh. "Believe me, you haven't been asleep. You have a pregnant wife and an irate mistress. Do you remember that?"
Slowly nodding his head, the mist that had been in his eyes for months began to lift. "I guess I should do something about both of those situations."
They could hear the sound of someone climbing the attic steps, breathing harder with each stair. A moment later Chelsea hurried into the room, her rounded body still moving for a second after she'd come to a halt. "Peter! Oh, thank God you're all right! For a moment I thought that was you who fell out the window." She walked as quickly as she could over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him.
Peter hesitated for a split second before embracing Chelsea tightly. "I'm fine," he told her. "Everything's fine."
Feeling like she was intruding, Veronica got to her feet and began to sidle toward the door. Everything was going to be all right for Peter and Chelsea. She had the feeling that the person Peter Van Husen had been for the past few months had been some kind of imposter and now the real Peter, the decent police officer Peter, was going to return and just in time for his wife.
Veronica was suddenly exhausted. Ever since she'd returned to Schuyler Square she felt like it had been one drama after another. Ron, Chelsea, Mavis, Peter, Tiffany, Tom.
Maybe things will settle down now. Maybe no one will get murdered and there won't be any rumors about ghosts breaking things in the middle of the night. Maybe we can all get down to the business of normal, everyday life.
But in Schuyler Square, Veronica wasn't sure if normal, everyday life was possible.
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