The Good Listener (18 page)

“No, you don’t.”

“You’re a selfish man.”

“And so is your husband.”

Ouch.

“Now that was out of line don’t you think?”

“Why because it’s the truth?”

The truth definitely hurts.

“Let’s just change the subject okay?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Despite all of the bad and the wrongful things that have happened to you, has there ever been a time that you were happy? In the midst of all of the Hell in your life, can you remember at least one happy moment?”

Blake sat for a while.

“Other than my one and only vacation, there was one other time. I was about fifteen. I had a foster sister, Christine, who wasn’t as mean to me like everyone else. She didn’t pick on me or make me feel different. She would sneak into my room when everyone was asleep and talk to me. I remember one night she came into my room. It was late, and she woke me up. She sat on the edge of the bed and talked to me. She told me stories and jokes. I laughed so hard. I had never laughed like that before. It felt good. It felt good that someone actually saw me. She just talked and talked, and she made me laugh until my stomach hurt. To this day, I remember every word that she said. Every single word.”

He smiled as he reminisced.

And then abruptly, the smile went away.

“She told me that she didn’t fit in with the rest of her siblings and that I was the only one that understood her. She said that I was more of a brother to her than her real brothers and sisters were.”

He stopped and looked down at his vibrating phone.

“And that was a happy moment for you? That someone made you laugh and that she actually liked you. What happened after that?”

He looked at me with sad eyes.

“I killed her.”

I should have known.

He explained how and why he killed her.

He even told me how he got rid of the body and how stupid his foster father at the time, the chief of police, had been.

He had searched vigorously for his “runaway daughter” when she had been buried in his backyard the whole time.

“So, how do I stop being scared of letting others near?”

I wanted to tell him that I didn’t know because honestly, I didn’t.

But that wouldn’t have been very professional of me.

“You have to be committed to change Blake. Saying one thing is completely different from doing it. And it’s going to take time, practice and patience.”

“What if I can’t do it? What if I never change?”

“We are going to figure it out together,” was the best answer that I could come up with.

But it wasn’t good enough.

~***~

“I’m going to my brother’s for a while,” Joel proclaimed.

Good.

I didn’t even bother to ask him which one.

I simply nodded.

“You’re not going to say anything?”

“What do you want me to say, Joel?”

“You know what? You’re so busy counseling everyone else maybe it’s time to check into someone who can counsel us.”

“I don’t need counseling. I’m fine. You are the one who stepped out on our marriage. Not me.”

“But you played your part, Hannah.”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Do you really believe that?”

I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to let him blame me for his mistake.

He had to take responsibility.

“It doesn’t matter who is at fault Joel. What matters is that you slept with someone else. I didn’t. Tell your brother that I said hi.”

And with that, I started to read a few papers and soon after Joel walked out the door.

Time apart was just what we needed.

It was what he needed to understand that he could never do anything like that again.

I had another session with Blake tomorrow, and I planned on staying at work late, so with Joel gone, I could stay as late as I wanted to without having to come home and argue about it.

I planned to ask Blake about Summer during our next session.

I wanted to know about their relationship, the phone calls, and his office visit.

He was hiding their relationship for a reason.

I wondered if he’d hinted at my husband’s infidelity on purpose or because he knew that it had been with Summer.

Maybe he was jealous.

Blake was known to have stalking tendencies, so he had probably been following her.

Could she be the woman that he wanted to kill?

But why?

Between Blake, Summer and Joel, I was starting to feel like there was something bigger was going on around me, and I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like it one bit.

I studied the notes on Blake for so long that night that I dreamed about him murdering the mysterious woman again.

I couldn’t see her face.

I never could.

I could only see his.

He was choking her, just the way that he said that he would.

I woke up the next morning in a cold sweat.

But I also woke up more determined than ever.

I wanted to try a few things so I jumped out of bed and headed to my closet.

Since I had a feeling that he had a thing for Summer, I had an idea.

I was going to dress and look like Summer for the day.

I was going to wear my hair the way that she wore hers, and I was even going to wear the same bright red lipstick that she wore.

I wanted to see if I noticed any discomfort from Blake just from the way that I looked.

There was a reason behind everything that he said and did, and there was a reason why he hadn't mentioned anything between he and Summer.

As I drove, I made up in my mind that I was going to refer all of my patients to my colleagues.

I wasn’t sure if it was temporary or permanently, but I didn’t have enough focus to go around at the moment.

I was going to tell them that I needed a personal leave, and hopefully, my colleagues could help them on their journeys to recovery.

Blake needed all of my attention.

I was still only going to see him three days a week so that we both had a break in between sessions to regroup.

At the moment, nothing else mattered.

Not my husband.

