Mind Games (21 page)

He wasn’t going to argue with her about doing what he thought was in both of their best interests. She’d made her point. However, he worried about her denial. She had ferociously defended her father to him. She might have expressed a change of heart, confiding in him she would do the right thing because she’d have no choice, but that wasn’t necessarily true. She could support her father and provide him with the best defense money could buy.

The law held many loopholes. He could practically hear the defense attorney vehemently stating there were no live witnesses to testify and that psychiatry isn’t an exact science, with experimental treatments and drugs adjusted to fit an individual patient’s needs, and that not everyone responded the same to treatment or dosage. His heart started to race. If Dr. Von Langley had anything to do with his sister Katie’s demise, Derrick would stop at nothing to protect another innocent kid.

Derrick worried that after the meeting this morning with the hypnotherapist the severity of their opposing situations would sink in for her. He wondered if she could sustain a relationship with a man who exposed her father as a fraud. Worse yet, if there were no living witnesses, would Sparrow’s repressed memory serve as testimony enough to convict her father?

Sparrow pulled open the door to what looked more like a beach bungalow and less like the brick and mortar building she’d expected to arrive at for her appointment with Violet Crosby, hypnotherapist, as indicated on her shingle. She was greeted with sounds from the sea, rolling ocean waves intermittently interrupted by a flock of seagulls cooing in the breeze.

A large rock wall covered in dark green moss to the left of the door featured inlets of gently running water. The magnificent wall was like a giant trickling fountain. Once the door closed behind Derrick, Sparrow noticed the ocean sounds ceased, replaced by the soothing sounds of the cascading waterfalls spilling down the impressive rock wall. Something about the rushing water over the shiny, slippery-looking rocks made it difficult to resist touching.

Her eyes scanned the water wall from top to bottom then took in the rest of the space, including the lily pad crafted chairs growing from the floor. They reminded Sparrow of those self-propelled metal animals, bobbing on thick spiral coils, that she had climbed up on in the park when she was a kid to rock back and forth. Surely these were for children, but they looked big enough for adults.

She turned from the lily pads to examine the rest of the waiting room. A swing hung from the ceiling to the floor. The beautiful chair would accommodate an adult, but Sparrow guessed it had been built for a child, perhaps to put his mind at ease before seeing the hypnotherapist.

She craned her head around and took in the rest. She surmised Violet Crosby didn’t pack her waiting room with clients, since there were only four large reclining chairs filling the space. She sank down into a buttery leather chair and stared at the lavender wall in front of her painted with bright yellow daffodils and dark green leaves.

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped open when the chair began to massage her back. A series of slowly rolling balls squeezed along her spinal column. She relaxed into the chair, resting her head against the thick pillow kneading her neck. This was fabulous. Lavender permeated the air. A nice touch to the already tranquil atmosphere made possible by the colors and sounds.

She glanced over at Derrick, who was fixated on the giant fountain wall. His hands tested out the lily pad chairs, rocking them back and forth. She wondered if he’d actually sit in one.

The end table next to her had a basket filled with colorful stress balls. A small sign in front said, “Take One.” She reached in for a bright neon-pink one and squeezed the gelatinous mass. Normally, she wouldn’t go for this sort of thing, preferring yoga and meditation to ease her, but the squishing sensation of the gooey ball quickly became addictive. She watched the bubbled rubber ooze between her fingers. Enthralled with the stress ball, she hadn’t noticed Derrick looking over at her.

“I think you’ve found a new toy.”

She dropped the stress ball into her lap and reached into the clear glass bowl filled with hard candy on the coffee table in front of her.

“You should talk. I saw the way you were eyeing those giant lily pads.”

Lemon drops, strawberry-filled centers, root beer barrels—she wanted one of each, but she carefully selected butterscotch. She twisted off the golden wrapper and popped the candy into her mouth.

“Mmm. You should try one of these.” She flipped the round candy disc around the inside her mouth, caressing it with her tongue. “Delicious.”

Yet another one of Violet Crosby’s ploys to calm her nerves, but she had to admit it was working. Sparrow recognized the aesthetic techniques used to employ the five senses and lure a person to serenity. She wasn’t complaining. Derrick took a seat in the massage chair next to her and reached over to hold her hand.

“Couples massage?”

“Oh, yeah.”

