The Piper

THIRTY-FIVE




Chambliss Place was residential commercial, lined with what the realtors called Shrink Shacks – zoning laws forbade any kind of business that generated more than one or two cars an hour, which meant the little bungalows made perfect offices for psychologists, attorneys and brokers.

Dr Raymond’s office was in a stone bungalow with a prime position on the corner, and the green sign with white lettering was a presence in the front yard. Chambliss Psychological Services, Miles Raymond, PhD, Adolescents, Children, & Family Counseling. Olivia’s father had taken her to talk to Dr Raymond a few weeks after her mother died. Dr Raymond found out how much she loved iced brownies. They’d sat together at a weathered, old oak farmhouse table on every visit, and bonded over chocolate, while Dr Raymond eased her heart.

Olivia was alone in the waiting room. Dr Raymond’s associates had gone home at four, and there was no receptionist, just a complex system where patients rang buzzers, and an answering service took the incoming calls.

Dr Raymond had taken her emergency call first thing that morning. He had known exactly who she was and she’d immediately recognized his voice. He sounded the same as he had when she was a child.

Teddy had been back in Dr Raymond’s office for an hour and fifteen minutes now, which was already twenty-five minutes past the usual allotted time.

In all the years that Olivia had ranged far and wide, moving from city to city, Dr Raymond’s office at Chambliss Place had evidently stayed the same. Dark wood floors in the waiting room, and the red Persian carpet with a hole in the middle, courtesy of Dr Raymond’s cat. A masculine room. A comforting cliché.

Two tobacco brown distressed leather love seats had earned their lines and creases the hard way. A vintage silver ash tray on a stand split down the middle at the touch of a crank, even though if you smoked, you had to go outside. Pictures of horses in the hunt and dogs playing poker. A generous hodge-podge of books and magazines – everything that might appeal. Celebrities, vampires, wizards, women being carried off by muscular men who wore tight breeches and strategically ripped shirts. A little something for everyone, Dr Raymond always said. Dr Raymond always had the good stuff, and he never minded if patients or visitors looted the goods. He liked getting a book back for each one that disappeared, but it wasn’t like there was a set of rules.

Waiting was hard. Olivia had client files in her briefcase, but she did not touch them. After a while, she got up and took the briefcase to the car. Locked it in the trunk. Then went back into the waiting room to sit.

Dr Raymond’s office door opened at five twenty-nine and Olivia heard Teddy’s soft tread in the hall. She was half up off the leather couch when Teddy came around the bend.

‘Hi, Mommy.’ Teddy was rumpled as always. Her jeans sagged at the belly, her left shoe was untied, and her favorite, well worn pink sweater was untucked on one side. She also looked relieved, and Olivia knew then that the talk with Dr Raymond had been good.

‘You okay there, Kidlet?’

Teddy smiled. ‘You were right, I like him.’

‘I wouldn’t steer you wrong.’

‘Dr Raymond says he needs a smoke break, and then the three of us need to talk.’ Teddy went straight to the piles of books. Sorting. Rooting. Frowning. ‘Nothing here but vampires.’

‘There are more books in that little alcove next to the bathroom,’ Olivia said.

Teddy disappeared for a while, and then peered back around the corner, waving a book in her hand. ‘Nancy Drew. The Secret of Red Gate Farm. I knew he’d have one.’

‘You can take it home with you,’ Olivia said. ‘Dr Raymond won’t mind.’

As Olivia remembered, it was cigarettes and orange juice that got Dr Raymond through the day, and sure enough, when she heard his heavy footsteps on the wood, and saw him zoom into the waiting room with that almost kinetic energy she remembered so well, he reeked of tobacco, and there were stains on his sweater where he’d spilled the juice that he drank out of tiny cans with a straw. He used to tell Olivia that it took talent to spill juice from a straw.

And no doubt he left the house tidy in the morning, but he was the kind of man who came apart at the seams as the day went on. He wore his clothes like a bear all dressed up for the amusement of humans, pants baggy and twisted at the waist, denim shirt he did not bother to tuck in, and sweaters, cuddly sweaters, he always wore those unless it was really hot.

And though his office had not changed, Dr Raymond had. Another forty pounds. Permanent circles under the heavy-lidded eyes that were creased with too much sun and gave him a woeful hound dog air. No brown in the hair now, all white and gray, but still thick. Huge hornrimmed reading glasses that he wore on a chain around his neck like some maiden aunt who tucked tissues in her sleeve. Olivia thought of Amelia and the way she wore her cat glasses on a chain and she had to bite her bottom lip not to cry. Later she would cry. Later.

‘Livie, Livie, Livie. You’re all grown up.’ Dr Raymond smiled and opened his arms and gave her the kind of hug you’d get from a kindly giant.

Dr Raymond, she thought, help me take care of Teddy. Maybe Dr Raymond could make it all okay.

The three of them sat together around Dr Raymond’s big oak table, like a family after a big holiday meal. His desk looked like a library after a hurricane, the wood chair pushed back. The trash can overflowed with papers and empty cans of juice, and a Styrofoam carton that still reeked of curry and chili chicken from the Indian buffet down Kingston Pike.

