NAILED by Elaine Macko Read Free Book Online

Moshi.”
    I looked out at a very blond, fair skinned little girl.
    “Delilah is just a whack job. She went to India at some point to discover her heritage. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that the Sanjaris do have Indian blood, and Delilah was curious about it as well she might be, but to say that Victor should only marry an Indian woman was crazy. When she came back from her Indian retreat she refused to eat beef, all sorts of things. Sometimes she even wears a sari. She also loves to knit and crochet and she dresses up in flowing scarves, and weird crocheted hippie vests. When she’s not wearing a sari, she likes to act as if she’s a throwback to the sixties, but the truth is she’s just plain lazy and uses a hippie lifestyle as an excuse not to work. Anyway, that’s the background.”
    “So tell me why you think Victor killed your sister,” I said gently.
    “They were having problems. Vic is—was—the kind of husband who thought that he was head of the family. He decided where they went on vacation. He decided what kind of cars to buy. He decided they should take up golf. He even told my sister when to go to bed. If he was tired, Jenna had to go to bed. She loved staying up late to read or catch up on some shows she recorded, but he wouldn’t allow her to. And when they came over here for dinner parties, he told her when it was time to leave even if she was having a good time. He’d go so far as to grab her by the arm and drag her out. Jerk.” Maddi spat the word out. “And if he felt he had the right to grab her arm in front of people, well, what must he be doing behind closed doors?”
    “Do you think he was hitting her?” I asked.
    “Not that she ever said. I asked her once, but she said no, and I never saw any bruises, but I’m sure he was at least grabbing her and shoving her around, because I witnessed that myself.”
    “Why did she put up with it?”
    “I don’t know, Alex. She was a smart woman. Taught advanced math at the high school. Why do women put up with men like that? These men think they’re all macho, but any man that has to grab a woman and treat her like property is nothing but a bully. The only thing my husband and I could figure was that Victor had money, but Jenna made a good living and besides, it wasn’t like Vic was generous or anything. He never bought her a birthday gift, nothing for Christmas, and nothing for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Nothing. Ever. It was just all about him twenty-four seven. And he wasn’t the touchy feely kind of guy. No hugs or kisses. At least not with my sister. He seemed to have no problem touching other women. And he was a hypochondriac. He took all these vitamins and made Jenna and Moshi eat nothing but health food, which, don’t get me wrong, I try to feed my kids healthy food, too, but once in a while an ice cream on a summer night won’t hurt. Do you know what consecotaleophobia is?
    “No. What is it?” I asked.
    “Fear of chopsticks. Chopsticks . Have you ever heard of anything so stupid? Moshi is petrified. We can’t even bring Chinese food into the house because God forbid they put some of those cheap wooden chopsticks in the bag.”
    I smiled. “Is there really such a thing?”
    “Yep. And Vic knew all the phobias and taught them to Moshi. My sister wanted her daughter to grow up to be an independent woman. But Vic thwarted her efforts at every chance. He babied Moshi, and, I’m sorry to say, turned her into a bit of a bully, too. My sister had been working on that with the help of a child therapist at the school, and she’s a good kid. She’ll be fine because no bullies allowed in this home.” Maddi jabbed the countertop hard with her finger. “Vic dictated every little thing in their marriage and my sister let him. If she and I went out shopping, she always had to be home at a certain time for him. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her so hard. How could she be so stupid?”
    I shrugged. I had no answer. I