The Door at the Top of the Stairs

by Alison Naomi Holt

  Morgan continued to chuckle as she kicked Rebel and started into the morning's routine. They lost count of how many times Jesse threw up, and after one particularly violent episode, she dismounted and sat with her back up against a fallen tree.

  Morgan rode back, crossed her arms over the pommel of her saddle and waited. Jesse raised her head and wiped the sweat off her brow. “I hate you."

  "Good. Now mount up so we can get back to the house for lunch." She walked Rebel up close to Cabo and took Ryland's hand. The two of them rode toward the house with Smokey staring after them. He tried to pull away as Jesse grabbed one of the branches to pull herself to her feet. She climbed up onto the tree trunk she was leaning against and swung her leg over the saddle, careful not to over balance and fall off the other side. She decided that if she lived, she would never, ever drink whiskey again .

  Morgan and Ryland were waiting for her as Smokey slowly walked up to the barn with Jesse lying over his neck. He stopped and stood patiently while she fell to the side, still holding his neck for support. Her legs swung down under his chest and she let go and landed sprawled in front of him. He looked to Morgan as though asking for instructions, and she walked over and knelt beside Jesse.

  "You all right?"

  "No."

  Morgan grinned and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, we'll help you unsaddle. Then we'll all go eat some lunch." As they worked, Jesse tried to talk her way out of doing therapy. She just wanted to go into her apartment where she could pull the covers over her head and go back to sleep.

  Ryland pulled her saddle from Cabo and started for the tack room. She said over her shoulder. “I wouldn't dream of denying you the therapy since you were so adamant about having it last night. We'll have some lunch and start at one as usual." When Ryland finished putting her tack away, she came out and saw Jesse sitting on a bale of hay with her head in her hands. She patted her on the back, then finished with Cabo and led him to his stall.

  It took Jesse a few minutes to realize the barn was quiet and that Morgan and Ryland had left to go back to the house. Quiet was exactly what she needed, and she lay down on the hay for a short, half-hour rest.

  Chapter Eighteen

  At one, she shuffled up to their front door and knocked.

  Morgan opened the door and waved her inside. “How many times do I have to tell you? When you come up at one, you don't need to knock."

  Jesse headed straight for the couch and lay down, cushioning her head on the arm. Morgan walked over and pushed her feet off.

  “Take your boots off the couch. Where do you live, in a barn?"

  Jesse held up her foot, eyebrows raised.

  Morgan grabbed the heel, pulled the first boot off and dropped it to the floor. She motioned with her hand for Jesse to give her the other foot. “Give it here. I put 'em on, I might as well take 'em off."

  Jesse lifted her other foot and Morgan pulled that one off as well and muttered, “How did I ever get stuck with you anyway?"

  "I think it was Ryland's fault." Jesse put her feet back up on the cushions and closed her eyes.

  Morgan smiled and headed for the kitchen to help clean up from lunch. “Yeah, and I've been meaning to talk to her about that."

  When the two women came in, Morgan sat on Jesse's legs and made herself comfortable. Jesse kicked her feet out from under her and sat, hitting her in the arm on the way up. Morgan punched Jesse's arm in return, and Ryland sat down in her chair and begged,

  “Would you two knock it off?"

  Jesse muttered, “She started it."

  Ryland lowered her chin and raised her eyes at the two of them, waiting not so patiently for them to settle down. Morgan crossed her arms, innocent eyes smiling at Ryland while Jesse leaned back into the couch.

  Ryland sat back herself. “Now, if you two are through, let's get started. What we're going to do today, Jesse, is very slowly take you back into that room." She put up her hand. “Don't do it right now. We’re going to take you back in very slowly. When you feel even the slightest headache coming on, I want you to stop and focus your entire attention on Morgan."

  Jesse nodded and glanced sideways, reassuring herself that Morgan was right there. Morgan noticed the glance, turned toward Jesse and nodded. “I'm not going anywhere. I wish I were, but I'm not."

  "You and me both."

  Ryland continued. “I think you can go into the room without a headache, right?"

  Jesse nodded. "What part should I think about?"