Dr Raymond leaned so far back in his chair, Olivia was afraid it would topple over. ‘I was telling Teddy about the day you disappeared after school and gave your daddy heart failure, till he found you sitting on the front steps of your house.’

Olivia smiled. ‘I don’t remember that.’

‘Oh, yes, your dad went to pick you up from school and you weren’t there, and turned out no one had seen you since lunch. I guess they didn’t count heads so good back then – you had a substitute teacher that day and she kind of lost track. Your dad was well and truly pissed about that. But as it turns out, you’d just gone home, in the middle of the day, and your daddy found you right there, sitting on the front steps. You said you were waiting for Emily and Hunter to come home. You don’t remember that?’

Olivia shook her head. ‘I don’t remember leaving school. I do remember sitting there a lot.’

‘It was right after your mother died. That’s when your father started bringing you in to see me. It worried him, all the time you spent sitting on those front porch steps.’

Olivia chewed her lip. ‘I thought we were here to talk about Teddy.’

Dr Raymond looked over at Teddy. ‘Your mother was always impatient like that, even when she was eleven. She’s type A.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ Teddy said.

They seemed very cozy, the two of them. Olivia folded her arms.

‘Let’s start with something we all know,’ Dr Raymond said. ‘That Teddy is afraid in the house. Go ahead and say it, Teddy. State your position.’

‘I am, Mommy. I’m really scared.’

‘I understand,’ Olivia said, but she didn’t. Dr Raymond seemed to be missing the point.

‘There’s a ghost there, Mommy, you have to believe me, there’s a ghost.’

‘Teddy—’

Dr Raymond held up a hand. ‘Ladies, we’re not dealing with the why of things today. The point right now is the fear. Can we all agree on that?’

He looked them both in the eye. ‘So. A terrible thing happened yesterday, and you ladies lost a friend you both love. Anybody would be shook up and afraid. Now there are pills people can take to help handle their fears, but Teddy doesn’t want to go on medication. She’s been very clear with me on that.’

Now Teddy folded her arms. Jutted her chin.

‘Nobody can think straight and feel better in the world if they’re scared all the time where they live. So, Olivia. Teddy and I have a plan. This is an emergency solution that is temporary to take care of the fear. So Teddy can feel empowered and safe. We’ll deal with the whys and wherefores later on. Tell her the plan, Teddy.’

‘You say it.’

‘Okay, the plan is this, Livie. When you and Teddy leave my office you go straight home. You park in the driveway, and Teddy stays in the car. Right now I don’t think Teddy should ever go into the house again until she’s ready and until she feels safe.’

Olivia swallowed. ‘Okay. But—’

Dr Raymond held up a hand. ‘I understand that Winston the Wonder Dog is waiting in the car.’

‘He is.’

‘You could have brought him in. Melissa Kitty has passed on. Winston is welcome to come with Teddy when she’s here to talk, so long as he knows how to behave. Winston is a big part of the plan. He stays with Teddy and doesn’t go back in the house.’

‘Mommy shouldn’t go in either,’ Teddy said.

‘Yes, Teddy, but we talked about compromise. We’re asking a lot from your mother right now. She needs to be able to pack her things and your things too. You’re going to have girl stuff you need.’

‘It’s a bad idea,’ Teddy said.

‘But you agreed. Are you backing out?’

‘No. I agreed.’

‘So Livie, you go inside and pack a bag for Teddy and for yourself, and get Winston’s food bowls and toys. And you have to agree not to go back in the house when Teddy is at school. You have to promise. For now, you and Teddy are going to stay in a hotel, just for a while.’

‘We don’t need to go to a hotel. We can stay with Teddy’s Aunt Charlotte.’

Dr Raymond shook his head. ‘Not a good idea right now, and you and I can discuss why later. I know a hotel is expensive, but can you swing it, Livie, for just a few days? Teddy said maybe her daddy would help pay the bill. She wanted to call and ask him, but I said we should check with you first.’

Olivia twisted her fingers in her lap. ‘It’s okay. If you really think it’s necessary, we’ll go to a hotel.’

‘It’s necessary.’ Dr Raymond jerked a thumb at Olivia. ‘See, Teddy? Your mom’s on board. We’re all three going to work together and sort everything out, just like I said. We’re going to make sure you’re safe.’

Teddy nodded.

‘Okay, Teddy – this is the time for me and your mom to talk alone. Head on out to the waiting room, kiddo.’

‘Yes sir.’

Dr Raymond shut the door after she went.

‘We’ve got trouble, don’t we?’ Olivia said.

