Hidden

by Derick Parsons

  Kate pursed her lips, ‘You’ve got me interested in this girl, Trev, but I’m not a psychiatrist. If she’s as disturbed as you say I’m not sure I can help.’

  He held up his hand to stop her, ‘I know she’s an extreme case but like I said, we think the problem is trauma related. And you’re the best trauma counselor I know. I think you can reach this girl. If you fail I’ll go back to the drawing board but I’d like you to at least give it a try. What have you got to lose? I know you’re not short of money but the fees will be generous, to say the least, and you have to admit she’s an interesting case study. And we’re only talking about one or two sessions a week, after all.’

  Kate knew that disingenuous tone of old and the ghost of a smile touched her lips as she said teasingly, ‘Unless I want to do more, is that it?’

  Caught out, he grinned disarmingly and said, ‘Well, three or four sessions a week probably would be more beneficial to her, if you can spare the time.’ He laughed outright and confessed, ‘I know you, you see. If she captures your interest you’ll work night and day until you find out what caused her breakdown. And then you’ll work twice as hard until you help her face the problem, and get over it.’

  ‘Flattery will get you everywhere,’ she replied with a smile, in truth not immune to his high opinion of her abilities, ‘but the connection has to come from both sides. Obviously I’ll need to meet her first, to see if we can form the necessary bond. And I’ll need a vast amount of background on her.’

  ‘You’ll get it,’ he said instantly, ‘I’ve got a file on her as long as your arm. And although she was an only child she has an aunt who’s ready to tell you everything you want to know about her past. And more.’

  She noticed the distaste on his face but remained silent and at length he continued, ‘I told you Grainne was a wild child. Well, from the age of about fourteen or so all she was interested in was sex and drugs, booze and wild parties. She was arrested more than once but Riordan covered up the various scandals, including her being arrested for soliciting. That turned out to be a mistake, by the way; she wasn’t trying to sell herself, just offering sex to a stranger on the street. She was arrested for possession of heroin too, along with her then boyfriend, a junkie who doubled as her pusher. I believe he was also working on trying to become her pimp too and hit her, which is why she caused a scene in the street and got them both arrested. She only got a suspended sentence, thanks to you-know-who. And her age, of course; she was only sixteen at the time. Her boyfriend got off pretty lightly too, thanks to Michael Riordan getting him a high-powered lawyer for his trial. Rumor has it he later paid the boyfriend to clear off while Grainne was being treated for her addiction but I don’t know if that’s true or not.’

  ‘Rumor?’

  He smiled, ‘Everything the Riordans do ends up in the nastier type of tabloid, and probably quite a lot that they actually don’t do. You know what the gutter press are like.’

  Kate shook her head in disbelief, ‘And you say she’s only eighteen now?’

  He nodded, ‘And she’s been here a year. A typical case of a girl showered with money but starved of time and affection. It seems that before her breakdown her father more or less totally ignored her, and had little part in her upbringing. Between first building up his business and now saving the country I guess he’s never had much time for his family.’

  ‘Is that why you don’t like him?’ suggested Kate, noting the anger in his voice.

  Trevor shrugged his narrow shoulders, ‘I suppose. You know how I feel about the duties of parenthood, and I get the idea he wasn’t around much in her childhood. Though I must say since her breakdown he’s been pretty devoted. In fact, he’s like a fly buzzing about my head, constantly asking for progress reports.’

  Kate thought for a moment, chewing her lower lip before asking, ‘Did you ever try and talk to her about her mother’s death?’

  Trev nodded, ‘All I got was a stream of gibberish and fantasy, which I could make no sense of. I won’t prejudice you by talking too much about it, though. It’s better if you meet her without preconceived ideas, in case you spot something I missed.’

  Kate frowned, ‘You’re assuming I’m going to take her case.’

  His mouth dropped and he said in amazement, ‘Aren’t you?’

  Kate’s full lips curved in a tiny smile and she looked at him from under her long lashes, ‘I think so, though if I’m honest the idea scares me to death. But I don’t like to be taken for granted.’