Not my marriage.

Not my reputation or my other patients.

Just him.

I had to save him.

I had to do this for me.

Heading to work, I worked with my new assistant to start calling my other patients to give them the news.

I told my patients that were already scheduled for that day face to face.

They weren’t happy about it and one even felt as though the whole process had been a waste of her time.

I felt bad, I did, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

I just didn’t have the time or head space for the type of workload that I could normally handle.

Now that they were gone, I waited for Blake to arrive.

I watched him as he eyed me up and down.

I sat in front of him and waited for him to finish his observation.

He didn’t seem uncomfortable.

He seemed confused and maybe even a little displeased.

“I guess you are going through some kind of midlife crisis huh?”

I giggled at his insult.

I actually didn’t think that I looked that bad.

It was definitely out of the normal for me, but I thought that I pulled it off well.

“No. Does the way I look bother you?”

“No. But it should bother you,” he laughed.

Hmm…

“So, how are you feeling today?”

“The same way I feel every day. I quit my job today.”

“What?”

“Tell your husband to go apply. He could definitely do the job.”

“He has a new job already.”

“Yeah, but he wanted mine.”

“What makes you say that?”

“What makes you not? Why do you think that he quit?”

I just looked at him.

“You guys aren’t doing well are you?”

“This session isn’t about me.”

“It’s just a question.”

“No. We aren’t.”

“I know. I watched him leave yesterday with some of his things.”

He did what?

“What do you mean you watched him leave?”

“Just what I said.”

“So you were at my house?”

“Yes. Well, technically across the street.”

A feeling of fright seemed to almost suffocate me as I cleared my throat.

“What reason do you have to be watching my house Blake?”

“I told you a long time ago that I watch and learn. I guess you weren’t listening. I watch it sometimes. Just so happen yesterday that’s what I saw.”

“You didn’t answer my question. I asked why?”

“You know everything about me. Sometimes when I’m feeling certain urges, I’ll ride to your house, sit and replay our sessions in my head. I’ll sit for hours and then I’ll head back to the hotel. It helps.”

Well, I didn’t like it.

I didn’t want to be watched, stalked, or anything by him.

But maybe I shouldn’t be complaining if watching my house and thinking about therapy kept him from killing his next victim, but it was just too much.

Stalking was still stalking no matter what the reasons were.

Period.

“Call my cell. Don’t watch my house Blake,” I said to him and he shrugged.

“What is the relationship between you and Summer?”

“What?”

“What is the relationship between you and Summer?” I repeated.

“What makes you think there is a relationship?”

“Surveillance showed you and her talking for a while here together and then leaving together. Also, I saw her call your phone. So, are you dating?”

“No.”

“Is she the one you want to kill?”

He was quiet.

Oh my goodness, was I right?

“No,” he said finally.

I was on to something.

I could feel it.

“So, what do you guys talk about if it isn’t romantic? How do you know her?”

“We met a long time ago, way before I came to see you. I didn’t know that she worked here until seeing her that day I came to ask for your help. We chatted a little while, and exchanged numbers.”

“Had sex?”

“No. That was between her and your husband.”

He hit a soft spot, but I kept going.

“And you were jealous?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“Then nothing. She can’t be trusted.  She was sleeping with a married man so as far as I’m concerned, she’s just a waste of human flesh. She’s just like every other woman with no morals these days.”

“So you did know about them having sex?”

“Everyone knew but you.”

“What do you mean? Who is everyone? Are you saying that China knew too?”

He shrugged.

“He told China everything.”

I didn’t believe it.

I wouldn’t believe it.

I wouldn’t believe that China knew about what had happened with Joel and Summer.

She would have told me.

She was a real friend.

No matter what she would have told me.

We told each other everything.

“Did China tell you something about them?”

“No.”

“Then why did you make the comment?”

Blake didn’t say anything.

“Was it more than once?”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask one of them.”

“But I’m asking you.”

“This is my session remember? It’s about my life. Not yours.”

“Fine. So what is it? You want to punish her for being a homewrecker? That’s why you want to kill her? Because she’s a piece of wasted human flesh? In your words. You met her. You talked to her. You found out that she was sleeping with my husband. Started coming to therapy sessions to keep an eye on her. And maybe to really keep from killing her. Because I believe that you really do want my help. And now she’s gone. She still wants to see if there can be something between you two, so she’s still calling. Not knowing that you know the truth. Not knowing that you really want to hurt her.”

“You think you have it all figured out don’t you?”

“I’m just thinking out loud.”

“So, let’s say that you were right. Say Summer is my next victim. Say she is the person who I want to kill. Save her. Help me. Help convince me not to kill the
woman
that has been sleeping with your husband.”