The Piper

FORTY-FOUR




There was a very bad moment in the lobby of the hotel when Olivia saw Teddy disappearing around the corner into the hotel gift shop. She had called out, and started to run, held back by Hugh’s firm grip round her shoulders. He had shaken his head but not argued, led her gently into the gift shop, so she could see and know for sure that the little girl was not Teddy. Olivia had tried to tell the girl’s parents to be careful, that their child was not safe, but he had hushed her and pulled her away, throwing an apology over one shoulder as he forced Olivia to the elevators.

‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia said, as they stood outside her hotel room. She fished her card key out of her purse, touching Teddy’s school papers.

‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ Hugh said.

Olivia looked up, expecting him to come in, to tell her that neither one of them should be alone at night, but he kissed her gently on the cheek and turned away.

‘If you need me, or you hear anything,’ he said, ‘I’ll be right down the hall.’

Olivia shut the door in his face and put the chain lock on. She kicked her shoes off and pulled the spread off the bed, propping herself on the pillow and wondering if her mind would ever be still enough for sleep. She attached her cell phone to the charger and set it on the bedside table. There was a ballpoint pen and notepad with the hotel logo. She turned the lamp on and closed her eyes a moment, thinking to make a list of new places to search. She fell asleep with the pen in her hand.

The light hurt her eyes almost immediately, which was strange since she only had the lamp switched on, and it was a three-way, with the setting on low. And it wasn’t really lamplight, it was more like the sun, shining so hard her eyes watered, and she had to squint. The front door to the stone cottage was unlocked, which was lucky, and she went inside, only this time it was like it used to be when she was a little girl and she didn’t feel afraid. The old upright piano was still there and the living room was just like it had been when she was growing up. She was drawn immediately to the woman who sat with her back to the door on the old, nubby green couch.

‘Mama?’ Olivia said. ‘But you’re dead, how can you be here?’

‘I thought you needed to see me, hon.’

Her mother smiled and Olivia thought how pretty she looked. She had on that chocolate linen dress that Olivia remembered. Olivia had loved that dress, her mother always wore it when she went somewhere special.

Her mother held out a hand. ‘I’m sorry, honey. You’ve had such a hard time.’

Olivia settled at her mother’s feet and let the tears come, sobbing hard in her mother’s lap. Her mother stroked the top of her head and let her cry it out.

And when she was done, Olivia sat up on her knees, and looked at her mother, content just to see her face.

‘You have to go now, Olivia.’

‘I don’t want to go.’

‘It’s time.’

‘Why can’t I just stay here, Mama?’

‘Because you gave Hugh the key to the house.’