A Stranger In The House Quotes
"People who live here are successful and settled; everyone’s a little bit smug."
"This quiet, prosperous suburb in upstate New York, seems oblivious to the problems of the larger world, as if the American dream has continued to live on here, smooth and unruffled."
"Tom Krupp parks his car – a leased Lexus – in the driveway of his handsome two-storey home."
"The house sits on a gently curving street that ends in a cul-de-sac."
"He cuts the lights and the engine and sits uneasily for a moment in the dark, despising himself."
"Something is wrong. He holds his breath."
"The door isn’t locked. That in itself isn’t unusual – most nights he comes home and opens the door and walks right in, because most nights Karen’s home, waiting for him."
"The stove is off and the water in the pot is cold; he dips a finger in to check."
"Now he’s mildly annoyed. She might have told him."
"He’s starting to get anxious now. Where the hell is she?"
"He’s calling the police. His hand trembles as he picks up the phone again. He feels sick with fear."
"As soon as he opens the door and sees the cop on his doorstep, his face serious, Tom knows something very bad has happened."
"‘I’m afraid there’s been an accident,’ Officer Fleming says, his voice grave, his eyes filled with sympathy."
"Tom covers his face with his hands. She’s not dead! She’s hurt, but he feels a surge of desperate hope that maybe it’s not that bad."
"‘It was a single-vehicle accident,’ Officer Fleming says quietly. ‘The car went into a utility pole, head-on.’"
"She’s been drifting in and out of consciousness. With her increasing awareness of the pain, she moans."
"Her vision is growing less blurry now. She can see that Tom looks anxious and exhausted, unshaven, like he’s been up all night."
"‘Tom,’ he whispers. He leans closer to her and says, ‘What happened tonight?’"
"‘I don’t remember,’ she says slowly, as if it takes every bit of her remaining energy to say it. Her eyes, looking into his, seem alarmed."
"‘It’s not unheard of for patients with head trauma to suffer from retrograde amnesia, for a short period.’"
"‘I wonder if she might be in some kind of danger,’ Fleming says carefully."
"‘My wife doesn’t do things like that,’ Tom pushes his chair back and gets up."
"‘Is everything okay between you and your wife, Mr Krupp?’"
"‘This is important,’ Tom says almost desperately, leaning closer. She pulls back, deeper into her pillows."
"The doctor’s pager buzzes and he looks at it, excuses himself, and leaves Tom alone with all of his unknowns."
"I don’t remember anything about that night. I’m sorry, but you’re probably wasting your time."
"It’s quite simple, really. The gloves were found near the murder scene, in a parking lot close by."
"They’re investigating a murder that occurred not far from where she had her accident."
"Do you really think I’m capable of killing someone? Do you really think I’m capable of murder?"
"I don’t know what happened. You must believe me."
"You know me! How can you think I’m even capable of something like murder?"
"I don’t want to do hypnosis. That’s ridiculous."
"It doesn’t surprise you to learn that you’re married to a woman who disappeared and took on a new identity?"
"I don’t believe it," Tom protests. He tries to look indignant, but he knows he probably just looks like a desperate man in denial of an ugly truth.
"We deal in facts, Mr Krupp. Why don’t you give us a chance?" Rasbach sits down again.
"I was supposed to meet someone. Brigid Cruikshank, a neighbour from across the street."
"Can you imagine going to bed every night with a woman who might be a murderer? It’s got to take a toll."
"I’d like to bring her in for questioning, but I don’t want to spook her."
"As soon as we identify the victim – as soon as they realize the dead man is Robert Traynor – then they will look more deeply into his life."
"I don’t want to flee – I don’t want to leave Tom – but that might be my only option if things go south really quickly."
"You don’t trust your wife much more than I do."
"I took the gun for my own protection. I was going to tell him I would go to the police and tell them everything, that I wasn’t afraid of him any more."
"He was my husband. I ran away from him. I was afraid of him."
"And then there's the relief. She no longer has to worry about Robert Traynor hunting her down and killing her."
"Brigid sits in her darkening, empty house. She’s glaring across the street at the closed curtains of 24 Dogwood Drive."
"I promised, Tom, no more lies. I swear."
"How quickly things change, he thinks. Just yesterday he was telling himself that this case had become quite straightforward."
"She loves the train. One of her favourite things is to look out at the passing scenery as the train eats up the miles, and think and plan and dream."
"If she has to, she will testify against Karen, even if Tom doesn’t like it, even if he hates her for it for a little while."
"I think Karen shot him, Brigid saw her do it, and then she smelled an opportunity and picked up the gun for later."