  "Let's start with after you killed the rats."

  The dark room closed in around her. The dirt on the floor dug into her flesh as she lay on her stomach, her wrists still pinned to the board.

  "Now let’s move forward...just a little, to when the men pounded the nails out of your wrists."

  Jesse nodded.

  "Now move forward—just a little bit, Jesse, not a lot—and tell me what happens."

  "They left. It was dark. They went up the stairs."

  "When did they return?"

  "The next morning." A pain stabbed through her head and she reached up and grabbed her temple.

  "Look at Morgan and come back into this room."

  She focused on Morgan. The dirt room faded, reformed, then faded again.

  "Tell me when the headache goes away." They waited almost a full five minutes before Jesse could say the headache was gone.

  Ryland began again. “Okay, back up a little. I want you to look at the stairs and tell me what you see."

  "It's dark. Then, when they open the door at the top of the stairs, I see light, and shadows coming down. I hear them laughing.

  One of them is carrying—" Pain engulfed her again. She opened her eyes.

  Morgan reached over and put her hand on Jesse's shoulder.

  "I've got you. You're here in the living room with me."

  The room faded, but not as quickly this time. "Okay. Let's get this over with."

  "You still have the headache?" Ryland sat back and crossed her arms.

  "Just a little."

  "Then we’ll wait."

  "We can't wait every time my head hurts. We'll be here all day."

  "We’ll wait." Ryland got up and walked toward the kitchen.

  “Anybody want something to drink?"

  Morgan rubbed her eyes. “Coffee for me, please."

  Ryland disappeared into the kitchen and returned a short time later with three coffees on a tray. "Is it gone yet?"

  Jesse nodded.

  "Good. Now, I don't want you to tell me what he's carrying. I want you to describe it to me without naming the object."

  Jesse looked off, trying to concentrate on seeing what the man was carrying well enough to describe it. "It has a short handle...there's a thin oval rod at one end and…an electric cord coming out of the handle."

  "Good. No headache?"

  "No."

  "Now, look back down the hall to the stairwell. Look at the next man coming in."

  Jesse looked, and her head exploded. She opened her eyes and gasped, slamming her head back into the cushion to stop the pain.

  Morgan grabbed her head. “Look at me, Jesse. Slow your breathing and listen to me. What did we do this morning?"

  Jesse slid down into the couch, her hands pressed into either side of her head.

  Morgan moved her fingers behind Jesse's neck, but kept her thumbs up on her cheeks. She shook Jesse's head once. “Answer me, now. What did we do this morning?"

  Jesse took a quick breath. “Walked the hounds. Rode the horses." The pain backed off a little. "I almost got to club Cody to death." The pain went away, quicker than ever before.

  Morgan smiled and let go. “Even I'm getting to read you now.

  It's gone isn't it?"

  Jesse let out a shaky breath and nodded.

  Ryland sat forward. “All right, let's start again. Don't name any object, but describe to me why seeing that man frightened you."

  "Clips, and wires, and a box… and another box with post
s on it."

  "Are there any more people coming?"

  She looked again and saw Richard come down the steps. She concentrated on him, trying to see what he had in his hands.

  "Tell me what you're seeing."

  Excitement rose in her voice. "There it is! He has it! Richard has it!" Her head involuntarily twitched to the right and her eyes squeezed shut.

  "Don't name it, Jesse. Just describe it to me." Ryland had a pretty good idea what he was carrying, but she didn't want to put ideas into her head.

  "It's what Tate had."

  "Bring the three of them into the room with you."

  Jesse nodded and her eyebrows came down low over her eyes.

  She was watching something, and Ryland let her watch. Jesse raised her eyes and met Morgan's. "Did you see that?"

  Morgan turned to Ryland for guidance, and Ryland touched Jesse's arm. "Jesse, where is Morgan right now?"

  Jesse continued to stare at Morgan, and Ryland repeated.

  “Jesse, where do you see Morgan?"

  Confusion and suspicion colored Jesse's face. “She's in the dirt room with me. Why is she here?"