She eased back into the massage chair, hoping it’d be a few more minutes until Violet called her in. It hadn’t dawned on her until now, but the waiting room lacked a receptionist. And why hadn’t Violet or someone come out to greet them? She ran her shoulder blades around the gliding balls and decided she didn’t care to ponder the questions. She closed her eyes and sighed around the buttery piece of candy slowing dissolving in her mouth. She was so relaxed. She didn’t have the urge to chomp down on the sugary disc.

The unharmonious sound of bells startled her from peace, and there standing halfway in the room was Violet Crosby. Sparrow recognized her from the photo on her website that illustrated a woman with wildly flowing dark brown locks streaked with strands of natural gray, striking grayish-purple eyes—hence the name Violet, she assumed—and gypsy clothes. Today she had on a long hunter-green broom skirt and white poet blouse with dozens of necklaces strung around her neck. Sparrow’s jolted nerves eased when she realized the chiming noise emitted from Violet and the metallic bobbles dancing against her blouse. She loosened her grip on Derrick’s hand.

“I’m sorry if I’ve startled you. I’m Violet. You must be Sparrow.” She opened her arms in a welcoming manner. She had a calm demeanor and thoughtful, observant eyes. “No, no. Don’t get up—sit back and relax. I seem to have disturbed you. Take a few minutes to center yourself again.”

“Oh, all right. You have a terrific waiting room.” Sparrow liked that Violet asked her to center herself. She often told her yoga students to do the same thing. “This is my…”

Derrick stood up and extended his hand to Violet. “I’m her boyfriend. Dr. Derrick Sloan. I hope it’s all right that I’ve come with her.”

“As long as Sparrow wants you here, you are welcome.” She cupped her hands around his.

“I asked him to come. My visions concern him.”

Violet released Derrick’s hand and gestured for him to have a seat. “I see. Do you want him to sit in on our session, then?”

“Yes.”

Violet directed her attention to Derrick. “Dr. Sloan.”

“Please call me Derrick.”

“Derrick, are you also her medical doctor?”

“I recently gave her a physical exam.”

Sparrow twisted in the chair. “I don’t remember any of this, but Derrick found me standing at the shore staring out at the ocean. I told him I’d seen a dead girl. That’s when he insisted on a physical. He took my blood pressure, checked my ears and throat, heart rate. Well, he can tell you.”

“She’s pretty much covered it. I also examined her for any bruises because I was afraid she might have been attacked and was suffering from shock.”

Violet smiled between them. “He cares a great deal for you.” She directed her comment to Sparrow, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Since then I’ve had more visions of this girl. Derrick thinks I’ve got a repressed memory and suggested I see a hypnotherapist. Some other stuff has happened and, well, that’s when I decided to contact you.”

“And how does this relate to Derrick?”

Sparrow dropped her head to her chest and took a few cleansing breaths. Derrick’s hand covered hers, offering her strength. “There’s a possibility the girl in my vision is his sister Katie, who ran away from home over ten years ago.”

“I see.” Violet sat down in the swing chair, planting her low-heeled-boot-covered feet firmly against the floor. She clasped her ring-clad fingers together. “You have no recollection of ever having known his sister?”

Sparrow shook her head. “We believe it could be her because in my vision she held up a charm bracelet—that’s why when I heard you come in, the sound of your jewelry scared me half to death. I thought I’d open my eyes and have another vision. Anyway, I found a charm bracelet in my jewelry box, and after showing it to Derrick he said it belonged to his sister.”

“I see. Sparrow, are you on any medications?”

“No.”

“And according to Dr. Sloan you’re in good health, so if you’re ready, we’ll continue our session.” She reached up and turned one of the rocks on the wall. A faint click announced she’d locked the front door. “Have you ever tried hypnosis before?”

“No. I practice yoga and intense meditation, though, so I think I’ll go willingly.” A nervous laugh rose up from her.

“Interesting. I assume those practices help relax you. From what you’ve told me, you could be suffering from a traumatic past event that you’ve hidden in your memory. In a relaxed state it’s possible the event is trying to reveal itself. When you had the vision, what were you doing?”

Sparrow swallowed around the buttery residue forming in the back of her throat. “Yoga and a simple Om. I was lying in corpse pose flat on my back.” She closed her eyes and turned her palms up then pinched her index fingers to her thumbs and repeated the mantra for Violet. “Aoom-Mani-Padmay-Hoom, Aoom-Mani-Padmay-Hoom, Aoom-Mani-Padmay-Hoom.” She paused. “It’s a simple mantra.”