Dr Raymond turned around, and Olivia wondered if he was conscious of how he looked, running his hands through his hair, his back literally pressed to the dark oak door. ‘Unless your daughter is a sociopath, and don’t worry on that head, because I’ve worked with a score of sociopathic children, and that’s one thing she’s not. She’s a great kid, Livie, and that’s my professional opinion. But she believes one hundred percent in some ghost she calls Duncan Lee.’ Dr Raymond folded his arms and frowned. ‘This Duncan Lee is very powerful. It took me twenty minutes to convince Teddy just to say his name. Duncan Lee watches her, he watches you, he watches everyone in the house, even the dog. Sometimes he bothers her at school, but she feels like he’s stronger in the house. Duncan Lee killed your brother, he killed your friend, Amelia, and he made Teddy and Janet sick. Now you and I know better, but Teddy believes this one hundred percent. And you and I are going to have to deal with that.’

Olivia put a hand to her throat. ‘How?’

‘One baby step at a time.’ Dr Raymond squeezed her shoulder. He did not sit at his desk, but instead paced the room. ‘The images in her mind. Did she tell you about the red leather belt?’

‘She told me Duncan Lee threatened to hang Winston from the attic fan with a red leather belt.’

Dr Raymond headed for his desk chair and settled there, rocking from side to side. ‘It’s not Winston anymore. Now it’s you.’

‘Me?’

‘You. That’s why she wants to sleep with you at night, that game you have, called boat? That’s why she wanted to stay in the hospital, because she knew you wouldn’t leave her, that you’d spend the night in her room. She’s trying to protect you. She’s convinced that Duncan Lee is going to hang you with that red leather belt.’

‘For God’s sake. Nothing’s going to happen to me.’

Dr Raymond pointed a finger at her. ‘Don’t underestimate the level of Teddy’s fear. Whatever is behind it.’ He sat forward in his chair. ‘Livie, listen to me. Your daughter is terrified every minute of the day. We can’t get to the heart of what’s really going on until we get her to feel safe. Are you going to be okay with those hotel room bills? Because if not we might consider sending her back to her dad.’

‘But isn’t that catering to her fears?’

‘Right now we cater. For the short term.’

‘Her dad’s not an option right now. Let’s just do the hotel. But there’s a limit on how long I can afford that kind of thing.’

‘I understand. This is a sort of emergency measure. Let’s see if she feels safe at a hotel. One thing we’re doing is testing to see if this satisfies her, or if she just changes the nature of her fear. And for now, I want her to stay away from her cousins, what’s the oldest one’s name? Janet?’

‘Janet. Yes. They’ve been telling her things.’

‘So I understand. In time we’ll see about getting Teddy to a point where she has defenses against that sort of nonsense, but for now, she’s too suggestible, too vulnerable. So right now our only goal is that Teddy feels safe. Remember this is an emergency plan – short term, and we’re taking drastic measures because frankly, your daughter is at a crisis level of fear, do you understand what I’m telling you?’

‘I understand, but what do you think is going on, Dr Raymond?’

Dr Raymond opened his hands and shrugged. ‘Too early to tell. No fast answers, here, Livie, but don’t panic. She’s a smart kid, she has a good heart, you hear me on that? And kids can go from zero to sixty, and then back again when things get intense. I just don’t want you to underestimate the problem. Keep her in school, no excuses there, and get her established in a daily routine. Don’t spoil her or treat her like she’s sick. Can you bring her back day after tomorrow? Same time, three forty-five? I’m going to want to see her three times a week right now, she’ll be my last appointment of the day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can do that?’

‘I can.’ Olivia wondered how she’d pay for it. She was going to have to talk to Hugh. ‘Can we really bring Winston to these appointments? You brought it up, and she’s going to ask.’

‘So long as he doesn’t pee in my waiting room. I have a soft spot for goldens. I had one when I was a kid.’

‘He’ll shed.’

‘Hell, I shed.’

‘I’m really scared for Teddy. I don’t like to admit it, but my gut says something’s really wrong. I know I told you earlier that it started out in California, with the divorce, and since we moved it’s gone from bad to worse.’

‘Was Teddy scared in California?’

‘I don’t know. She just told lies.’

‘Interesting. And what’s different now?’

‘Now, like you say, she’s scared. And all the things that have been going on . . . okay, to be honest, I’m worried about what really happened, the day Amelia died.’

Dr Raymond folded his arms. ‘You’re afraid Teddy had something to do with it?’

Olivia shook her head. ‘I don’t think she did. But I can’t help but wonder. I’m scared for her. Teddy was standing right there by the bathtub. Amelia’s head was under water and Teddy was holding onto her feet. None of it makes sense.’

Dr Raymond ran a hand through his hair. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of that, but it won’t be overnight. In the meantime, remember that Amelia was a grown woman, and Teddy is only eight years old, with no prior indications of violence. When you start having those kinds of thoughts about your little girl, I want you to watch how good she is with her dog. She adores Winston, right? Takes care of him? She’s never done anything to hurt him, right?’

Olivia nodded. ‘Right.’

‘You hang on to that.’ Dr Raymond thought for a moment. ‘But you are going to have to steel yourself for the long haul. Teddy and I have a lot of things to sort out.’

‘Yeah. Voices in her head and ghosts in the house.’

‘Just remember that a ghost is a common, almost universal fear. So it’s a very normal manifestation of other things that are bothering her. Once we get to the other things and deal with them, then the ghost will go away.’