  He gave an equally faint smile in return, ‘Is that why you dumped me all those years ago? My assumption that we wanted the same things, and were going the same direction? Did I take you for granted?’

  Kate’s smile grew warm with old affection as she replied, ‘Knowing the casual way you treat women, I’d say yes, probably.’

  This was not true but they were both willing to let it go, knowing as they did that the reason Kate had left him was that he had getting too close to her, had been getting to know and understand her too well. That had been quite enough to make her flee from him in something akin to panic, into the arms of another man she cared nothing for.

  ‘Thanks, Kitty,’ he said seriously, ‘If anyone can help this girl, it’s you.’

  Kate shook her head doubtfully, feeling sick with dread that she might not be able to help, and excited at the challenge ahead, all at the same time. ‘Perhaps. I can try, at any rate. But it won’t be quick or easy. She clearly had problems long before her total breakdown and we may never get to the root of them. If there is a single root cause. We may never even discover what triggered her “episode”, as you call it. Unless it was simply the drugs she had taken. You said it yourself; her behaviour prior to her breakdown sounds like a classic case of a rich, privileged child running off the rails because of lack of parental attention.’

  Trevor nodded, ‘And the promiscuity would fit in with attention-seeking because of her father’s neglect. But it isn’t wise to speculate too soon.’

  ‘No, it isn’t. Especially with her current aversion to men. Is there any suggestion she was molested as a child?’

  Trev waved a hand in the air in frustration, ‘With her behaviour patterns that was the first thing we looked at, obviously, but so far we haven’t found anything to suggest it. Not up to the age of ten anyway, which is as far as Sarah got with her memories. She doesn’t have much time for her father but she’s better with him than any other man. Not that that’s saying much.’

  ‘Well, it’s something else I’ll look at,’ said Kate, ‘But even if we never get to the bottom of her personality problems we might at least find out the cause of her actual breakdown. I have to say I’m dying to meet her but I’d better study her file first. I’ll take it home with me tonight, if that’s okay. What medication is she on?’

  ‘Well, she was on twenty milligrams of Diazepam a day but after today’s incident I think we’ll up it to thirty.’ He smiled a little too widely, ‘Good old-fashioned Valium. She’s isolated from the male patients, of course, and attended solely by women, so that should be sufficient for the moment.’

  Kate looked at him almost admiringly, ‘It’s also a small enough dosage to allow me to begin therapy sessions immediately. That’s the real reason you cut her medication again, isn’t it? You were that confident I’d say yes, you arrogant brute!’

  ‘No, no, her aunt really did complain,’ he protested instantly. Then he grinned disarmingly, ‘But I have to admit I was killing two birds with one stone. But I was hopeful you’d say yes, not confident. You don’t let your friends down, Kate. Besides, how could you resist my good looks and charming personality?’

  She laughed, ‘More easily than you want to know, trust me! But I’ve missed it. The job, I mean, not your less than devastating charm. I think it’s time I came back.’

  He nodded in understanding and had the grace to look sheepish as he replied, ‘I was counting on that too. I know what being a therapist meant to you, and I figured it was onl
y a matter of time before you came back to it.’

  ‘You are good,’ said Kate resignedly, ‘And if you’re a creep at least you’re an honest one. But I’ll let myself be manipulated this time, since it suits me too. But there is a condition.’ She looked him in the eyes and said firmly, ‘You don’t interfere in any way.’

  He held up his hands in a backing off gesture and said, ‘You’ll have a totally free hand with her, provided you give me regular reports.’

  Kate grinned, sudden happiness flooding her as she felt the thrill of being back in harness again after being so long away. God, she had missed this! Why she had missed it so much was another matter, and one she didn’t intend to pursue too deeply; those were dangerous waters, and for a therapist she was surprisingly loath to analyze herself. She laughed suddenly, ‘We’re a screwed up bunch, aren’t we?’

