The Piper

by Lynn Hightower

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. Hea
d 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.’

  THIRTY-SIX

  Neither Olivia nor Teddy had much to say as Olivia backed the Jeep out of the Chambliss Place parking lot and onto the street. Even Winston was subdued. It was a mere three minute drive to the house, and Teddy sat quietly in the front seat, twisting her hands. Olivia had never seen her do that before.

  They pulled into the driveway, just as dusk was settling to dark.

  Olivia hesitated. She did not like leaving Teddy out here. Maybe it would be best to get Teddy settled into a hotel room and come back later, alone.

  ‘Teddy—’

  ‘Just hurry, Mommy, okay?’

  Stick to the plan. She had agreed. ‘Stay right here in the car with Winston, keep the doors locked, and don’t open them until I come back.’

  Teddy nodded and the look on her face broke Olivia’s heart. She looked so much like the old Teddy, the little girl she’d been before the divorce.

  ‘I’ll be fast,’ Olivia said.

  Olivia went through the front door instead of the back, so Teddy could see her. She thought, as she often did, how odd the front door was, the awkward way it was hung, so that it hit the wall on the left and would not open all the way. She turned on the lights in each room she went through, leaving the shutters open so Teddy could see her from outside. And so she could see Teddy. She waved and thought she saw Teddy raise a hand.

  The house had that same feel of presence, like it had since Amelia died.

  Down to business.

  Olivia dragged two suitcases out of the closet in the hall, bouncing them up the stairs to the bedrooms. She flipped the light switches as she went, hating the way the lights came on, those damned economy lights, just a glow at first, barely lightin
g the room, as they warmed up and grew brighter in tiny increments. The house felt different upstairs. Heavy with something she could not see. Almost like a fog. She was actually relieved to be going to a hotel.

  She’d start in Teddy’s room. The door was shut tight but the light was already on, she could see the line of brightness under the door. She hesitated, shook her head, and went inside.

  Teddy had made her bed very neatly, her stuffed animals arranged around the pillows. A contrast to the carnage – every dresser drawer hanging open, underwear, tee shirts, jeans and socks in a snarl all over the floor, as if someone had ripped the drawers open in a fury and dumped them.

  ‘Good God,’ Olivia said.

  Olivia knew that if she asked Teddy about this, she would blame it on Duncan Lee. She wouldn’t mention it. She’d tell Dr Raymond, day after tomorrow, when she took Teddy back.

  But there was anger here. Such anger. Olivia choked out a small sob and picked up jeans and tee shirts off the floor, stuffing them into the bag. There was something very wrong with her little girl.

  Her own things she left on hangers, draping them over Teddy’s suitcase. She looked up once at the attic fan. It took up a four by four section of the ceiling, the dusty monolithic motor looming behind the rusting brown grill. There was a switch on the wall, and she felt the unexpected urge to turn it on. She didn’t. She headed for the bathroom, packing up makeup and Teddy’s favorite bubble bath. Amelia’s things were still on the counter tops. Olivia tried not to look at them.

  She was in a hurry, her packing was sloppy. The suitcases were heavy and awkward, and Olivia wrestled them down the stairs, the hangers with her expensive black sheaths, skirts and blazers slung over one arm. Dammit, she needed shoes. Back upstairs, fast, just that other pair, then running right back down on the slippery, polished wood, holding tight to the rail.

  Olivia looked out the sunroom window at Teddy. Still there. Still okay. Winston sitting up front in the driver’s seat.

  There were clothes in the dryer, most of her lingerie that she washed on the delicate cycle in a little net bag. She wouldn’t go far without clean bras and panties. Grab those and call it a day.