“Since you’re familiar with relaxation techniques, I’m going to help you get into a relaxed state through hypnosis, and when I do I’m going to take you back to the night you were on the beach.”

Derrick leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here.”

“Sparrow, I want you to close your eyes and visualize yourself lying flat on your back. You’re surrounded by blue. Imagine the ocean waves helping you drift off. Are you at the beach?” The tone of Violet’s voice turned soft, almost musical.

“Yes.”

“Is Katie with you?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know it’s Katie?”

“Because she’s wearing my charm bracelet, and I’m wearing hers. See?” Sparrow lifted her arm and unconsciously shook her empty wrist.

“What are you doing at the beach?”

“We’re running away from him.”

“Is someone chasing you?”

“No. No. No. No. Come on, Katie, we have to go back. She’s writing our names in the sand, Spare and Kat. We have to go. I don’t want to run away. I’m scared. She won’t leave. She keeps telling me she can’t go back. Oh, no, he’s here. He must’ve followed us.”

“Who? Sparrow, who is with you on the beach?”

Sparrow shook her head. “Daddy, we’ll be good. I told her we had to go back. ‘Go to the car. I’ll deal with her.’” Sparrow’s voice broke into a deep, menacing tone. “But Daddy… ‘Go!’” Her voice fluctuated between the baritone used to imitate her father and her own childish tone.

Several shocked gasps escaped from her gaping mouth. “Daddy,” she whispered. “Don’t hurt my sister. He’s watching her drown. He won’t save her. Daddy, you know what you must do.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Sparrow, are you in the car?”

She shook her head.

“Where are you?”

“I’m hiding behind a big tree, watching,” she whispered. “He’s yelling at her, if she leaves with us, he’ll kill her. I know he will. He keeps telling her to go into the water. I can’t quiet my head, Ommmmm, Ommmmm, mmmmmm. It’s worse if she comes home with me. You know what you must do, Ommmm, mmmm, mm, you know what you must do.” More tears ran down Sparrow’s face. “He’ll hurt her worse than the water. I don’t want her to drown, but I’m more afraid of what he’ll do to her.”

“What is your father doing?”

“He’s following her into the water. She keeps walking backward, going deeper and deeper. The water is up to her shoulders. I can’t see her face anymore. She should stay under the water. She’s good at holding her breath. Maybe she can come out when we’re gone. He won’t help her. I can’t help her. He’ll hurt me too. I have to be quiet and small. I have to find the darkness.”

“Sparrow, where is Katie?”

Sparrow twisted at the ring on her middle finger, turning it over and over. “In the ocean. I have to get to the car before he…” She loudly gasped. “Too late; he sees me. I want to go into the darkness, Daddy, take me to the darkness. I promise I’ll forget like you taught me.”

“Sparrow where are you now?”

“In the dark, shhh, shhh, shhh, if I listen to him and go in the dark space I won’t remember the bad day on the beach.”

“Where is the dark?”

“Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh, you can’t talk in the dark.”

“Sparrow, it’s time to come out of the dark. I’m Violet Crosby. You’re sitting in my house with Dr. Derrick Sloan. I need you to open your eyes and be present with us.” Violet snapped her fingers. Sparrow looked from Violet to Derrick with wide eyes. “Do you know where you are and who I am?”

Sparrow wiped at her moist cheeks with the backs of her hands. She nodded. Violet got up and pulled a tissue from the box on the end table near Sparrow. She handed it to her and asked, “Do you remember what happened that day?”

Sparrow took a deep breath and then replied, “Yes.”

Derrick reached for her trembling hands. She let the tissue fall in her lap and squeezed his hands, dropping her head to her chest. “I’m sorry he hurt her.” He pulled a hand free and stroked back her hair, then lifted her narrow chin up so he could look her in the eyes.

“It’s not your fault.”

Her heart broke at his kindness and reassuring touch. She noticed how Violet tiptoed away from them, resuming her seat in the giant swing, patiently giving them a moment together. It pained Sparrow to know her father had murdered Derrick’s sister. How could he ever forgive her?

“You are not to blame. Don’t even think you are responsible for his heinous actions.”

All she could do was let his words slowly sink in. She rested her head against his broad chest and cried. His lips pressed to the top of her forehead, and he caressed her hair with a gentle hand. It took several minutes for her to regain her composure and straighten back into her own chair. Violet handed her a much-needed glass of water to soothe her throat thick with anguish. She wrapped her hands around the cool glass.