  ‘Worse than most of our patients,’ he agreed, amused, ‘Whom we use to work out our own problems. Or do you want to try telling me, with a straight face, that your own personal life is healthy? Or ever has been?’

  Kate made a wry moue and agreed, ‘Never. But then, I first became interested in psychology because of my own problems. And if my own life is a disaster at least it’s only hurting me, and maybe I can use the mess to help others.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it,’ he said, suddenly turning gentle in one of those lightning changes of mood she had never been able to accustom herself to, ‘Do I take it that means you aren’t currently, er, involved?’

  It was her turn to wince, ‘Don’t ask. That’s a painful subject at the moment.’

  ‘I understand. Peter’s an old friend of mine too, remember, and I know some of the details of your break-up. Which I won’t go into now for fear of your running out on me. But it’s been what, four or five months since you split up? I just thought you might have met someone new by now.’ You always did lurch from one disfunctional relationship to another. ‘But if you haven’t, are you free to have dinner with me tonight? Strictly in friendship, and perhaps to discuss the case?’

  ‘Not tonight.’ She pointed to the file on his desk, ‘That’s my date this evening. We can catch up on the old days some other time.’

  He handed her the file slowly and with a certain care, imbuing the simple action with an almost ritualistic air, as if he were formally passing over a sacred trust. As perhaps he was.

  Kate took it with equal solemnity and stood up, ‘I wish you hadn’t sedated her earlier; I’d love to see her now, even for just a few minutes. But I guess tomorrow will do. I’ll pop in about two o’clock. It’ll be a while before I’m ready to begin a regular schedule of therapy sessions but I want to have a few informal chats with her over the next week or two, to get her used to talking to me, before I try to win her trust. Nothing formal, and certainly not therapy; I’ll just pop in for a chat whenever I have time.’

  ‘You can set your own hours,’ Trevor agreed, getting to his feet, ‘And I agree that you need to feel your way in, to get to know her before starting your course of therapy. But obviously once you draw up a regular schedule I’ll expect you to stick to it rigorously; I don’t have to tell you how important routine can be to the mentally ill. But do you have to leave already? What about the guided tour of my little kingdom?’

  He seemed serious but Kate only flashed him a brilliant smile and said gaily, ‘Your ego trip will have to wait. I can’t wait to get started, and that file is calling out to me. Besides, I’ve already taken up a lot of your time.’

  He nodded and handed her his card, ‘All my numbers are on that, and my email. I’ll have Cathy give you an Employee Information form to fill out, but can I have your mobile number now?’

  Kate fished her own card out of her purse and gave it to him, hiding a wry smile; perhaps at last she’d get some use out of the blasted thing. One of the first things she had done on returning from England was buy an Irish Smartphone, but in fact she needn’t have bothered; the only people who ever rang her were her family, and they rang her landline, as it was so much cheaper. It spoke volumes about her present life that she was delighted by the idea that someone might actually ring her on her new mobile, though she would have died rather than confide this to Trevor.

  He placed the card on the desk before extending his hand and saying softly, ‘Welcome home, Kate.’

  She knew exactly what he meant but after shaking hands she pirouetted away, saying archly, ‘I told you; I came home months ago! No, you needn’t come with me, I’ll see myself out.’

  She walked out of his office into the huge gothic foyer, her mind already teeming with questions, and with a vast curiosity as well. If nothing else meeting Grainne Riordan would be an interesting experience. And, as ever, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind, But will you be able to help her? This voice was an old enemy, rooted in her own lack of self-belief, and she quietly told it to take a hike. But the very fact that it had returned infused her with a certain familiar warmth, as it confirmed that she was truly back doing the job that alone in her often pain-filled life made her feel whole and fulfilled. The job that alone can make you forget your own past, your own problems, the voice whispered. And this time she had no ready reply with which to banish it.

  Kate was walking down the steps toward her car, her head bent in thought, when a voice behind her caused her to turn around.