  Ryland reached over and touched Morgan's arm without taking her eyes from Jesse. “Leave the room, please. Now."

  Morgan didn't like leaving Ryland alone at this point, but she did as Ryland asked and walked into the kitchen, staying close by the door so she could hear what was being said in the other room.

  Jesse stared after her, the suspicion warring with the confusion. When the door shut, she re-focused on Ryland.

  "Where are you right now, Jesse?"

  "In the dirt room."

  "Tell me who's there with you."

  Jesse concentrated. “Three men...the dead guy...the dead rats."

  Ryland thought a minute. "Jesse, what happened to you already happened. There is no one who can come into your memories to stop what you're going to see. Morgan was not there, and she cannot stop what's going to happen to you." Ryland shifted in her chair, unsure whether she should move forward and leave her in the dirt room or bring Jesse back into the living room and start again tomorrow. "What do you see?"

  "The metal rod is orange. Richard's behind me holding the rod."

  "Where is he holding it?"

  Jesse looked over her shoulder. “Where's Morgan?"

  "She's in the kitchen. Where are you?"

  "In the dirt room." Jesse's voice raised in panic. “Where's Morgan?" She swiveled her head as though searching the dirt room.

  Ryland made a decision. "Jesse, you're in our living room on the farm. Describe what's here in the living room."

  Jesse studied the walls. "Dirt."

  Moving very slowly, Ryland shifted over to sit next to her on the couch.

  Morgan pushed the kitchen door partially open and watched through the crack. Jesse's answers were making her extremely uncomfortable.

  Ryland softly said, “Close your eyes, Jesse." When Jesse did, Ryland said. “I'm going to touch your arm. When you feel my hand, I want you to describe to me what you're feeling."

  When Jesse nodded, Ryland carefully put her hand on Jesse's forearm. When Jesse felt a hand on her arm, she stiffened and screamed, “No!"

  Ryland let go immediately. "It's Ryland, Jesse, you're back in my living room. Can Morgan come back in the living room?"

  Jesse was confused again and looked around the room.

  Ryland said, “Morgan is not in the dirt room. She was never in the dirt room. You are not in the dirt room right now. Tell me where you are."

  "I'm—" She was about to say she was in the dirt room, but someone had just said she wasn't. She blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. No one was where they were supposed to be. Ryland was sitting next to her, and Morgan wasn't with them. "Where'd she go? She said she wouldn't leave."

  Ryland relaxed. “She's in the kitchen. Morgan, would you come back in here, please?"

  Morgan let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and walked back into the living room. She moved to her place on the couch and sat down.

  Jesse watched as Morgan stepped into the room and came over to the couch. She looked at Ryland. “Okay, would you mind telling me what just happened?" Her voice cracked on the last word.

  Ryland moved back to her chair and calmly sat down. "Well, you just self-hypnotized, my dear, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that again." She smiled warmly and picked up one of the cups of coffee. “Anyone else need some caffeine?"

  Chapter Nineteen

  Three days later, Sheriff Carlson drove his patrol car down to the barn. Morgan was at the kennels, and Jesse met him at the barn door. The sheriff held out his hand. “Jesse, I heard you were in another altercation the other night. I hope you weren't hurt too bad."

  Jesse looked at the hand, then grudgingly shook it. Morgan would have her hide if she was rude to the man. "No. You want me to get Morgan?"

  "If you don't mind." The sheriff didn't understand why Morgan and Ryland kept this one on the payroll. He'd talked to people she'd come into contact with. She was fractious, ill-mannered, and sullen, everything the two women weren't. He especially didn't understand how Morgan put up with her. Morgan was a decent, difficult taskmaster with a fuse about as short as a DNA molecule.

  As though thinking about her made her appear, Morgan came around the barn and walked up to shake hands. "Michael, I was hoping I'd see you sometime this week. How's Clarisse?"

  "Ornery as ever. My wife could melt the polar ice caps if she was angry enough at 'em. Ryland doing well?"

  "Ryland's always doing well. Her latest book seems to be coming along. She was talking about having the two of you over for dinner in the next few weeks."