  ‘Ms Bennett, wait a minute!’ It was Riordan, emerging from a black Government limousine which contained not just a chauffeur but a Special Branch bodyguard to boot.

  She blinked at him in surprise and said stupidly, ‘I thought you were long gone.’

  Michael trotted up the steps to join her. Ignoring the stinging rain that had started to fall he stood disturbingly close to her, allowing her to scent the sharp fragrance of his cologne, and said simply, ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’

  He paused as if expecting a reply but none occurred to her and, feeling more foolish than ever, she simply stood and looked at him in silence. And in spite of the awkwardness of the position she was once again aware of his sheer presence, as well as his good looks.

  ‘Will you have dinner with me tonight?’ he asked abruptly, his pale, penetrating eyes fixed intently on hers.

  Caught totally off-guard, Kate gaped at him, her mind a complete blank. Then she took a grip of herself and smiled politely, ‘I’d like to but I’m afraid I’m far too busy.’

  He grinned suddenly, his face becoming almost boyish in its animation, ‘If you’d like to, then do it. That’s always been my motto, and it’s brought me considerable success in life.’

  A murdered wife and a mentally ill daughter wouldn’t be most people’s idea of even minor success, thought Kate tartly. But she was too polite to make these remarks aloud.

  As if he had read her thoughts he twisted his grin into a wry smile and added, ‘In my business life, that is. My personal life isn’t quite so successful. All right then, it’s a mess. Though I suppose I’m not alone in that.’

  ‘Tell me about it!’ Kate agreed involuntarily, and his grin returned as he said, ‘Over dinner you can tell me your horror story and I’ll tell you mine. Though I imagine you already know most of it. Please say yes. I intend to pull out all the stops to persuade you to take my daughter’s case.’

  ‘There’s no need, I’ve already agreed to help with Grainne’s treatment.’ If I can.

  ‘I’m so glad,’ he said quietly, ‘But come to dinner with me anyway. I want to get to know you better. Besides, I can help you with her background. No one knows Grainne like I do.’

  That made sense and in spite of herself Kate nodded, ‘Okay. I intended to interview you anyway, to get some background details on Grainne’s early life, and I suppose the sooner the better.’

  ‘Great!’ he said briskly, ‘Shall we say eight o’clock in Guibaud’s?’

  ‘Guibaud’s?’ she repeated, impressed in spite of herself, ‘That really is pulling out all the stops. But I guess you can afford it.’

  Was it her im
agination or was his smile tinged with sadness? He said quietly, ‘Money, unfortunately, can’t buy everything. A lesson I learned a little too late, though I’m trying to make up for it now. Shall I pick you up or meet you there?’

  ‘Meet me there,’ she said instantly, ‘I like to drive myself everywhere.’ Driving herself home, she did not add, also cut down on front-door wrestling matches, though she doubted he had anything like that in mind.

  ‘You’ll get no argument from me on that,’ he said humorously, ‘I hate driving.’ He gestured toward the Mercedes, ‘One of the few benefits of being in politics as far as I’m concerned is the car and chauffeur Ministers are provided with. Though the bodyguard is a bit of an embarrassment. Mind you, he’s easy to give the slip to, should the occasion arise.’ He held out his hand, ‘Until tonight then.’

  She shook his hand and, once again aware of a tingling shock spreading from his touch, said brusquely, ‘Very well!’ before turning sharply away, afraid he might see the effect he was having on her. She walked quickly to her car and slid behind the wheel, all too conscious that he was standing in the rain looking after her.

  What are you doing, woman? she moaned, You turned down one of your oldest friends yet accepted his invitation almost immediately! What are you DOING?

  ‘Shut up!’ she told herself aloud, refusing to think about it as she slid the car into gear and retraced her route down the driveway to the great iron gates. But her mind was only partly on her driving; the rest of her was far away, wondering why a rich, beautiful young girl with the world at her feet would first ruin and then try to end her own life. What could have caused her to break down so completely? Most important of all, what could possibly have caused her to murder her own mother?