  Jesse listened for a few seconds, then disappeared into the barn. There was nothing that bored her more than polite pleasantries. Mud tracked in from the previous day’s rain had dried enough for her to grab the push broom and sweep it out of the barn. Morgan didn't like to see any dirt or hay or oats on the floor and Jesse liked the slow monotony of pushing the broom back and forth across the cement.

  Outside, Morgan stepped to the side of the barn and yelled,

  “Cody, could you come here a minute please?"

  Jesse overheard and immediately put down the broom and headed outside. When she opened the barn door, Morgan glanced over her shoulder and pointed at her. “You stay right there."

  Jesse stopped and leaned up against the barn wall, arms crossed. She watched as Cody ran around the side of the barn, stopping short when he saw the sheriff's car.

  "Yes Ma'am?" Cody walked to where Morgan was standing.

  Morgan motioned him over to the patrol car. “Sheriff Carlson has some things he needs to ask you about." As she spoke, a Sheriff's Identification Van pulled up and a young, blonde I.D. tech get out.

  "Sorry I'm late, Sheriff. Photographing the break-in out at the Olsen's took longer than I expected." She went to the back of the van and took out an ink pad and roller and a ten-print fingerprint card.

  The sheriff opened the passenger door of his car and pulled out a baggie containing a pack of cigarettes. He held them up to Cody. “This look familiar to you, Son?"

  Cody stepped over and reached up to bring the bottom of the baggie toward him for a closer look. He shook his head. “No Sir. I don't smoke."

  The sheriff nodded. “Good, good. Then you won't mind Carrie taking your fingerprints so we can rule out your prints as being the ones on this pack."

  Cody backed up a step. “Well Sir, I do mind. I'm not a criminal, and I have no intention of letting the government have my prints in any of their files."

  Ryland walked down the path from the house and stood next to Morgan. The sheriff nodded to her and touched his finger to his Stetson. “Ryland."

  Ryland nodded. “Michael." She realized this wasn't the time for polite chit chat, so she contented herself with waiting to see how things were going to play out. She watched Cody, who rubbed his elbow an
d glanced around nervously. The barn was to their back, but as she'd walked down the path she'd seen Jesse leaning against the wall, looking about as casual as a bull elephant about to trample a mouse.

  Sheriff Carlson reached into the inside pocket of his uniform jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I thought that might be the case. Unfortunately, Morgan and some of the other land owners hereabouts have noticed an unusual increase in burglaries around the county since you came back from college, and since we've been able to lift some prints from a few of them, Judge Aldrich agreed that it might be a good idea if we took your prints...you know, just to eliminate you as a possible suspect."

  When Cody took off running, Jesse pushed off the barn and sprinted after him with Morgan yelling for her to stop. There was no question in anyone's mind Jesse wouldn't listen, and when she didn't, Morgan growled and started after her. Ryland belly laughed behind her, and Morgan turned, her hands on her hips.

  Ryland put her hand over her mouth. “I'm sorry, Honey, but sometimes the two of you just make me laugh." She continued to chuckle as Morgan took in the sheriff's wide grin. "You too?"

  "Don't worry, Morgan. I've got a couple deputies out there who'll pull her off him."

  When the deputies returned with Cody in tow, his face bloody and covered in dirt, Jesse followed right behind them, dirty, but looking extremely pleased. She stood and watched as the I.D. tech rolled Cody's fingers in black ink. Morgan walked up behind Jesse and rapped her on the head with her knuckles.

  "Ow!" Jesse stepped forward and rubbed her head as she glared at Morgan.

  "Did you hear me tell you to stop?"

  Jesse moved around behind Ryland. “What the fuck?"

  Morgan circled Ryland as well. "I asked you a question."

  "Well no shit. I heard ya." She glared at Morgan and continued moving.

  "Stop circling Ryland."

  "No."

  Morgan lunged for Jesse, who danced backward, a hint of mischief in her eyes. Morgan stopped and studied her. Without taking her eyes off Jesse, she asked Ryland. “She's playing me, isn't she?"

  Ryland nodded. “Like a fiddle."